The International Job Search Experience - Interview with Michael Gralapp

CEO, COO, President of various retail and media companies, and actor (check his IMDB page: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7481818/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) with extensive international experience, Michael Gralapp has a very exciting life story, having lived in many countries around the world! He has been responsible for on-the-ground operations in Australia, China, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, and the United States. After “retiring” as a CEO, he is now working as an International Recruiter mining talent globally for clients in Australia, Brazil, China, Dubai, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Italy, Moscow, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam.

In this upbeat conversation, we talked about his experience adapting to new cultures and the international job search process. He gave precious advice to global professionals interested in moving abroad or working with multinational companies in their own countries.

It was so rich, so intense, and so full of relevant information for the global professional! He discussed issues like:

• The impact of the hybrid model for global professionals

• The process of VISA sponsoring from the company’s point of view

• The importance of integrating within the culture with locals

• The importance of having a complete and well-written LinkedIn Profile

• How to interact with recruiters and how they recruit 

• How to impress during an interview

 Some of my favorite quotes: 

“When I say soft skills, I’m just talking about being human, you know, being yourself, showing your best face!”

“Sometimes you have to go through one of those doors; sometimes you have to start with a company at a position that you may think isn’t senior enough for you. I mean, I was a CEO of a company, (…) my first job in China, believe me, was not a CEO position. I had to prove myself, I had to get in there and show that, you know, I was an experienced businessman, that I did understand business development. And once you prove yourself, doors open wider and advancement comes quicker. But you know, it is kind of like I see a lot of college kids all over the world, they have spent 2 years, 4 years, 6 years in college getting their degree. They think they are gonna walk into the job of their choice, at the salary of their choice. I am sorry. It doesn’t work like that.”

Pure gold!!!! You can’t miss it!!!!!

#internationaljobsearch #jobsearch #internationalrecruiting #expatriates #livingabroad #careercoaching #graduates