Expat Women August Home Page & Welcome To New Sponsor: Confused.com

Hello Everyone! A very special August welcome to our new Bronze Sponsor, Confused.com: a leading comparison service based in the UK. Though best known for car insurance, they also offer home insurance, travel insurance, a selection of financial services, the ability to switch energy suppliers, and plenty more besides. Just by filling in some forms which are nice and simple to follow, Confused.com will return a selection of great deals available on the web, and present them to you in a format that’s easy to understand. Thanks in advance for supporting Confused.com!

This month, our Expat Women August Home Page highlights the following fabulous features:

Success Story: Diane Gulyas
Dianne Gulyas runs DuPont’s largest business unit – a US$7 billion operation, with a 7,500-strong global team. It’s no wonder that Fortune magazine named her as one of their 50 Most Powerful Women. She attributes her accelerated success to working abroad...

Business Idea: The Antiques Diva™
Toma Haines believes that trailing spouses “have been offered the greatest gift on the planet: the time and resources to pursue their dreams”. Toma’s dream was to live abroad and create her own career in a suitcase. With The Antiques Diva™, that’s exactly what she’s done…

Queen Of Africa: Tanya Trevor
Tanya Trevor has led a fascinating life. She has lived in Kenya, Denmark, England, Scotland and Australia. She was with her father when he was filming Gorillas in the Mist, on set during Out Of Africa, and on screen with Jimmy Stewart in Tale of Africa…

Negotiations Abroad: The Female Factor
In order for women to be successful in international business negotiations, [they] need to be educated about how to deal with foreign business cultures. The secret of women’s success negotiating internationally is contained in the three angles of the “Triple A Triangle”…

Expat Confession: Keeping Secrets
"I am feeling a bit down because I have the feeling that my husband is keeping secrets from me. He’s getting distant from me and he always seems too tired to talk. I realise that his work is quite demanding, but we have been married for ten years and have lived the expatriate life..."

Expat Explorer Survey Results
Seeking the good life abroad? Then pack your suitcase and head for Singapore, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) or the United States (US). These three countries emerged as the best expat locations in the largest global survey of expats, with 2,155 respondents across four continents...

Newsletter Next Week
And finally... we are sending out our August newsletter mid-next week. If you do not already receive our newsletters, please support us by signing up today. New members receive our Free E-Book: Winning Stories.

Thank you very much - and here's wishing you a wonderful August!

11th Annual Talent Management Summit (IQPC), 20-23 October, Las Vegas

Hi Everyone, If you are looking for fresh strategies to engage and retain your employees, then look no further than the 11th Annual Talent Management Summit, this October in Las Vegas.

This conference, themed Aligning Talent Management With Business Goals, "unveils the latest tools for developing your employees including career pathing, onboarding, analytics, as well as other cutting edge topics including multi-generational workforces, RPOs, employer branding, engaging millenials, global talent, HR and business strategy and more".

Keynote speakers include:

Marc Effron, Vice President, Talent Management, Avon, Founder of the New Talent Management Network

Deb Capolarello, Chief Talent Officer, MetLife, Fortune 500

Jay Conger, Henry R. Kravis Research Chair in Leadership Studies

Scott Fleming, President, Replacements Ltd.

Joseph Cabral, Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer, North Shore-LIJ Health System

Susan Hailey, VP Talent, Harrah's Entertainment, Fortune 500

Susan Hamilton, Chief Diversity Officer, CSX, Fortune 500

Robert Vosburgh, SVP and Head of HR, CenterCity, MGM Mirage, Fortune 500

Best of all, the conference will be held at The Venetian Resort (gorgeous place to stay, if I might say so myself).

Conference-only prices:

If you register by 1 August, US$1,608

If you register by 29 August, US$1,800

After 29 August, US$2,399

If you would like more details, or know someone in your HR department who would, Click Here to request your free PDF brochure from our friends at IQPC (International Quality & Productivity Center), who are also hosting the Global Talent Management Summit, August 25-27, in Chicago. Thanks Everyone!

HSBC Survey Results: Pack Your Bag And Head To Singapore, the US or the UAE!

Hello Everyone, If you have not already seen the impressive array of news articles in the expat media in the past few days about the HSBC International Expat Explorer Survey results, released on 24 July, here are some of the highlights:

• 2,155 expatriates surveyed, over 4 continents;
• Singapore, US and the UAE were ranked as the best overall expat locations;
• 74% of expats living in Singapore said their quality of accommodation was better than back home;
• 58% of expats save and invest more than they did in their country of origin; Hong Kong-based expats (on the whole) have the highest salaries;
• In terms of longevity, The Netherlands rated the highest, with 82% of expats there already residing there for 3+ years; and
• The UK and France were among the lowest-rated destinations, scoring poorly on their levels of luxury and standards of accommodation.

However, unlike all of the other sites that we've seen, we can offer you the full PDF summary of the survey results (great for expat research, articles, HR strategy, or just plain curiosity), thanks to our good friends at HSBC Offshore (a valued Expat Women Gold Sponsor). Just Click Here. :-)

Women In Technology - 20th Anniversary Summit & Bonus Membership Offer

Hi Everyone, If you are involved in the technology industry, you might be interested in the Women In Technology International (WITI) website, upcoming 20th anniversary conference (12-15 October, Santa Clara, California, US) and/or WITI's current bonus membership offer (pay for 12 months and get a bonus 6 months for free, as part of their 20th anniversary membership drive). Offer expires 15 August 2008. If anyone goes, please let us know what it was like. Thanks!

What Have You Done Today To Make You Feel Proud?

Ever wondered how you can make a difference? Need some inspiration? Then take a look at this four-minute video put together by the MBA class of a friend of mine. Their ethics class assignment was to change the fabric of society. Their idea was to use a YouTube video to inspire everyone to make more of a difference to the community. It's a nice, motivational video, giving examples of real people contributing to the community in real ways.

If you do nothing else other than watch the video (which has great music, by the way), your 'hit' on their view counter would have helped an MBA class and made them feel like their video was worthwhile. Thanks Everyone! Andrea

PS. Here is their blog as well: 1 Small Act.

Become An Expert On Google's New Knol

Have you seen Google's new site which allows you to write about your area of expertise? It's called Knol ("a knol is an authoritative article about a specific topic") and it may just offer you another great platform on which to grow your name, brand and/or network.

Knol is a bit of a cross between Wikipedia (in terms of the ability to share knowledge) and the world of blogs (in terms of its publishing tools). However, unlike Wikipedia, others can contribute their ideas/corrections for your page, but only you can edit your page.

To test their current offerings, I searched the site for the term expat and got zero articles. I then searched for the term women and it only brought up five articles:

1. Female Sexual Function and Dysfunction;
2. Urinary Tract Infection in Women;
3. The Decline in Women in Computer Science from 1940-1982;
4. Breast Pain/Lumps in Women; and
5. Libido Problems in Women.

C'mon everyone - let's get in and boost Google's offerings! I suspect the faster you get in, the more potential exposure you might gain for your name/company/brand/hobby/interest. Think about investing 30-60 minutes into creating an expert page on the new Knol - I certainly will. You never know who might discover you. :-)

Best wishes for your weekend, and thanks for your ongoing support, Andrea.

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An update from Sébastien Deschamps (InterExpat and ExpatAngels): If you would like to invest the time in (the beta version of) Google's new Knol, be sure to read about the bugs, work-arounds and searchability issues first. It may help you navigate Knol and not lose your hard work. Cheers.

Expats In Denmark?

If you are expat in Denmark, of soon to become one, you might be interested in this new website: Expat in Denmark.

Launched on 30 June 2008 by the Danish Chamber of Commerce, who "would like Denmark to be an attractive country for businesses and international employees alike", the online network "is also created as a tool for companies and expats to help ensure that the stay in Denmark is a trouble-free and positive experience."

Even more interesting, is the fact that on 21 October, they are organizing a job fair event in the centre of Copenhagen at the beautiful, old Stock Exchange, “Børsen”, with the aim of matching business and Expat partners - to help expat partners gain employment and enjoy living in Denmark. Wow. Wouldn't it be wonderful if all host countries helped expat partners like this? :-)

To read more about the venue for the 21 October event, please click here. To see our Expat Women Country Page for Denmark, please click here. Thanks.

Would You Like To Speak At The Asian Women's Entrepreneur Conference?

Hi Everyone, In a blogpost last month, we let you know about the upcoming Asian Women's Entrepreneur Conference (AWEC) to be held in Seoul, Korea, from 25 - 27 September.

Well this week, we received an email from the AWEC Committee, asking us to nominate relevant, credible and high-level speakers for their conference.

If you feel qualified to speak (and/or you know someone who is) and you would like to pursue this further, please email the committee and request the Speaker Recommendation Form. Thanks.

Note: As a speaker at the AWEC Conference, you can also apply for an honorarium and/or financial assistance to help with accommodation and conference registration fees.

August 19 Webinar: International Mobility In The Pharmaceutical Sector (GMAC)

You may recall in a previous blogpost, we let you know about a financial services sector webinar that GMAC Relocation Services hosted, to expand on the results of their financial services sector survey results.

Well, know it's the pharmaceutical sector's turn, with one of the main topics being "As Companies Become More Global, Should They Hire Talent Locally Or Transfer Employees Globally?" A hot topic if you are an expat in the pharmaceutical sector.

The scheduled GMAC pharma webinar is on 19 August (US time). The webinar is free, but limited to the first 100 registrants. To learn more about the webinar and/or register, please click here. Thanks.

Looking For Ways To Save On Your Phone Calls?

Hi Everyone, A little while back, we read a good article about VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol), or in other words, how to use the internet for free/cheap telephone services, answering machine services and more - from anywhere in the world. We wanted to share it with you, so thanks to author Debbie Jenkins, we have now added this article to our site: 11 Ways Lean Marketers Can Make The Best Use of VoIP. Take a quick read if you are interested. Thanks.

Stories, Stories, Stories

It seems that everyone except for Julie (in Switzerland) and Lucinda (in Jordan) are on vacation, so we're calling on you...

Can you help us by contributing an expat story to our Stories section this month? We are sure that you have plenty of stories to tell and we would be most appreciative. Please submit your stories here.

Thank you very much and enjoy your weekend!

BBC - Radio 4 - Woman's Hour: Urgently Looking For Expats Who Returned...

...home to the UK, because they did not settle well in their expat posting abroad. Ideally, an accompanying wife/partner who was posted outside of Europe. If you can help, please get in touch via either their website or via Lydia Thomas urgently.

Thanks go to Marian Weston of Swift Transitions for this tip-off.

Reminder: FIGT Proposal Deadline September 1

Hi Everyone, You may recall that in a previous blog post in May, we let you know how to submit a proposal to speak at the next Families in Global Transition (FIGT) Conference in Houston, Texas, US, March 5-7, 2009.

Well, the powers that be at FIGT have sent around a note today, reminding everyone that the deadline for speaking proposals is September 1. So if you are keen to speak (and get exposure for your business, company or research project), get that brain into gear and start writing your proposal.

Here is the link to the submission form again. Go for it!

PS. Want to read what it is like at an FIGT conference?

2008 Report (an Expat Women Interview with FIGT Participant, Robin Pascoe)

2007 Report (by our ExpatWomen.com founders, Jill Lengré and Andrea Martins)

Want To Help Adeline? Ethnic Entrepreneur Research - Deadline 20 July

If you would like to participate in the research that Adeline Wielputz (a Franco-German graduate student) is doing on ethnic entrepreneurs, in terms of how highly-skilled ethnic entrepreneurs have used their ethnic (or expat) status as a competitive advantage in building successful businesses, take a look at Expat Career and Entrepreneur Coach Megan Fitzgerald's blog entry today.

Adeline is looking for entrepreneurs "who have a migrant background. These entrepreneurs can have recently settled in the country, being in the guest country for a long period, or even be born in the guest country. The size and the turnover of the company does not play a role in this research. The firm can also be in the start-up phase."

"Participants need to be: (1) Self-employed; (2) People with a migrant background: that is, be born abroad or have parents/grandparents who were born in a foreign country (1st, 2nd and 3rd-generation immigrants); and (3) Have a business in North America or Europe. The interviews will be conducted in English, German, French or Spanish via conference call."

Deadline is 20 July. So act quickly. Thanks.

Trends In Global Employment & Mobility

If you are interested in reading about trends in global employment, talent and mobility, either for interest, for your own research, or to assist you in the formulation of your company's strategies/policies, take a look at some of the great survey results and white papers available for free at the Manpower Research Center (from employment giant Manpower - based in 80 countries/territories).

Samples and snippets:

The Borderless Workforce Survey - Global Survey Results (June 2008) - Surveyed over 28,000 employers over 28 countries and territories.

Top 10 Countries Recruiting For Foreign Talent:

1. China
2. United States
3. India
4. United Kingdom
5. Germany
6. Japan
7. Spain
8. France
9. Canada
10. Poland

The Borderless Workforce - White Paper (June 2008)

"More than 190 million people live outside their countries of birth." (Quoted in the White Paper, from the International Organisation For Migration website.)

"More than 40 million Americans moved last year, and by 2025, three-quarters of all US residents will live on the nation's coasts - a huge shift, especially for a developed nation." (Quoted in the White Paper, from TRENDS: "Moving Americans," Jacksonville News/ The Florida Times Union, January 2, 2007.)

"EuroStat data found that 59% of people who looked for work outside their home region found work within a year, the equivalent figure for those who stayed put was just 35%." (Quoted in the White Paper, from "European Year Of Workers' Mobility," Europa Press Release)

Relocating for Work Survey - Global Survey Results (June 2008) - Surveyed more than 30,000 people from 27 individual labour markets around the world. Three highest respondent countries/territories were Spain, The Middle East and Belgium.

Top 10 Preferred Destinations For Work

1. United States
2. United Kingdom
3. Spain
4. Canada
5. Australia
6. United Arab Emirates
7. France
8. Italy
9. Germany
10. Argentina

Confronting The Talent Crunch - White Paper (April 2008)

2008 Talent Shortage Survey - Survey Results (April 2008)

The Virtual World Of Work - White Paper (October 2007)

The Power Of Cultural Diversity At Work (in Dutch) - White Paper (October 2007)

Latin American Talent Mobility - White Paper (October 2007) (or Spanish version)

Big thanks go to Eva Velasco (a Spanish repatriate, previously an expat woman in the U.S.) of The Passport Group for telling us about this research.

Need To Send Money Overseas?

Hi Everyone, If anyone needs to send money overseas, please consider using Canadian Forex (part of OzForex), with whom we have just entered a trial partnership, in our ongoing effort to raise funds to support our free resource site for expat women worldwide.

They are offering Expat Women Members their first two transfers fee-free before 30 July 2008.

Click here to discover:
(1) Things to consider when transferring money overseas;
(2) 5 Key Benefits of using OzForex; and
(3) How to transfer funds.

Thanks so much, Andrea.

Want To Help A Reporter and Get Quoted In The Media?

As you know, reporters are constantly looking for sources. They're always writing stories, reporting on something and always need experts in the field. Problem is, they don’t always know how to find the experts that they need.

On the flip side, if you are an expert at something (...and come on, everyone is an expert at something) how do you let the media know you’re available to talk and be quoted when they are writing a story?

Enter: Help A Reporter Out - a US-based site by Peter Shankman, which aims to gather a large database of members interested in helping reporters out and a growing daily list of requests from reporters who need help.

So far, the guy seems to be onto something... he says in this video that he has already built a database of 12,000 sources, used by >2,500 journalists... in just 3 months!

Not sure this site will ever be of benefit to you? Well, you'll never, never know, if you never, never go. Hope it helps some of you.

Best wishes, Andrea.

Want To Brighten Up Your Day? Watch YouTube's: "Where The Hell Is Matt?"

We watched a YouTube video today which not only made us smile a mile wide, but which reignited our travel spirits. We loved it!

To brighten up your day too, take four and a half minutes and click on: Where The Hell Is Matt?

To read more about Matt, click here to get to his own web page. This explains the background as to how a guy like Matt can travel the world in 14 months and dance in 42 countries with a cast of thousands. If there are any expat women out there who can equal (or better) Matt's effort, feel free to drop us a line!

1st World Congress For Women Empowerment, France, November 2008

At the recent Globe Women conference in Hanoi, I caught up again with dynamo Dr Amany Asfour, the President of the Egyptian Business Women Association, who asked me to promote an exciting upcoming conference:

Conference Title: 1st World Congress for Women Empowerment
Theme: Women Empowerment to Meet the Millennium Dev't Goals
Date: 19 - 22 November 2008
Location: Lyon, France
Cost: 600 Euro (before 1 Oct 2008) or 700 Euro (after 1 Oct 2008)
Objectives: Click Here
Topics: Social, Economic & Political Empowerment of Women
Who Should Attend: Click Here

Background: "In the year 2000, the member states of the United Nations signed the Millennium Declaration, which led to the adoption of the Eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Five years later at the UN World Summit in 2005 countries reaffirmed their commitment to the MDGs. Despite these commitments, there has been mixed progress regionally and across the Globe."

Never heard of the Eight Millennium Development Goals? They are:

1. "Eradicate Extreme Poverty & Hunger;
2. Achieve Universal Primary Education;
3. Promote Gender Equality & Empowerment of Women;
4. Reduce Child Mortality;
5. Improve Maternal Health;
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria & other diseases;
7. Ensure Environmental Sustainability; and
8. Develop a Global Partnership for Development."

Best wishes for your day/evening! Andrea

New GMAC Survey Results (Financial Services Sector) & 15 July Webinar

GMAC Relocation Services have just released the results of their add-on survey: International Mobility in the Financial Services Sector: The Challenge of Emerging Markets. (See details of their primary relocation trends survey results in our May blogpost.)

This add-on survey involved interviews with HR professionals responsible for international assignment strategy at companies with offices throughout the world and employees totalling 1.25 million.

The GMAC press release has some interesting info in it, so we have put it up for you on our Expat Women site at this page.

Take a quick look if it interests you, because the page also details how to get free copies of the surveys, plus how to participate in an upcoming GMAC Webinar exploring the findings of the financial services survey, on 15 July (US time).

Third Culture Kid (TCK) Teleconference with Brats Producer, Donna Musil

In May, we wrote a blog post about the first-ever TCK Academy teleclass. Well, Brice from TCKid has written to us again. He would like to invite all TCKs in our audience to join in on an upcoming free teleconference with Donna Musil on the topic: Brats: Our Journey Home, scheduled for Monday 7 July, 1pm US Pacific Time, which is 9pm London time.

In this interview, Donna will discuss the making of her seven-year passion, Brats: Our Journey Home. She will be talking about finding that place of belonging, being comfortable with who you are in the mix of paradoxes, the positive and the challenging legacies that TCKs experience around the globe, and how BRATs/TCKs can develop an ability to fully employ their strengths and have compassion for their weaknesses."

If you are a TCK or are interested in TCK issues, and you are up for this 60-minute teleconference, do join in.

Do You Dread Delivering Presentations?

In a blog post two months ago, I recommended a great website called LeadStar, designed for anyone who "influences outcomes and inspires others". Here is another powerful snippet from Angie Morgan and Courtney Lynch, which arrived in my Inbox this week:

"You have been assigned to prepare a presentation for your next staff meeting or company-wide event. You can feel your anxiety level rising already. This is not surprising as public speaking tops many professionals' list of activities in which they would rather not engage. However, often it is a necessity and a job requirement.

So, how do you overcome your fear and develop solid presentation skills? Here are three ways to ensure that your next presentation is a success:

1. Develop exceptional content.

The content, after all, is the heart of the presentation. Make sure that it is direct and to the point, that it is organized and that any information that must be retained by your audience is also provided to them in written form;

Practice, practice, practice. The only thing that is going to make you more confident in your abilities as a public speaker is practice. Grab any co-worker who is willing to listen and talk through your presentation with them. Practice in the shower, in the car on the way to work and while walking your dog. The better you know your material, the better you will be able to overcome your nerves and relax during the real thing; and

Realize that it's not about you. Although you may feel the glare of the spotlight, your presentation is not about you - it is about educating your audience. A simple shift in perspective and a few deep breaths prior to taking the podium can make a world of difference.

As leaders it is imperative that we enhance all of our communication skills - presentation skills among them. With a lot of preparation and the right perspective, your will lead your presentation to success!"

Trailing Spouses Working Abroad: Jeff Porter's Interviews with Jo Parfitt, Bertrand Fouquoire & Terri Williams

Dear Friends, If you are a Trailing Spouse, there is a good chance that you might enjoy this interview between Jeff Porter and portable career expert, Jo Parfitt.

Jeff Porter (founder of TrailingSpouse.net and now TheAusmerican) talks to Jo Parfitt about: Jo's book Career In Your Suitcase (3rd edition), which we featured on our Expat Women home page last month; the notion of when/how/if to look for a 'real job' abroad; the difficulties, but also rewards, of a portable career; some of the professional identity issues and stereotypes associated with trailing spouses; modern technology... and more.

If you still have stamina, you might like to also check out Jeff's interview with Bertrand Fouquoire (founder of DualExpat.com). Bertrand's website is in French, but the interview is in English. A HR Professional by background, Bertrand's goal is "to develop an international network for dual-career expat partners, plus help match companies with expat talent".

But wait, there's more...

Jeff also has interesting interviews with Terri Williams (of Seneca Coaching Solutions) about the job search process: interviews; resume-writing; negotiating the job offer etc. And I am sure he will add more in the future.

If any of these topics interest you, maybe listen to these talkcasts in the background, while you are working on other things, like I did...

Thanks Everyone and best wishes for your day/evening! Andrea