Take the course! I definitely recommend it. I discovered so many possibilities that I couldn’t even have imagined from just following LinkedIn ads and company websites. My opportunities arose from conversations where I was expecting one thing, and a different, unexpected possibility showed up. Sometimes, I would feel like it just wasn’t working. Don’t give up. The best opportunity I got didn’t even come from a call. Someone I reached out to recommended me to his boss. Follow the process, make it a routine, and things will happen.
Ana Mendonca, a lawyer from Brazil, is Gen Propel’s first student in the Land Interviews on Your Job Hunt Abroad course. After four months of searching, she recently accepted an offer for full time work as a Legal Engineer in Germany.
In this interview, we caught up with Ana to ask about her experience with the job hunt, the course, as well as her advice to future students.
What did you hope to get from the course?
The job was the final goal, but I also wanted to learn how to find job opportunities, as well as how to build my network.
Before Gen Propel, what were you doing to look for jobs?
I was following LinkedIn ads and job websites. I also bought a law journal to find law firms with open positions. It didn’t work very well. Results? It was a never-ending waiting situation.
I also asked people in my network for recommendations. However, I didn’t have a large network in Germany. The people in my network also did not have a large network in Germany. So this wasn’t that helpful as well.
How did working together meet your expectations?
I discovered more than I wanted. With every call, before I could tell other people about me, I had to learn more about myself and how to talk about me, my qualities, and my work experience.
The hardest part was telling people how they could help me. Can you share my CV internally? Give me another name? That was very difficult for me. But after 3 or 4 calls, I just got used to it.
What is one thing you most benefited from with Gen Propel?
Of course, the offer I got!
Aside from that, the network I built. I met a lot of people in my field – these are people I want to stay in touch with.
I also discovered a lot of possibilities to keep networking. I learned that it’s actually easy – very easy – you don’t have to force any situation.
How could the course have helped you better?
One, more on the process of self knowledge and self development. To really reflect on myself, my goals, and my skills.
Two, following up. Maybe more emphasis on following up and how to get more comfortable and confident with it. We talked a lot about having to follow up. It’s the one thing I still don’t feel comfortable with. It took me a long time to understand… I know now that it’s better to follow up now than to wait 1 week or 2 weeks. If I had done that from the start, I would’ve looked for more opportunities. Because when you have a kind of possibility, you get into a comfort zone.
What advice would you give to future students?
Take the course! Aside from that, pay attention to your experience, feelings, and results. Share it with Chiara and Jezze. Because when something is not working? It’s often more about your fear than the process.
Also, adapt the materials to your situation. Even if the course gives you scripts on how to behave, every situation is different. You have to apply it to your situation.
Any last words?
I definitely recommend the course. It was a nice learning experience. I discovered so many possibilities that I couldn’t even have imagined from just following LinkedIn ads and company web sites.
My opportunities arose from conversations where I was expecting one thing, and another possibility I wasn’t expecting showed up.
Sometimes, I would feel like it just wasn’t working. Don’t give up. The best opportunity I got didn’t even come from a call. Someone I reached out to recommended me to his boss.
Follow the process, make it a routine, and things will happen.
