Amandine's profile
"I'm 26 years old, and I studied communication. I did my Bachelor's degree in France," Amandine says. She went on to earn a Master's degree in communication in Spain, and lived in several European countries before settling in Canada, where she had been living for a year.
She discovered the Work With No Borders blog in 2015 and began seriously considering the possibility of working in the United States, sending speculative applications, in particular for Miami and Los Angeles.
I'm leaving - I'm so excited!
Amandine started using LinkedIn in September 2017, but felt that "recruiters weren't looking at [her] resume at all," and the calls she did get were for in-person interviews, which wasn't possible from Montreal.
She realized her approach wasn't working and decided to join Sarah's coaching program just as a new group was starting.
"What changes everything is the method, the organization, the discipline. That's what allowed me to land this marketing communications position in Miami!"
The biggest benefit of coaching
Amandine explains that the biggest benefit of coaching was "really learning how to approach people. Communicating with them, because I think that's something we learn very poorly in France: we do things in a very formal, very rigid way."
She points out that in North America, the approach is completely different: "I was actually doing everything backwards. There's a way of getting in touch with people, a way of phrasing things, a way of following up a second time."
Some of the people she contacted at the time became friends. Coaching on "small talk" and "how to be comfortable on the phone" particularly helped Amandine.
How many interviews did it take Amandine to land her job in Miami?
Amandine went through two interviews per company. The first was very formal, over Skype, lasting 45 minutes to an hour, with questions about her career growth and five-year goals. The second was more casual, meant to "go deeper and confirm the human connection."
She notes that hiring someone from abroad represents a significant investment for a company, which has to sponsor a visa. The companies that hired her were upfront about their concerns, especially after a previous international hire had left for New York right after training.
Amandine's communications job in detail
Amandine holds a Bachelor's degree in communication and project management, along with a Master's degree in communication in creative industries with a focus on social media.
Her new position in Miami involves "writing articles, preparing videos, revamping the website, creating content for the LinkedIn page," as well as press relations with trade media.
The company, a finance and asset management firm, hired her in part because she had no prior finance experience, which let her "bring a fresh perspective, someone able to make things simple for people who don't know anything about it."
The company also appreciated that she spoke French, Spanish, and English, and contacted her previous employer for a reference.
Amandine's best advice
Amandine recommends "above all: patience and perseverance." She points out that "the job market in North America is much more dynamic than in France," but it requires mental preparation.
"If you're not mentally prepared for the fact that this can take several months, you risk getting discouraged and giving up." Her job search lasted several months, and even after receiving her offer on April 29th, she didn't start the position until July 2nd.
She also advises keeping good relationships with former employers: "don't leave a job on bad terms if you can help it! Because you don't always get to choose who your future employer is going to call."
Amandine is heading to Miami, Florida, "thrilled to say I now have a marketing and communications position in Miami," rather than staying in Canada through another -30°C winter.