Leverage international experience for career development
Tips for Returnees & HR
Coming back home after an international assignment can be just as challenging as leaving in the first place. Both your environment—and you yourself—have changed. Re-establishing your private and professional life takes time, patience, and support.
Step 1: Reflect and Take Stock
Your time abroad is unique and full of valuable learning. Take time to reflect:
- What new skills did I develop?
- Which strengths helped me overcome challenges?
- How has my perspective on leadership, collaboration, or career shifted?
This clarity strengthens your self-confidence, helps in performance reviews or job interviews, and positions you to reintegrate more effectively into your previous role or a new one.
Step 2: Update Your Résumé and Online Profiles
Bring your professional profile up to date with measurable achievements: project outcomes, budget responsibility, team sizes. Highlight expanded competencies—such as resilience, intercultural collaboration, or leading virtual teams.
Make sure your LinkedIn profile reflects these experiences and stay visible in your professional community. If you are rejoining your former employer, update your internal profile in the company intranet as well.
Step 3: Activate and Expand Your Network
Networking accelerates re-entry and opens new opportunities. Stay connected with:
- former colleagues and peers
- professional associations, conferences, and trainings
- alumni and expatriate communities
Follow up offline encounters with an online connection. Shared international experience often creates a natural starting point for conversation.
Step 4: Shape Your Re-entry Consciously
Reintegration at work is not always seamless. Cultural differences in communication or work styles may surface more strongly than expected. Ask yourself:
- Which routines do I want to resume?
- Which new impulses from abroad do I want to introduce?
Discuss openly with your team—this not only prevents misunderstandings, but can also enrich your workplace with fresh perspectives.
Turning Repatriation into Organizational Value
For companies, repatriation is more than a logistical step—it’s a strategic opportunity. Research shows that without structured support, many returnees leave their employer within 12 months. That means losing precisely the international expertise the organization invested in.
With proactive HR involvement, return can become an asset:
- Retention: Engage returnees early and outline clear career paths.
- Competence transfer: Channel their international skills into projects, mentoring, and leadership roles.
- Culture & innovation: Position returnees as bridge-builders across markets, teams, and cultures.
Handled well, repatriation strengthens both employee loyalty and organizational competitiveness.
Return as a Step of Growth
Re-entry is a highly individual process that requires patience, openness, and perspective. For employees, it can unlock new personal and professional growth. For employers, it brings valuable impulses that enhance team dynamics, strengthen culture, and support global strategies.
Brigitte is a certified career consultant specializing in expatriates and repatriates. She works with international organizations and SMEs, guiding professionals and leaders through reorientation and career transitions. Her focus: making global competencies visible, unlocking potential, and enabling sustainable career steps. Affiliated with CoachingExpats since 2023.