Get Ahead by Going Abroad: A Woman's Guide to Fast-track Career Success [Hardcover]

C. Perry Yeatman (Author), Stacie Nevadomski Berdan (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 4, 2007

As companies expand their international operations, smart women who are prepared to pursue opportunities overseas can dramatically accelerate their careers, enjoying high-profile projects, bigger promotions, and impressive financial rewards.

Get Ahead by Going Abroad is the go-to resource that reveals how women, single or married, can leverage this trend to showcase their skills and move up quickly on their own terms. Written by two women who did so with huge success, the book is packed with candid, instructive anecdotes and examples from their own and others' experiences, and step-by-step guidance for securing and succeeding in an international position. Yeatman and Berdan show how women at every level can benefit from an overseas posting: young professionals seeking to break out from the pack, mid-career women interested in new challenges with increased responsibility, or senior executives in pursuit of positions in executive management. Get Ahead by Going Abroad helps you get further, faster—and have fun along the way. It gives you the strategies to land the assignment, thrive in the job, and enjoy the lifestyle abroad.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Thorough. . .captivating. . .with plenty of insight.” (USA Today )

“There is no other book quite like this, a recommendation in itself.” (Library Journal )

“The authors do a wonderful job of answering the multitude of questions any woman would have before taking this very big step.” (--Miami Herald )

“Fun and informative. A must-read for all women who aspire to have exciting international careers.” (Irene B. Rosenfeld, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Kraft Foods, Inc. )

“[A]n excellent, practical guide for any woman considering this option in today’s global economy.” (Chad Holliday, Chairman & CEO, DuPont )

“Well-researched. . .fascinating.” (Sir Martin Sorrell, CEO, WPP )

“Why pound the pavement in Peoria, when you could be strolling in Paris?” (Carolyn Tieger, Partner and Global Public Affairs Leader, Porter Novelli )

“. . .a ‘must-read’ for all women who aspire to climb the corporate ladder.” (Harold Burson, Founding Chairman, Burson-Marsteller )

“. . .Girl Scouting applauds Yeatman and Berdan’s amazing effort to highlight cross-cultural understanding and international experience. . . .” (Kathy Cloninger, Chief Executive Officer, Girl Scouts of the USA )

“I cannot think of wiser advice for young women, and even the seasoned professional will pick up some pearls.” (Adrienne Graves, Ph.D., President and CEO, Santen, Inc. )

“Whether you work for a non-profit or a corporation, global experience counts.” (Bill Johnston, President, Jane Goodall Institute )

“I would have benefited from having access to Get Ahead by Going Abroad before beginning my international career.” (Joyce E. Erony, Managing Director, Sanders Morris Harris, Life Science Opportunities Funds )

“The book, a down-to-earth, step-by-step guide to getting and keeping a job in a foreign market, is a must-read for anyone who is serious about going global.” (-Fortune )

From the Author

GET AHEAD BY GOING ABROAD offers quantitative research, as well as personal stories and anecdotes from dozens of women who have gone abroad and catapulted their careers. It's a must-read for anyone interested in an international career! --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1 edition (September 4, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061340537
• ISBN-13: 978-0061340536
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.9 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,077,637 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Power Of Working Abroad May 18, 2008

By Andrea Martins

Format:Hardcover

Hi, I recently read this book and then interviewed the authors for a feature on ExpatWomen.com. I was so impressed with both the book and the authors that I contributed the following (unsolicited) review to The Telegraph UK site (subsequently published 14 May 2008). I hope it helps you learn more about the book and decide if it is the right book for you. Wishing you success abroad, Andrea Martins, Director, ExpatWomen.com.

"Could Rhonda Byrne be wrong? Could there really be another Secret? According to C. Perry Yeatman and Stacie Nevadomski Berdan, the authors of Get Ahead By Going Abroad: A Woman's Guide To Fast-Track Career Success, there is indeed another secret: working abroad gets you up the career ladder faster - especially if you are a woman struggling to break through the proverbial glass ceiling at home.

Perry and Stacie are living testimony to the power of working abroad. Perry was a 25 year-old account executive making US$25,000 a year when she moved from Baltimore, Maryland to Singapore to accept her first job overseas. Ten years later, with additional stints in Moscow and London, Perry catapulted to earning US$500,000 per year and found herself touring exotic cities with global CEOs and former heads of state like Margaret Thatcher. Today, Perry is one of the top fifty executives at Kraft Foods, the second-largest food and beverage company in the world.

Stacie moved to Hong Kong the day after her wedding, at age twenty-seven. She took up a vice-president position at Burson-Marsteller - the world's leading PR firm. Upon her return to Washington, D.C. only three years later, Stacie became a global managing director.... By the age of 34, she was named a partner in WPP, Burson-Marsteller's parent company and ranked in the top 1 percent of the largest communications conglomerate in the world. Today, Stacie is a successful author and a sought-after speaker and consultant.

But it is not just Perry and Stacie who have shot ahead by going abroad. To prove their theory, the authors conducted a global online survey of more than 200 women who had spent significant time abroad. A convincing 85 percent agreed that going overseas had accelerated their careers. Now that's a figure not to be scoffed at.

As a former expat in Indonesia and Mexico, I loved reading Get Ahead By Going Abroad because it took me up close and personal with Perry, Stacie and other similarly successful expat women - who share insights never normally offered to anyone outside an expat exec's trusted inner circle. I also enjoyed the fact that the book is written differently from your standard how-to fare: it intersperses advice, checklists and get-ahead tools with loads of quotes from the 40 women the authors interviewed in-depth to make their material "real".

Whilst aimed at the niche female market, this book is a must-have for anyone wanting to: land an international assignment; negotiate the best possible contract; know what to expect when they arrive; and strategically transition themselves into a premium position upon repatriation.

If you fancy a stab at accelerated success, doused with the excitement of living in a foreign land, Get Ahead By Going Abroad is definitely one of those books you should Google today." Read more ›

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wanderlust Pays off September 19, 2007

By M. R. Estante

Format:Hardcover

This all new guide by international career women brings a whole new light and love for the saying "the world is your oyster". With a collection of personal experiences and case studies with tactical how to's this book will tell you how to land that international assignment to fulfill your wanderlust. A great read to give you that push to leap towards the global career you have always wanted no matter your age or stage of life.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars one should at least consider the possibility July 11, 2009

By Giselle

Format:Hardcover

Before reading this books, I hadn't quite realised that it was possible to go overseas when being a mum or in a long term relationship (marriage, etc); What I learned in this book is that although it could be difficult to maintain/manage a balance within the family life whilst working overseas, still, it seems it is actually possible to do it: there are women who have achieved it...

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A great gift to career women December 7, 2007

By HJ

Format:Hardcover

What a great book for the career woman, with a lot of ambitions. It outlines how overseas assignments can help in achieving a much faster path towards the corner office - and have a lot of fun on the way. The book is full of stories from very succesful women, who have bolstered their career by working abroad and also peppered with the funny tales it has brought to their lives. A great read.

I really enjoyed reading the tips, research and stories by these impressive women.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't wait to begin my adventure! September 10, 2008

By WorldTraveler

Format:Hardcover

I can't wait to begin my professional adventure abroad! I was excited about it before, but now feel even more excited and prepared. Previously I had not thought that much about using my feminine characteristics to my advantage. This book will inspire you and teach you how to act locally while thinking globally.

5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth reading ! June 10, 2010

By Alison M. Delys

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book was recommended to me by a trusted colleague. I found it to be very interesting and beneficial. The authors clearly not only spent time abroad and it enhanced their careers promotions wise and financially but they also did an enormous amount of research. There are detailed interviews with women who have taken international assignments and succeeded, how they achieved the success, what (if any) drawbacks they experienced. How to adjust to the cultural differences etc. The section I enjoyed the most was the preparation, How to get yourself noticed by your current employer to get abroad. As someone who has already moved once internationally with an employer, from the UK to the US, this book was right on point. You have to be prepared to do your research on where you are going, ask for what you want until you get it.

Kudos to the authors for the book! I am working on getting another overseas assignment right now and revisiting the skills needed to accomplish this goal.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Resource For Any Ambitious Woman January 23, 2008

By jenner8675309

Format:Hardcover

While this book isn't exactly what I'm doing, taking a position overseas, it was the main reasoning behind finishing up the last leg of my education overseas. It was a very well thought-out, researched book, written by two women who had worked extensively overseas and had real life experiences of many women who had worked overseas also. It ranged from journalist to big business. It covered many aspects, from making sure its for you, how to land the gig, preparing for the move, settling in, working well overseas and surviving culture shock at the same time and even moving back to your home country and dealing with repatriation. It had some great ideas, tips, resources such as other books and websites, and was very, very helpful. I highly recommend it and am very glad I purchased it. It will be a big help and I plan on taking it with me as a resource when I start law school abroad in the Fall.