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Careers

Working in Europe

At many companies, rungs on the corporate ladder are marked 'international experience'

by William G. Schulz
October 10, 2005 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 83, Issue 41

Living and working in europe is a dream opportunity for many U.S. professionals, including those who work in the chemical, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology industries. But there are probably fewer jobs available than people who want to apply, and companies, especially those with global reach, often transfer their own employees to posts overseas.

In fact, at many companies with facilities around the world, employees in management and R&D will find rungs going up the corporate ladder marked international experience. Human resource directors say work abroad can give employees leadership experience, new perspectives on scientific work, and valuable cultural sensitivity-all vital skills in today's global marketplace.

More than one company C&EN talked with for this article mentioned that it is not just European experience that they desire for their employees, but work in Asia, Latin America, and other locations as well.

At BASF, a global company headquartered in Germany, Senior Vice President for Human Resources Norman H. Maas says the company does not do a lot of recruiting outside Europe, where they hire mostly Germans. But they do hire some people in the U.S., mostly chemical engineers and people with M.B.A.s who might work in such areas as sales and marketing.

These U.S. BASF employees have an opportunity to enroll in the company's Professional Development Program (PDP), which consists of two nine-month assignments in Germany or other overseas locations. Enrollees need a working knowledge of German and an ability to learn from cultural experience, Maas says. Most people around our plant in Ludwigshafen don't speak English.

We give language and cultural training for employees and their spouses, Maas adds. It's not like moving someone to New York or Boston. There are differences in how you get a driver's license, when you can go shopping, and so on. It's a whole different experience.

Overseas, Maas says, Americans tend to hang out with Americans. But we want something different. We want our employees to feel confident enough to put themselves in uncomfortable situations to gain intercultural competence.

And when employees move, Maas says, we have a comprehensive relocation package-one of the best and most comprehensive in the industry.

Maas
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Credit: BASF Photo
Credit: BASF Photo

Managers at BASF, Maas says, need international experience. Our top 700 or 800 senior executives absolutely need international experience. Our headquarters are in Europe, and the ability to network is key.

While there are no age limits on employees selected for PDP, Maas says, the younger you are, the more willing you are to accept a challenge. It's difficult for many people to adapt to such challenges later on in life.

The rewards of the challenge, he says, are that you learn about yourself-what you can do and can't do when outside your comfort zone.

Thomson
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Credit: BASF Photo
Credit: BASF Photo

I expressed interest, and then a position opened up, says BASF Business Manager Scott D. Thomson of how he enrolled in PDP. He says he had six months to prepare for his first assignment in Germany and that was enough advance notice to undertake some language and cultural training.

That training, Thomson says, is very helpful. You still make mistakes, but you can avoid making major, irreparable mistakes.

The Germans are very understanding if they see that you are making an effort, he continues. Language is a plus, but most important is to be adaptive and open to new things. Germany has a culture where it takes longer to make new friends, but when you do, it is a very tight circle of friends.

Thomson says he's gained a broader view and understanding of the world. There are other ways to do things. Thomson has just begun his second stint working in Germany.

We take a very global view of where people work and contribute, says Philip T. Woodrow, executive director of science and technology development at Merck. If people would like to work outside the U.S., we try to do that very early on. These things require a little bit of planning.

We don't have hard-and-fast rules on international experience, he continues, but we do try to facilitate opportunities that are essential to business. A number of our scientists and engineers find collaborations with people in other parts of the world very useful. There are short- and long-term assignments available, such as a job switch or rotation with colleagues.

Technical background and work experience are key for Merck employees, Woodrow says, but the firm also looks at the capability of the individuals-are they good at collaboration? At getting results?

For Merck, he says it is not only desirable for U.S. employees to have experience in Europe. The same process works in reverse. We are a global company, and the arrows of employees in transition circle the globe.

In his own experience, Woodrow says he worked on the development of a new Merck facility in Europe. It provides an opportunity to impact knowledge transfer and to see a project all the way through to completion.


Experiencing life in another country expanded my horizons and enabled me to develop an appreciation for cultures and customs, both from a business perspective and a social one.


Woodrow
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Credit: Merck Photo
Credit: Merck Photo

Another example, he says, might be a Merck chemist working in drug development. He says scientists can add the opportunity to see a new medicine through clinical trials and manufacturing, perhaps in another part of the world. The perspective and professional development that result from these experiences, he says, are benefits that accrue to the employee and to Merck.

Abrams
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Credit: Degussa Photo
Credit: Degussa Photo

Specialty chemicals giant Degussa also values international experience. Working in Frankfurt, Germany, and Singapore were invaluable to my international outlook and my career at Degussa, says Shawn Abrams, Degussa senior vice president/general manager and head of its active oxygens unit in Parsippany, N.J. Experiencing life in another country expanded my horizons and enabled me to develop an appreciation for cultures and customs, both from a business perspective and a social one.

Abou-Gharbia
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Credit: Wyeth Photo
Credit: Wyeth Photo

“There is no such thing as European or North American operations at Degussa,” Abrams continues. “We are international in scope, so we could have North American operations run out of Europe or some Asian operations overseen from the U.S. We've gotten away from the old days of separate North American and European business lines. It's all global.”

Degussa has implemented an International Jobs Rotation Program to ensure that employees are given the opportunity for global assignments, Abrams says. “We have a 2–2-2 rule wherein potential executives prepare for their future leadership roles by gathering experience in two different cultures, in two different functions, and in two different company divisions. This makes sure we have managers and executives with an international mind-set.

“Degussa is up-front in stating that international experience is a prerequisite to climbing the corporate ladder. We recruit from schools such as Thunderbird [the Garvin School of International Management] in Arizona, which has an impressive pool of talented individuals who are receptive to spending time in different jobs in different countries.”

To support managers and executives making an international move, the company provides language courses, cross-cultural training for spouses or significant others, and a fact-finding trip before the employee makes the move. Once in a new location, he says, Degussa's human resources department “continues to follow up with the individual and is always there for backup.”

“If you move people to a foreign country, they come away with a good grasp of communication skills and abilities to work as a team leader,” says Magid A. Abou-Gharbia, senior vice president and head of chemical and screening sciences at Wyeth in Princeton, N.J. “We don't have much presence in Europe, but we are establishing initiatives in Italy and Ireland.”

In Dublin last month, Wyeth opened a large biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility, which includes a small drug discovery unit. Abou-Gharbia says the facility is an outgrowth of both productive research collaborations in Ireland and the skilled workforce and other investment incentives offered by Ireland.

“There is good science going on in Europe,” Abou-Gharbia says. “Italian medicinal chemists, for example, are very strong-second to the U.S. in terms of population.”

The value of international work, he says, is that U.S. scientists can experience “the best of both worlds-the U.S. and the European approach to science. It helps a lot in the field of medicinal chemistry where there's lots of hands-on bench experience and different ways to approach the same sets of problems.”

“There's no doubt that cross-disciplinary skills are important,” says Jill Mueller, a vice president for human resources at Abbott in Abbott Park, Ill. She says work abroad, whether it's in Europe or some other locale, is one way to gain some of those cross-disciplinary skills.

Mueller likens international experience with another phenomenon she sees: the number of M.B.A.-degree holders who also have a background in science.

“With the whole world going global, overseas experience is another way candidates for higher level jobs at Abbott can set themselves apart,” Mueller continues. “We have a number of R&D facilities overseas and small facilities in just about every country.”

For Abbott employees who accept an overseas assignment, she says, the company assists them with language and cultural training. What's more, “we have relocation experts who know about the country where the employee is moving.” She says this expertise helps with knowing local customs or even more mundane matters such as where and when to shop.

OVERSEAS
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Credit: Wyeth Photo
Wyeth Biopharma Campus at Grange Castle in Dublin offers opportunities in biopharmaceuticals.
Credit: Wyeth Photo
Wyeth Biopharma Campus at Grange Castle in Dublin offers opportunities in biopharmaceuticals.

“We anticipate return assignments for our employees,” Mueller continues. “We always keep a path back” so that employees have a concrete idea about the length of an overseas assignment and what they will do when they return to the U.S.

While they are abroad, “we have monthly special assignment forums,” Mueller says. This gives employees from the U.S. a chance to meet with one another and talk about the challenges of living and working in a new environment and a new culture.

The biggest challenge for employees is the language barrier, Mueller says. “That's tough, even if you have taken courses.”

Unfamiliar customs also might require some getting used to, she says. “Europe is a much more social environment.” Dinner, drinks, coffee-a lot of work gets done in what otherwise would be considered leisure time. She says scientists from the U.S. probably would not think of socializing as the first work-related thing to do.

Abbott benefits from the overseas experiences of its employees, Mueller says. “There are different ways of doing things in science, and it is good what we learn about science from being in another country-different approaches, different insights-that's what drives innovation in science.”

“We have found that U.S. engineers and chemists are highly educated and skilled, and possess the team and personal skills required to become successful employees,” says Emilie Vincent, a media relations manager at Syngenta International AG, headquartered in Switzerland. “We are also keen to see people from the U.S. join a multicultural team with members from different backgrounds and educational experience, since these characteristics, in the right environment, lead to innovative solutions required in a world-class company.”

Asked what Syngenta looks for in job candidates from the U.S., Vincent replies, “The most important qualifications are a desire to integrate into a mixed cultural environment, the ability to be stimulated by change and a different setting, and the openness to experience something totally different.”

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