“Do you have UK experience?” “Any Canadian work history?” For many new arrivals, this question is the biggest barrier to getting hired. You may have a decade of experience in Lagos, Accra or Nairobi, yet employers hesitate because they can’t see a local track record.
The good news is that the “local experience” wall can be climbed. Here’s how.
Understand What Employers Really Mean
When employers ask for local experience, they’re usually worried about a few things:
- Whether you understand local workplace culture
- Whether your communication style fits their team
- Whether your skills transfer to local systems, laws and tools
- Whether someone local can vouch for you
Your job is to reduce those concerns quickly.
1. Translate Your Experience
Don’t assume employers understand Nigerian or African companies. Instead of listing “worked at XYZ Ltd,” explain the company’s size, industry and your results. Use numbers: revenue managed, teams led, customers served, projects delivered. Results are universal; company names often aren’t.
2. Get a Local Reference Fast
A local reference can be more powerful than years of foreign experience. Ways to get one include:
- Volunteering with charities, churches or community organisations
- Short-term contract or temp agency work
- Internships or returner programmes
- Freelance projects for local small businesses
Even three months of local work gives you something to point to.
3. Use Temp and Recruitment Agencies
Recruitment agencies often place new arrivals in temporary roles that can become permanent. Register with several agencies in your field, keep in touch regularly and treat every temp assignment as an extended interview.
4. Take Short Local Courses
A short course or certification in your field can show you understand local standards. Examples include local accounting software, health and safety certificates, project management credentials or IT certifications recognised by employers. Many are affordable or even free through government schemes and public libraries.
5. Search on the Right Platforms
Use a mix of job boards, company career pages, LinkedIn and government job services. In the UK, the government’s Find a job service lists vacancies from employers across the country. Canada, the US and many European countries offer similar public job banks.
6. Network Deliberately
Many jobs are filled through referrals before they’re advertised. Attend industry meetups, professional association events and diaspora professional networks. Ask for short informational chats rather than jobs. People are more willing to help when you ask for advice, not favours.
7. Consider a Stepping-Stone Role
Sometimes the fastest route to your target job is a slightly lower role in the same field. An experienced accountant might start as an accounts assistant. An engineer might begin as a technician. This isn’t failure; it’s a strategy. Aim to move up within 12 to 24 months.
8. Prepare for Behavioural Interviews
Many employers abroad use competency-based interviews: “Tell me about a time when…” Prepare stories using the STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, Result. Practise out loud until your answers are clear and concise.
9. Keep Your Visa Conditions in Mind
Before accepting any job, confirm it’s allowed under your visa. Students, dependants and sponsored workers have different rules. A job that breaks your visa conditions can cost you far more than it pays.
10. Protect Your Confidence
Job hunting abroad can involve dozens of rejections. That’s normal, not a reflection of your worth. Track your applications, learn from feedback and celebrate small wins like interviews and callbacks.
Follow Up After Every Application
A short, polite follow-up email a week after applying or interviewing keeps you on the recruiter’s radar and shows genuine interest.
Final Thoughts
Lack of local experience is a hurdle, not a wall. Translate your achievements, build local references quickly, network with purpose and be willing to take a smart stepping-stone role. Once you’re in, your skills will speak for themselves.