Welcome to the new StacieBerdan.com!
Stacie Berdan gives motivational speeches at corporations and on campuses, promoting the benefits of living and working abroad.
WELCOME to my new blog site!
I’m happy that you’re here because it means you are interested in learning more about international careers. Whether you’re a student or professional, a global worker or a budding internationalist, you’ve come to the right place to arm yourself with information, strategic advice and practical tips on what’s involved in going global.
The global marketplace is huge. Dynamic. And yes, even a bit scary because of all the unknowns, including culture, currency, language, history, politics, religion. Global workers need to deal with all of these factors, and they usually first come into play when searching for jobs beyond our borders. And so I’m here to help. I am passionate about international careers – and want to help as many people navigate their way through the maze of going global with my practical advice and relevant experience.
I wrote my first book, Get Ahead By Going Abroad: A Woman’s Guide to Fast-Track Career Success (co-authored with C. Perry Yeatman and published by HarperCollins in 2007) after spending almost 20 years in the corporate world. By conducting interviews with more than 200 women who had lived and worked overseas, we identified a trend: Women not only do well in international postings, we excel. Many women have catapulted their careers because of international experience. I did it after spending three years in Hong Kong and working in more than 50 countries around the world. I have been responsible for global, cross-cultural teams of professionals in 25 markets while managing budgets in multiple currencies.
And although pursuing an international career is one way for women to break through the glass ceiling, going global is not just for women. I believe that pursuing an assignment abroad is something that everyone needs to consider. I also believe that all students graduating these days should prepare as best as possible for an international career – whether they think they want to move abroad or not. Globalization is everywhere today and students need help figuring out the global terrain. That’s what prompted me to write my second book, Go Global! A Student’s Guide to Launching an International Career to be published as an eBook by the end of the year.
Stacie has traveled extensively around the world...here she is at the local camel market outside of Cairo
I grew up traveling and, along with reading, consider it one of my favorite activities – a must-have in my life. I was born in Miami and grew up amidst the explosive growth of Cuban-Caribbean culture in South Florida. I moved to Washington, D.C., after grad school and without a job because I loved politics and the buzz of the capital. I landed a great job with Burson-Marsteller, the largest global public relations agency, which kicked off a fantastic career in marketing communications as I rose from entry level to global account managing director. I was transferred to Hong Kong and moved with my husband the day after we got married. I loved Hong Kong, still one of my favorite cities in the world, where I grew both personally and professionally.
We were there for the handover to the Chinese on July 1, 1997, and managed to experience so much of the vast and beautiful Asia-Pacific region on long weekend excursions and anniversary trips. I made some of my closest friends in Hong Kong, and I attribute a great deal of my fast-tracking success to my ability to differentiate and distinguish myself upon my return to Washington, D.C., where I tripled my salary and jumped from vice-president to global account managing director – despite taking 6 months maternity leave.
Now I live in Glastonbury, Connecticut, a suburb of Hartford. I write and speak about the global workforce, providing latest trends and practical tips. I offer advice to students and professionals, career counselors and human resource leaders. I am an advocate for the increasing importance of raising global children, including the need to increase – not cut – foreign language requirements and cross-cultural awareness programs beginning in kindergarten. As an international career expert, you’ll find me blogging on the Huffington Post and providing advice through interviews and articles on news outlets.
My ongoing experience informs this site. I hope you enjoy it, and consider pursuing an international career so that you, too, can be best informed to GO GLOBAL!