We all know how daunting searching for a job can be! Especially when you are doing it in a new country, where you don’t know how things work yet. It can be pretty intimidating!

Over the past years, I have written many articles related to the various phases of the job search, such as:

• Do you know how to answer these 12 tricky job interview questions?
• What do job hunting and falling in love have in common?
• Are you brave enough to be a remarkable candidate?
• 5 tips to avoid your cover letter landing in the trash bin
• Seven deadly sins you could be doing on LinkedIn

All to help expats and internationals chart the unknown waters.

During times when everything is changing continuously, and standard things get outdated and boring fast, new refreshing ideas can result in success.

Below, I want to share five out of the box ideas with you to give your job hunt an additional push. Remember, great things never happen if you stay in your comfort zone. Here we go:

1. Drink (virtual) coffee with people you do NOT know at least three times per week

You might not expect it from the Netherlands, but when it comes to getting hired, it is one of the most networked countries. Very often, people get jobs and business simply because they know someone from their time as a student, when they were a member of a sorority or a fraternity (student) club. Coming from abroad, you obviously do not have an existing network yet, that’s why it is extremely important to start building one immediately.

If you are reading this article, pause for a moment, go on LinkedIn and send a personalised invitation to someone you would like to meet. Done? Ok, great, keep on reading. Of course, it is best to meet in person, but often, people with full-time jobs will be busy, so offer a virtual coffee instead. You can meet on Skype, WhatsApp or Zoom. Remember to ask for help / advice, but also offer your own help.

2. Present the company where you want to work with a ready solution to their problem

You can do this during the interview, which is the easiest, of course, but also in your cover letter or video message (see point 4). What are the company’s challenges? Maybe you are their client and you see that certain things are going wrong and you have an idea on how to improve them? Sometimes, you’ll need to dig deep to find issues, but I assure you it is worth trying.

More and more often, companies will ask candidates to make a presentation about certain challenges they have. If they haven't asked you to do this, be proactive!

3. Start your own blog on the topic you are passionate about, linking it to the job you want

This is a great way to show your expertise and get visibility. You can also start by publishing your own articles on the topics related to your job on LinkedIn. This way, you demonstrate your thought leadership!

4. Send a video message instead of a standard cover letter explaining why you are the best person for the job

This idea actually comes from an in-house recruiter who works for a big technology multinational. Her company received an impressive amount of applications for a certain position they were hiring for, but there was only one with a video message. Guess what, the person who sent it eventually got the job! The video showcased extra motivation, a daring mentality and out-of-the-box thinking.

5. Make a list of 10 achievements, things you are proud of, top talents, ways you give value to others and read it to yourself every morning

Sometimes, when the job search drags on for too long, you might feel like you are losing self-confidence. In order to do all the other great ideas mentioned above, you need a confidence boost. Such a list will give you that. And please do not stop after having written 10, stretch yourself. Think of all the tiny little things you possibly can. Once you have done that, keep it in a place which is easily reachable and read it to yourself every day!

Which of the ideas have you found most surprising? Feel free to share your own ideas too!