Most people who have steady jobs are unaware of global talent issues—shortages and surpluses. You don’t become aware of a certain issue unless it affects you personally. But by the time it affects you, it might be a little too late.

You don’t want to be caught scrambling for a job while hundreds of people are being laid off. As an entrepreneur, you don’t want to be caught scrambling to find someone to fill your position. So it’s best to keep abreast of global talent issues in advance.

Also remember that if there are too many people with a certain skill set in one place, there might be a shortage of them somewhere else. If you’ve been laid off in one place, there could still be a demand for your skills in another place. You can probably make the best of a global talent shortage in such cases.

Here are some ways to take advantage of a global talent shortage:

The Obvious: Be Willing to Relocate

This is the most important thing when it comes to taking advantage of global talent shortages. And a lot of people are unwilling to relocate. They get used to being where they are. They have families and children. They have homes and mortgages. So moving countries can be a lot of work. But this doesn’t mean that it’s not without its advantages.

Still, a willingness to relocate, to take the trouble needed to pack all your stuff and transfer it (or throw some of it, as needed) is really important when it comes to taking advantage of global talent shortages.

Do Some Research

You want to make sure the place you are relocating to has good schools for your children. Plus, it has to be a habitable place where you’ll find all the conveniences that you could find at home.

But there are a lot of places like this in the world. You don’t have to relocate to some remote place in the middle of nowhere.

Learn More About the New Culture

When you move somewhere new in the world, you’ve got to be prepared. If someone drops you in the middle of Spain and you don’t know a word of Spanish, you’re going to be lost and you’re going to get frustrated.

If you don’t know anything about Spanish culture, you might even land in hot water for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. So it’s better to learn as much as possible before relocating.

Have a Sense of Humor

Remember that you’re going to need to have a sense of humor through everything. Because you are going to make gaffes or faux pas. And people who meet you might do the same.

People in Spain (or whichever country you decided to relocate to) might not know anything about your culture and they might say silly things too. You have to be able to take all this in your stride. You can’t let it affect you. Laugh at yourself and laugh at others.

And if you’re genuinely offended, try to keep the company of people who are more culturally sensitive, who want to know more about you and tell you more about themselves.

Don’t Get Caught Up Criticizing

The one thing you should avoid, however, is only hanging out with other people from your country/culture. Often, people get into groups of this sort and end up spending all their time criticizing the host culture. You don’t want to get caught in a downward spiral such as this. Learn to appreciate what you can.

Of course, there are going to be drawbacks in every culture/country. If you really can’t live with them, don’t go there. But if you can, then go with an open mind.

This article was originally published on our website at www.the-network.com/spotlight.