The 2025 Managing Mobility Survey by ECA International found that 36% of companies agree that international assignments are critical for company growth. In fact, 50 million people around the world are on international assignment for work (ResearchGate 2020). From an organizational perspective, successful assignments abroad initiate more efficient knowledge transfers, bridge skill gaps, and facilitate trust among global team members. From an individual perspective, a successful international assignment means career advancement, increased global workforce readiness, and a wider, global network.

Here are 5 assignee skills for global work that every assignee needs before embarking on an international assignment.

Five Global Work Skills Every Assignee Needs

1. Be Aware of Your Own Cultural Perspective

The most obvious signs of cultural differences are the characteristics we can observe at surface level: food, language, clothing, body language, and gestures. When our expectations of others, our behaviors, and communication styles conflict with someone else’s, the challenge may be in our assumptions about the universal nature of our own cultural values. Our cultural perspectives inform our ideas of trustworthiness, friendliness, respect, clear communication, and confidence. It’s important to understand where our own assumptions and expectations come from and to practice self-awareness of those values, to recognize the need for adaptability before you leave for your host country.

2. Find New Ways To Build Relationships

Learn what building relationships and trust looks like in your culture before going, so that you have an understanding of what to expect. One way to think of it is to think about cultures on a spectrum of interpersonal and transactional. In some cultures, small talk, open smiles, and vulnerability can be effective ways to quickly build a rapport and sense of trust. In other cultures, this could be seen as too forward. Sometimes politeness can convey a sense of familiarity, while in other cultures, politeness is meant to create distance in unfamiliarity. Practice communicating and building trust in ways that would be considered the cultural norm in your home country. For example, you are moving to a place that values small talk, but your country of origin doesn’t do this. Research the types of topics that are considered small talk in that country, such as sports teams or phrases about the weather.

3. Practice Flexibility and Curiosity

People often fail to learn because they are afraid of making mistakes, but if we think about navigating our assigned country and culture with a sense of curiosity and humor, maybe we can feel more equipped to be wrong, to appreciate that an assignment outside the assignee bubble can make us a more flexible, self-aware version of ourselves.

We recommend practicing your awareness of circumstances where you need to be flexible in the way you interact with others. Third culture kids, as an example of cultural flexibility, are people who grew up in a culture or country different from the one their parents are from. They create a "third culture" that blends their culture of origin, their host culture, and their own unique experiences. “Third culture kids” create a multicultural identity based on harmony, rather than looking at things in terms of cultures conflicting with each other. They learn the skill of turning on and off different cultural inflections as the situation calls for.

4. Leverage Your Cultural Training

A great starting point for being prepared for your move is to participate in cultural training your employer may offer as part of the moving package, either 2-4 months before your move or 2-4 weeks after your move. Even if you are familiar with the country or region, a cultural trainer can provide local and updated insights on etiquette, customs, and even current slang in the local language. We provide one-on-one and group cultural training for assignees at CultureWizard, and those who get the most out of their time abroad are the ones who use the knowledge and connections of their cultural trainer as a starting point for creating communities once they have arrived.

5. Plan For When The Honeymoon Phase Ends

Finally, it can be helpful prior to your move to make goals for how you will measure success in the short, medium, and long term. An example could be that you will research 3-5 activities, events, or communities that you can attend once you have moved and settled in. It can also be helpful to set goals for creating local connections and a routine. Do this before the honeymoon phase of your relocation has ended, when you are still excited about the novelty about your assignment.

An international assignment is a life-changing opportunity. While you are stepping into a structured work environment, a 9-to-5 routine, and familiar colleagues, you and your family must also build an entirely new life, in an entirely new cultural context, sometimes in an entirely new language. You can read more on this topic with our Assignee Partner and Family Guide. How you decide to prepare for an international assignment will mean the difference between disorientation and awareness in your new home for both you and those in your household.