Working abroad, even if it is just in Europe, can be an extremely exciting and rewarding career move. However, most international food job hunters have no idea how to get one of these CV-influencing positions, so they miss out on the many benefits of working and living in a foreign country.

In order to give you a little information on how to get international food jobs, we will use the example of a communications manager position in Paris. This sort of food job is representative of the type of skills and knowledge you will need in order to succeed in an international role.

Become a communications manager in Paris

For this kind of role, which is typical of the type of international food jobs available, you will need to possess a number of employable attributes.

• Management skills- Management positions hold great responsibility and as such, they require a number of years experience within similar supervisory or management roles, along with any relevant business qualifications. You need to be organised, confident and brimming with ideas, good at managing people, and able to work efficiently within time constraints.

• Communications and marketing: You need to have experience working in the communications and marketing sector of the food industry. Having a good command of language, able to build up strong relationships with clients, and having full knowledge of marketing plans and strategies will help you here.

• Language: As with any international job, being fluent in another language, French for example, or having a relevant qualification will always be a distinct advantage.

Despite the credit crunch, food sales are still rising according to the British Retail Consortium, albeit with heavy discounting from the retailers, and with all the excitement about other sectors in the past such as IT, technology or cars, it's easy to forget that the one sector that continues to slowly edge on is the food industry.

People may be tightening their belts, but they still need to eat, and this opens up a whole new range of possibilities for food industry personnel. As we look for cheaper ways to feed the family this is a great time for development chefs to put their skills to good use, creating new and exciting recipes. Also for operational teams to drive business efficiencies, and commercial teams to find long-term solutions to price competitiveness.

Once the festive season is over and life returns to a semblance of normality, many food companies will be facing up to harsh business realities that will need strong and experienced managers to drive a sustainable future.

What is also interesting at this time is that Focus Management are currently working internationally across three continents - exporting British food industry talent to the rest of the world.

So I know the heading is a little corny, but my view is that there will be demand for the best; there will be opportunities and I accept that there will be casualties along the way, but we as consumers, let alone the retailers themselves, need a strong manufacturing supply base producing great cost effective products across all ranges.

In 2009 we may not buy a new television or car...but we will be buying a pizza, and a sandwich and biscuits and baked beans and drinks...and therefore we will still be recruiting the best talent.