Highlight Your Study Abroad Experience
When you return from studying abroad, friends and family will ask “how did it go”? How you share those life-changing experiences with your friends and family is different than how you’ll share with professional networks and employers. Check out these ideas on how to craft great stories to share in application materials, online and in interviews.
The experience of studying abroad is one you’ll never forget! Filled with new sites, new food, and new languages, learning in a different country creates growth opportunities you can talk about to potential employers or when networking.
Mention in the classic interview question “tell me about yourself” how studying abroad positively impacted your skills.
Be specific and intentional with the experiences or skills that you highlight, such as cross-cultural skills, adaptability, teamwork and flexibility.
Focus on accomplishments and growth opportunities including overcoming the challenges of living in another country.
Resumes, Cover Letters and Online
-You can use a separate section on your resume called "International Experience" if you’ve had a significant amount of relevant experience abroad. Think of all the skills you developed while abroad and add the most applicable ones. For instance, if you learned a new language, this is a great skill to list on your resume.
-Be strategic on where you place your study abroad on your resume, depending on the organization or position you are applying for.
-Your bullet statements should focus on cross-cultural skills you gained including transferrable skills you uniquely cultivated abroad which employers are seeking.
-Create an effective story for your cover letter describing how your international experience relates to the position you’re applying for or could benefit the employer.
-Use your LinkedIn summary to describe the skills and competencies you learned abroad.
Interviews
-A tip on how to talk about studying abroad in an interview is to mention your personal experience with budgeting for travel or the challenges you had to overcome to make your plans work. These stories show commitment and exemplify your organizational skills. Consider these questions as you prepare for your next interview:
-What skills/knowledge did you enhance or gain during your experience abroad?
-How did you effectively communicate with people? How can this skill make you a good employee or team member?
-How did you adjust socially, academically, or professionally to the culture?
-What was the most important thing you learned during your time abroad?
Learning to articulate the impact of your study abroad can truly make you stand out!
To learn more, see “Selling Your Experience Abroad” at https://business.unl.edu/current-students/business-career-center/resources/ on the Business Career Center website.
More details at: https://business.unl.edu/current-students/business-career-center/resources/