Students who study abroad are more likely to get a job and into the graduate school of their choice post-graduation. Here are a few tips on how to utilize your study abroad experience in an interview.
1. Boost your resume
Make sure to add your study abroad experience to whatever section you feel is appropriate on your resume. If you studied abroad at a host institution, you could list the name of the university under education. You also could include study abroad under activities, volunteer experience or work experience depending on what types of activities you did.
2. Apply the skills you gained to a professional scenario
Think about the ways your study abroad experience influenced you and your collegiate career. The fact you were able to put yourself out there and immerse into a new culture shows your adaptability and openness to unfamiliar tasks. These skills are vital to starting off any new job. Make sure to tell your potential employer you have experience in those areas.
3. Think about how study abroad differentiates you as a job candidate
How was your study abroad experience unique? What did you take from your specific program? Maybe you learned how to better communicate through studying a language, or how to time manage by planning weekend excursions. Reflect on your time abroad and how you have changed since that experience.
4. Acknowledge problems you overcame while abroad
When you talk about your study abroad experience, it doesn’t have to be entirely glamorous.Don’t be afraid to bring up how you addressed a challenging situation. Maybe you were able to navigate around an unfamiliar city using an extremely complicated map, or maybe you were able to effectively communicate through an uncomfortable language barriers. The way you handled these frustrating moments can demonstrate your problem-solving abilities and patience.
Make sure to give yourself credit for being part of the 1 in every 4 Jayhawks who study abroad. The challenges faced and skills gained can easily be applied to the work environment. A job interview is the perfect excuse to reminisce on the awesome time you had while abroad!