Marketing Your International Experience

BUT you need to be able to articulate your abroad experience to a prospective employer using the appropriate language and application!!

"My abroad experience also helped me in my post graduate job search. It has been a topic of conversation in nearly every job or fellowship interview I have had, and has made me a more attractive job candidate. In interviews, I have leveraged my study abroad experience in several ways, but most of all by being able to show myself as a flexible and adaptable person who is ready and able to take on challenges to learn on the job, and to adapt to whatever the works environment requires. It's also always a plus to have cross- cultural communication skills.

- Tiffany Wil, CIEE Amman, Jordan, Fall 2013

Interview Tips

Cover Letter Tips

If your interviewer asks about your international experience, take the opportunity to talk about your experience. Don’t let the opportunity pass by with a simple “Yes, it was great!”

Even if your career goals do not include a specific international dimension at this time, you can promote the general transferable skills, such as independence, confidence, and problem solving in your cover letter.

ELEVATOR PITCH

Resume Tips

Prepare a statement before your interview about your international experience. Use the S.T.A.R. method to answer the "Tell me about yourself" question concisely with tangible examples that get at the essence of what you took from your study abroad experience.

Where are you locating your international experience on your resume?

Tips on what to talk about:

• Describe working with student teams while abroad.
• Speak about personal encounters that gave you insight into the local culture.
• Speak about the link between your country and the host country, especially in terms of the work place.
• Describe your professional skills through a story about a cross-cultural experience.

See these examples:

My experience living in Ecuador enhanced my ability to communicate and interact effectively with the local Latino population this position has the opportunity to work closely with.

My studies in Japan provided me with a great insight into the cultural differences that influence consumers in different countries and improved my ability to contribute to international marketing initiatives.

List the program in the education section rather than under activities or other experiences:

B.A. University of Minnesota—Art History 2003 Paul Valéry Université, Montpellier, France, 2001

*Retrieved from AIFs

If you worked while abroad, list it under work experience. Concentrate on the cross-cultural learning.

The Black Dog Pub, Cambridge, England

Served patrons in a local restaurant, worked as the only American in a British business, trained co-workers in American-style customer service.

*Retrieved from AIFS

Sample Job Posting:

Hard skill Experience

“Promotions Coordinator” Position

Personal Growth

The ideal candidate:

GOALS AND ASPIRATIONS

• Must be high energy with a positive attitude

• Strong written and customer service skills and ability to work in a fast paced environment

• Intermediate knowledge of Microsoft office (Word, Xcel, PowerPoint)

• Must be a self-starter with the ability to take ownership of projects with little direction

• Ability to think and react quickly, effectively and efficiently and adapt quickly to changes.

• Have the ability to clearly & effectively communicate with others

• Must be responsible, dependable, work well with others and be a team player

• Superior organizational and time management skills

Think about these questions...

How has study abroad helped you personally grow?

How did study abroad affect your life goals?

How can your international experience help you get there?

What did you do during your study abroad?

Look at the skills section of the job posting.

What skills do you have?

How can you use your study abroad experience to exemplify these skills?

• What do you want from your career? (Travel? Money? Stability? Company culture?)

• What type of company do you want to work for? (Global, Corporate, Non-profit?)

• What interests you? (Social issues, sustainability, economics, medicine, global health, etc.)

How should you bring in your international experience to resumes, CV's, and interviews?

• Internship
• Field Based Research
• Research
• Community Service
• Service Learning?

• My desire for more diverse friendships and social networks

• My level of confidence in new situations

• My ability to be independent.

• My ability to empathize with others and accept differences.

• My ability to be more flexible and open minded

• My understanding of my own strengths and weaknesses

"Any sort of international experience, whether it's formal work experience, internship experience, volunteer experience, etc. says a lot about a person's abilities to communicate and operate professionally within different cultural environments. This can really add value to a resume, cover letter, or interview in illustrating adaptability, emotional intelligence, and the list goes on. To explain how an international experience changed you (how you grew, what you learned about yourself) as a student or a professional will enhance your marketability to employers."

- Andrew Gupton, Previous Recruiter

How did these experiences help you further develop hard skills?

Marketing Your Study

Abroad Experience

After reflecting on what you have learned from your study abroad experience, think now on how your international experience has affected your life goals.

" New Zealand offered me a chance to take a step outside of who I was, and demonstrated what was important to me in how I wanted to view and make a difference in this world. In my six months of living and road tripping around the country, my values and goals became greatly apparent, which included my bound to family and friendship, the importance of environmental issues, the need to address mental health stigma, and ever so outstanding the power of the outdoors."

Think about what you have gained from your study abroad

Use DU resources

Why is a prospective employee's study abroad experience valuable to employers?

Career Center: Online OCI and Job listings: https://du.12twenty.com/JobPostings#/jobPostings/index

"Worldly experience (helpful in the so-called global economy), and the greater independence required to manage on one's own in a new environment"

-Professor and Chair of the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering

Summer Internship Award:

The DU Career Center now has Summer Internship Award that provides eight students $2,500 to offset the cost of living. This is for students with unpaid internships. Four of these awards are designated to students interning abroad.

Go to https://careerblog.du.edu/blog/2017/01/10/summer-internship-award-available/

Cara Moran, New Zealand, 2016

Alumni Fire Database:

https://du.alumnifire.com

Connects you with specific DU alums in different locations and industries

"Study abroad has helped me already in my career path. Getting an internship with the State Department would have been impossible had I not studied in Morocco, and I'm thankful I was able to speak to my time abroad and the tings I learned there in interviews for the position. Language, cultural adaptability, and independent work ethic were skills I polished in Morocco, and have been an integral part of interviews for jobs with international focus, especially those in which I would be required to work with people from different countries and cultures.

- Allie Koldeway/ ISA Meknes Fall 2016

Joseph Korbel School of International Studies:

http://portfolio.du.edu/intsintern/page/10313

REFLECT

Connect with alumni on LinkedIn!

Photo Credits:

Helpful Websites

How did your experience help you grow and develop these qualities and skills?

When answering these questions (Tell me about yourself, your experience, your passions, etc.) use the S.T.A.R. Method (AIFS).

S

Describe the setting or the situation for which the experience took place. (class, projects, student organizations, internships, work, research, etc.)

Darylann Aragon: Let’ErBuck

Kallie Feldhaus: Isle of Sky

Kendra Riley: SwaziSmiles

Zane Heald: Family Affairs

Amanda Ferguson: Tea with the Bedouins

Kiira Walsh: Angkor Wat

Sahara Khouja: Marche du samedi

Cooper Fitzpatrick: IAmsterdam

Aubry Andreas: l’art

Sara Downs: Mil Tambores

Aaron Landau: The Hills are Alive

Jenette Watkins: Ice

Cameron Anderson: The Great Wall

Amanda Ferguson: Peaks of Petra

Marisa Paukovich: NeverFarFromHome

Hannah Bibbo: Welcome to My Varanasi

Tery DeVries: Emerald Lakes

Jeremy Glik: Torres del Paineat Sunrise

Caroline Murphy: Morning on the Mozambique

"While studying abroad in Germany, I found that my coursework was extremely different from what I was used to in the U.S. I was used to having assignments throughout the semester, but for my German courses the entire grade was based on the final with no accountability beforehand.

T

Describe the specific task or project related to the skill sought.

"During that semester, I was taking a full load of coursework for my major, and I was really motivated to do well during my semester abroad. I had to figure out a way to stay on top of it all because it would be impossible to do well at the end of the semester if I left studying all to the end."

Going Global:

https://online.goinglobal.com

This is a great resource to find jobs and internships abroad. Not only does this resource help you find job postings but also gives the following tips:

• Interview, cover letter, and resume tips for the specific country you want to work in
• The top companies and employment trends in specific countries
• Work permit and visa information
• Provides professional associations, trade groups, and individual networking information
• Gives general resources on living expenses and cultural advice.

Describe the specific steps or actions you took to complete the task or project.

A

"I had to act as a self-starter, and I set out a structure study plan for myself for the entire semester. I formed small study groups with a few classmates for each of my classes, and we'd meet once a week"

R

Describe the results or outcomes resulting from the actions taken.

Study abroad was an opportunity to develop as an independent student and be a part of an experiential learning community.

"I developed strong time management skills because of the new type of academic setting I experienced in Germany. Because I kept up with my study plan throughout the semester, I ended up earnings A's and B's in my classes, and I was able to keep my stress level down before final exams.

Skills

Retrieved from AIFS

I can...

https://www.goabroad.com/intern-abroad

Tell me about yourself.

Qualities

• Function in situations of ambiguity.
• Achieve goals despite obstacles.
• Manage multiple tasks independently.

• Handle stressful situations.
• Work effectively in diverse teams
• Seek opportunities for learning

I am....

Cultural Understandings

• Self-confident
• Self- knowledgeable
• Independent
• Flexible
• Appreciative of diversity

Uh oh. The dreaded inquiry that starts off almost any interview.

Look at the following qualities and skills that you can discuss about yourself.

Think about how your international experience helped you develop these traits. Have concrete examples and be ready to explain!

Other ways to go abroad:

Miss the adventure and want to go abroad again?

Here are some ways for you to get more international experience.

Think about how study abroad has helped you develop your own cultural understandings. These understandings and skills are talking points when speaking with a prospective employer!

ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS

Fullbright

AISEC:

Organization that will help you find international internships at non-profits and some corporate companies

http://aiesec.org

"The Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers research, study and teaching opportunities in over 140 countries to recent graduates and graduate students."

New Zealand, Kenya, Japan, Thailand, France, Germany, Sweden, Dominican Republic, India, Nepal, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, etc.

Quick tip: If you studied abroad in a country and want to return to do research, think of a host organization that you have an established relationship with. This connection will help you in your Fullbright application!

• Did your experience abroad cause a change in your values, outlooks, attitude, and/ or abilities?

• Did you learn about other cultures? What strategies did you use in learning how to interact and live with people from other cultures?

Think about looking into:

• Peace Corp
• Teaching English as a foreign language
• Scholarships and Fellowships
• Fullbright Scholarship Program

• Did your experience help you clarify what is import to you? To your goals for the future?

• What were the hardest aspects of your experience abroad to adapt to? How did you adapt?

• How did your experience abroad enhance your perspective on global and social issues?

Cultural Skill sets:

Retrieved from AIFS

Ability to speak a foreign language.

Improved observation skills.

Developed intercultural competency.

Ability to adapt to diverse workplace environments and cultures.

Postgraduate Education

Have you figured out an academic or research focus that you want to pursue? Do you know what profession you want to pursue? There are many national and international graduate degrees programs that may be your next step.

Step 2:

Know deadlines.

Research when applications are due for graduate programs. Some have a standard deadline of December/January. Others are earlier or later!

Step 3:

Complete general application requirements.

Often these include

• Test (GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT, etc.).
• Letters of Recommendation (start thinking of professors, advisors, etc. that know your work ethic and interests well).
• Application

Step 1:

Familiarize yourself with your interests (academic, research, professional career). This means learning more about what interests you at a global scale (what is important to know about real estate, sustainability, marketing, engineering, healthy policy, etc. in a global context).

*Remember: Not all graduate degrees cost an arm and a leg. If you are interested in pursuing a graduate degree in science and some social science programs (not professional degree programs like Law School or a MBA), you often can work as a Teachers Assistant or Research Assistant and pay a small tuition (if not no tuition at all).

http://studiesabroad.com/programs/byDuration/masters

Want to go abroad and just travel?

Want to work for a global company? It can be helpful to get your foot in door to these global

Here are some global organizations and companies headquartered here in Denver!

Network while traveling! You never know when the job of your dreams will come out of meeting someone on the road.

- Gates Corporation

- Aero

Why does your study abroad experience matter?

5% of U.S. undergrads study abroad (AIFS).

Your international experiences set you apart from other undergraduates in the United States!

Visit the Career Center or OIE adviser to talk about how to market you international experience:

WELCOME HOME!

One on one advice

Workshops (linked in, exploring careers)

Online content and webinars

http://www.du.edu/career/

http://www.du.edu/abroad/returnees.html

You have just had the experience of a lifetime: studying, living, and learning in an international setting.

NOW WHAT?

Reflect and Apply your International Experience to Your Future

How can you make this experience useful for your goals?

Objectives:

1) Reflect on your international experience

2) Learn how to use this experience for your future career

3) Find out ways to go abroad again

WELCOME BACK