Through written documents or personal conversations, employers will want to know how your Study Abroad experience has prepared you to be a strong candidate for their organization. The following suggestions will help you strengthen your documents and prepare for interviews while you’re away and when you return.
Articulate Your New Skills and Competencies in a Resume or Cover Letter
1. Update the EDUCATION section in your resume. Add details of the institution where you studied following the Tulane entry. Include examples of courses taken or class projects when relevant. Examples:
2. Add internships, volunteer experience, and part-time jobs worked while abroad under EXPERIENCE. Include examples of transferrable skills learned through your experience living, studying, and working in a foreign country. Use the STAR method (situation, task, action, result) to describe your experience. Examples:
3. Frame your study abroad experience in your cover letter in terms that benefit the employer. After identifying the skills an employer is looking for, reflect on your time spent abroad and provide examples of how your international experience enhances your qualifications for the role. Think about how your existing strengths were enhanced and your weaknesses improved by your experience and confidently articulate your value as it relates to the employer’s needs.
4. Use strong bullet points in your resume and cover letters to describe examples of how you acquired cross-cultural skills, language competencies, and problem-solving ability related to your global experience. Examples:
- Adapted to cultural differences and customs through daily interaction [with host family, in classes with native students] over a period of 4 months
- Overcame society differences and fostered cultural understanding through a short-term work experience at a local small business
- Gained a greater appreciation for diversity and cultural differences by volunteering with an organization that built affordable housing for local residents
- Cultivated language and communication skills through sustained dialogue with classmates, co-workers, and others in [host community]
- Learned to use nonverbal and verbal communication to overcome language barriers with instructors, classmates, and work colleagues
- Learned how to adapt to unanticipated situations and improvise new plans due to periodic travel mishaps and unexpected events
5. Adapt your resume format to meet expectations of global employers. If you are applying for a position at a company based outside of the United States, you may want to present your credentials in a format that more closely matches the style and practices of other countries. For example, resumes in European countries are referred to as CVs (curriculum vitae) and often include personal information such your birthdate (which you would never include on a resume for an organization based in the United States).
Organizations operating in a multi-cultural environment may prefer resumes written in a language other than English. While most international companies communicate in English, look at the company’s web site to learn what the official language is. Read job postings in detail and pay attention to the language skills specified by the recruiter. If the job description is posted in French, you may want to send your resume or CV in French to demonstrate that you meet the language expectations.
Make an appointment with your Career Consultant to review your resume and develop a targeted job search strategy.
Prepare for Interviews During and After the Study Abroad Experience
1. Research the company. As with any interview it is important to research the company you will be interviewing with, including knowing if the company has a presence in the country. Sometimes companies operate under different names in other countries, so it is important that you thoroughly research this aspect. It could be that you were selected for interview specifically due to your experience in the country.
2. Virtual or in-person interview? In setting up an interview with an employer while you are still abroad, be sure you work with the Career Management Center to understand when employers are willing to interview virtually via Skype/Zoom and which ones are only interested in in-person interviews. Most employers do virtual interviews, but it is important to know this in advance.
3. Time zones and technology. To make sure the technology works in the country you are in, set up a trial run with the CMC or friend/family member to ensure as well as to confirm time zone differences – especially when the U.S. is changing to/from Daylight Saving time. You do not want to miss an opportunity because you had the time wrong.
Questions Study Abroad Students Should Be Able to Answer in Employer Interviews
Employers want to know how your experience abroad makes you a better candidate and helps their business benefit from your international experience. Of course, they would expect you to have had a good time and enjoyed the food and the nightlife, but they also want to know if you are a “citizen of the world of business.”
Here are some questions you might expect to be asked:
- Why did you select (country) for your study abroad experience from a business perspective?
- How did you prepare for your trip?
- What business publications did you read while in (country)?
- What did you study while you were there and why?
- How do you see your experience helping you in your business career or how would you apply it in our business?
- Would you recommend that we add (country) to our international expansion plan (if not already there)? Why?
- How would you describe the business climate in (country)?
- What was the most significant thing you learned about business in (country) while you were there?
- What do you see as the pros/cons of doing business in (country)? Why?
- Tell me how or if your trip changed your perspective on global trade with (country).
- What did you learn about local customs and culture that impact the way business is done in (country)
- Why are you a better candidate for our company because of your international experience?