Marketing Your Study Abroad Experience

1. Marketing Your Study Abroad Experience Wisconsin Re-Entry Conference 2008 Karlin Stukenberg, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Mariette Thomas, International Studies Abroad

2. You Studied Abroad… Now What? Before you left for your program, you heard how valuable studying abroad is to your education and career goals. Now that you are back, let’s talk about how this experience makes you more marketable to employers and graduate schools. This session aims to help you figure out how to get the best punch from your study abroad experience.

3. Outline • Taking inventory of your experience • Incorporating study abroad into a cover letter and resume • Networking • Speaking about your experience abroad in a job interview • Highlighting study abroad in a graduate school application

4. Taking Inventory of Your Experience Before we talk about how to market the skills learned abroad, we must determine what those skills are. What skills did you acquire and/or strengthen while abroad? In what ways have you changed as a result of your international experience? → Skill Inventory Worksheet

5. Skills and Proficiencies Gained • Cross-Cultural Skills • Global point of view • Cultural awareness • Cross-cultural fluency • Appreciation of diversity • Understanding of diverse needs • Understanding of global interconnectedness • Communication Skills • Foreign language skills • Cross-cultural communication skills • Ability to identify and manage different needs of people and groups • Personal Skills • Patience • Ability to function with high level of ambiguity • Ability to achieve goals despite obstacles • Takes initiative and risks • Accepts responsibility • Ability to manage stress/handle difficult situations • Resourcefulness • Personal Skills (cont.) • Learns/adapts quickly • Able to view situations/problems from a unique perspective • Able to cope with rejection • Assertive/Self-confident • Inquisitive • Independent • Tenacious/Diligent • Leadership skills • General travel and navigational skills • Time management • Tolerance/Open-mindedness • Employer’s Desired Skills • Skills gained related to specific field or position • Understanding of different cultures and business practices • Countries traveled • Courses studied and relationship to job • Related work experience abroad • Global understanding of field (e.g. flamenco guitar)

6. Incorporating Study Abroad into a Cover Letter • It is important to address the specific job you hope to acquire in your cover letter. These questions can help you focus: • How does your experience relate to your field? • How might your international experience uniquely benefit a professional in that field? • What are the transferable skills?

7. Examples • “My experience living in Mexico will enhance my ability to communicate effectively with the Latino population the organization serves…” • “ My studies in London provided me with insight into living in a multi-national environment and the cultural differences that influence consumers in different countries will enhance my ability to contribute to international marketing initiatives…”

8. Incorporating Study Abroad into a Cover Letter When possible, expand on your skills and qualifications by using specific examples from your study abroad experience For example: “While living in India, I often interacted with street children deprived of family care and protection . It was then that I realized the importance of social programs that address family breakdown, poverty, natural disasters…”

9. Highlighting Study Abroad in Resume • Placement of your study abroad experience on your resume should depend on how closely it relates to the position for which you are applying. • Include your studies abroad in the EDUCATION section of your resume; if you have studied abroad for an extended period of time or more than once, you may want to create a “Global Experience” section on your resume; • If you have gained practical experience while abroad, such as internships, practicum or work experience, list it in the WORK EXPERIENCE or RELATED EXPERIENCE sections of your resume; • Highlight the skills you acquired abroad in your SKILLS or QUALIFICATIONS section; • Consider having a section on your resume specific to LANGUAGE SKILLS; • Include overseas extracurricular activities in ACTIVITES sectionof resume.

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14. Networking • Study abroad office • Study abroad program provider • Study abroad faculty leader or a faculty member who helped you plan your trip • Career services • Alumni associations • NAFSA and other professional organizations • People you met while abroad; get names and contact information and follow up with them for future contacts and/or references

15. Highlighting Study Abroad in Job Interviews • If asked about your study abroad experience in a job interview, take this as an opportunity to expand; • Highlight the skills and proficiencies gained from study abroad, focusing on how these will transfer to the job; • Use stories from your time abroad; which stories encapsulate or highlight new skills and knowledge from your education abroad experience? • Balance with domestic stories; • Share stories; if the interviewer mentions that they have studied abroad, ask them about their experience.

16. Including Study Abroad in Graduate School Applications • Use your study abroad experiences to prove your qualifications and to show how you are different from the other applicants; • Highlight all experiences, not just those related to your course of study or job while abroad; • The detail and number of references to your study abroad program in your application should correlate to the applicability of your experience to your desired Master’s program; • If you didn’t get good grades abroad, explain how you will learn from your mistakes; DON’T make excuses for them.

17. Thank You and Good Luck!

18. References • Career Services, Carnegie Mellon University, www.studentaffairs. cmu.edu/Career. • Career Services, Marquette University, www.marquette.edu/csc. • Career Services, Princeton University, www.princeton.edu/sites/ career. • Career Services Staff, UW Oshkosh. • Hachey, Jean-Marc, “How to Sell Your Overseas Experience to Employers,” Transitions Abroad Student Guide, Fall 2006. • International Studies Abroad, Alumni Information, www.studiesabroad.com/alumni/careers. • Mylrea, Brian, International Student Advisor, UW Oshkosh. • Wypiszynski, Greg, Director of Graduate Studies, UW Oshkosh.