Marketing Your Study Abroad Experience on Your Resume
Skill Development
When studying or traveling in a foreign culture, many skills are enhanced
and realized. Most potential employers are eager and interested in
knowing about how that overseas experience developed your professional
skills. Think about incorporating the following qualities into your
resume:
- Flexibility: The length of time you
spend abroad is an indication of your ability to persevere.
- Language Enhancement: Undoubtedly the
opportunity to immerse yourself in a language hones your understanding
and speaking ability in a foreign language.
- Cultural Adaptability: Getting along
in another's culture, respecting different ways of conducting business,
being sensitive to varying customs and morals, respecting laws and
traditions, are all traits that are called upon to be used while
studying and traveling in a foreign country.
 Professional
Applicability
As a student who traveled abroad you must recognize that this experience
instills professional mannerisms in you as well. Study abroad
experiences can be explained under the resume category of “Education”,
especially if you completed coursework. You may want to create a
stand-alone section for “International Experience or Travel”. By
utilizing examples to elaborate on any of the following characteristics,
you increase your attractiveness as a future employee.
Ex:
- Traveled throughout Spain, observed
culture and enhanced language skills
- Completed six week field study of
French language and culture
- Visited four international business
in Europe
- Adjusted to living with a family in
Ecuador
- Immersed in language and culture of
the society
References
Think back on your experience and determine who would be good for you to
ask to be a reference: a teacher from the country in which you studied,
host family members, and an overseeing faculty member from your home
school are just a few possibilities. Gather those references soon after
having your study abroad experience, while the experience is fresh in
everybody’s mind.
 Study
Abroad Action Verbs
Adapted, awarded, built, cooperated,
developed, exchanged, fostered, implemented, immersed, improved, lived,
managed, organized, overcame, practiced, realized, represented, recognized,
shared, traveled, translated, visited.
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