Connecting Learning Abroad and Your Career

Learning abroad can help you develop and enhance intercultural competencies that are appealing to potential employers and graduate schools. Think about your academic and career goals before, during and after your experience abroad.

出国前

You might want to watch the helpful video Marketing Your Experience: Pre-departure.

Think about how an international experience will impact your career and professional development. Identify professional development goals early by engaging in self-assessment and reflection. Create a clear relationship between your academic and career goals and your international experience.

Discuss the following with your faculty members as well as the study abroad and career center staff members:

  • The skills you hope to acquire or enhance while abroad
  • The study abroad program start and end dates and how they align with searching for internships and jobs as well as applying to graduate school
  • What you hope to gain from your international experience
  • Whether to focus solely on academics or build in volunteer or internship experience as well
  • How an international experience can make you stand out
  • How international experience fits with who you are personally and professionally
  • Opportunities to use and develop your strengths abroad
  • How to research positions in your field and industry

在国外的经历

Take responsibility for your own learning and engage your experience fully by making connections and documenting your experience.

建立联系

  • Volunteer or participate in an internship
  • Develop friendships and professional relationships
  • Dive into opportunities for skill development
  • Set up meetings with 2-3 host nationals in career(s) of interest
  • Experience different aspects of your host culture
  • Enhance your language proficiency
  • Stay in touch with family/friends while abroad
  • 进行研究-检查美国.S. companies that may have office abroad; if possible, travel for a short-term trip to build connections and learn about opportunities
  • Stay connected with OCS by reading emails and weekly newsletters
  • 检查握手, OCS职业生涯管理系统, to see who is coming to the career fair; inform us if you want to follow up with any of the organizations
  • Connect with alumni via the HMC 校友 LinkedIn page
  • Request and document references or letters of recommendation if applicable

记录你的经历

  • Keep a reflective journal detailing experiences and newly developed skills
  • Practice talking about your experiences
  • Develop your personal brand and build your online identity (LinkedIn, 博客和视频博客, 脸谱网, 推特, Instagram, Pinterest)
  • Pay attention to the ways in which your strengths are being used in a healthy and productive way and also how they are being challenged during your experience

在返回时

You might want to watch the helpful video Marketing Your Experience: Re-entry.

Market Your International Experience

  • Work with a career center staff member to market your international experience for employers and graduate schools by identifying skills learned abroad and articulating your experience on resumes, cover letters and during interviews
  • Practice talking about your experience using the STAR (Situation, 任务, Action and Result) interview method
  • Identify organizations that value intercultural skills and experiences
  • 重新联系国外联系人
  • Reflect on the ways in which you used your strengths abroad to be successful; these experiences will serve as examples to tell employers in interviews
  • Share your experience by serving as a contact for future participants
  • Volunteer at pre-departure orientations and get involved in your community.

Adapted from University of Minnesota.