How important is study abroad for a resume?
I am thinking about studying abroad but will it make a difference on a resume? #resume
5 answers
Atul’s Answer
If you think that this is party time you are mistaken. Also, where you study abroad makes a big difference if do not speak the native language (Spanish, French, or any other language beyond English).
My children explored the options of going abroad and it was extending their undergraduate studies duration beyond four years. They quickly learned that "Grass is greener on the other side". They stayed put in NJ and graduated w/ honors to earn a respectable salary.
It is for you to decide what you want to study and where you want to study but be aware it will cost you time and money.
Jordan Whitmer
Jordan’s Answer
Honestly, I think it is more about personal growth than career growth. I studied abroad and found that I was more culturally aware, more empathetic, and more experienced. As a hiring manager, I never deny a candidate because they have not studied abroad, but if I see a candidate who has, I am always interested in their study abroad experience (it can lead to a great discussion!)
Christy Rosen, M.Ed., CPRW
Christy’s Answer
Study abroad programs provide a wealth of learning and businesses certainly look at that. The key is that you have a variety of experiences while in college to build a robust resume. Adding a study abroad program that had an academic and/or mission element would allow you to state some possible accomplishments during your study abroad program. Keep in mind, internships and working during college or taking on leadership roles really is what you should focus on to build a stellar resume right out of college.
Sam’s Answer
I can almost guarantee you that adding a study abroad experience to your resume will not hurt your chances at landing the job you want. Living and studying abroad is shown to build confidence, increase cultural understanding, and inspire self discovery. Similar to Jordan, I am always interested in learning more about a candidate's study abroad experience when I see it on their resume. Whether or not studying abroad is important to your personal resume depends on the careers you're interested in. Remember, a resume is simply a tool to get your foot in the door with potential employers. It can be tailored to tell the story you want to tell. I suggest taking a step back and thinking about what careers interest you first. If those careers value things like cultural understanding and the exchange of ideas and experiences, then studying abroad might be very important for your story. Or, if you don't know what career you want, that's fine too. Studying abroad might help you find your passion - as it helped me find my career path in international education.
Cheers, Sam
Henry’s Answer
The experience of studying abroad cab be priceless as you get to adapt to a new environment, meeting new people and possibly speaking a second language. These experiences are so valuable and can help both your personal and career development as you work for a new company, a new team and possibly working with customers outside of your home country. Some people are less adaptive to new surrounding and studying abroad can help those to overcome the fear.
While it is not something that all employers look for from the candidates, having oversea experiences can be seen as an advantage for the above reasons. But do not feel this is something you must have because there are many different activities you can participate to build up the same skills you would gain from living oversea.
In today's world, many employers understand that overseas experiences does not guarantee success. It is your on job performance that matters most.
Good luck.
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