Translating your Study Abroad Experience
- April 19th, 2019
- in Uncategorized
During your study abroad experience, you likely gained skills and experiences that relate to your career prospects. However, translating those experiences into a cover letter or onto your resume can be tricky. Below is a list of skills often developed while studying or working abroad. Consider a specific instance when you might have demonstrated one or more of these skills.
- Intercultural competencies
- Adaptability
- Patience
- Language skills
- Respect for protocol
- Self-reliance
- Time management
- Inquisitiveness
- Assertiveness
- Navigational skills
- Open-mindedness
- Remaining calm under pressure
- Initiative
- Seeing different perspectives
Next, think specifically about the situation, the task at hand, the action you took, and the result of your actions.
- Situation: What circumstances required you to use this skill?
- Task: What needed to be done?
- Action: What action did you take (demonstrating this skill)?
- Result: What was the result of the action you took?
This exercise will allow you to not only list the skills on a resume, but also expand on them in a cover letter, and provide potential employers with concrete examples of your abilities.