Using Study Abroad Experience To Find An International Job

By Dr. Katharine S. Brooks

Director

Career Services

Dickinson College

Studying abroad can be the personal and educational highlight of your academic career. But did you know that it can also be the beginning of an exciting new career path in international employment? If you've been inspired to continue your international exposure after graduation, you should know that while international positions are scarce and go to the students who are best prepared, but your study abroad experience can give you the upper hand.

Start by thinking about the useful skills you will acquire (or did acquire) while abroad such as appreciating diversity, understanding and adapting to a new culture, communicating effectively despite language barriers, thriving in spite of chaos and confusion, accepting responsibility, developing an international/multicultural perspective, and acquiring language skills and knowledge of national politics and customs.

Before you go abroad, try to read all you can about the international job market. One place to start your research is Dickinson College's International Employment website at http://www.dickinson.edu/departments/career/international.html . This site is updated regularly with lots of new leads and links.

Consider the type of international opportunity you wish to seek: are you looking for a short-term job or a long-term career? Do you have the language skills to survive in a non-English speaking country? Will you be able to acquire the necessary working papers?

The key to finding international employment is to practice what I call “focused flexibility.” You want to focus on your goals, but at the same time be open to new information and opportunities which come your way. Most students start with a goal that is too specific (“I want to work for American Express in Malaga, Spain”) or too vague (“I want an international job.”). The search will be easier if you select a field that combines your interests, skills, and education, such as “publishing”, and then select the area in which you want to practice, such as “Great Britain.” Then start narrowing your plans from there as you learn more about the opportunities available. Be willing to take a job that will simply allow you to live in your country of choice, and then plan to seek the ideal career or position once you're there.

The best time to start you international job search is while you're abroad, and here are some tips to get you started.

While you're abroad:

1. Try to acquire some international experience in addition to your education. Volunteer, get a job or do an internship. Use the local contacts you develop: the family with whom you're staying, the director of the program, the faculty, etc. Ask the American Embassy if they have lists of opportunities for teaching English as a foreign language, work camps, or other short-term job opportunities for American students.

2. Keep a list of all the contacts you make including their addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses. Tell everyone you know that you are hoping to return after graduation to work and ask them for advice. Bring back a local phone book and any other information you can find which relates to employment. Check the bookstores for employment guides related to your country of interest.

2. If you're studying in Europe, visit the local Council on International Education and Experience (CIEE) office for employment information. Collect as much information about the country and its work environment as you can.

 

The above is an excerpt from The Last Job Search Guide You'll Ever Need: How to Find and Get the Job or Internship of Your Dreams, which is available for sale for $19.85 in our bookstore or $27.00 at Amazon.com but for free to those who subscriber to our free career newsletter. This hot new book contains job search secrets of the most experienced, most knowledgeable and most respected career experts. Learn career planning, job hunting tools and tactics, interviewing, cover letter and resume writing (lots of samples!), networking, and how to find an internship. Written by 149 career experts. To receive a free copy, subscribe to our free career newsletter.

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