When you study abroad, you're taking in twice the knowledge. The textbook may teach you more or less the same curriculum as it would at home. But the people you're surrounded by, the culture shock, the everyday occurrences that strike you as odd or different-those are all forms of "teachers" you wouldn't be exposed to at home, safe inside your comfort zone. Learning about the world hands-on, as you do abroad, is just as marketable to potential employers as what you learned from PowerPoint slides or assigned readings. Discover what it truly means to be globally-minded.
Cultural awareness
"Culture" is a very loosely defined term, and may apply to many aspects of the job you're seeking. Employees may come from different cultural backgrounds; potential clients may be based abroad, and have different cultural customs; and your job may have its own particular work culture. A ‘global mind-set’ describes an outlook that naturally considers wider global influences and the self in relation to others; attributes including curiosity and openness contribute to a global mind-set. Cultural agility, the ability to absorb and adapt to new cultures, is also highly desirable, as is a cultural sensitivity that is often demanded of people when they study abroad. Hopefully you picked that one up!
Problem solving skills
Living abroad throws all sorts of new and unforeseen problems your way, and chances are, if you completed your time overseas, you learned to resolve most of them. From seemingly petty problems like smoothing over cross-cultural issues with roommates, to more substantial ones like dealing with a foreign government's bureaucracy, being abroad isn't always a walk in the park. Problem solving is a skill employers look for in a strong applicant, so navigating those issues abroad while surely a headache at the time, gives you a great bank of experience to draw from, and talk up during the interview.
Self-sufficiency
During your time abroad, it's likely you had to fend for yourself a bit more than you were accustomed to. Being much farther away from friends and family naturally begs you to become more self-sufficient. You’ll need to learn things as you go; pick up and carry on during hard times; even learn to boil pasta far away from your mother’s helping hands. Your employer will appreciate this autonomy, as it shows you'll be capable of managing and completing tasks that come your way.
Advanced social skills
Unfortunately, airlines these days set a pretty firm size and weight limit on luggage, and all your friends and family won't fit inside. Going abroad means you had to form a new social circle. When you start a new job, you'll need to be aware of appropriate social behaviour, mingle with new colleagues, impress your boss, and generally mesh well with the te