After being in a foreign country for sometime, you gain an amazing experience of other cultures and developing your own sense of independence.

But, it is important that you are able to communicate the value of such experience to a potential employer. Connecting the significance of your study or work abroad to the context of the company and position will help the employer understand that value.

So, how can you communicate that value?

You can do several things. First, is obviously add your study experience or work abroad on your resume as a part of the relevant section, or as a separate heading. Don’t forget to include the dates you studied or worked, applicable classes/research, and name/location of the institution or your employer. You can also add the following skills into the Personal Skills Section and add them skills on Linkedin.com as well:

• Communication skills
• Problem solving skills
  
• Interpersonal skills
• Responsibility
• Self-motivation
• Organisational skills
• Cultural sensitivity
• Perseverance
• Maturity
• Adaptability

Questions That May Draw Upon Your Experience Abroad

The second thing you can do is during the interview, you can draw upon your study abroad experience to demonstrate the skills you developed and challenges you overcame. In order to prepare this part of the interview, ask yourself the following questions:

• How have you changed as a result of your experience Abroad
• What was the biggest challenge you faced while travelling?
• How has your world view been affected from travelling?
• Why did you choose to study in ____? (In case you have studied abroad)
• Why did you choose to work in____? (In case you have worked abroad)
• Talk about a recent mistake you made and what you learned from it.

How to prepare:

1. Think of 3-4 experiences from your study abroad experience (specific stories)
2. Be engaging and enthusiastic, but succinct.
3. Connect the story to the skills or traits that the employer is looking for.
4. Ask a friend or a Career Consultant for help and rehearse your interview.
5. Remember, I am here if you need any help!