Marketable Skills

Thursday the Lehigh University Study Abroad Office hosted an information session titled Study Abroad: Translating your Study Abroad Experiences into Marketable Skills. The goal of the information session was to learn to incorporate newly learned knowledge and skills on a resume, cover letter and in an interview. Many students forget to include their study abroad experience on their resume, or if they do include it, they fail to explain its significance.

Main selling points include: increasing independence, experiencing cultural diversity, taking risks and overcoming obstacles. Obviously each student had or will have a different abroad experience, but taking time to reflect on those experiences will lead to insight into growth and learning occurrences.

From my personal experience, the trip was much more than traveling or attending classes. It was about being assertive and learning to be calm and comfortable in stressful situations. Learning takes place everywhere – not just the classroom.

A few of my friends and me in front of the Center for Cross-Cultural Study,
the university where we held classes.

What is important for you to remember is that the experience of studying abroad must be translated into skills that will differentiate you from other job candidates. Really talk up real-world skills that you acquired while abroad. On my resume, I wrote:

Study abroad student, Spain, winter 2011
                 ◦ Increased independence by navigating a foreign country and overcoming language barriers.

This fragment can be expanded upon in a cover letter or interview. Including anecdotes or specific examples of ways you did these things is extremely useful because it shows that you are articulate and credible.