It’s important to show employers what skill sets and qualities you bring to the table. One of the best ways to do this is by marketing your international experience on your resume, CV, or cover letter. 

Visit our Resumes page for general information on writing and formatting a resume, CV, and cover letter.

Marketing Your Experience 

Living and studying abroad generates a multitude of experiences based on length of stay, destination, and engagement with the local culture and community. Certain skills and qualities tend to correlate with international experience. See some of them listed below.

Skills:

• Adapting quickly to new environments
• Learning through listening and observing
• Functioning with high levels of ambiguity 
• Establishing a good rapport in a short time
• Gaining foreign language skills
• Taking initiative and risks 
• Managing multiple tasks 
• Accepting responsibility 
• Creative problem solving 

Qualities:

• Self-reliance
• Appreciation for diversity 
• Perseverance 
• Flexibility 
• Open-mindedness
• Independence 
• Self-confidence 
• Inquisitiveness 

Visit our Work and Study Abroad page for more resources related to international experience. Additionally, the ISSS office provides specific iCareer sessions and workshops designed for international students.

Interviews may be a source of stress for some, but they are just an opportunity for you to show off your skills and qualities! Take note of the information below to make the interviewing process successful. 

Visit our Interviewing page for general interview advice. 

Before the Interview 

• Practice interviewing prior to your interview so that you are able to comfortably articulate how your international experience makes you a strong candidate 
• Consider using BigInterview to practice answering common interview questions
• Review illegal interview questions on this page and consider how you might respond if someone asks you about your citizenship status, visa type, or nationality
• Prepare yourself by filling in the sample sentences below to help you highlight the qualities and skills you've gained from international experience: 
  • A change I can identify in myself as a result of my international experience is...
  • One strategy that was really helpful in learning how to interact with people from another culture was...
  • I have clarified what is important to me through my international experience (who I am, who I want to be, and what I want to accomplish). For instance…
  • I had to learn how to adapt. One way that I was able to adapt in another country was...
  • I gained a greater perspective on global issues. One special issue (local or global) that I learned more about is...

During the Interview 

An interviewer may provide you with an opportunity to tell a story based upon your international experience by asking the following questions:

• What did you learn about yourself as a result of studying in ____________ (the U.S. or another country)?
• Why did you choose to study in ____________ (the U.S. or another country)?
• Why was it important to you?
• How did you get engaged in the local culture outside of the classroom?
• Can you describe a time when you had to change your behavior to accommodate or adjust to different cultural expectations?

Practice your answers ahead of time and remain fairly brief yet to the point. A great way to organize your thoughts with any interview question is the STAR technique. 

S – Describe the specific setting or situation for which the experience took place.

T – Describe the specific task or project related to the skill sought.

A – Describe the specific steps or actions you took to complete the task or project.

R – Describe the results or outcomes resulting from the actions taken.

While an employer may ask about your international experience, it is important that you not wait for them to ask about it, but rather bring it up yourself. If relevant, be sure to emphasize your ability to speak another language and your comfort with working or living abroad. In this globalized society, many organizations are looking for employees who are willing to travel or work in other parts of the world.

Searching for jobs can be an overwhelming task. The resources below are here to help you streamline this process!

Platforms 

• Use GoinGlobal: Provides country-specific career and employment information, including worldwide internship and job postings, H1B VISA employer listings, corporate profiles, and more!
  • GoinGlobal is an excellent resource for students interested in traveling and working within the U.S. and abroad.
• Contact International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) at isss@jmu.edu for the most up to date advice about your Visa and finding positions in the U.S.
• Check out our Find Positions page for job or internship search advice and tools.

Contact our Liaison to Center for Global Engagement.