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Your Career and Education Abroad

Many students return to campus with new interests and a greater sense of direction academically and professionally. Some may explore additional international opportunities and degrees. If this applies to you, check out the ISP list of Global Majors and Minors and connect with your academic adviser to discuss your interests.

If you're pursuing professional opportunities, consider the ways education abroad can open doors for you. Employers are seeking job candidates who are flexible and can adapt to changing environments. Consider all of the skills you developed on your program abroad and how you can talk about these skills with prospective employers. Some examples may include:

  • Increasing your cultural awareness
  • Becoming a more adaptable thinker
  • Harnessing your problem-solving skills
  • Developing your independence and leadership skills

Our office has teamed up with MSU Career Services to provide the following resources regarding your career and education abroad. Their staff have tips for how to incorporate your experience abroad on your resume, how to talk to employers, and much more. We encourage you to schedule a career advising appointment to get personalized feedback on your professional portfolio.

Incorporating EA on your Resume

Your resume is about you and about highlighting the relevant skills and outcomes the reader will care about. MSU Career Services provides an example resume with study abroad laid out in every section of the document. Note that it can be as brief as a single bullet point in your Education section or could have many bullet points in any other section.

Communicating with Prospective Employers

Even though your study abroad experience was cut short, it’s an opportunity to show your resilience and flexibility. Employers most value experiences related to the internship or job you are hoping to obtain and may not understand how a study abroad experience relates. By highlighting the skills you developed and discussing what you learned, you'll help the employer connect the dots. 

Identify the skills you developed with the employer in mind. There are certain skills employers of all industries tell us they value most. Get familiar with these top skills, and consider the experiences you've had (study abroad, class projects, internships) where you grew these skills. 

Understand and practice common interview questions. Understanding the structure to answer common interview questions will help you to feel prepared to discuss your experience. The PARK method helps to organize your interview responses so that employers can quickly understand your experiences and skills. After coming up with a few experiences you would like to highlight to an employer, you'll want to practice on your own and then with a Career Advisor.

Get personalized support to “unpack” your experience. MSU's Career Services Network staff is trained to help you talk through your study abroad experience and translate it to resumes, cover letters, interviews, grad school applications. Learning to articulate the value of your experience to an outside audience can be done in a one-on-one career advising appointment.

Job Hunting during COVID-19

Job hunting in the wake of a global pandemic is daunting, especially if you are a graduating senior. There are a few online lists tracking hiring trends and employers still looking for talent. The following resources regularly to get a pulse on whether employers on your radar are looking to fill roles.

International Careers

Your education abroad experience might have you thinking about pursuing an international career. The following resources can help you become familiar with careers in international education, education abroad, and more!

Careers in International Education

  • SECUSSA-L Listserv can help you become familiar with jobs available in international education. Many universities post jobs to this listserv and on the NAFSA career page. You can receive a daily digest or get individuals emails by signing up.
  • NAFSA is the largest organization in international education. NAFSA is separated by 12 regions across the US, which will allow you to set your job search to the area you're most interested. Visit the NAFSA Job Registry to find resources essential for job seekers and for career planning in international education.
  • The Forum on Education Abroad is a great resource if you are looking to work specifically within the field of education abroad and focuses exclusively on sending US students overseas. 
  • The Institute for International Education (IIE) is among the world's largest international education and training organizations. They administer the Fulbright Program as well as the Boren and Gilman scholarship programs. 
  • GoinGlobal helps new and experienced job seekers find opportunities both at home and abroad by providing a one-stop resource to help fast track job and internship searches.

Other International Opportunities

  • The Fulbright Program is a competitive grant program funded by the US Department of State that enables US citizen students to do research, study, or teach English abroad. These awards are open to all MSU students who will have a BA/BS by the time the grant would begin. Masters and PhD students may also apply. 
  • The Peace Corps recruits potential applicants dedicated to the goals and objectives of the US Peace Corps. Their office will work with you to improve your competitiveness as an applicant and can share more information regarding upcoming deadlines and opportunities.

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