5 Reasons Employers Want Candidates Who Studied Abroad

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How Studying Abroad Prepares You For Your Career

Studying abroad is one of the most exciting and challenging adventures you can experience in college. The lessons and skills you take away from and experience like this will be ones  you continue to apply to your academic and career life. Employers love to see students who have studied abroad. It is great to have on your resume and sets you apart from most other applicants of the applicants. So how do the lessons you learn abroad translate to the real world?

1.   Independence

The choice to go abroad is one that you make yourself; no one can do it for you. So when you make the decision to go, you know it is an adventure you are going to tackle on your own. You don’t have your parents to help you figure out your connecting flights or the train schedule. While abroad you also have the opportunity to travel by yourself. It is a great opportunity to become more independent and self-reliant. This is a trait that employers like to see.

2.   Flexibility

Anyone who has traveled knows nothing goes as planned, and the only thing you can really plan on is that something will go wrong. So while abroad you have to be flexible and have the ability to adapt to adversity. This is a great characteristic to have in the workplace as well. Because everything doesn’t go as planned all the time, the ability to be flexible is a trait that is pertinent and valued.

3.   Communication

Traveling is a journey where you have the opportunity to meet all kinds of different people. You encounter such a diverse group of people that you can learn so much from. You also learn how to effectively communicate with people who speak a different language, have different values and have overall different communication norms.

4.   Planning

Traveling abroad gives you the chance to be spontaneous, but it also strengthens your planning skills as well. Whether it’s a day trip or a weekend trip, a lot goes into the planning. You also become much better at tracking your expenses and budgeting for worthwhile expenses.

5.   Risk taking

Life is all about taking risks, and that is hard for a lot of people. Traveling is an experience that you can really see the benefits of taking risks.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/hillarylevine/11-lessons-you-learn-studying-abroad#1rhxyiq

http://mashable.com/2013/01/16/apps-for-studying-abroad/