Gaining an Edge with Education Abroad - WordPress.com · abroad during 2011-2012 (1.4 percent!) Only ~14 percent of American students receiving Bachelor’s degrees will have studied

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Gaining an Edge with Education Abroad

Reflecting on the Experience and Identifying Transferrable Skills

Michelle McCormack, Babson College Heather York, Boston University Study Abroad

Agenda

Session Goals A Little Background

Holistic Experience - Reflect Transferable Skills - Connect Next Steps– Professionalize

Student Examples Questions

Connect these competencies to the qualifications desired in a workplace or graduate school

Identify skills developed abroad

Understand skills that employers value

Reflect on study abroad experience

Goals

What Students Learned Abroad

23.1%

71.1%

95.9%

98.5%

0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

Greater Understanding ofFamily's Heritage

Took Advantage of NewResources

Gained Knowledge of HostCountry

Explored New Places

N=3000

How Study Abroad Impacted Their Future

71.3%

71.8%

78.4%

81.5%

93.0%

0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

Interest in Working Abroad inFuture

Influenced My ProfessionalGoals

Greater Interest in WorldEvents

Positive Impact on Major

Will Advocate Study Abroad

N=3000

In 2011-2012, approximately 20 million American

students were enrolled in a U.S.

university

283,332 of these students studied abroad during

2011-2012

(1.4 percent!)

Only ~14 percent of American students receiving Bachelor’s

degrees will have studied abroad at some point by the time they graduate

Fewer than half of these

students will have spent a semester or

more abroad

Study Abroad: The Facts *Open Doors 2013

HOWEVER…

We cannot assume that employers recognize the inherent value of participating in a study abroad experience

It’s up to YOU to learn to articulate the value of your experience abroad in terms of a direct benefit to the company, institution, or organization

To do this, we must get beyond “It was great!”

HOWEVER…

We cannot assume that employers recognize the inherent value of participating in a study abroad experience

It’s up to YOU to learn to articulate the value of your experience abroad in terms of a direct benefit to the company, institution, or organization

To do this, we must get beyond “It was great!”

Job Outlook 2013, National Association of Colleges and Employers

REFLECT, CONNECT, PROFESSIONALIZE

REFLECT. Think about the different components of your study abroad experience, what you learned from each, and what skills you have gained or developed

CONNECT. Determine how the skills you developed are transferable to the workplace, and specifically to qualifications that your employer or grad school desires

PROFESSIONALIZE. Share your experience in ways that highlight the traits that prospective employers or graduate schools are looking for

Components of Education Abroad Programs

• Internships • Service –

Learning • Clubs / Orgs

• Rural / Urban • Developed /

Developing • Size of Institution

• Direct Enroll • Study Center • Hybrid

• Homestay • Residence Hall • Apartment

Housing Academics

Community Engagement

Environment

Holistic Experience Components:

• Housing • Academics • Community

Engagement • Travel • Student clubs/

organizations • Volunteering • Internships • Visa process

London School of Economics, London, UK

• Debate Skills • Original Thinking • Logical Thought

Processes • Emotional

Intelligence

Classroom Differences Urban Dorm Living

Environment Organizations

Ease of Travel Career Networking

• Engaging with students of different backgrounds

• City Immersion

• Maintaining U.S. identity

• Being outgoing instead of shy

• Staying active on campus

• Public transportation knowledge

• Geography • Cultural

curiosity

• How to travel safely and frequently via trains, planes, and buses

• International business skills

• Application styles

• Using culture to network

Chris Minor, Babson College class of 2014

Activity: Reflect on the Holistic Experience

Identify components of your experience

Write 1+ thing you learned from each component

Share the components and learned skills with a partner

Identify Transferrable Skills

Creatively solve problems by applying familiar concepts to unfamiliar situations

Contribute to an culturally diverse team

Be self-confident, yet able to listen and learn from people whose value systems are different

Take personal risks and act independently

Be flexible and adaptable to rapidly changing situations

Have a basic command of the local language, and able to use it in practical situations Imagine, forecast, analyze or address business situations from a different cultural frame of reference

Adapted from: Effective Marketing of International Experiences to Employers by Cheryl Matherly

Leadership Problem Solving Skills Communication Skills Ability to work in a

team Initiative Flexibility/Adaptability Creativity Entrepreneurial Skills/

Risk-Taker

Job Outlook 2013, National Association of Colleges and Employers

Attributes employers seek

Connecting Transferable Skills Improved Language

Skills 85.5% Communication

Skills

Global Perspective 90.7%

Ability to Understand Different

Points of View

Independence & Confidence 95.5% Self-Motivation;

Leader

Ability to Adapt to New

Situations 82.5% Problem Solver;

Flexible

Connecting Your Experiences

Identify skills you learned or developed abroad

Connect them to competencies that employers are seeking in job candidates

What can you do with this? 1. Develop a Rocket Pitch 2. Practice using these examples to answer

behavioral interview questions 3. Tell your story

Learn more in “Wowing your Employers” Professionalize

Chris Minor London School of Economics, Academic Year 2012-13

“The skills that I learned at the London School of Economics really have made me a more complete person in as many ways as I can think of. In the classroom, I learned how to think quickly and logically on my feet since the teachers use debate as a tool for communicating ideas clearly and powerfully. And after the classroom, I would make sure to hang out with the fulltime students, either on campus or somewhere off in the city. It really was through conversing with these students and the city that helped me understand different perspectives and develop the global mindset in a different way than I have here at Babson.”

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