Translating the Benefits of Study Abroad in an Interview

There’s more to our How to Market Your Study Abroad Experience Toolkit than just paperwork! Now that your study-abroad optimized résumé and cover letter have landed you an interview, it’s time to talk about it [cue scary music]…IN PERSON.

90% of IES Abroad alumni attributed their development of critical professional skills, like adaptability, cultural understanding, language proficiency, self-confidence, and ability to navigate ambiguity to their time abroad, according to the IES Abroad Recent Alumni Survey. Additionally, alumni believed that studying abroad allowed them to build up the confidence to deal with new skills required for a particular job.

And yet, even with this newfound confidence, we understand that speaking about your study abroad experience in a professional setting can be challenging. Surely, some things about the city you called 'home' for a semester or summer are fascinating, but consider how many of the specifics should be included when talking about your time abroad in a job interview. Determine which things are truly applicable to the job or internship rather than what might be a fun anecdote better shared with your friends. 

Three Things to Consider

a student hiking in the Andes Mountains in Chile

What skills did you develop while abroad?

Perhaps you taught yourself a new online SEO platform, honed your ability to interpret non-verbal cues if you weren't familiar with the local language while traveling, or advanced your Dutch language skills.

homes on the coastal road in Nice

How could these study abroad skills be used at home?

You probably won't use your Dutch skills every day once you've returned home, but how did studying language abroad teach you persistence and discipline, and is it possible that those skills could be useful in a future international career?

Three students in front of the European Council in Brussels Belgium

What is the best way to present these skills in a professional context?

For example, acquiring foreign language skills and placing yourself in a different cultural setting hones your social abilities, allows you to better handle uncertain situations, and makes you a more attentive listener.

Student standing in the empty Wimbledon stadium
IES Abroad London

Four Steps for Responding to an Interview Question

Sounds easy right?! We bet you have some epic tales from your time abroad, but how can you make sense of them during and make them relevant to a job or internship interview?

We recommend using the STAR Method, which is an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. It's one of the best models to help structure your thoughts and stories in a professional setting and ensures that your interview will be a 'no rambling' zone. Try using STAR in an interview response and we guarantee (okay, maybe not guarantee) that your interviewer will be able to identify at least five skills you learned while abroad.

“I'm not sure I could have landed the high-profile jobs I've been lucky to have without studying abroad.”
Kayla J. • Wagner College • Dublin – Summer Internship

Market Your Study Abroad Toolkit

Our toolkit is here to help you communicate the skills you learned (or refined) abroad.

Add Study Abroad on a Résumé Cover, Letter & LinkedIn
students checking their phone in front of the European Council