Four Ways Studying Abroad Will Help Get You a Job

by Cody Austin

I spent six months traveling and studying in the Middle East – Dubai, Egypt, Palestine, and Saudi Arabia. I rode several camels and explored the pyramids. I fell in love (again) with shwarma, snorkeled in the Red Sea, and spoke with the head of a Salafist political party. I improved my Arabic, gained historical insight vital to my field of study, and became a more independent and confident human being.

Here are four ways making a similar study abroad trip will help land you a job and jump-start your career after graduation:

Resourcefulness
It’s your 21^st birthday, and you need to leave Bethlehem, cross one of the most heavily guarded borders in the world, and then catch a red-eye to Cairo. You have a limited budget, basic Arabic, and no idea where to go. Navigating a foreign culture will improve your ability to be assertive, show initiative, and improvise. In short, resourcefulness.

Success in the workplace requires the ability to thrive in instability. Employers want people who can solve problems, and dealing with the complex situations encountered when studying abroad will give you the experience needed to seize opportunities and overcome unforeseen circumstances. 

Communication
Whether it is speaking another language, pantomime, or desperate smiles and an indefatigable hope in humanity—you will learn to communicate across cultures. Functional fluency is a major advantage when landing any job, particularly for international business students. Anyone who has traveled will testify to the power of even a few words of your host country’s mother tongue. It conveys that you are open, humble, and willing to learn. Developing these traits is key to building relationships with diverse clients and stakeholders.

Beyond language, engaging in multicultural communication will help you learn to actually listen—giving your full attention and digesting the thoughts of others rather than crafting a response while they are talking. If you can do this, you will gain a skill that is valuable to every area of life. 

Growing Up
Traveling can be as hard as it is glamorous. You will encounter poverty, war, gender inequality, and racism in about every place you could visit. Seeing the world as it truly is, up close and personal, will help you uncover masked prejudices and empathize with the marginalized members of society. Separation from friends, family, and social networks will show how valuable and important they are to a successful and meaningful life. By separating yourself from the familiar and comfortable, you will gain a clearer sense of your own values. It will also allow you to explore and investigate your identity apart from your traditional context. You will grow up.

Self-awareness, empathy, social skills, and a strong sense of motivation are the building blocks of emotional intelligence. Improving your emotional intelligence will bring you beyond the technical “prerequisites” of a position and prepare you for leadership roles.

Get Noticed
I can not tell you how many interviewers have asked about my experiences in the Middle East, sometimes with follow-up and sometimes without. Going somewhere most people consider “exotic” is incredibly helpful when you want an interviewer to remember you. Choosing an eye-catching locale should not be the main determinant in your decision, but going somewhere off the beaten path will almost certainly provide more benefits than a semester in London. Think about the fields you are interested in and what emerging markets they are entering—South America, Eastern Europe, or any part of Asia. Consider a program that meets your professional goals and can be marketed well to potential employers. Done properly, a semester (or more) abroad is guaranteed to get you an extra look.

Cody Austin graduated from Drake University in 2013. He has worked for the American Red Cross in Seattle, WA, and for businesses in Silicon Valley. Cody's other writing can be found here.