When you study abroad, you’ll make friends from around the world, eat delicious and unique foods, and tour Instagram-worthy sights with new classmates. Aside from having tons of fun and taking unique courses…is studying abroad actually going to be helpful for your future career?
YES! No matter where you study abroad, whether in Germany, Kazakhstan, or Australia, you will learn essential skills necessary for future internships and employment in top global companies.
What skills can you put on your resume after studying abroad? Having a strong resume/CV is essential to getting into a top university, job, or internship.
You can improve your resume with soft skills, non-technical interpersonal skills such as teamwork and time management. You can’t learn these in a classroom…but studying abroad is the best teacher for soft skills. While you may forget to put soft skills on your resume, employers are looking for people with positive attitudes, creativity, ambition, and ability to face challenges. You have already developed these skills just from studying abroad!
After spending time away from home, learning a new language, and confronting cultural challenges, here are just a few of the skills you can put on your resume….
50 Important Study Abroad Resume Skills
Travelers–If you can arrange flights and trains in a foreign country without any stress, you can add these skills to your resume:
- Time management
- Organization
- Detail-oriented
- Conflict management
- Multitasking
- Decision making
- Research
- Adheres to deadlines
- Personal responsibility
- Schedule management
Foodies and curious explorers–If you love finding hidden hangouts and trying crazy new foods, you will develop these resume-worthy skills while studying abroad:
- Curiosity
- Imagination
- Goal-setting
- Taking initiative
- Self-confidence
- Open-mindedness
- Confident in new situations
- Innovative
- Seeks new ideas
- Dreamer
Networker–If the best part of studying abroad is meeting new people and learning about new cultural traditions, add these soft skills to your resume:
- Cross-cultural communication
- Enjoy intellectual challenges
- Pursue diversity
- Empathetic
- Listening
- Humility
- Teamwork
- Adaptability
- Building consensus
- Include diverse viewpoints
Career builder–If you took advantage of better career and academic opportunities while studying abroad, add these skills to your resume along with your high grades:
- Ambitious
- Goal-oriented
- Independently motivated
- Responsibility
- Time management
- Organization
- Written/Verbal Communication
- Dedication
- Focused learner
- Growth-seeking
Language learners–Now that you know another language after studying abroad, add these amazing traits to your resume, CV, and cover letter:
- Fluent/Proficient/Intermediate in _______
- Cross-cultural understanding
- Cultural intelligence
- Humility
- Adaptability
- Dedication
- Creativity
- Outgoing and open-minded
- Pursues challenges
- Seeks out new points of view
