10 Reasons Why Employers Love Graduates Who Have Studied Abroad

Studying abroad is not only a fantastic way of developing personally, to make new friends from all over the world and a means of travelling while completing your studies; it’s also a highly marketable experience that you can parade before future employers.

Here are 10 reasons why employers love international graduates:

1. Broad, global experience

When you study abroad, you’re taking in twice the knowledge. The textbook may teach you more or less the same curriculum as it would at home, but the people you’re surrounded by, the culture shock, the everyday occurrences that strike you as odd or different—those are all forms of “teachers” you wouldn’t be exposed to at home, safe inside your comfort zone. Learning about the world hands-on, as you do abroad, is just as marketable to potential employers as what you learned from Powerpoint slides or assigned readings.

2. Eagerness

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Just the fact that you got on a plane to another part of the world puts you leagues above the competition. A desire to travel and to experience another corner of the globe shows you’re thirsty for knowledge and new experiences. Employers like to see such eagerness in the people they bring on to the team.

3. Cultural awareness

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“Culture” is a loosely defined term that applies to many aspects of the job you’re seeking. Employees may come from different cultural backgrounds; potential clients may be based abroad, and have different cultural customs; and your job may have its own particular work culture. The ability to absorb and adapt to new cultures is highly desirable, as is a cultural sensitivity that is often demanded of people when they study abroad. Hopefully you picked that one up!

4. Problem solving skills

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Living abroad throws all sorts of new and unforeseen problems your way, and chances are, if you completed your time overseas, you learned to resolve most of them. From seemingly petty problems like smoothing over cross-cultural issues with roommates, to more substantial ones like dealing with a foreign government’s bureaucracy, being abroad isn’t always a walk in the park. Problem solving is a skill employers look for in a strong applicant, so navigating those issues abroad—while surely a headache at the time—gives you a great bank of experience to draw from, and talk up during the interview.

5. Self-sufficiency

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During your time abroad, it’s likely you had to fend for yourself a bit more than you were accustomed to. Being much farther away from friends and family naturally begs you to become more self-sufficient. You’ll need to learn things as you go; pick up and carry on during hard times; even learn to boil pasta far away from your mother’s helping hands. Your employer will appreciate this autonomy, as it shows you’ll be capable of managing and completing tasks that come your way.

6. Advanced social skills

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Unfortunately, airlines these days set a pretty firm size and weight limit on luggage, and all your friends and family won’t fit inside. Going abroad means you had to form a new social circle. When you start a new job, you’ll need to be aware of appropriate social behavior, mingle with new colleagues, impress your boss, and generally mesh well with the team. Draw on all those social skills you picked up overseas!

7. Adaptability

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You’ve already adapted to a whole new culture, schedule, university requirements, possibly even a new language. Adapting to a new workplace shouldn’t be too hard for you, and employers will be grateful for this.

8. Fresh perspective

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Studying abroad opens up your mind in ways you couldn’t have imagined before. Even in seemingly similar cultures, there are differences that may have never occurred to you had you stayed in your sheltered bubble all through university. Gaining new perspective abroad will help you be more creative, see opposing sides, and view decisions from different angles in the workplace.

9. Appreciation of diversity

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Your decision to study abroad demonstrates that you understand the importance of diversity—both cultural diversity, and on a more personal level, that of diversifying your academic experience and views. Hopefully you’ll also be able to appreciate diversity in the workplace, and even come to expect it for a company to thrive.

10. Ability to take risks and use initiative

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Just the fact that you pushed yourself out of your comfort zone in the first place shows great risk. And making the move abroad takes initiative—the opportunity didn’t just fall into your lap; you sought it out. Employers recognize that in a prosperous company, their employees should be willing to show initiative and, to a certain extent, take risks

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It’s no surprise that employers are eager to hire individuals with international experience. Market your newfound skills well, and it shouldn’t be difficult for your worldly, well-rounded self to land the job!

Image via Shutterstock.

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