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A resume is a way to market your skills and experience to businesses, non-profit organizations and educational institutions. Research tells us that in the first round of a candidate search a potential employer will only look at your resume for an average of 10 to 15 seconds. In light of this, it is important that you include any experience in the resume that might set you apart from other candidates and get you an interview. For any applicant, international experience is a definite advantage in this regard and your participation in a CIS program should be included in your resume. With this in mind, be sure to…
- Mention your international experience in the Professional Objective section of the resume
- List your study abroad experience separately under the Education section along with your US education
- If you did an international internship, list this under the Experience section
- If you participated in volunteer work you can put this under Experience or activities depending on how extensive the volunteer work was
- List any scholarships you received
Take a look at the sample resume we have posted for you to use as a guide. The example provided is for a student who studied at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. While studying abroad she did an internship and participated in volunteer work.
Click here to see her resume.
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The cover letter is another good place to showcase your international experience. In a cover letter, you want to briefly describe your experience abroad, what you learned from that, and how that learning is transferable to the job for which you are applying. Ideally, this should be done in the second paragraph of the cover letter.
Take a look at the cover letter template created by the Princeton Career Services Office to see where mention of your international experience might best be placed.
Click here to see a sample cover letter.
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Components of a Cover Letter
Your Street Address
City, State Zip
Today's Date
Person's Name Title
Organization
Street Address
City, State, Zip Code (or Country)
Dear Ms./Mr. Last Name:
Paragraph 1: State immediately the position you are pursuing and how you came to know of the opening. If you have an alumnus, family or other contact at the organization, you can mention that here as well. Tell the employer briefly (one or two sentences) why you are interested in this position.
Paragraph 2: Explain the skills and experiences you have that will make you successful in the position. Talk about classes you have taken, activities you have been involved in, summer experiences you have had. You do not have to have directly related experience but think about the skills you have gained from what you have done and how those could relate to the duties of the position you are applying for. You do not want to repeat your resume to the employer in this paragraph but this is the place to highlight related accomplishments that will make the reader want to learn more, which will lead them to your resume. The goal is to show the employer that you have confidence in your ability to succeed in the position.
Paragraph 3: Demonstrate that you have done some research about this organization. Go to their web site, look in industry periodicals (Ad Week, the Wall Street Journal, the Chronicle of Higher Education) and talk to alumni or other contacts who may currently work for the organization. This research does not have to be extensive but it shows that you have taken some time to think about this position and put some effort into this letter. This makes a very good impression on employers. It shows that this is not a form letter where only the address and contact name is changed for each position.
Paragraph 4: State that you would welcome a personal interview to further discuss this opportunity. If you need to explain anything out of the ordinary on your resume, this is the place to do it. You might mention that if you do not hear anything from the potential employer in two to three weeks time that you will call to follow up this letter to see where they are in their process. Finish by thanking them for their attention and express a desire to meet them sometime in the near future.
Sincerely,
Your signature
Your Name (typed)
Enclosure (referring to a resume or writing sample or transcript)
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An interview is your time to shine. It is an opportunity for you to articulate to a perspective employer why the organization to which you are applying needs your skills, personality and experience. During the interview, you may be asked about your time abroad and you should be ready to answer these questions in a way that shows your international experience will enhance your job performance. Here are some examples of questions you might be asked…
1. "You studied in Sydney. Why did you decide to go there? How was your experience the same or different from your expectations?"
Answering Strategy: "To keep my tan through the winter months," is probably not the best way to begin this response. Think back to why you decided to go. It may help for you to refer back to the personal statement you wrote for your CIS application. For the second part of the question, think about the things that surprised you while you were overseas. For example, you may have realized that Australia is more diverse than you believed it to be before.
2. "What have you accomplished at school or during your study abroad experience that you are most proud of?"
Answering Strategy: Think about the goals you had for going abroad. Again, you might refer back to the personal statement you wrote for your CIS application. Which goals did you meet? Which ones were you most proud of? As you relate this to the interviewer, you might express it by…
1. Explaining the goal you had for traveling abroad.
2. Describing how this goal was accomplished.
3. Sharing what you learned along the way
3. "What did you learn overseas that will help you do this job successfully?"
Answering Strategy: Think about the ways in which you have changed. You might have learned to be more flexible, adaptable, tolerant, open minded, patient, etc. You may have gained specialized skills or knowledge from your classes, an internship or volunteer opportunities. Think about how some of these changes and skills might be useful on the job.
Other Advice
Interviewers these days are asking more behavioral questions intended to assess how you respond in certain situations or how you act in certain roles. For example, an interviewer may have you describe a situation that shows your leadership style or how you deal with conflict. If you have a relevant experience from your time abroad to share, share it. This is a great opportunity for you to show how you react in a cross-cultural setting.
In answering these types of questions, the acrostic, STAR is helpful for formulating an answer…
S = Situation: Describe what you were facing
T = Target: Describe what you wanted to achieve
A = Action: Describe what you did
R = Results: Describe what happened, how things turned out, what you learned, and optionally what you'd do differently if presented the same circumstances
General Interview Information
For more general advice about interviewing try WetFeet.com. This is a great site that covers many different aspects of the interview process.
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Resumes in different countries may call for a different format than one for a position within the United States. In Sweden, for example, the resume includes a date of birth. A personal photograph paper-clipped to the right-hand corner is included in the German or Japanese resume. In the United States, on the other hand, one should never include a date of birth or photo. It is important to be aware of these different practices when preparing a resume. The following sites are helpful guides for understanding the differences in resumes and cover letters
EUROPE
Eurograduate - Excellent resource with a country-by-country explanation of the different styles of European resumes. Includes sample resumes.
AUSTRALIA
Bond University Career Development Office - A good guide to Australian style cover letters and resumes. Includes a resume template as well as links for job listings in Australia.
NEW ZEALAND
University of Auckland Careers and Employment Office - Follow this link and click on "CV Advice" for an excellent pdf guide to cover letters and resumes. There is also a link for interview advice. (both require adobe reader)
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For more general advice on resumes, cover letters and interview skills, follow the links below to Princeton University's resume writing and interview guide. This site also gives advice for sending resumes electronically and preparing scannable resumes. There are sections for salary negotiation, interview dress, job search strategies and tips for making the most of career fairs as well. Another helpful resume and interview guide can be found at JobWeb. Its link is listed below as well.
Princeton University Resume and Interview Guide
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JobWeb's Interview and Resume Guide
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