Translating Study Abroad for the Job Search

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Global Career Compass

This week’s webinar for NAFSA attracted nearly 1,000 study abroad and career service professionals from both campuses and “provider” organizations in the U.S, Canada and Australia. My colleagues, Vera Chapman from Colgate, and Curtiss Stevens, The University of Texas-Austin, provided listeners with concrete program models designed to assist students in pre-departure orientation sessions, in-country analysis and reflection during time abroad, and in unpacking what was learned upon return to campus.

The large number of participants tells me that there is a great deal of interest on campus to better integrate the student advising process, prepare students to build concrete skills and develop workforce competencies while abroad and enable students to better articulate what they have learned as they prepare for job interviews and re-edit their resumes to include their time spent studying abroad.

For readers not in the study abroad field, see a new NAFSA publication – also in e-book, Internships, Service Learning and Volunteering Abroad: Successful Models and Best Practices, edited by myself, William Nolting, Cheryl Matherly and Debbie Donohue. One of the chapters is on Career Impact and Global Workforce Development. Find the PDF at http://www.nafsa.org/interactive/core/orders/product.aspx?catid=2&prodid=422