For those who work in International Education and see the rewards of students returning home from abroad, wiser, more confident and more mature, we naturally think that Study Abroad is a great step toward a rewarding career. For students who have overcome all the obstacles that study abroad puts in their way, they too think that the eye opening experiences, greater independence and self-awareness should give them a jump-start in their career. Unfortunately, there are many hiring managers and employers who haven’t seen it.
The following two quotes are just a sampling of some of the biases that exist against study abroad:
“People put ‘study abroad’ on their resume. I actually like when they don’t study abroad because that means they aren’t entitled.” – Millard Drexler
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/millarddre532208.html
Millard “Mickey” S. Drexler is the current chairman and CEO of J.Crew Group and formerly the CEO of Gap Inc. He has been a director at Apple Inc. since 1999.
“Studying abroad can be a nice “add on” in theory, but it also can be a waste of time, or simply a good time, for an unfocused – and privileged – high school or university student.” And “And even the best programs will do little for an unmotivated student.” – Curtis S. Chin
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/10/17/should-more-americans-study-abroad/studying-abroad-can-be-an-expensive-waste-of-time
Curtis S. Chin, the United States ambassador to the Asian Development Bank from 2007 to 2010, is the managing director of RiverPeak Group, an advisory firm.
” The Studies Abroad Myth – Many students give a lot of weight to studies abroad. These are those classes where someone goes off to some exotic place and spends 2-4 weeks on some field project. Many students (and I suspect their parents) think that this will give them an edge. Sure, being exposed to other cultures can only be a good thing, getting field experience is admirable, and seeing the Galapagos or Kenya up close and personal is a chance in a lifetime. But, don’t kid yourself. None of these experiences is going to matter when you are getting hired for a Biology position. I look at these experiences as nice but they don’t enter one whit into my decision.” – Eric L. Walters
http://www.ericlwalters.org/myths.htm
Eric L. Walters is Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Old Dominion University in Virginia
Entitled. Privileged. We also hear that study abroad returnees are viewed as unmanageable, always with a cause, always want to change things and even anti-corporate. These are stereotypes and just like you had stereotypes of the place you visited before you left, you now have a label associated with you. How you handle this label and the associated bias will affect how your career unfolds.
Study Abroad is not the secret ticket to getting a jump start in the career place. Many human resources professionals and line managers do not value experiences abroad when making hiring decisions and while corporate and organizational leaders talk about the global workplace, your study abroad alumni card isn’t your FAST-PASS to the front of the line.
“Study abroad doesn’t count to an employer unless the job candidate can say how it has made them a better person, scholar, citizen, and professional…” – Linda S. Gross, Associate Director of Career Services, Michigan State University
http://chronicle.com/article/Colleges-Help-Students-to/123653/
“I’m not interested in your life journeys. This includes your experiences studying abroad, even if you had an amazing time. Save these musings for late night dorm room chats with your best friend.” – Katherine Goldstein
http://www.slate.com/articles/business/moneybox/2013/08/cover_letter_writing_advice_how_to_write_a_cover_letter_for_an_entry_level.html
According to a 2012 survey of employers done by the Collegiate Employment Research Institute (CERI) at Michigan State University (MSU), hiring managers considered study abroad to be of “limited importance” in relation to recruiting new graduates. In fact, study abroad was ranked the least important of several college activities, with internships listed the most valuable activity. http://www.nafsa.org/_/File/_/ie_mayjun14_edabroad.pdf
Now before you panic, and sign up for grad school, an internship program of resolve yourself to teaching English in some remote corner of the world, there is hope. There’s work you need to do, but there’s real hope turning what some perceived as a lemon, into lemonade.
Employers want creative, independent thinkers who can work in teams, take responsibility and get things done. Think in professional analogies about your time abroad and how you overcame obstacles and how those prepared you for the workplace. How did you show leadership? How did you take responsibility? How did you pull together disparate people and get them operating as a team? How did you face long odds, overcome poor preparation and lack of support and achieve something notable? What got you out of bed in the AM and got you to avoid the distractions of the social and partying scene?
If you can translate your experiences abroad into practical examples of how you have matured and can take on responsibility, you now have the Study Abroad Advantage. If going abroad now means you can enter into an honest conversation where you can take and can offer criticism, then your experience has prepared you well. If you can articulate how lucky you were, how humbling the experience was and how you want to rise to serve, you have a real chance at breaking the stereotypes that surround study abroad.
Feel free to add your comments below and join our initiative called The Study Abroad Advantage on Linkedin and Twitter.
