The best study abroad experiences include fantastic learning opportunities, exciting adventures, and all kinds of fun. However, when it comes to maximizing that experience for future benefits (think jobs, internships, or even your own travel blog) you might be wondering how to market your study abroad experience in ways that go beyond a fantastic set of social media posts or conversations about your stellar academic record.
Not only is study abroad fun, it can set you up for long term success!
While future employers will certainly check things like your web presence, and some might even ask to see academic transcripts, the best ways to make the most of your study abroad experience include everything from planning how to talk about your study abroad experience in an interview, to exploring how to contextualize the positive aspects of your work in your application materials and professional portfolio.
And even if you haven’t yet left for your study abroad experience, it’s never too early to make a plan—or think about ways to make your hard work work for you!
How to put study abroad on LinkedIn
When you think about your LinkedIn presence, you might be wondering how best to post your study abroad experience in ways that will attract views and get results. First, remember that solid visuals always attract views—but you want to be super smart about the platform. Don’t just post a view of the incredible vistas or beaches you visited during downtime.
Those might be perfect for Instagram, but on LinkedIn, you want the focus to be you engaging with other humans within a positive space. Perhaps it’s a photo of you and your cohort learning in a lab, or you looking like a future boss outside a financial or technology center.
Just remember to focus on the professional applications of your experience while also highlighting the joy you experienced in being there.
It’s important to reflect on your experience and identify your new skills.
Then, once you have that anchor image selected, it’s good to remember that putting your study abroad on LinkedIn should be about the value add. Your captions and posts should focus on the kinds of things that only a study abroad experience can bring.
For example, you want to definitely mention the country, a positive about being there, and something that can be applied anywhere based on that unique experience. Think about how you might share the impact on your future plans, or on the benefits you will bring to your next milestone achievement.
Remember, nothing inspires like genuine connection, so make sure your authentic personality comes through. And, always focus on opportunities to highlight resilience, curiosity, and communication skills—which are always in demand, regardless of your chosen profession!
How to talk about study abroad in an interview
During any job search or application process, once you’ve gotten through the screening process and landed an interview, it’s time to think about how to market your study abroad experience in context.
Remember, at its most basic level, an interview is simply a conversation, but with a specific theme or focus. Given that only a very small percentage of potential employees will have experienced the opportunity to study abroad, you already have some pretty unique skills you can discuss with your potential employer or mentor.
So, the big question is: How should you position that in ways that will add the most value, and help you get the gig?
Well, when it comes to marketing your study abroad experience, the core thing to keep in mind is that the greatest value to you might have been the opportunity itself; however, the greatest value to others will be in how you apply that experience to what comes next.
The tips below will offer some suggestions that will get you through that process. (P.S. We wrote even more about the interview process here.)
9 tips for marketing your study abroad experience
Don’t sell yourself short—include study abroad on your resume!
1. Let your cover letter and resume do the heavy lifting
Your resume and cover letter should highlight all of the universally in-demand skills employers are looking for, like problem-solving, organization, communication, and a desire to learn.
In order to most effectively market your study abroad experience, you will add the information that applies to your opportunity by focusing on things like independence, adaptability, critical thinking, and an ability to work in groups.
Just remember to focus on what you did in concrete terms by highlighting actions and impact.
2. Highlight your cultural competencies and foreign language experience
If you not only studied finance in Tokyo or Dubai but also learned Japanese or Arabic, this should be something you stress on your application documents and make a specific point of sharing as you talk about study abroad in an interview.
The global marketplace needs people who can communicate effectively across borders and around the world—but even more in-demand are those who can do so with an appreciation for cultural customs. The experience you have of not just learning about but living in a community presents a super valuable skill.
3. Share the challenges you overcame during your study abroad
The opportunity to study abroad teaches emotional intelligence and awareness, and those are always going to be skills that are in-demand.
Our ability to experience connection with others seems to be expanding rapidly, but we all know it’s not always with the sensitivity, curiosity, or empathy that this kind of rapid growth requires.
The ability to face challenges and seek collaborative and thoughtful solutions should be front and center as you consider how to market your study abroad experience.
4. Craft a few stories that capture your experiences to have at the ready
It can help to reach out to others from your study abroad group to see what strategies worked for them.
We know that powerful and compelling storytelling is a key skill to have, in all areas of engagement with others. The key to using this skill as a way to create and foster connections as you work to market your study abroad experience relies on your ability to share universal moments of learning with a unique twist.
For example, we can all relate to the experience of getting lost, but if you add the detail of mustering the self-confidence required to ask for help in a foreign language you were still just learning, then you also demonstrate a unique form of resilience.
5. Diversify your platforms to focus on different audiences
You’ve already gotten some tips about putting study abroad on LinkedIn, but that doesn’t mean you can’t craft or curate a diverse sampling of platforms to expand the opportunity to market your study abroad experience to others in multiple ways.
Love to talk? Host a podcast. Did you take amazing photos of the landscape? Build a separate Insta for your travel photos. Did you learn to cook some incredible dishes while abroad? Launch a blog.
You get the idea. Whether you’re telling stories or capturing trends, as long as you’re mindful of representation, go for it!
6. Connect with study abroad alumni and build your networks
There are all kinds of groups for those who had the extraordinary experience to attend study abroad programs around the world.
Not only can you connect with the alumni directories directly through the schools themselves, you can also build your networks through simple searches on LinkedIn, Discord, or other platforms with group options.
And, if you can’t find one, start your own! Remember that the experience you had might be unique to you, but there are likely plenty of other alumni who will want to share experiences and reminisce while networking too!
7. Mentor others who are curious about study abroad
A great way to keep your skills fresh is to share them with others. If you are connected to a local school system, why not share your experiences with prospective study abroad participants? You never know, this could even translate into a way to sell your study abroad experience if the program has stipends or funds available for program mentors.
But even if not, this kind of mentoring experience goes a long way toward demonstrating your passion for helping others to experience their own transformative opportunities, which is a clear sign of leadership!
8. Register with local press offices, universities, and media organizations
Do you love to talk people’s ears off about your study abroad experience? It could get you noticed!
Most local media organizations, press offices, and universities keep a list of people with specific experiences that they can turn to when they need a subject matter expert or when news stories break. By sending a simple letter or email of introduction, you can highlight your willingness to engage with the press on a variety of topics.
In turn, you’ll sell your study abroad experience to a wider market by being known as a go-to person on any given topic that you feel comfortable speaking about—even study abroad. And you never know who might be reading, listening, or watching!
9. Think about your next experience abroad to keep those fires lit
As you think about everything you’ve gained from your study abroad experience, you will want to keep the next big adventure on the horizon.
Maybe you completed a study abroad program in France and will seek to apply your experiences (and French language fluency) to a development internship in French-speaking Rwanda. Or maybe you’ll return to China to teach English before your next big job or educational commitment.
Whatever you might decide, you can count on each new experience to open the door to the next passport stamp and adventure!
Are you a study abroad alum? Share your experience through writing a review!
Your study abroad experience will pay off!
As you think about what lies ahead, consider all you’ve already learned about yourself from this experience—or even just the desire to explore one! The reason that the topic of marketing your study abroad experience is so rich is because the study abroad experience itself is so extraordinary!
Your willingness to be bold and pursue learning opportunities in new and unfamiliar environments is a great example of how you can get the most out of any moment when you’re willing to follow your curiosity, if you are willing to stay open and keep learning!
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