Building

A.K.A. The Bricks
By: Brooke Barker

As we are all aware, building a good first impression with an employer is key to not only landing a job, but also to forming a lasting relationship with the person who hires you. This first impression is a combination of how you present yourself through your words, your body language, and your resume. Your experience abroad is a big part of you and of the skills you have acquired. As we have discussed previously in this book, it is important to frame these experiences when interacting in recruitment or in an interview setting. The skills you gained abroad can supplement your responses to situational and behavioral interview questions and can also be great conversation starters. But how do you use these to really catch the attention of the recruiter and set yourself apart from the rest of the applicants? You project your skills onto your first points of contact:

The Resume
Cover Letter
Recruitment Event
Interview


Takeaways:

• Impressions with employers are important
• Using your time abroad can help you stand out to a recruiter
• Frame your time abroad in your resume, cover letter, at recruitment events, and in interviews
• Focus on the transferable skills earned, not the fun had
• Take very opportunity to use examples from your time abroad ONLY if specifically asked. Employers (especially those who have not been abroad) can get annoyed if you continue to talk about your experience and nothing else.

Hopefully these lessons can help you and your students land their ideal internship or full-time job!