If there’s one common fear among millennial graduates, it’s finding a good job right out of college. It’s not an entirely unfounded fear as most of us millennials will either be underemployed, or search for employment upwards of six months before landing a job in their career field.
Setting yourself apart in an already tough market becomes even more difficult when your peers have similar degrees and GPAs. However, recent studies by the Erasmus Student Network and different universities found that going abroad is the one true way to stand out and get hired faster.
You get hired faster
Not only does having an international internship look great on a resume and catch the eye of hiring managers, but international experience is proven to get you hired faster. The University of California found only 49 percent of students who did not have international experience found employment within in 12 months. Where on the flipside, 97 percent of students who studied abroad found employment within in 12 months.
An internship abroad gets you hired even faster after graduation. Global Experiences’ alumni have been proven to get hired 2x faster than other recent grads. Alumni of our program generally get hired within three months of graduation. A majority of interns credit their time abroad as the thing that made their resume stand out and get hired faster.
Employers look for international experience
The benefits of interning abroad are endless. You get to see the world, learn about yourself, and of course, it has a massive impact on your career. The type of skills you gain by going abroad are the ones employers want, but struggle to find in recent grads. CEO’s of major corporations often complain about the lack of international experience in recent grads and have encouraged universities to start finding ways to send as many students abroad as possible.
Even former First Lady Michelle Obama has stated students having educational and professional experience abroad “is a vital part of America’s foreign policy.”
Erasmus found 64 percent of employers said international experience in a candidate extremely desirable. Employers even recruited candidates with international experience because of the skill set they brought to the table.
The University of California even found 40 percent of businesses in the United States were struggling to expand due to lack of international experience in their employees. No matter what career field you intern in, by going abroad, you learn communication skills, adaptability, and many of the other soft skills over 90 percent of employers are desperately searching for.
You’ll be more satisfied with life
Researchers found the effects of going abroad weren’t just beneficial to getting hired, but also linked straight to happiness in the workplace. 80 percent of the students that had been overseas and the University of California surveyed said their international experience helped them adapt to diverse workplaces. In the same study, 70 percent of those students felt going abroad made them more satisfied in their jobs.
Certain aspects of your personality change with international experience. Global Experiences’ interns come back feeling more confident, self-aware, and having a greater sense of self. A University of Maryland study backed up what so many of our interns have said. Maryland found that out of the students they surveyed 96 percent were more self-confident.
A German study also had similar findings; out of five core traits including openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and emotional stability were all increased in students who had an international experience. Going abroad changes you for the better and gives you the career boost you need to get hired faster.
An internship with Global Experiences is your way to stand out and find your dream career. We provide you with the international and career experience that not only gets you hired faster, but also changes you life. Apply today to find out all about our locations and career fields.
