UNH Today

Studying abroad is a fantastic experience for many students and will provide you with a wide range of global experiences and transferable skills you can apply to your career plans. While you will miss that semester’s career events and on-campus recruiting, with a little extra effort and planning you can stay on track during your time away. Use the following tips to follow internship and job opportunities, target companies and build your network connections.

Before Leaving

• Prepare a list of target companies to monitor and correspond with while abroad.
• Meet with your Career and Professional Success team and have career items ready for review (resume, cover letter template, LinkedIn profile, access to Wildcat Careers, etc.).
• Attend a university-wide Career & Internship Fair and/or a Career Fair/Networking Event for your specific major.

Tip for Paul College students:
*Accounting and Finance option students are encouraged to study abroad in the spring so that they may attend the Accounting and Finance Career Fair and interview on campus in the fall. Hospitality Management option students should plan to attend the Hospitality Networking night in the fall and/or the Hospitality Career Fair in the spring semester.

​While Abroad

• Check job postings in Wildcat Careers and on the Career and Professional Success website for events and resources
• Apply for internships and jobs during your time away.
• Try to arrange Skype interviews; contact your career advisors to facilitate.
• Investigate international internships for future summer, January term or semester opportunities to round out your international preparation.
• Do informational interviews in your field while abroad; e.g., hospitality management students can speak with hotel or catering managers.
• Learn the country’s language, if possible, and immerse yourself in the culture.

Upon Return

• Leverage the study abroad experience in your resume and when presenting yourself.
• Identify transferable skills and update your resume with these new skills and experiences.

Transferrable Skills Gained by Studying Abroad:

• Adaptability/flexibility
• Creativity
• Problem-solving
• Project and time management
• Self-reliance
• Global-mindedness
• Independent decision-making
• Listening and observing
• Travel and navigational skills
• Multicultural awareness
• Crisis and resource management
• Intercultural knowledge
• Intellectual curiosity
• Rapport and relationship building
• Broad/strategic perspective
• Perseverance
• Quick learning in unfamiliar circumstances
• Foreign language skills

Kathy Maloney and Megan Turnbull are career counselors on the Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics Career and Professional Success team. See more resources from the Paul College CaPS team. Learn more about study abroad options at the University of New Hampshire at unh.edu/global.