STUDY ABROAD

YOUR FUTURE

Curtiss StevensProgram Coordinator Study AbroadThe University of Texas-Austin

INCORPORATING

STUDY ABROAD

EXPERIENCE

IN A JOB COVER LETTER, RESUME & IN A JOB

INTERVIEW

FRANCE

SPAIN

ENGLANDARGENTINA

JAPAN

CHINA

NEW ZEALAND GERMANY

CHILE

RUSSIA

ITALY

INDIA

KENYA

SOUTH AFRICATHAILAND

IRELAND

TRENDS IN HIRING 4 Points for Companies

1. Can You Do the Job?

2. Will You Love the Job?

3. Can We Tolerate Working With You? – Fit

4. How Long will You Stay?

Leadership Article – FORBES Mag 4/27/2011

ALL ABOUT THE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS….“You can’t tell by looking at a piece of paper what

some of the strengths and weaknesses really are…We ask for specific examples of not only what’s been successful but what they’ve done that hasn’t gone well or a task they’ve, quite frankly, failed at and how they learned from that experience and what they’d do different in a new scenario.

Not only is it important to look at the technical skill set they have…but also the strengths on what I call the EQ side of the equation in terms of getting along and dealing or interacting with people

Executive Search firm - Heidrick & Struggles CEO, Kevin Kelly

TRENDS IN HIRING (4 types of Interviewing

Questions) Traditional Questions These questions are meant to answer questions that cannot be answered simply by looking at a resume. Tell me about yourself? What are your strengths and weaknesses? What are some of your goals for the next 5 years?

Opinion Questions These questions have no right or wrong answer, employers simply want to see how creatively you react to atypical questions while under pressure. If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be? What color best describes your personality and why?

Verification Questions Verification questions are why it is important to know your resume as well as it knows you! What was your GPA? How long did you work at…? What was your job duties at…?

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TRENDS IN HIRING “Tell me about….”

CORPORATE RECRUITERSare increasing the use of

Behavioral Science Techniques Behavioral-based job screening (BBJS) focuses on

experiences, behaviors, knowledge, skills and abilities that are job related. It is based on the belief that past behavior and performance predicts future behavior and performance.

BBJS 55% predictive for future on-the-job behavior, Traditional interviewing is only 10% predictive. –Internstreet.com

Traits & Skills associated with BBJS

1.Thinking Traits – Learning index, Verbal Skill, Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Ability, and Numeric Reasoning.

2.Behavioral Traits – Energy Level, Assertiveness, Sociability, Manageability, Attitude, Decisiveness, Accommodating, Independence, and Objective Judgment.

(Behavioral Based Job Screening)

o Learning index (Expected learning, reasoning & problem solving potential)

o Verbal Skill (A measure of verbal skill vocabulary)

o Verbal Reasoning (Using words as a basic in reasoning & problem solving)

o Numerical Ability Numeric calculation ability)

o Numeric Reasoning (Using numbers as a basis in reasoning & problem solving)

Thinking Traits…..

Behavioral Traits…. o Energy Level

(Tendency to display endurance & capacity for a fast past)

o Assertiveness (Tendency to take charge of people & situations. Lead more than follows.)

o Sociability (Tendency to be outgoing, people-oriented & participate with others)

o Manageability (Tendency to follow policies, accept external controls & supervision & work within the rules)

o Attitude (Tendency to have a positive attitude regarding people and outcomes)

o Decisiveness (Uses available information to make decisions quickly)

o Accommodating (Tendency to be friendly, cooperative, agreeable, To be a team person)

o Independence (Tendency to be self-reliant, self-directed, to take independent action & make own decisions)

o Objective Judgment (The ability to think clearly & be objective in decision-making)

Skills & Competencies developed from

STUDY ABROAD

SKILLS GAIN FROM STUDY ABROADCommunication skills (including listening and

overcoming language barriers) Foreign language skills and Intercultural competence Global point of view, appreciation of diversity,

tolerance,cultural awareness, and sensitivity to customs and cultural differences

Flexibility and adaptability Motivation and initiative Organizational and time-management skills Ability to identify, set, and achieve goals Problem-solving and crisis-management skills Patience and perseverance Independence, self-reliance, and responsibility Inquisitiveness and assertiveness______________________________

THE COVER LETTER

THE RESUME

THE INTERVIEW

THE COVER LETTER

JOB: COPY EDITORCOMPANY: PEOPLE MAGAZINE

UT STUDENT: LISA ABROADMAJOR: JOURNALISMABROAD PROG:PARIS,FRANCE

“During my semester in Paris, France, I studied translation for the first time. We translated literary texts and newspaper articles from French to English and from English to French. This not only greatly improved my French language skills, but also helped me to better understand the nuances of my native language. I learned how word choice, sentence structure, and grammar can influence meaning, which will help me with the detail-oriented job of copy editing.”

VERBAL SKILLS

VERBAL REASONING

CULTURAL

AWARENESS

English Department Study Abroad -University of Washington

THE RESUMELISA ABROAD 2222 FIRST STREET222-222-222 AUSTIN, TX 78778

EDUCATIONBachelor of Arts in Journalism GPA 3.6University of Texas–Austin,Texas December 2011

Study Abroad, Universite de Paris IV – La Sorbonne• Extensive study of the French language and

culture• Translated news articles from French to English &

English to French

Study Abroad Experience Under

Education Section

Internship/Volunteer

Under

Experience Section

Skills/AbilitiesUnderCompetencies Sections

THE INTERVIEWDealing with Behavior-Based Interviews

STAR approach to formulating an answer to interviewer questions:S – Situation: Describe what you are facing.T – Task: Describe what you wanted to achieveA – Action: Describe what you didR – Results: Describe what happened, the outcome,

What you learned

STAR APPROACH

MOCK INTERVIEWInterviewer: Tell me about a time you had to adapt to a situation

S – Situation

T – Task

A – Action

R – Results

“In Barcelona, I was on a project team. On our team, I quickly learned that some Spanish students tend to wait until the last day to complete their part of an assignment. We didn’t have enough time to review each other’s work and got a low score on the first assignment.

I decided to have 2 short coffee breaks or “un cortado” with them per week to discuss some of their personal & cultural interests to break the ice. I always highlighted their strengths of looking at things from a different point of view than Americans.

It was amazing how things changed. The week after the first two coffee breaks. They finished their work 3 days before the due date. They felt respected because I took an interest in them as people and show them how cool it was to combine our different cultural viewpoints in the projects. Later, I was selected as a project leader.”

So, my goal was to get them to complete their work 2 days before it was due. So, we would have a enough review time.

Leadership

Adaptability

Assertiveness

Sociability

REVIEW NOTES……….1.Prepare for Behavioral Based Job

Screeninga.Identify the Skills/Competencies

Gained in Study Abroad

2. Incorporate the Skills gained in the Cover Letter and the Resume

3. Use the STAR Approach for the Interview a.Three to Four examples from your Study

Abroad Experience

“People are hired for what they do, and they’re fired for who they are.”

Online Resources & References American Institute for Foreign Study: http://

clscholarship.org/files/Tillman_AIFS_Student_Guide_Career.pdf

Jobweb: http://www.jobweb.com/interviews.aspx?id=2097#chart

Northwest Returnee Conference: http://

www.nwreturnee.com/attachments/004_session-resume-Incorporating%20skills.pdf

International Studies Abroad: http://www.studiesabroad.com/alumni/careers

University of Texas-Austin/Career Services: http://lifelearning.utexas.edu/

University of Evansville: http://careerservices.evansville.edu/students/jobsearch/studyabroad

Wayne State University, Career Services; http://www.stuaffrs.wayne.edu/resources/behavioralinterviewinfo.pdf

World Learning Organization; http://www.worldlearning.org/OurWorld_documents/SITStudyAbroadReentryT

oolkit.pdf