Interning Abroad Could Broaden Your Horizons

By Joni Burton, CPCC and CEO, JVS Careers

Internships are an invaluable way to gain real-life workplace experience, and increasingly, that’s what employers are looking for in the new college grads they hire. That means you should complete at least one internship, but preferably more. You may want also consider interning abroad, as there are many benefits from an international internship.

• With the world becoming more globalized, and companies and organizations having offices worldwide, it is becoming necessary that you know first-hand what your career field is like on a global scale. When a company has the opportunity to hire someone with immense international exposure and greater global awareness, they will not hesitate to take advantage of it.
• International internships show potential employers your honest ambition. After all, not everyone takes risks, like moving out of their comfort zone and working with people from different cultures on the other side of the world. This is exactly what many employers are after, candidates who are willing to take risks to succeed and grow. International internships prove that you have the ability to make it on your own in a new environment, as well as the desire to do so. You can illustrate your ability and willingness to take risks by simply adding an international internship to your resume.
• An international internship allows you to culturally immerse yourself abroad and will give you insight into how locals live and where they work. By networking with your co-workers you learn what life is like, first-hand.
• If you are trying to learn or improve foreign language skills, an international internship will give you more exposure than what you are used to in the classroom. You can experience a new language in the context of the workplace. In your future career, being able to communicate in another language in the workplace will be extremely valuable and will increase your employability.

For these reasons and more, an internship abroad can be both personally rewarding and beneficial to your career.  Having international internship experience is one of the best ways to distinguish yourself from the rest, and help you secure that highly coveted position.

To learn more about how JVS Careers can help you get an internship, contact us or check out our internships listing.

Joni Burton, CPCC and CEO of JVS Careers, is a seasoned Senior Management Executive with decades of experience in recruiting, staffing and management. In her role as CEO, Burton is focused on growing the agency and significantly expanding both types of services offered to job seekers and employers, and the number of clients served.

Burton has a Bachelor of Science Degree from The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business.

To contact Joni Burton, please call (513) 745-2902, or email [email protected].