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Your Next Step: "Building on Your International Experience"

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Location: Hesburgh Library Carey Auditorium

Did you know that 97% of Notre Dame graduates have confirmed future plans within 6 months of graduation?  Have you started to incorporate your skills into your future plans?

This symposium is geared towards SENIORS who have spent a semester, summer or year abroad. The symposium will provide you the tools you need to identify and highlight the valuable skills developed while studying, researching, interning or volunteering overseas.  In a short period of time (1 ½ hours) we will present the typical paths of Notre Dame students after graduation:

  1. Career Employment
  2. Graduate/Professional School
  3. Volunteer/Military & other Service Opportunities
  4. Fellowships

and provide tips on how you can incorporate the skills and competencies you gained through study abroad or other international experiences into the path of your choice. 

Join us for this event held one week before the Internship and Career Fairs (on September 9th & 10th  respectively), and three short months before graduate school application deadlines in order to learn how to incorporate and articulate your newly acquired skills and competencies in your future plans! 

Registration for this event is now closed. If you wish to attend the symposium, please stop by the Carey Auditorium at 6:30pm the night of the event to see if there is space available.

Speakers:

robert_schmul

Robert P. Schmuhl is the Walter H. Annenberg-Edmund P. Joyce Chair in American Studies and Journalism at Notre Dame, where he is also the Chairperson of the Department of American Studies and the Director of the John W. Gallivan Program in Journalism, Ethics & Democracy.

Robert Schmuhl received his bachelor's degree from Notre Dame in 1970 and a doctorate (in English and American Studies) from Indiana University in 1978. He joined the Notre Dame faculty in 1980. As a Notre Dame undergraduate, he participated in the International Studies program in Angers, France, and while a faculty member here he's taught in Fremantle, Australia; Dublin; and London. A recipient of a Kaneb Teaching Award in 2004, he won the Frank O’Malley Undergraduate Teaching Award in 2010.

jeffrey_thibbert

Jeffrey Thibert joined the CUSE team in July 2013. He is the Assistant Director of National Fellowships. His primary roles are to engage in outreach among Notre Dame faculty, staff, students, and alumni to identify promising candidates for national fellowships like the Rhodes, Truman, and Goldwater Scholarships; help these candidates discern which opportunities fit best with their interests and goals; and advise them throughout all stages of the application process. His goal is to ensure that the reflection and preparation that goes into the fellowship process has value for applicants, whether or not they win the awards.

michael_hebbeler

Michael Hebbeler has served as the director of Student Leadership and Senior Transitions since 2008. He advises VOICE, works with student clubs and dorm commissioners that engage the local community, and advises senior-level students as they seek postgraduate service opportunities. He leads a seminar at the local St. Peter Claver Catholic Worker House, partners with Catholic Relief Services to train students in advocacy, and instructs a discernment seminar for seniors exploring their respective vocations.

Upon graduating from the University of Dayton, Michael entered the Jesuit Volunteer Corps and served as an advocate for homeless families in Cleveland, Ohio. He then returned to Dayton to pursue an M.A. in theological studies. His thesis, “The Sister Karamazov: Dorothy Day’s Encounter with Dostoevsky’s Novel,” explores how a story can inform and shape a truthful life.

In addition to his current work at the Center for Social Concerns, Michael serves on the advisory boards for the Robinson Community Learning Center, Bertrand Farm, and the Near Northwest Neighborhood, where he resides.

loriann_edinborough_1_

LoriAnn Edinborough is the Program Director for the Career Center's Funding Program.  Through this role she has the pleasure of overseeing a program which provides funding to students in need to assist in covering expenses incurred while participating in summer internships. In addition she is a Career Exploration Specialist working with those students interested in careers in marketing, advertising, public relations, and human resources as well as supporting students seeking to work internationally. In addition to those roles, she coordinates The Career Center's many experiential programs which provide students with opportunities to learn more about careers through hands-on experiences such as job shadows, mentorships, externships and career treks. 

 

Study Abroad affords many important tangible benefits, especially if you understand how best to market your skills and competencies which include:

  1. Communication Skills (including listening and overcoming language barriers)
  2. Foreign language skills and Intercultural competence
  3. Global point of view, appreciation of diversity, tolerance, sensitivity to customs and cultural differences
  4. Flexibility and adaptability
  5. Motivation and initiative
  6. Organizational and time-management skills
  7. Ability to identify, set, and achieve goals
  8. Problem-solving and crisis-management skills
  9. Patience and perseverance
  10. Independence, self-reliance, and responsibility
  11. Inquisitiveness and assertiveness

“What do international Employers really look for in employees and what skills will be needed by professionals to perform successfully in the global marketplace? A study commissioned by the College Placement Council Foundation surveyed 32 international employers and colleges to determine what international employers seek in prospective employees.  The three most imports skills were:-

  1. Cognitive Skills
  2. Social Skills
  3. Personal Traits

Problem-solving ability, decision making, and knowing how to learn are highly prized generic skills.  Social skills were described as the ability to work effectively in group settings, particularly with diverse populations. Personal traits mentioned frequently included flexibility, adaptability, and the capacity to be innovative.”  -   Duke University Career Center

Students with international experience stand out for many reasons because today’s globalization demands increased adaptability, cross-cultural sensitivity, political awareness, and intellectual flexibility. They have usually developed the requisite skills and sensitivity that make them stand out as the strongest candidate.  Most importantly, employers are looking for candidates who have articulated the lessons they learned and the skills that were developed.

“When talking about your study abroad experience, always focus on specific interactions, moments, people and events instead of talking generically about how valuable the overall experience was.” - Kelly Cuene

Resources:

Tillman, Martin. "Student Guide to Study Abroad and Career Development." American Institute For Foreign Study http://www.aifsabroad.com/advisors/pdf/Tillman_AIFS_Student_Guide_Career.pdf

Curran, Sheila. “The Other Side of Education Abroad: Same City, Different Results.” International Educator 16.6 (2007) NAFSA: Association of International Educators

Gardner, Phil, Linda Gross, and Inge Steglitz. “Unpacking Your Study Abroad Experience: Critical Reflections for Workplace Competencies,” Collegiate Employment Research Institute, Michigan State University, CERI Research Brief I-2008.

Matherly, Cherly, and William Nolting, “Career Benefits: Understanding & Articulating the Skills you Gained Abroad.” Abroad View 10:1 (2007)

Paul, Nancy. “Global Competency Quick Reference Guide.” Career Development Center at Binghamton University, State University of New York.  http://www.binghamton.edu/ccpd/quick-reference-guides/global-competency.pdf