Studying abroad in Rome, Italy, this past semester was the best experience of my life. I am so fortunate to have taken advantage of that opportunity. I am now a part of the 30 percent of undergrads at the University who have also had an international experience and are thinking, “Now what?”

Traveling for five months, I have learned a great deal about different cultures, how the world works and myself. The challenge now is figuring out how to use that study abroad experience as an advantage when seeking jobs.

“With a U of I degree, plus an international experience, you will join a very elite group of people,” said Dr. Steve Nussbaum, study abroad office director. “You are among the most privileged students in the world.”

Rachel Kamagne-Jones, study abroad office outreach coordinator, encourages students who have just studied abroad to reflect on their experiences, and to have anecdotes ready for job interviews. For example, if a student lost his or her passport, a story could be told about having to use problem solving skills and being resourceful to get new documents

The ability to talk formally about experiences abroad is key to marketing those skills, or else employers may not be impressed.

Students should think about an accomplishment or challenge they had while abroad and be ready to talk about it.

Senior in LAS Natalie Cartwright had several challenges that she had to overcome while abroad, such as traveling alone as a female and being away from her family.

Cartwright participated in two study abroad programs, one winter program in 2008, and a spring semester program in 2010.

“The daily being away from your core support group, like your family, was a challenge,” Cartwright said. “You just have to be more flexible with everything.”

Students should also think about skills they developed during their time abroad and how those skills could be valuable to an employer.

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers Job Outlook 2010 report, communication is the number one thing employers seek in potential employees. Lucky for study abroad students, communication is a skill that is essential in a foreign country, and a skill students would have most likely developed, said Keri Pipkins, assistant director of the career center.

Besides being prepared to formally talk about their experiences abroad, students should also add it to their resumes.

Under the education section on their resumes, students should add the name of the school they attended, the city and country, dates of enrollment and the program of study.

Under skills, if a student learned a language, that can be indicated here. However, Kamagne-Jones warns that students should be honest when putting their aptitude level- advanced, intermediate or basic. She also recommends that students be specific, such as “basic in speaking, but advanced in reading and writing.”

If students had an internship or volunteered abroad, Pipkins encourages student to add an “international experience” part of the resume. Or just in general, students should work any extra activities they did abroad into the rest of their resume.

Cartwright hopes having an “international experience” section on her resume will give her a competitive edge against other job applicants.

Whether students studied abroad to get ahead of the game or not, if marketed in the right way, students can use their experiences abroad to their advantage.

“The world can expect a great deal from you,” Nussbaum said.