UNPACK YOUR SKILLS
WHETHER it is a gap year after high school or a professional secondment, jobseekers should consider time abroad when updating their CV.
Many skills, networks and perspectives gained overseas are transferable to the workplace and can give them a career edge.
A Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations report, Bridging the gap: who takes a
gap year and why?, finds soft skills gained while working or volunteering during a gap year include communication, interpersonal understanding, organisation and leadership.
Meanwhile, Hays chief executive Alistair Cox says working overseas can help make a person more inquisitive.
“Taking a leap of faith to work overseas – or work in a totally unfamiliar environment – will increase your cultural intelligence and your flexibility and it shows a new employer you are willing to push yourself as opposed to staying permanently in your comfort zone,” he says.
Phil Hoffmann Travel people and culture head Alison Hunt says in general, travel is a great indicator of a person’s all-round experience and attitude.
“Travel can teach resilience, adaptability and problem solving,” she says.
“It is an experience that broadens the mind and enhances people skills that are so important in career development.”
Hunt says consultants at the travel agency often have the opportunity to travel abroad or throughout Australia on familiarisation and educational trips.
“Having a job that encourages you to travel not only allows you to see more of the world but also opens your eyes to new cultures and develop as a person,” she says.
Hays Australia and New Zealand managing director Nick Deligiannis says people can draw on experiences abroad to improve their cultural intelligence, which is increasingly important to businesses. This includes understanding cultural similarities and differences and knowing the right verbal and non-verbal behaviours in different environments and situations.
Deligiannis says workers can also improve their selfconfidence and build international networks.
“While professional networking sites such as LinkedIn provide people with the opportunity to connect with others from across the globe, building relationships face-to-face is much more effective,” he says.
Robert Half’s CEO Tracker reveals 59 per cent of ASX 200-listed chief executives have worked internationally.