Could backpacking around the world boost your career?
For many university graduates, the first thing they do upon completing their degree is book a flight to somewhere distant and exotic to fly off on a whirlwind adventure; seeking the gap year that many students miss out on going straight from high school to university. To make ends meet it is not unusual for graduates to work in pubs, temp in offices, or become a nanny, chef or chimneysweep – whatever they can do to avoid coming back home to ‘the real world’. Sooner or later though, the return home is a smack-in-the-face reality, and with minimal industry experience the daunting prospect of job hunting and interviewing begins.
But is this lack of relevant industry experience really a disadvantage? In most cases employers will really value your experience and perspective! The problem is finding a merge with your primary job-skills. Graduates who have travelled the world have huge advantages in international awareness – compared to other people who have never traveled outside their own society.
While it may seem difficult to pinpoint exactly which skills were acquired while on the road, a bit of lateral thinking will quickly show that through various travel scenarios you must implement a variety of skills in organisation, planning, budget management, an ability to think on your feet, a desire to explore and to learn, communication and teamwork, to name but a few.
According to Marie-Louise Hansson, a Swedish career adviser and author of The Global Business Person: What is the Secret for Success (www.goinglobal.com), there are seven global skills. In the list below, you will find that most of these skills are gained, strengthened, and highlighted through international travel experience:
1. The ability to deal with ambiguity and constant change—and love it.
2. The ability to be informed about the industry and where the power is located.
3. The ability to take moderate risks and step forward in an unfamiliar situation.
4. The ability to act in a diplomatic way and build lasting relations—in the real and in the virtual world.
5. The ability to create visions about the future and how you, and your organization, fit into the larger picture.
6. The ability to create strategies as well as put them into practical plans and actions.
7. The ability to execute leadership, regardless of position, and have respect for different nationalities, cultures, and religions.
If the employer asks about your travels as a conversation starter, use the opportunity to break the ice and highlight it as a life-changing experience. Be prepared and articulate—talk about your decision to travel abroad, where you traveled, and what you learned. If the employer incorporates travel abroad into an interview question, then answer that question only, being brief, focused, and clear in your response. Be careful not to lose your potential employer in a long-winded and vague response, making your travelling experience more hurtful than helpful in the interview by getting carried away with your enthusiasm.
You can and should find a relevant way to incorporate your travelling into an interview. In many ways this experience sets you apart from your peers, bringing a completely different skill set and outlook to a potential employer. As a seasoned world traveler, you have gained an enormous amount of transferable skills during your experience. These may seem general to you and go overlooked or unmentioned in an interview, but they can almost always connect in some way to any job description.
Flexibility, adaptability, cross-cultural awareness and language proficiency are also skills that are acquired which demonstrate an ability of being prepared to deal with the unexpected. Arriving without any contacts in a foreign land demonstrates an ability to navigate through new cities and new cultures, all the while learning and meeting others and sharing new experiences shows any potential employer an undeniable ‘go-getter’ characteristic. Interacting well with people from various backgrounds is an invaluable skill to possess.
After hearing about your travels, a prospective employer may appreciate the understanding of what makes you ‘tick’ and whether you would be a good fit in their organisation based on your personality characteristics.
One danger of detailing your travels is that some potential employers may worry that if they hire you, will you likely quit in a year and take off again? To combat this issue it is essential you are actually ready for your career. It is easy to justify lack of industry experience – that can be taught after a hire. The skills you acquired whilst travelling cannot be faked; they are unique and personal. Ensure you stress to your interviewer that while you loved travelling, your next adventure is your career. Travel was an integral part of your personal development, and you are now ready to apply yourself to your role. Take your time in finding the right “real” job and your experiences overseas will have more sway than you ever thought possible.
For more information on this article or to find out how to apply for one of ProGrad’s graduate roles, please phone 02 8235 8300 or email ellen.giebels@prograd.com.au