August 5, 2014, by Beth Dawson
6 ways to become an internationally-savvy candidate
Developing international skills and cultural awareness can make you an appealing candidate for an employer, especially if you’re planning on working abroad. However, these competencies will also be needed if you want to work for a multicultural company, where you could find yourself working abroad or with international teams. Likewise, even if you work for a local business, you could still be working with international distributers, suppliers and clients. Whether you’re a current Nottingham student or are planning to join us in September, it’s not too early to start thinking about how you can prepare yourself for the global job market. Here are six ways to increase your international skills and cultural awareness during your time here at Nottingham.
Add an international dimension to your degree
At Nottingham you’re part of a multicultural community and your lecturers will be from a diverse range of backgrounds. Tap into their expertise and talk to them about selecting modules with international and intercultural perspectives. Does your course have a compulsory placement element? See if there’s an opportunity to work in a company that has a lot of international business. Why not engage with students from our Malaysia and China campuses? By taking part in a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course), such as ‘Perspectives on sustainability’, you’ll be able to have online academic discussions with fellow Nottingham students from across the globe.
Join the Nottingham Advantage Award
The Nottingham Advantage Award is your opportunity to get recognition for extending your skills and interests. There are over 150 modules to choose from, many of which cover international themes such as sustainability, citizenship and enterprise that will help you to gain intercultural awareness. You can also take part in the Award at our China and Malaysia campuses, if you choose to study abroad, and the Award modules can support language classes, international study and work experience.
Study abroad
Whatever degree you’re taking, you can study at one of our international campuses in China or Malaysia, or at a partner university. Employers value the ability to adapt to new environments and there’s no better way to demonstrate this than living and studying in another country. If you don’t want to spend a whole year abroad, there are overseas summer schools which offer you a taste of studying abroad. If you want to find out more, visit the International Office’s website. Look out for their autumn term events and similar initiatives across the university.
Become a member of a society
By joining a society or sports club you’ll meet new people which can help you to increase your international awareness. Plus, the Students’ Union has more than 50 societies with an international focus such as AmeriCan Society, Japanese Society and South African Society.These societies are open to all students and are a great way to increase your familiarity of other cultures.
Learn a language
In a recent survey, employers have called for more candidates with language skills to reflect the globalised marketplace. You can improve your existing language skills or pick up a new language with The Language Centre which offers classes in 13 languages, for absolute beginners and those who are more advanced. You’ll receive about three hours of contact time and can learn a language as a subsidiary module as part of your degree. Visit The Language Centre’s website to explore what they can offer you. Find out more ways that you can increase your international employability with our Working abroad and Global opportunities webpages. If you want to discuss your options, you can book an appointment with a member of our team through My Career.
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