How Student Travel Can Boost Your Resume

By Victoria Robertson on January 31, 2018

It’s rare that travel is viewed as an enhancement, but more often than not, it is. When you travel, you’re expanding your horizons, experiencing new things and learning more about the world you live in. And as a student, this travel boost is far more valuable when it comes to your resume.

Whether you’re studying abroad or simply embarking on that spring break trip you’ve been dying to take, student travel can boost your resume in ways that you may not have even imagined.

Photo Via: Pixabay.com

So, without further ado, here are six ways student travel can boost your resume.

1. Showcases your ambition

While some individuals see travel as a bit of a break or time out from the real world, travel can also showcase your ambition. For instance, programs in which you study or work abroad can demonstrate your more ambitious side in that you’re willing to travel the world for experiences.

In addition, travel demonstrates to your employer that you are willing to put in the time and energy to learn new things, and that you’re open to new destinations in your professional life as well.

2. Can be a show of diversity

Nowadays more than ever before, diversity is valued by most companies very strongly. This is great news, especially for those with a travel bug! Learning about and experiencing new cultures provides you an edge in this regard as well, as you are more knowledgeable of customs and experiences in other cultures outside of your own.

This is a great selling point for international travel, especially as a business major, as you can utilize these experiences in your interview and on your resume, speaking directly to that diversity component.

3. Demonstrates independence

For some, traveling as a student means traveling alone. While this might not appear so at first glance, traveling on your own as a student really showcases your independence as a person. Independence is a great thing to have in general, but especially in a professional environment, as employers want to know that you can hold your own without the necessity of hand-holding.

In traveling on your own, you demonstrate this ability to troubleshoot by yourself and take responsibility/initiative without needing the assistance of others.

4. Reveals willingness to take on new challenges

Another way in which student travel can boost your resume is in revealing your willingness to take on new challenges. Students that travel show future employers that they are open to all experiences and welcome that feeling of adventure.

This is a huge plus for most companies, as hesitation can be a giant limitation in terms of creativity and growth, while ambition and adventurousness, to an extent, will really help you to thrive in a professional environment.

So basically, by traveling as a student, you are setting yourself up for success by showing future employers that you’re willing to take risks to obtain the rewards.

5. Provides a conversation starter

At the very least, student travel provides you with a conversation starter for your interview. Connecting with your interviewer on a personal and professional level is key, and utilizing your travel experiences on your resume to make this connection is going to set you miles apart from the competition.

You can choose to speak about diversity, sight-seeing, work or study abroad experiences, or simply to begin a personal conversation about hobbies and future travel destinations that are in your head. Making that connection more personally with your interviewer will definitely help to boost your candidacy.

6. Emphasizes your outgoing personality

Last, but not least, having your travel experiences on your resume emphasizes your outgoing personality. While you don’t want to come across as overbearing, listing travel experiences and what you’ve learned from them on your resume provides the interviewer a window into what your personal life looks like. They can see what you value and what’s important to you outside of the professional environment.

The resume is half the battle; the other half is demonstrating your competencies and showcasing your ability to take on a role. This is far more likely to come across to your interviewer if you utilize your travel experiences to demonstrate your outgoing personality traits. Again, simply speaking of these experiences goes a long way.

Student travel, while fun and exciting, is also a great opportunity for enhancement when it comes to your resume. Employers look for applicants that are cultured, experienced and, most importantly, open to new opportunities.

Simply embarking on those travel plans that you’ve been keeping in your back pocket may just set you apart from the competition in the long run. At the very least, it’s going to differentiate you from other candidates with similar backgrounds.

So get to planning, because student travel is going to give your resume that extra boost that it needs. Happy travels!

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