Planning for the Global Job Market

by Annette Clemens, Assistant Director

If you’ve ever taken a glance at the non-fiction bestseller list sometime in the past year, your eyes have probably skimmed over the name Thomas L. Friedman.  This author’s latest book, The World is Flat, has changed the way average people look at the current marketplace.  We know that long gone are the days when you would work at one company for 30 to 40 years only to retire and collect your pension.  But now we also know that the marketplace is no longer strictly provincial—it is global.

I know many students who have expressed their desire to work for an international firm.  I’ve also heard many say they would love a job that required a lot of travel.  But with most careers these days, significant preparation would be needed in order to make you stand out from the crowd of candidates.  The same goes for working internationally or with a firm’s international outreach.  Oftentimes, employment offers at these types of firms don’t just “happen”.

So what’s a poor ol’ undergraduate like yourself supposed to do to be competitive in the global marketplace?  Well, I’m glad you asked.  There are actually a few steps you can take while you’re still in the protective cocoon of UIC.

The most obvious strategy in making yourself more marketable on a global level would be to declare the Minor in International Business as a student of the College of Business.  This information will appear on your transcript and should definitely be listed on your resume as an achievement in progress.  At the very least, this will tell employers that you are serious about learning everything you can about the global marketplace.  In this sense, the international business minor can give your resume an extra edge.  To discuss the courses required for achieving the minor, be sure to speak with a CBA academic advisor.

But the best way to leverage yourself in the global marketplace is to actually study in another country.  It’s all well and good to learn about international economics and finance, etc., from a book in a classroom, but the truly culturally diverse candidate has probably had experience being submerged in a non-native culture (non-western is most preferred—the buzzword here is “China”—although more traditional destinations like Australia or parts of Europe are fine too).  If you haven’t already looked into the study abroad program at UIC, do yourself a favor and check it out!  UIC’s program will allow you to study in any country of your choice (provided it’s not on the U.S. State Department’s list of countries they don’t recommend you visit), at any school of your choice.  The tuition is the same amount as a semester at UIC and the classes would need to be pre-approved so that you have no delays in graduation.  To find out more information, visit the Study Abroad Office on the 5th floor of University Hall.

Taking study abroad one step further would mean that you should think about trying to land an internship, or some type of work experience, in your host country.  “Impossible” you say?  Actually, it isn’t.  We’ve had a number of students who have gotten internships in business in their host countries.  One ambitious student, who graduated a couple of years ago, obtained an internship position in economics when she was studying in Monterrey, Mexico.  She also happened to be one of the hardest-working students that I can remember, and it really paid off for her.  It is worth the effort of trying to land a position because it conveys a number of positive things about you to a potential employer.

Finally, it is always a good idea to have some knowledge of another language besides English.  Even a working knowledge is better than telling an employer that you can only speak English.  For international students, your other languages should be listed prominently on your resume.  Aptitude with languages also implies good things to employers about your intellectual capabilities.

Hopefully you are convinced that taking some simple steps like minoring in international business, studying abroad, working in your host country, and speaking more than one language would begin to distinguish you as a job candidate in the international market.  Remember that the world of business is small and intricately connected.  Your career will no longer be strictly about business in the United States.  With the proper planning, you’ll find that as far as your career is concerned, the world really can be yours.