Beyond the immediate benefits of studying in Australia as an international student, the experience will benefit you for a lifetime, particularly in regards to your future career.

Across all industries, future employers will respect your Australian education and value the skills you developed while living abroad. And they should, since international study builds students’ character and confidence, broadens students’ perspectives and encourages students’ resourcefulness and flexibility.

Here are some tips for noting your Australian study abroad on your resume, speaking about it during job interviews and applying the lessons learned to on-the-job situations.

International Student Experience on Your Resume

Your study abroad in Australia is something you definitely won’t want to leave off your resume or curriculum vitae. Employers appreciate an applicant with well-rounded educational, cultural and professional experiences, so including your Australian study abroad on a resume or CV will garner favorable attention from any potential employer.

Include your study abroad experiences under the education heading of your resume and use action verbs to describe in two or three brief bullet points a summary of the skills you gained by studying in Australia. Examples might include: “Mastered conversational English while living, learning and working in Australia” and “Adapted to Australian lifestyle and society by overcoming the challenges of intercultural communication and unfamiliar surroundings.”

International Student Experience in Job Interviews

You can expect any job interviewer who sees Australian study abroad on your resume to ask about it. Job interviewers will inquire about what you learned in Australia, and they may want to know how you became a better problem-solver or overcame adversity. They will want to hear about your flexibility in adjusting to new environments, and they will be interested in stories that demonstrate the independence and self-reliance you developed in Australia.

Moreover, they will want to know why you chose to study in Australia. When they ask, take the opportunity to present yourself as an employee who embraces challenge and change, tackles complex situations with enthusiasm and takes calculated risks that produce satisfying rewards.

International Student Experience on the Job

Skills learned while studying abroad in Australia will also have many practical on-the-job applications. During your time studying in Australia, for example, you may have learned or improved your English. Being fluent in a second language, particularly English, is a valuable career asset, especially in large companies that may operate internationally.

You also will have learned in Australia how to adapt to a new environment. Never will overcoming such a challenge be more applicable than in starting a new job. Your Australian study abroad experience will give you confidence as you adapt to a new company or new company role.

Your broadened worldview and diverse cultural appreciation will help you view job problems from a variety of angles and therefore give you a greater ability to brainstorm solutions.

Your experience in cross-cultural communication will be an asset in dealing with customers, clients, supervisors and colleagues; you will have learned to listen and understand before acting or making snap judgments.

It would be nearly impossible to gain many of these valued skills without international study experience, so you will reap the rewards of your study abroad in Australia for many years to come. Your future employers and companies will reap the rewards, too, and by applying the lessons learned in Australia to your future career, you will always be considered a valuable employee.