Use your academic experience to help you find a great job with the top 5 strategies for emphasizing international education in your cover letter.
A well-written cover letter makes you stand out in the job market. This letter allows you to introduce yourself personally and professionally to hiring managers as well as highlight your credentials, whether work experience or educational background. More importantly, it lets you explain why you’re the best candidate for the job.
Resume Genius surveyed 625 American hiring managers to understand the importance of cover letters. The survey revealed that they are as important as ever. About 83% of hiring managers read them, while 94% claimed cover letters influence interview decisions.
One unique selling point to highlight in your cover letter is your international education. This educational background demonstrates your unique academic experience, cultural competence, language proficiency, adaptability and resilience, and global perspectives.
Fret not; This page goes beyond how to write a cover letter effectively. It particularly covers how to emphasize your international education in your letter. Below are five effective strategies for you:
1. Highlight unique academic experience
Emphasizing your foreign education should be one of the cover letter writing tips for promoting your academic success. This education will likely have involved unique learning opportunities that could set you apart from other candidates. These experiences illustrate your academic commitment and dedication in a global setting.
That said, link these distinct academic experiences with the job requirements. As a student, suppose you conducted a research study on Japan’s sustainable business practices. In that case, explain in your cover letter how this experience aligns with the company’s sustainability goals.
Jonathan Feniak, General Counsel at LLC Attorney, says international education gives you a competitive edge amidst globalization. “Unique academic experiences from overseas education can bring useful insights and inventive ways to business challenges. Our employees with foreign education can help us deal with businesses pursuing offshoring.”
2. Demonstrate cultural competence
Cultural competency is the ability to understand, communicate, and engage with employees from different countries and distinct cultures. Foreign education immerses you in various cultures, making it easy for you to navigate in diverse settings. This experience is precious in today’s global workforce and business landscape.
In your cover letter, discuss your exposure to interacting with people of different backgrounds.
You need not worry, as managers still read cover letters in 2024. Particularly, mention a group project with international students in which your ability to overcome cultural gaps resulted in overall success.
Grant Aldrich, Founder of Preppy, believes that top brands and big companies prefer applicants with global and cultural understanding. “Employers prefer applicants who can demonstrate cultural competence since it implies an ability to flourish in varied situations and contribute to a positive workplace. We plan to incorporate this cultural competence into our certifications as well.”
3. Showcase language proficiency
It’s imperative to highlight your hard and soft skills in your cover letter, and this is one of the important strategies for emphasizing international education in your cover letter. Multilingual skills prove beneficial in many companies and organizations. Language proficiency can help you communicate better and build stronger ties with international clients.
As such, cite the languages you speak and your level of proficiency. For example, state, “Fluent in Spanish with advanced conversational skills developed during a semester abroad in Spain.” Doing so shows your potential employer how you can meet their communication and language needs in a global market.
Reyansh Mestry, Head of Marketing at TopSource Worldwide, highlights the value of multilingual skills in today’s business landscape. “The world has become a global village, where companies do business with one another, and employees interact with each other. Being multilingual improves communication and collaboration with stakeholders from all over the world. Our global payroll and EOR services need these skills for working with international clients.”
4. Show Adaptability and Resilience
There are some cover letter mistakes to avoid and some things to highlight in your letter. The adaptability and resilience you learned by studying abroad should be included and emphasized. They demonstrate how you manage to traverse unfamiliar situations, adapt to different educational systems, and face the difficulties of living in a foreign nation.
The experiences above prove beneficial in the workplace. As such, share anecdotes about these qualities. For example, describe how you adjusted to a new school system or overcame linguistic difficulties to succeed academically.
Alan Parkes, Owner of Denver Roofing & Colorado Springs Roofing, underscores the importance of adaptability and resilience in the workplace. “They are vital qualities in any job, and international education is an excellent method to acquire them. If you’ve acquired and developed these attributes, highlight them in your cover letter. We’ve had our fair share of contractors with foreign education showing flexibility and agility in the workplace.”
5. Emphasize Global Perspectives
A global viewpoint is extremely valuable in today’s interconnected society. It allows you to better comprehend foreign markets, foresee global trends, and build plans considering several perspectives. Your foreign education has provided you with this viewpoint.
That said, take a data-driven approach to writing a targeted cover letter. Link your foreign experience to the company’s worldwide operations or market. For example, add phrases like “Gained a comprehensive understanding of European market dynamics through coursework and field studies in France, which can contribute to your company’s expansion efforts in the region.”
Roman Zrazhevskiy, Founder and CEO of MIRA Safety, emphasizes the need for global perspectives in business settings. “Employers are looking for applicants who can add a global perspective to their team, strengthening the company’s strategic approach. We can attest to this as we work with global partners like law enforcement agencies needing masks and PPEs.”
Conclusion
An international education gives you a competitive advantage over other job applicants. What better way to increase your chance of employment than to highlight this in your cover letter? There are the top 5 strategies for emphasizing international education in your cover letter for a successful application.
That said, demonstrate the following in your cover letter:
- Unique academic experience
- Cultural competence
- Language proficiency
- Technology proficiency like AI tools, IoT, etc.
- Adaptability and resilience
- Global perspectives
All these critical skills and attributes will make you the best candidate for the job. Ultimately, you might just get the job you deserve—a surefire asset for the company or organization!