Creating Accomplishment Statements from Your International Learning Experience
With your growing ability to reflect upon and talk about intercultural skills and other KSAs you gained abroad, let’s take it a step further and create accomplishment statements. These concise statements summarizing your skills and some evidence of how you acquired and used them are important when creating content for resumes, cover letters, and interview responses.
Some things to keep in mind when writing accomplishment statements:
- Be very specific. Write concise statements of what you did and what resulted.
- Use the fewest number of words but make your points stand out.
- When possible, use numbers to quantify the activity or benefits.
- How significant and/or believable is your accomplishment from an objective standpoint?
For example, the statement “Interacted with local community” would have more impact if it was accomplishment-based, as opposed to task-based.
Let’s ask some structured questions to help turn this into an accomplishment statement:
- What was the situation you were in?
During my study abroad program, I noticed that all the exchange students like me hung around together and we weren’t really getting to know people in our host culture. - How did you address the situation? What did you do, develop, problem-solve?
I organized a group of exchange students to volunteer at a local organization for a day. - What happened? How was the benefit measured?
Ten exchange students came out to paint walls and hallways at a community centre alongside other local volunteers. We improved our language skills, made new friends, learned more about local culture and gained painting skills! - Accomplishment Statement:
“Created meaningful cultural interaction by organizing a volunteer day for ten exchange students to connect with a local community organization alongside local volunteers resulting in an ongoing relationship with the organization and some lasting friendships.”
Making an Inventory of Your KSAs
Your learning experience abroad provided a unique opportunity to develop transferrable KSAs that can set you apart from other job applicants. Now that you’ve learned about accomplishment statements and had some practice identifying your own KSA categories, the next step is to help you explore these in more detail.
The following list of skills will give you some idea of what the research shows to be the likely skills students can acquire or hone during an international learning experience. Open each accordion to learning more about these skills. Review each skill and think about your own examples because the next activity will give a template to chart out your own skills and examples.
Communication Skills
- Language acquisition is an example of a communication skill that can come from your international learning experience.
An example of this skill could be: I learned to speak, write, and read Spanish fluently. - Communicating across difference is an example of a communication skill that can come from your international learning experience.
An example of this skill could be: I was able to write/speak effectively in a different cultural environment.
Discipline-Specific Skills
- Navigating a new academic environment is an example of a discipline-specific skill that can come from your international learning experience.
An example of this skill could be: I successfully completed four courses in an initially unfamiliar teaching and learning environment. - Understanding the application of a specific discipline in a new context is an example of a discipline-specific skill that can come from your international learning experience.
An example of this skill could be: I came to understand how mental health promotion approaches differ between Canada and your host country.
Critical Thinking Skills
- Identifying social/political implications of decisions is an example of a critical thinking skill that can come from your international learning experience.
An example of this skill could be: I understood local laws and how they apply to you as an outsider and acted accordingly. - Applying information to new or broader contexts is an example of a critical thinking skill that can come from your international learning experience.
An example of this skill could be: I applied my knowledge of general crop science to understand tropical crop production in your host country. - Problem-solving is an example of a critical thinking skill that can come from your international learning experience.
An example of this skill could be: I learned to pre-plan my transit route and asked local students how to pronounce the names of destinations so I could ask for directions in case I got lost.
Personal Development and Interpersonal Skills
- Independence is an example of a personal development and interpersonal skill that can come from your international learning experience.
An example of this skill could be: I lived in (host country) for 8 months on my own while attending classes, making friends, and successfully navigating daily life in an unfamiliar culture. - Adaptability is an example of a personal development and interpersonal skill that can come from your international learning experience.
An example of this skill could be: I became an adept cook of host country cuisine and learned to purchase, prepare and create dishes with ingredients I was previously unfamiliar with. - Creativity is an example of a personal development and interpersonal skill that can come from your international learning experience.
An example of this skill could be: I produced an online vlog of my learning activities in (host country) using video editing techniques and creative writing to engage an audience of 12,000 followers. - Organization is an example of a personal development and interpersonal skill that can come from your international learning experience.
An example of this skill could be: I arranged and coordinated travel, accommodation, visas, vaccinations, passport acquisition, insurance and course registration for an extended learning experience abroad. - Resourcefulness is an example of a personal development and interpersonal skill that can come from your international learning experience.
An example of this skill could be: I used connections at my host university to secure a volunteer position tutoring English students in order to connect more closely with local residents. - Time management is an example of a personal development and interpersonal skill that can come from your international learning experience.
An example of this skill could be: I coordinated academic commitments while participating in a volunteer placement and maximizing cultural learning opportunities while abroad. - Ability to deal with ambiguity is an example of a personal development and interpersonal skill that can come from your international learning experience.
An example of this skill could be: I successfully worked in an environment where the schedule or expectations for the day could change without notice. This was often complicated by cultural and language differences. - Teamwork is an example of a personal development and interpersonal skill that can come from your international learning experience.
An example of this skill could be: I successfully worked on group projects with students from a variety of countries and disciplinary backgrounds.
Intercultural Skills
- Cultural self-awareness is an example of an intercultural skill that can come from your international learning experience.
An example of this skill could be: I developed a sense of my own cultural identity and how it might influence how I was viewed by my host culture friends and colleagues. - Developing cultural knowledge is an example of an intercultural skill that can come from your international learning experience.
An example of this skill could be: I developed a good understanding of what was considered polite and impolite in your host culture and acted accordingly. - Understanding cultural differences in the workplace is an example of an intercultural skill that can come from your international learning experience.
An example of this skill could be: I successfully navigated a more formal workplace hierarchy than I was used to in Canada. - Perspective-taking is an example of an intercultural skill that can come from your international learning experience.
An example of this skill could be: I learned to suspend judgment and listen with interest to my research lab colleagues to understand their perspectives and motivations. - Working with people who hold different interests, values, and perspectives is an example of an intercultural skill that can come from your international learning experience.
An example of this skill could be: I used perspective-taking skills to understand the motivations and perspectives of colleagues to reach common goals. - Bridging cultural difference is an example of an intercultural skill that can come from your international learning experience.
An example of this skill could be: I assisted the new cohort of study abroad students in adapting to cultural differences and understanding local perspectives.
More KSA examples, along with interview and reflection questions, can be found on the University of Guelph’s Experiential Learning Hub.
Learning Activity: Transferable Skills Inventory
Based on the transferrable skills and examples listed above, think about the top transferable skills that you either acquired or developed further during your time abroad.
Use the Transferable Skills Inventory Worksheet [DOCX] to list and categorize your skills. Note that the list above is not exhaustive and you can include other skills on your worksheet. Choose at least five (1 skill per category) to start with.
Remember to phrase your examples as outcomes or results; they should point to things you accomplished not just duties you had or things you did. Writing these short accomplishment statements will help you list your KSAs on your resume or LinkedIn profile in a way that not only conveys your knowledge or skill, but that gives a concrete example of how you developed those skills and how you used them. Once you have generated your accomplishment statements, we’ll see how you can elaborate on these to create short ‘stories’ that will help you articulate your KSAs in a job interview.
