Back From Abroad > Hiatt Resources
| Career Planning | International Careers | Resumes: Getting Started | Resume Formatting | Resume Suggestions | Action Verbs | Nouns & Modifiers |
Career Planning
Both study abroad and international internships provide exceptional opportunities for you to acquire the necessary tools to compete in an increasingly global marketplace. One of the ways in which you can integrate your study abroad (or off-campus) experience with your life back on the Brandeis campus is to meet with a counselor at the Hiatt Career Center.
A career counselor can discuss with you the best ways to incorporate the knowledge and skills you gained during your year, semester, or summer away into your future career plans. Hiatt can help you search for jobs and internships, assist you with resumes, cover letters, interviews, or discuss strategies for graduate study if you prefer to continue your education. A personal appointment to discuss your future is the most effective way for Hiatt to help you, but you can also access many resources from Hiatt's website
If you did an internship or independent study project while away from campus, make sure that you have the name, address, and telephone number of your internship/independent study project supervisor, and be sure to ask her/him for a letter of reference. You may also wish to ask for letters of reference from faculty members on the program.
International Careers
Working for an international organization or working overseas can be an exciting way to begin your career. Define what you mean by an international career. Do you wish to work outside the U.S., or perhaps with an organization in the U.S. that conducts business across borders or between cultures? Individuals who are successful in an international career tend to have studied abroad, be adventuresome, have knowledge of one or more foreign languages and be very independent.
There are a number of potential areas that recent graduates can enter into but bear in mind positions are very competitive and for the larger organizations such as the United Nations and World Bank, require a graduate degree and international experience. The U.S. Government is the largest employer of Americans overseas with opportunities in the Peace Corps, Department of State, and Department of Commerce among the largest. Other opportunities exist with nonprofit international organizations (often referred to as NGOs), teaching, and seasonal or temporary jobs. To work with a U.S. company overseas usually you have to work in the U.S. for 2-3 years before having the opportunity to transfer abroad.
Resumes
Getting Started
A resume is a summary, a brief account of your qualifications and experiences, written for the purpose of securing an interview. Your resume should get across the following three points:
- What you want to do
- What you have done
- What you can do that will fit the employer's needs
Start by listing all of your experiences including volunteering, tutoring, interning, study abroad, education, course projects, awards and honors, computer skills, language skills, activities, and interests.
Once you have compiled this list, keep it as a reference you will refer to while writing your resume. You will continue to add new experiences to this list. Your resume is a work in progress, a tool you will change as needed.
Resume Formatting
You may want to adjust or amend your resume, gearing it toward the country or culture in which you will be using it. For example, a CV is required in many places in Europe.
There is no right way to do a resume. However, your resume should include the following sections:
Heading: Name, present address, phone number, e-mail address, permanent address and phone number or cellular phone. If you have designed a website that would enhance your chances of getting an interview, put the URL here.
Education: This section describes your academic history including study at other colleges and/or abroad. You do not need to list your high school education. List the schools in reverse chronological order. Indicate your major(s) as well as programs or minors. You may also choose to include your thesis, by title only or with a description. Consider including your GPA if it is a 3.0 or above. You could also call attention to your GPA in your major if it is higher than your overall GPA. Additionally, this is the place for your academic honors, such as Dean's List, scholarships or special honor societies within your major.
Skills: List computer, foreign language, and laboratory skills in this section. Indicate your level of proficiency in a foreign language (e.g. bi-lingual, fluent, proficient, basic knowledge of) and list the hardware, software and types of computer applications with which you are familiar.
Experience: Include all of your internships, employment, summer jobs, work-study, class projects, volunteer work and substantial extra curricular activities. Make sure your most important and relevant experiences are at the top.
Activities: List memberships in organizations, sports teams, and offices held that either pertain most directly to your career choice or display team work, management skills, leadership, etc...
Suggestions on How to Write Your Resume
- Use action verbs, concrete nouns and positive modifiers (see list) for emphasis. Write short concise phrases rather than complete sentences. Avoid using personal pronouns ("I" and "we").
- Use present tense to describe activities or jobs in which you are currently involved. Use the past tense throughout the remainder of your resume.
- List your education, experience and activities in reverse chronological order - the most recent first.
- Pay strict attention to detail. Use the spell check on your computer, but do not rely on it! Read your resume backwards-from the last word to the first.
- Limit your resume to one page using a readable font size and style (i.e.11 or 12 point font and Times New Roman).
To view a .pdf version of a sample resume please click here. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view .pdf files. Go to Adobe Online to download Acrobat Reader.
Action Verbs
| accomplish | contribute | founded | negotiate | reinforce |
| achieve | coordinate | generate | organize | research |
| act | counsel | interview | obtain | represent |
| adapt | create | install | originate | recommend |
| address | delegate | instruct | operate | reorganize |
| administer | demonstrate | initiate | provide | review |
| advise | design | interpret | prove | revise |
| analyze | determine | improve | produce | revamp |
| arrange | develop | increase | program | schedule |
| assemble | direct | influence | propose | strengthen |
| assess | edit | implement | prepare | support |
| assist | eliminate | investigate | persuade | supervise |
| budget | enforce | identify | publicize | simplify |
| coach | establish | launch | participate | solve |
| collect | evaluate | lead | purchase | translate |
| communicate | execute | maintain | present | teach |
| complete | expand | manage | perform | train |
| conceive | expedite | motivate | plan | update |
| conduct | explain | mediate | respond | utilize |
| consult | facilitate | master | reduce | write |
Concrete Nouns and Modifiers
| ability | competence | effectively | qualified | technical |
| actively | consistent | pertinent | resourceful | versatile |
| capacity | diverse | proficient | substantially | vigorous |