A working holiday or international internship is a great way to explore the world while boosting your resume for when you come back to Canada. It’s also ideal for recent grads or young professionals hoping to further their careers.
Here are just some of the ways international work experience can help you stand out in a competitive job market.
Gain in-demand skills. Many skills that companies are looking for can be learned and practiced by travelling to new places and immersing yourself in different cultures. It’s one of the most exciting ways to build skills like your adaptability, collaboration and people skills.
Develop a global mindset. Prepare yourself for a career in the global economy as you forge life-long international connections and help strengthen Canada’s place in the global workforce. You’ll widen your career horizons, learn new approaches to doing business and work on teams from diverse cultural backgrounds.
Broaden language skills. One of the top skills employers increasingly look for is the ability to speak more than 1 language. Whether you want to improve your French, Spanish, German or another language, having a job or spending an extended amount of time abroad can help. And if you gain some knowledge of how to translate the language into English and vice versa, you’ll have a priceless skill to put on your resume.
Learn to keep an open mind. Diversity and inclusion are top priorities in our society, and for good reason – they equalize opportunities for all and let everyone benefit from others’ skills and experiences. By travelling and working abroad, you’ll learn to understand people’s differences, embrace change, and be better equipped to work in and lead multicultural teams.
For those considering working and travelling abroad, International Experience Canada is a great Government of Canada program that makes getting work permits quicker and easier. Find more information on work and travel abroad at canada.ca/iec.
