Hi!  My name is Lucy and I am from Shanghai, China. I am a member of the Class of 2021, and I am majoring in Business and Economics. Since my sophomore year at Skidmore, I have visited the Career Development Center several times and the counselors are really helpful! 

I hope by sharing my experiences, more students will know they can get help from the CDC and become more confident in career exploration.

---

For this series, I spoke with Soha Jafarzade, the Sands Family Foundation Assistant Director of Diversity Career Development.  Soha is a great resource for international students! For each of my questions, I've shared tips that Soha shared with me.

Please check out Part I for more career tips!

I am trying to secure my first internship and I don’t have anything to write on the resume. What should I do?

Lucy

Rest assured this is a very common question for first year and second-year students.

The key to these two questions is to broaden your understanding of experience. Experiences can take place outside of working or completing an internship.  What you've completed in college, like class projects and club activities, are also experiences. For instance, being a member of an E-board in a college club would be a great example of leadership that you can put in your resume. In addition, it is okay to put your experiences in high school on the resume during the first two years of college.

Further, it is okay not to hit every qualification in the job description you’re applying for. If you meet around half of the qualifications, give it a shot!

When I am talking with employers, what do I share as my advantages as an international student?

Lucy

As an international student, it is especially important to highlight what you can bring to an organization. We know that “multi-cultural fluency” is a skill highly valued by employers. This means being able to value, respect, and learn from diverse cultures and backgrounds with openness, inclusiveness, and respect. As international students you are uniquely in a position of having meaningfully interacted with multiple cultures through your education.  Make sure you highlight these skills when persuading employers!

---

Interested in making a career counseling appointment with Soha?  Stop by the Career Development Center in 204 Starbuck or click here to log into Handshake (Tip: You can log in using your Skidmore ID and password).  Select "Diversity Resources" to book your time slot.