“Internationalizing Your Resume” Exercise 1. Write a 3-4 sentence description of your international experience and circle all of the verbs.
2. Next to the bullet points below, write down sentence fragments that start with a verb that you
circled. You may use as few or as many bullet points as you would like. Here is an example:
• Conducted interviews in Hindi language with 45 villagers
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3. Now circle the intercultural skills*, listed below, that you demonstrated in this experience:
Demonstrates respect for others
Builds trust
Works effectively in diverse teams
Shows openness to new ideas/ways of thinking
Seeks opportunities for continuous learning
Listens/observes to deepen understanding
Leads others effectively
Adapts easily to different cultural settings
Adjusts communication to suit different cultural contexts
Understands different cultural contexts and viewpoints
Exhibits awareness of own cultural influence
Tolerates ambiguity
* Adapted from Ipsos Public Affairs, Booz Allen Hamilton, and the British Council. (March 2013).
Culture At Work: The Value of Intercultural Skills in the Workplace. Retrieved from
http://www.britishcouncil.org/culture-at-work-research_march_2013.pdf .
Articulating Students’ International Skills to Employers. Presented at NAFSA 2014 Annual Conference, May 25-30, 2014, San Diego
by Anne Poduska, Graduate & International Career Advisor, Cornell Career Services ([email protected]) and Alice Wu,
Intercultural Consultant, Cornell University ([email protected]).
1 4. Decide which intercultural skill you’d like to describe, select one or more bullet points from
Step 2 that demonstrate this skill, and write these bullet points below. If your bullet points do
not list how you specifically demonstrated the skill, provide additional detail by listing how
you used that skill on a day-to-day basis (e.g., delegated tasks to three colleagues, translated a
400-page policy document from French to English).
Intercultural skill:_________________________________________________________
Bullet points related to this skill:
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5. Now it’s time to make a resume bullet for that intercultural skill. First, select an action verb from
the list below and use it to begin your bullet point.
Builds Trust/
Demonstrates Respect
Communicated
Consulted
Contacted
Convinced
Debated
Discussed
Elicited
Encouraged
Explained
Facilitated
Fostered
Influenced
Inspired
Interpreted
Listened
Mediated
Moderated
Provided
Participates in
Teamwork
Collaborated
Conceived
Conceptualized
Consulted
Created
Delegated
Discovered
Encouraged
Executed
Facilitated
Generated
Illustrated
Implemented
Improved
Initiated
Led
Managed
Moderated
Monitored
Motivated
Negotiated
Persuaded
Planned
Recruited
Demonstrates
Openness to New Ideas
Adapted
Assessed
Collaborated
Communicated
Consulted
Contributed
Correlated
Discussed
Evaluated
Examined
Expanded
Extracted
Facilitated
Fostered
Interpreted
Interviewed
Learned
Listened
Observed
Participated
Read
Researched
Articulating Students’ International Skills to Employers. Presented at NAFSA 2014 Annual Conference, May 25-30, 2014, San Diego
by Anne Poduska, Graduate & International Career Advisor, Cornell Career Services ([email protected]) and Alice Wu,
Intercultural Consultant, Cornell University ([email protected]).
2 6. After you’ve selected a verb, think about what information you would like to convey in the bullet
point. There are many ways you can structure your bullet point, but here are two common ways
that differ depending on whether you’d like to emphasize what you accomplished or to emphasize
the actions you took to get that accomplishment:
• Did X, Y, and Z to accomplish Q.
• Accomplished Q by doing X, Y, and Z.
My bullet point for intercultural skill _____________________:
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7. Have a friend or colleague read your bullet point. Is it clear what intercultural skill you
demonstrated? Could you be more specific about your experience—or did you include too
much detail?
Based on their feedback, revise your bullet point:
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Additional Resources for Resume Writing:
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Cornell Career Services Career Guide:
Resume writing tips, a list of action verbs, and sample resumes
http://www.career.cornell.edu/resources/downloads.cfm
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O*Net OnLine,
Target your resume for a particular position by reviewing the list of tasks and skills for that
occupational field
http://www.onetonline.org/
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Help with Your Resume and CV: The Riley Guide
Links to resume writing tips, sample resumes, and CVs
http://www.rileyguide.com/resprep.html
Articulating Students’ International Skills to Employers. Presented at NAFSA 2014 Annual Conference, May 25-30, 2014, San Diego
by Anne Poduska, Graduate & International Career Advisor, Cornell Career Services ([email protected]) and Alice Wu,
Intercultural Consultant, Cornell University ([email protected]).
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