Corey Yearous: Fachhochschule-Mannheim

When you last heard from me, I had just gotten back from studying and working abroad in Germany.  I had spent 7 months over there: one semester studying at a German university and 3 months doing an internship at the John Deere Werke Mannheim.  I had such a great time and was so excited about my experience. 

So why am I telling you about all this again?  Well, I want to tell you how having an international experience has helped me in finding a full-time job.  Finding a job is something that everyone will have to deal with at one time or another.  I did multiple interviews during the fall semester of my senior year, all with companies who were international in some respect.  A major topic of discussion in ALL of my interviews was my international experience and the things I learned from it.  All of the companies I talked to were very impressed that I had taken the initiative to get an international experience before I even graduated college.  Because of my international experience, I already had experience living and working in a global environment and I already knew that I was comfortable working in that kind of environment.  In almost any engineering job, you will be working in a global marketplace and already being comfortable in this situation sets you apart from a lot of other candidates that a company may be interviewing.  In addition to having an international experience, the fact that I knew a foreign language set me apart even more from other students.  You always want to have something the interviewer can remember you by, and having an international experience and/or knowing a foreign language is a great way to do that. 

Leadership experience is also an important thing to have when looking for a full time job and my international experience has helped me get that as well.  When I returned from studying and working abroad, I wanted to tell other students how great my experience was and keep meeting international students.  I got involved with a new club that was just starting up that semester called the Society of International Engineers (SIE).  This is a group for students who have been abroad, students who are interested in going abroad and the international engineering exchange students who are currently studying in the College of Engineering.  I started off as the VP of Communications and became student advisor the next semester (a position which I have continued to hold and will hold until I graduate in May).  My work with SIE and the leadership I have gained through my positions in the organization were also discussion topics in all of the interviews that I had.

Out of my four job interviews, I got 3 on-site interviews and 2 job offers even when the economy was not doing so well and jobs were hard to come by.  I know my international experience, ability to speak a foreign language, and the leadership experience I have gained through SIE all had a big part in getting these offers.  Not only did my international experience help me find a job, it also gave me skills that will benefit me once I’m in the workplace.  I think you should all look into studying and/or working abroad before you leave ISU.  Not only will it help you find a job, but it’s a lot of fun too!