Being adaptable means you’re comfortable with making adjustments when changes arise. In the workplace, having a strong ability to adapt is attractive to employers because it means that you can transition quickly to new work processes.
For many people change is hard, but if you’re able to focus on learning new things and working with your team towards bigger goals, you can show your openness to work at the rate that your environment shifts.
While adaptability is a soft skill in itself, developing your adaptability skills requires you to refine your capabilities in other soft skills including analytical skills, problem-solving, communication, and teamwork.
One of the best ways to truly experience and gain these skills is to do an internship abroad.
Here are 3 ways interning abroad can boost your adaptability skills:
1. Interning Abroad Shows Employers That You’re Open to Learning New Things
By simply seeing on your resume that you have interned abroad, a hiring manager can already see how you’ve shown interest in learning new things, be it a language or a different way of living.
In the workplace, one of the most crucial aspects of adaptability is to be able to transition to new environments, which requires you to be open to learning new things or how to do old processes in a new and different way.
It also means that your transition to working in the company will likely be smooth.
2. Living in Another Culture Forces You to Pay Attention to What’s Different
Not everyone lives the same lifestyle you do; especially when it comes to other cultures.
When you live in a country where the lifestyle is different – from the food you eat to the transportation you take to the language you use or even to how the toilet operates – you’ll be able to gain other perspectives of how to approach processes.
Your experiences with understanding other perspectives and processes will help you think outside the box when the need for problem-solving arises.
In the workplace, being able to think about solutions from various angles is valuable in that it helps the company better determine the best way to transition forward.
3. Working With People From Diverse Backgrounds Shows Your Interpersonal Skills
Working together with your team is essential in having a successful transition where everyone has adapted well to new processes.
When you’ve had experience through an internship in a global company where teams are made of a diverse group of people, it shows your future employers that you are capable of communicating with people who have different ways of thinking and communicating.
Change can be a tough process; it’s important that everyone is on the same page, so having experience of working with people from diverse backgrounds shows that you can avoid miscommunication and conflict. Despite differences in thought processes and communication styles.
Going abroad for your internship has a positive impact on helping you grow your adaptability skills. For instance, you’ll be able to think of problem-solving differently. As well as be more perceptive to ways of transitioning, and are comfortable working with people of diverse backgrounds.
It’s the quickest way to place yourself in a situation where you’ll need to adapt quickly and have a rewarding experience in the process.
Want to experience a life-changing, immersive internship program and hone your adaptability skills in the process? Then check out the wide range of programs we have on offer. We have 18 industries and 14 locations to choose from, so what are you waiting for?
