One of my biggest fears before leaving everything behind to teach English in Spain for a year was not being able to find a job when I returned. I honestly thought prospective employers would throw out my resume because I “didn’t have enough experience” or because I wouldn’t appear “serious” enough. I even get a lot of emails (which I love, dear readers!) from people who are considering going abroad but are worried about some of the same things I was.
In all honesty, I was fully prepared to join the masses of the unemployed upon my return from Spain last June, but the truth is… I walked right into a job. Like, I had an interview set up before the jet lag even wore off, and had a job offer well before I had a place to live.
Maybe I was just lucky, but given the reality of the state of our economy…maybe not. I’m just going to go ahead and believe that what I had gained in real world experience during my time abroad more than made up for what I lacked in “business experience.” I mean, would you believe me if I told you that during one of my interviews I talked ONLY about traveling? I repeat…nothing about my job skills, the job I was applying for, or my past internships and experience…ONLY TRAVELING.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always personally believed that a well-traveled person is not only better prepared for life, but also for the workforce, but I seriously doubted that most employers shared my same values. Guess what? They do.
Near and Viajar 