As the economy becomes more global, the importance of international experience and expertise increases for college students.
"In today's competitive global economy, I can't think of many jobs that don't require people to consider global affairs," Jill McKinney, Ball State director of Study Abroad and Exchange Programs, said.
A 2003 survey of 111 Fortune 500 and INC 500 companies that was presented at an international education conference at Duke University, "U.S. Business Needs for Employees with International Expertise," found that international business played an important role in companies' operations.
This doesn't necessarily mean that international expertise and experience are the most important skills for entry-level candidates.
At Eli Lilly and company, for example, the importance of international expertise depends on the position and a variety of other factors, according to spokeswoman Joan Todd.
The 2003 survey found that international expertise was more important at the management level than at the entry level in terms of hiring, reassignment and promotion. Twenty percent of companies surveyed considered foreign language skills of great importance, while 25 percent considered international work experience of great importance.
But an awareness of global affairs can still serve graduates entering the workforce.
"It would be useful to have some knowledge and aptitude in global affairs," Cecil Bohanon, Ball State economics professor, said. "You'll probably be more able to work your way up in a company."
McKinney said several employers had told her that study abroad experiences had been beneficial to newly hired employees because students had taken the initiative to do something outside their comfort zones. The experiences allowed students to demonstrate their independence, flexibility and openness, she said.
Studying abroad has already proven useful for Jamie Troxell, senior international business major. Troxell got her first taste of life abroad in high school when she studied in Chile. She read about Chilean history before she left, but arriving there put things into perspective.
"You don't really get the impact it has on the country until you actually get there," she said.
Troxell returned to Chile in college to study Spanish and teach English and met the man whom she later married. She went back to Chile last summer to do an internship. Because of her interest in the country, she said she paid special attention whenever it appeared in the news.
Thanks to her experience, she understood the culture and had a more tolerant attitude toward other cultures. This, she said, would be an asset in international business.
Respondents to the 2003 survey considered an appreciation for cross-cultural differences the most important international skill, followed by a global perspective.
Bob Clark, director of Global Enterprise in Indiana at the University of Evansville, said companies seek employees with both domestic and international knowledge.
Bohanon said students in many fields had an interest in global affairs. But he said that though students at Ball State University today were more aware of global issues than he was when he graduated, they were "not terribly aware."
"I don't think most students at Ball State do international studies," he said. "There's still a great deal of provinciality."
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