As the business world becomes more and more automated, it is becoming essential for prospective employees to foster their soft skills. The summer before my senior year of college, I was on the hunt for an opportunity that would set me apart from a graduating class of nearly 30,000 people. I was about to finish my bachelor’s in business administration and accounting, and I wanted a chance to apply my studies in the real world. But what could I do to nudge my resume to the top of the stack?
I knew that successfully completing an internship would exponentially increase my hireability. However, almost every junior business major at my university had already been advised to find a summer internship. I was surrounded by students with the same level of training as me who had been encouraged to find similar work experience. So rather than getting hung up on the competition, I turned my gaze outward. It occurred to me that there was no reason for my internship search to be tethered to the local zip code. I could go anywhere!
Business transactions are operating on a more and more international scale every fiscal year. And I only had two more semesters left before I would enter the workforce full time. I couldn’t think of a better way to gain experience in a global industry than to intern at a company in a different country. After I began researching international internship opportunities in business, it didn’t take me long to find Maximo Nivel. The company offers diverse business placements focusing on marketing, management or finance in three Latin American cities.
I was a bit overwhelmed by my options at first, so I contacted an admission representative and told him about my background and professional goals. He helped me explore Maximo’s offerings and within a few weeks, I had registered for an internship program in San José, Costa Rica. Because I had never traveled on my own before, a trip to Costa Rica was exciting in itself. I was eager to work alongside local staff and practice my Spanish. Two months of day-to-day working life in San José would surely help me develop my professional qualifications and cross-cultural communication skills at the same time.
Yes, my internship taught me everything I thought it would, as well as many things I had never stopped to consider. Until you step out of the classroom and into a professional environment for the first time, you don’t know how your field truly functions. The Costa Rican economy is quickly developing, and San José has become a hub of commerce in recent decades. The city was cosmopolitan, competitive, surging with energy—the perfect place to gain valuable work experience and explore international entrepreneurship.
My internship placement focused on finance. I worked for a financing company that offers loans to eligible ‘ticos’, as well as banking services and business education seminars. Working in an authentic environment and delivering real-time results to clients was very different from running financial analyses on case studies. I was nervous my first few days, but the office staff was incredibly welcoming and supportive. My advisor did an excellent job of letting me make my own mistakes but stepping in when I really needed an experienced eye.
I was given an appropriate level of responsibility to be challenged but not discouraged. I assisted with evaluating loan applications, sat in on meetings with clients and prepared materials for educational presentations in finance and business. I was familiarizing myself with the fiscal fabric of the business world while also educating interested locals. By pairing lending and educational services, the company is building a more financially literate community and getting more local entrepreneurs involved in the economy.
Running workshops was also the impetus I needed to strengthen my business Spanish. I took daily Spanish classes at Maximo where I could ask about specific vocabulary or phrases that I needed for my presentations. Holding educational outreach seminars in Spanish, assisting with business consultations and processing loan application files provided me with balanced work experience. During my internship, as I’d expected, I worked with numbers behind the scenes. However, I also engaged with many Costa Rican professionals. My internship in San José was the perfect opportunity to expand both my business knowledge and intercultural awareness.
I hope that interning abroad gives me a competitive edge in the international business market. I want prospective employers to see my time in Costa Rica as evidence of a global mindset, flexible thinking and a willingness to learn new things. However, regardless of how my resume is received, I know that interning abroad was the best decision I could have made. It was the ideal opportunity for growth—a global context for personal and professional development.