A Guide to Studying and Working Abroad
«An international experience during university is no longer only a nice option, but a choice with a profound impact on your life and your professional experience», says Bocconi's Vice Rector for International Affairs, Stefano Caselli, in his introduction to International Career: Interactive Country Guides, an online resource for Bocconi students (available on the BBoard platform) designed by the Career Services and BUILT, Bocconi University Innovations in Learning and Teaching.
The resource aims at giving students insights and information about study and work destinations across the world. When choosing your destination from the list or on the rotating globe in the homepage, you are presented with a fact-sheet, information about Bocconi exchange and internship programs in that country, a short video and information about business practices and working habits, including some dos and don'ts in the workplace. Did you know, for example, that in Scandinavia it is preferable to avoid talking loudly or gesticulating wildly, and in South Africa you should write in a very direct way, in order to avoid the suspicion of untrustworthiness that ambiguity and vagueness can induce?
The videos always display an introduction by a Career Services country expert and a Bocconi Alumnus giving evidence of their experience in the country.
A first batch of guides, including Europe (Benelux, France, Germany, Scandinavia, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK) and Africa and Middle East (South Africa, United Arab Emirates, and Uganda) has been available since the beginning of the Academic Year; the guides about Americas and the Asia-Pacific Region will follow.
Professor Caselli also lists the reasons why everyone should have an experience abroad: it allows you to build an international network; it catches the eye of a recruiter; it broadens your knowledge and it pushes you out of your comfort zone – something you'll have to face in the job market.
Furthermore, says Fulvio Guarneri, President and CEO of Unilever Italy, who acts as a testimonial of the benefits of international experiences, «they make you a better person», and this has no price.