You may feel worried that the qualifications and experience gained from your home country won’t be valued by employers in the UK because they don’t fully understand. The following tips can help you present these most effectively to increase your chances of getting a job.
Qualifications
There is value in referencing on CVs and applications what your previous qualifications are equivalent to in the UK, where possible (e.g. A-levels). The admissions team in your department can help you with this if you are unsure.
If you have completed professional qualifications that don’t have a UK equivalent, it is worth adding few brief words about the qualification is if it’s not otherwise clear to someone unfamiliar with it. If the qualification is particularly relevant to the job you are applying for, you may want to highlight this in more detail in your cover letter or supporting statement.
If you have previously completed a degree elsewhere, you do not need to add every single module (especially if you are a postgraduate student and have changed career direction). Instead, add some final year modules most relevant to the job you are applying for.
You can arrange an appointment with the Careers Network if you would like to talk about this further.
Experience
Generally, employers won’t discriminate or devalue your experience simply because you completed this in another country. Instead, you can often make having experience in a different country(s) an advantage by highlighting what is unique about it, for example how you gained experience of working with people in different cultures/environments, confidence in other languages, developed an international outlook, have learnt best practises and different ways of working that might benefit the company, and so on.
Our ‘Make Applications’ page has excellent information on how to talk to an employer about your previous work experience. To quote:
The secret to any successful application (and interview!) is doing your background research before you start. By reading the vacancy carefully, learning about the organisation and exploring the wider job sector, you will be more effective at targeting your applications. Learning about skills employers seek will help you to identify your strengths and evidence the relevant ones. Work out your unique selling points (USPs) and use positive action words to make a more powerful impact, online and in person.
All applications must be tailored to each job role you apply for. The vacancy will ask you for specific skills, qualifications and knowledge, so it is imperative that you use the information given to you, as well as what you have learned from your background research, to construct your application.
In summary, identify what an skills/attributes/experience employer is looking for, and then write about your experience to highlight how you demonstrate these. Leaving out information that is not relevant will make it easier for the employer, although always double-check with the Careers Network if you are unsure what is relevant and not relevant, or if you would like further help with any part of this process then please don’t hesitate to book an appointment.
– Christian Jameson-Warren
