The Talent Advantage: Why Companies Should Hire Study Abroad Alumni
Artificial intelligence is changing how work gets done, but it is not eliminating the need for human adaptability. If anything, as tasks become automated and markets shift faster, companies need people who can thrive when the rules are unclear. A new report from the Forum on Education Abroad, The Talent Advantage, offers a strong signal about where to find that talent: students who have lived and learned abroad.
The research examined real-time reflections from students during their study abroad experiences. Instead of one dramatic “aha moment,” growth emerged in hundreds of small turning points. Students described what the researchers call stretch–connect–persist: they step into discomfort, reach out to others, and keep going until confusion becomes competence. This pattern reliably built the very human skills companies now say they need most.
Three competencies stood out. Curiosity was nearly universal; almost nine in ten students described noticing, asking, and exploring unfamiliar settings. Relationship-building turned challenge into support, helping students adjust and learn faster. Tolerance of ambiguity, the ability to keep working even when things don’t make sense, emerged as a critical strength. As experiences deepened, students also developed resilience, perspective-taking, and humility, maturing their ability to navigate differences and disruption.
For employers, these findings go beyond “global experience” as a résumé line. Study abroad alumni have rehearsed the future of work. They’ve built routines in unfamiliar systems, solved problems with incomplete information, and learned to connect quickly with strangers to get things done. These are the exact capabilities organizations struggle to cultivate once employees are already on the job.
If you’re hiring for adaptability, don’t just look for a strong GPA or familiar internships. Ask candidates how they’ve handled uncertainty, built networks in new contexts, or kept momentum when plans fell apart. Study abroad alumni will have ready answers because they’ve lived those scenarios and turned them into lasting capability.
In a world where technology accelerates change but cannot replace judgment, these human skills are a strategic advantage. The new research makes it clear: hiring people who have learned to stretch, connect, and persist abroad is one of the most reliable ways to future-proof your workforce.