By: Nanthana Sureshkumar

“The soft skills are what make the hard skills…”

This quote stood out throughout the International Career Panel, held with the Young Professionals of World Affairs Council Charlotte (YPWACC) and the Office of International Programs (OIP). The International Career Panel is an annual event that aims to increase awareness of global employability for young professionals interested in a career abroad. This year, there were various panelists, ranging from study abroad advisors to former high-level executives in diverse industries. The 2024 panelists were Noah Ameris, Scott Tozier, Firoz Peera, and Johanna Van Lanen. Many topics were discussed, but there was a dominant focus on the importance of soft skills when working abroad.  

Many panelists spoke on the importance of acquiring soft skills through working abroad, which can increase employability prospects. For example, Scott Tozier talked about how he learned French and bolstered his knowledge of French by living in Belgium and working in various Francophone countries. He emphasized the importance of networking and making the most of the experience, by citing many personal anecdotes he had from working abroad. Another panelist, Firoz Peera, also talked at length about the importance of acquiring language skills by citing various statistics that conclude being multilingual puts one at a greater advantage in the international job market. Both speakers had similar experiences working abroad and overall, emphasized the importance of having cultural tolerance and multilingual skills.  

The Office of International Programs and the UNC Charlotte Career Center had a presentation on tips for having a successful career abroad, which included a range of different resources to help make the transition easier. One of the many resources talked about by the OIP and the Career Center was a website called GoingGlobal, which helps in finding job opportunities across the world. The Career Center also had tips on how to make oneself more appealing to employers, such as building a brand for themselves through social media sites like LinkedIn. The OIP also talked about various study abroad programs offered at UNC Charlotte that students can take advantage of to build their soft skills. 

Students and audience members were able to ask the panelists questions specifically relating to how exactly they would be able to work abroad. The panelists shared various insights on their personal experiences working abroad, emphasizing the need for curiosity and the willingness to learn. This was especially echoed by panelist Johanna Van Lanen, who talked about the importance of studying abroad to acquire the skills necessary to work abroad post-graduation. Other panelists talked about how going abroad has not just shaped their careers, but their personal growth as well.  Throughout the presentation and the Q and A session, there was no shortage to the level of curiosity expressed regarding the subject matter.