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Careers, Outcomes & Salaries

The world is a global marketplace creating great opportunities for careers in business, trade, government and non-government organizations (NGOs) for people with good business and technical skills, as well as cross-cultural and foreign language abilities.

International business (IB) careers can involve:

  • Living and working in the US for a company that sends you abroad for business travel, or
  • Working for a company that sends you abroad to work for a number of years at a time.

 

Option 1: Living in the US and travelling abroad for business

Most careers in IB involve living in the U.S. and traveling overseas for weeks at a time.  Foreign travel is generally used for:

  • Research – to analyze foreign markets, identify market opportunities, evaluate the financial impacts of foreign projects, etc.;
  • Identifying and negotiating with foreign buyers, sellers, and partners; or
  • Providing consultation services for clients in foreign locations.

 

Option 2: Living and Working Abroad

Long term work abroad is less common and requires more planning – but it is highly rewarding for the right person!  Careers are often with companies selling or buying overseas, multinational corporations, financial institutions, and consulting firms; they involve going abroad to represent the company, manage a foreign subsidiary, direct foreign operations, or provide consulting services. 
Companies usually prefer to send employees who are fully trained in their domestic operations before taking a foreign assignment, so starting an IB career usually means starting with a global company and working domestically first. 
If your goal is long-term work abroad, you need to demonstrate your potential to be adaptable and self-sufficient overseas. You can demonstrate this with a history of living, studying, volunteering, and/or working abroad.  Experience in working abroad is especially valued by potential employers.

With a degree in international business, careers that may be open to you include:

  • Management - Overseas production, shipping, international human resources management
  • Finance - International banking, currency trading, securities trading analysis of overseas production sites/international investment, company exchange risk management, international risk management, financial planning for multinationals
  • Accounting - Financial management for multinational companies
  • Marketing - Business-to-business selling, market analysis/research, international purchasing, cross-cultural negotiating, consulting
  • Government - Foreign service officer, country analysit

 

Some recent graduates have been employed in the following positions:

Title Company
HR Assistant ECS Mid-Atlantic
Account Specialist Union Central Life Insurance
Assistant Language Teacher Hiroshima Prefectural Government
Assistant The Hispanic Chamber
Account Executive Total Quality Logistics

The average starting salary for a 2008 Xavier graduate in international business was over $36,500.

Strategizing to Pursue an International Business Career

1. Possess Good Functional Knowledge

For any job, it is critical to display good knowledge that provides specific, concrete value to your employer. 

Strategies: 

  • Pursue a second major – in marketing, finance, information systems, or accounting.  If you can’t do that, take a few targeted courses in one discipline (and highlight that on your CV).  Consult with an academic advisor who can provide you guidance in terms of a discipline and specific courses that will suit your interests and promote your career.   
  • Pursue an MBA, Masters in International Management, or Masters in Diplomacy.  Pick your program and university carefully:  Know what you want from the degree and do your homework.  Ensure that the program you select has strengths that promote your career goals – in terms of its focus on skills and perhaps regions of the world. 
  • Note:  If you want to live and work abroad, consider attending an MBA program at a foreign institution or a joint MBA program sponsored by a US and foreign university.

 

2. Possess Strong Cross-Cultural and Personal Skills

The ability to work effectively with others – in one-on-one and group settings – is key for pursuing a career in IB.  You also need to be:

  • Adaptable – You will often find yourself operating within a foreign context;
  • Flexible – Plans and projects often don’t work abroad as expected; and
  • Innovative – Unexpected obstacles and opportunities are likely in foreign markets.

Strategies: 

1. Pursue study- and work-abroad experiences.  Talk to your academic advisor; consult the annual books Academic Year Abroad and Short-Term Study Abroad from the Institute for International Education (both housed in Xavier’s McDonald Library); and consider volunteer opportunities abroad.  Working abroad is especially valued by employers, so you should attempt to work abroad for two to six months as an intern, co-op student (often these are paid positions), or volunteer, preferably in your field of expertise.  Strongly consider a year-long international experience.    

2. Volunteer for the Interlink Mentor Program, an orientation program to welcome new international students and help them acclimate to life at Xavier and the US.  Visit Xavier’s Romero International Center for more information and applications, or obtains the application at http://www.xavier.edu/internationalstudents/Interlink_app_08-09.pdf. 

3. Join in the activities – and volunteer to help plan them – at the Romero International Center.  At a minimum, attend the monthly coffee hours, sponsored by various offices and international student clubs on campus.  Check out the Global Gazette that describes activities and events at http://www.xavier.edu/internationalstudents/activities.html

4. Join a Xavier internationally-focused student organizations such as the:

  • French Club,
  • Irish-American Club,
  • Italian –American Club,
  • Japanese Club,
  • Middle Eastern Cultural Society,
  • South Asian Society,
  • Spanish Club,
  • Student Organization of Latinos

 

3. Know the Key Issues/Trends in IB – and for the Sector/Region You are Pursuing 

When you converse with mentors, network, and interview, you must display (1) solid knowledge of the political, economic, and social forces shaping the world plus (2) specific awareness of the key issues and trends that are relevant to the sector, company, or region in which you have a career interest. 
Strategies: 

  • Read the weekly Economist magazine on a regular basis. 
  • Read other news outlets and books that address either the business environment or issues in specific sectors you are pursuing or, if you have a regional focus, the region of interest.

 

4. Develop a Strategy for Starting your Career

Strategies:

  • Prepare a short, focused pitch to explain – clearly and concretely – what you want. 
  • Develop a CV that highlights your unique (relevant) educational accomplishments (majors, minors, perhaps specific courses that are highly relevant) and internationally-oriented experiences.  If you are applying for a job in a foreign country, use the internet and library resources to ensure your CV is tailored to the local culture.  If you are applying for a job opportunity written in a foreign language, respond in that language.  
  • Obtain a mentor with IB experience and ask questions such as:

“Given my education and experiences at this point, what would you do next?”
“What strategies to get into international business did you find that were the most successful?”
“If you were to do it all over again, is there anything you would do differently?” 
   (Use the Mentor Program of the Williams College of Business.)

5. Network and Identify Potential Employers

First, you need to know if you have specific sectors, functional areas, and/or regions in which you are interested – and be able to demonstrate your knowledge about them (Strategies under Part 3), as well as know your strengths and have a good pitch for contacts (Strategies under Part 4).  Now you are ready for your job search. 
Strategies

  • Use the linkages provided at the end of this page to identify potential employers.
  • Ask mentors to provide you with contacts after – and only after – you know them well (and they know you).
  • Keep a journal to keep track of who you have contacted and when you need to follow up.  Remember to send a thank you note to anyone who helps you.
  • Join and attend of the activities of the World Affairs Council (which is housed in the Global Center of Greater Cincinnati).

Especially for those interested in working and living abroad:     

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