Scientific and technological development has brought greater demands for both general and skilled talents, which sets higher requirements for talent cultivation in higher education. As a vital component of higher education internationalization, international student mobility (ISM) is playing an increasingly important role in talent cultivation and supply. Using data from the Chinese National Graduate Sample Survey (CNGSS), this study explored whether ISM affects general and skilled talents' post-graduation decisions. Due to the substantial differences in the content and form of ISM, the heterogeneous effects of ISM duration and the host institution's ranking were further analyzed. The results showed that ISM helped general talents receive further education and helped skilled talents find employment. Furthermore, for general talents, short-term experiences had a greater impact on pursuing advanced education than long-term ISM, while for skilled talents, long-term experiences had a greater impact on finding employment.