Resources for International Students     Helpful Links for International Students General Tips Job Search Strategies for Internationals Types of Employment and Visa Issues Resumes for Internationals Immigration and International Student Issue Links American Employers Who Hire Internationals Graduate School Funding Resource Attend the Multicultural Job Fair Come to an E.A.S.Y. Workshop

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General Tips on Advising Internationals in their Job Search

In today's increasingly global economy, more and more students are seeking higher education experiences abroad. IIE's Open Doors, 2001 reports a 34% increase of international students in the US over the past ten years, up to a 2001 total of 547,867 students nationwide. Many of these students seek employment in the US after graduation. Some simply seek an easily granted one year for "practical training," others would like to establish themselves as professionals over a 5-10 year period, while still others plan to immigrate permanently.

The challenges of providing career advice to international studies are multi-faced, but include:

• Length of stay
• Obtaining US work permission
• Little or no understanding of the US job search process
• Educating employers
• Communication concerns
• Cross-Cultural issues
• Economic and political factors
  
  

When advising international students, it is important to be aware - and to make the students aware - of all these issues, but it is equally important to realize that a career center cannot provide all the answers. Maintaining a partnership with immigration regulation specialists and global employers is key to a successful international student program.

The advising steps below may be used as a general guide to assisting international students:

Home Country

If a student is seeking general career advice for employment in their home country, the best resource is alumni who have returned home. In addition, most countries have job search engines. There are also two printed sources of information that may be useful: The Directory of American Firms Operating in Foreign Countries (vols. 1-3), by Uniworld, and the Global Resume and CV Guide, published by John Wiley, Inc.

Work in the US

For students who wish to obtain work in the US, the first thing to determine is visa status and work eligibility. Career Advisors should have a general idea of options and requirements and be able to articulate to the student that they must get employment authorization.

Students should think strategically about the types of businesses or organizations that would be interested in them- businesses trading with their home country, or expanding within a geographical region  is an obvious example. Others include organizations requiring strong language ability (schools, social agencies, translators, travel services). Cross-cultural training is a natural option for internationals. International applicants that are in full, direct competition with Americans will face a greater challenge. They should not be discouraged from trying, but they should be aware that their job search will be more difficult that their American counterparts.

In general, international students have the same basic skill set as their American counterparts. They often help identifying skills that may help them land the job. Possibilities include:

• High GPA
• Bi-lingual or more
• Cross-cultural skills
• Demonstrated adaptability
• Independence
• Team player
• Knowledge of foreign markets
• Risk taker

Get down to basics - practice interviews, starting with the handshake, cover letters, networking, research, resume design, what to wear, even showing up on time-all that may be new to an international student. In many cultures, parents find their children jobs!

Cultural factors - International students may respond differently because of the way they were brought up. Eye contact, projecting self-confidence, networking , speaking directly, providing strong opinions (or modifying strong opinions), may all be more deeply challenging to the international students than to Americans. If a student is demonstrating difficulty, stop and address it as a cultural issue - sometimes simply acknowledging the root of the challenge helps the student understand that they are playing a role in an interview that will help them cope with an uncomfortable situation.

Most international students are worried about their communication skills. They need to be reassured that they can be understood and encouraged to practice interviewing with their American friends - NOT their international friends. Internationals should make sure they pronounce their name slowly and clearly, or suggest they use their first name only, or even shorten it if they are comfortable with doing so. A non-native English speaker may have trouble understanding interview questions - sometimes it is language, sometimes the intent of the question, or sometimes figuring out the right answer. It is okay to ask that the questions be repeated, as long as you do not ask so often that the interviewer begins to suspect an English problem. Provide them with the alternative ways to clarify a question, or to buy time to think.

International students are often frustrated that employers simply wall them off with, "We do not hire internationals." They need to be prepared for this reject statement. Often, this is a firm rule that recruiters cannot break. The best approach for an international student is to either walk away. or to submit a resume directly to the division of the company they are most interested in. For instance, there may be a company policy against hiring internationals - but the global marketing department hires them directly. Students should anticipate and prepare for rejection (which is taken more personally in some cultures than others), and they should be aware that their job search will be more challenging than their American friends. It is sometimes helpful to ask a student if an American could get a job in their country - often that will put their US job search in perspective.

In summary, international students are dynamic, bright and anxious to gain US work experience. They face many challenges, but are generally very responsive to suggestions, and a delight to work with. Career counselors who can help them bridge the cultural divide are effective contributors to global success.

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Resumes and Job Fair Links

Resumes for International Students - Tips on writing a resume for an International Student. Did you know that international resumes are viewed very differently from US citizens' resumes?

Career Conferences of America, Inc. - Foreign national M.B.A.s can interview with the world's top multinational companies at the International MBA Consortium Employment Conference in Orlando, Florida.

ICI, International Career Information, Inc. - U.S. subsidiary of Recruit Co. Ltd., one of the largest publishers in Japan and a leader in the employment information business, specializes in helping multinational corporations to recruit bilingual employees for fast growing economies in Asia. They sponsor job fairs and maintain a proprietary database including more than 40,000 students and recent graduates and mid-level professionals in the United States and Asia.

National Society of Hispanics MBAs - NSHMBA fosters Hispanics' leadership through graduate management education and professional development in order to have a better society. NSHMBA organizes an annual conference and career expo for Hispanic students in the United States.

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Immigration and International Student Issues

U.S. Immigration & Naturalization Service - The official home page for INS provides helpful information about visas and employment options for foreign nationals.

U.S. State Department - Bureau of Consular Affairs provides information about international travel, visa updates, passport information, and U.S. Embassy information.

Immigration Central - Provides a list of reference materials, practitioners, and organizations related to U.S. immigration.

IRS Tax Publications - This site provides comprehensive tax information. Specific tax information for international students can be found in publication numbers 515, 519, and 901.

Do it Yourself U.S. Immigration Kits - Sells "do-it-yourself" kits as an alternative to hiring an attorney. Kit contains necessary forms, sample forms, sample letters, instructions, government agency addresses and phone numbers, etc.

American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) - Founded in 1946, the AILA is a national bar association of 6,000+ attorneys who practice and teach immigration law. AILA member attorneys represent tens of thousands of U.S. businesses and industries, foreign students, entertainers, athletes, and asylum seekers, some on a pro bono basis. AILA is an affiliate of the American Bar Association.

VisaNow.com - This organization allows foreign students/workers to process their visa applications online by providing online documents that need to be completed, providing a review by an immigration attorney, and submitting the application to the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service.

American Employers Who Hire Internationals

Check out Quintessential's directory of Top Multicultural Companies who lead the way in hiring a diverse workforce.

Search the U.S. Department of Labor list of employers who have applied for work visas in the last few years.  Select the type of visa on this page and then you can search by state for lists of companies who applied or for a specific company.

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Graduate School Funding Resource

For information on graduate school funding for international students, visit the Institute of International Education's searchable database.

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