Posts Tagged ‘International Students’
5 Job Search Tips for International Students
Thursday, February 17th, 2011I was struck by a recent front page story in The New York Times that discussed the steady rise in Chinese students applying to U.S. colleges and universities.
While the article focused on how schools like Grinnell College in Iowa actively recruit in China and how an international students can “have an edge if he or she can pay full tuition,” my mind immediately fast-forwarded four years: Will the same universities that wooed these students and took their money help them land jobs when they graduate? No one seems to be talking about this.
Well, no one that is except the students themselves. On almost every campus I visit, international students from China and elsewhere approach me seeking advice on how to land positions in the U.S. once they receive their degrees.
Here are the tips I share, based on research, conversations with successful international workers and my own experience attending graduate school in Australia and acquiring a visa to work there for an additional year:
1. Start early. This is good advice for any student (particularly in the current job market), but it’s especially crucial for students from outside the U.S. It will inevitably take longer to find a job with an employer that sponsors employees requiring work visas, so the sooner you start to look for positions, the better chance you’ll have.
2. Become an expert on the laws. Take it upon yourself to become an expert on your situation. The more you personally know about visas, work permits, timelines, academic requirements, etc. (check out the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services website for lots of information) the better decisions you’ll be able to make and the more empowered you’ll feel. Yes, this is a lot of work, but it’s more than worth it.
3. Engage with career services. In addition to doing your own research, seek expert help. If you attend a school that has a large population of foreign students, your university’s career services office should have lots of experience helping international students. Take advantage of everything they offer! Attend any event specifically for international students, read all information your career services office publishes and set up an appointment with a career counselor to discuss your individual situation.
4. Network. As more and more international students attend U.S. universities, there is a growing community of alumni who have walked in your shoes. Meet these people and ask for their advice! Using your career services office, professors, LinkedIn and Facebook, seek out people a few years older than you who have come from your home country and managed to find jobs in the U.S. They’ll likely be happy to share some tips and possibly even introduce you to the hiring managers at the companies where they landed jobs.
5. Stay positive and confident. While it can be frustrating to go through an international job search and visa application process, remember that you have a lot to offer an employer. Fluency in multiple languages, knowledge of international business practices and a global perspective are all extremely valuable in the workplace right now. Make sure that you are confident in your own abilities so an employer will want to invest in you.
Are you an international student who has landed a full-time job in the U.S.? Please share any additional tips or advice!
If you need help to navigate the U.S. job market to find internships or jobs, we can assist you . Contact us here to discuss your projects. We will help you network your way into the hidden job market.
Where international students can begin their search?
Wednesday, January 12th, 2011Mr. Hyde from Widener University provides prospective international students with some important guidance as to where to start their search for U.S. college & universities, what factors to consider, admissions tests required, financial aid availability, and more.
You will find the nearest EducationUSA center here.
To get tips and access to local resources, please fill out this form here! We’ll send you local information specific to your projects.
Key Information on Undergraduate Financial Aid
Friday, December 17th, 2010Did you know that U.S. colleges and universities offer millions of dollars in financial aid to international students each year?
Hear some great statistics and facts about Undergraduate Financial Aid from EducationUSA.
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How to succeed as International Students in the USA?
Friday, August 27th, 2010Good-bye, summer — hello, school! The 2010-11 academic school year kicks off this week for most area schools.
Thousands of you from across the globe are traveling or returning to America in order to attend college or do internships. Congratulations on your achievements and first steps.
In the weeks and months to come, you will experience a wide variety of both encouraging and negative feelings, such as excitement, surprise, happiness, loss of identity, anxiety, disorientation and confusion, while facing language, academic and integration challenges. You will even sometimes feel like children.
Don’t worry. These feelings are normal. They don’t come to Stay. They come to Pass.
Be patient; your dreams will not come true overnight. But start now, and go with love and courage and confidence. It’s up to you what comes to pass, and if you keep your thoughts positive and strong: your dreams will come true. It’s just a Matter of Time.
As you might know, in 2006, I left my corporate job at HP France to move to Los Angeles as an international student. I wanted to improve my English language skills, learn about the American way of doing business and eventually start my own. More importantly, I was in search of making meaningful changes in my life in order to add value to my own existence while possibly making a positive difference in the lives of others.
My life in Los Angeles has been full of challenges, the biggest of which have been dealing with the unexpected, adjusting to my new environment and getting everything done within a time frame.
Thankfully, some great people both from my university, UCLA, and off campus taught me the skills that I needed, showed me around, helped me adjust to the American culture, and inspired me. Some also provided me knowledge and methods for a better understanding of the ins- and- outs of running a business in this country, encouraged me to challenge the conventional thinking, and helped me discover and articulate my greater purpose.
I am here today to share with you some my insights.
To reach your goals in the United States, I believe it’s important to:
- Believe in yourself
- Discover your driving motivation for action (purpose, cause or belief)
- Be disciplined and Stay on your chosen path
- Remain active
- Stay focused than to sit around complaining
- Speak up and Take Actions
- Take risks and be willing to lose yourself before reaping the fruits of your efforts
- Build your Network. “Your Network Determines Your Net Worth”
- Have an insatiable thirst for knowledge
- Be able to articulate clearly your value proposition
- Sharpen your personal brand to achieve career success
- Get out of your comfort zone
-Master Team working skills
- Familiarize yourself with the American business environment
- Challenge others and yourself to get results
- Don’t settle for anything less than your best
- Develop and master your capacity to think critically and independently
- Develop and master your ability to understand how people of different cultures and values think and behave
- Develop your communication skills
- Develop a global mindset
- Immerse yourself into the American Culture
- Volunteer into your communities
- Think out of the box
- Learn how to understand the greater context of problems
- Be intensely curious
- Accept others as they come
- Look at everything as an amazing learning experience
- See the opportunity in every difficulty
- Share your experience with others
- Be concerned with time limitations
- Listen up
- Read as much as you can –pick up books that you like, books you don’t like and books you never pictured yourself reading.
- Gain control over all the tasks and commitments that you need or want to get done
- Keep track of your goals
- Be accountable for your actions
- Have a stubborn insistence on pursuing our dreams.
Over all, it’s about maintaining a good life balance with the seven following building blocks :
1-Peace of Mind
2- Health and Fitness
3- Loving relationship
4- Control of my finance
5- Career goals that fit my personality
6- Pursuing my ultimate life goals
7- Life Balance (Career, Personal relationship, Friends and Family, Spiritual, Continuing education, Rest, Health and Fitness, Relaxation, Fun)
Finally, I will leave you with this quote that I learned from my mentor, Les Brown.
“If you want a thing bad enough to go out and fight for it, to work day and night for it, to give up your time, your peace and your sleep for it … if all that you dream and scheme is about it, and life seems useless and worthless without it … if you gladly sweat for it and fret for it and plan for it and lose all your terror of the opposition for it … if you simply go after that thing you want with all of your capacity, strength and sagacity, faith, hope and confidence and stern pertinacity … if neither cold, poverty, famine, nor gout, sickness nor pain, of body and brain, can keep you away from thing that you want … if dogged and grim you beseech and beset it, with the help of God, you WILL get it!” Written by author Berton Braley
Source : Les Brown – Live your Dreams. Click here to Listen to Les Brown.
Best Wishes,
Jean-Marc Dedeyne
contact us here.
Meals on U.S. Campuses?
Saturday, August 21st, 2010As an international student preparing to study in the United States, you might be a bit concerned about adjusting to the American way of eating. And, if you haven’t ever eaten typical American food, you might wonder where you can find food you are accustomed to from your home country.
Have no fear: A new and major trend on campuses is an increased customer interest in the history and origin of food—and this includes providing more cultural choices to students, according to the National Association of College and University Food Services. Continue reading here
More Resources :
- Campusfood here
- Get to know your school Campus Dining here
Where to buy groceries in the USA?
Saturday, August 21st, 2010American grocery stores contain an overwhelming variety and quantity of food.
Therefore, shopping for the items that you need in U.S. stores can be overwhelming at first for international students, but with a little practice, you will soon be getting the most for your dollar.
You may find it tempting to try everything in sight; however, if you have a tight budget you should make a list and purchase only those items, and not to go to the store when you are hungry (people tend to buy more when they are hungry). It will take a while to figure out the location of the items in each store, but once you become familiar with the layout, your trips to the store will take a lot less time than they did at first.
These different types of stores in the United States cater to different needs:
- Grocery stores
- Department stores
- Convenience stores and gas stations
- Use coupons and in-store discounts
- Buy generic items
Read complete article here
More resources:
- Shopping in the USA here
- How to Shop for Various Things in the USA here
- Buying Food in the American Stores here
What is it to be an international student in the U.S.?
Saturday, July 31st, 2010If you are coming to the U.S. on a student visa it can be a bit of a challenge and a somewhat tedious process. VOA’s Lisa Vohra talks to a couple of students from Africa who have been through it and has this report.
Watch the stories of two young African students who are busy taking classes and living their lives in the U.S.
If you want to study in the USA, this is the first thing to : meet with an advisor from EducationUSA. It’s your official source on U.S. Higher Education. You will find centers in your own countries here.
For tips and access to local information specific to your projects, please contact us here
What is the most important to you about studying in the the U.S and why do you care?
To Help you Live Your Dreams we added a New Member
Monday, July 12th, 2010Hello Fans,
I hope you had a great weekend.
I wanted to take some time to thank you for your positive interest, constructive comments and continuing support.
Because we want you feel more comfortable, have a superior experience and more importantly achieve your goals in the United States, I added a new member to our International Team.
It’s now my pleasure to introduce to you our new member, Bethiël.
Bethiël Tekle Mariam is an Eritrean lady, born and raised in the Netherlands. She moved to the sunny California 6 months ago to pursue her American Dream. Currently, she is enrolled in an International Management & Operations Certificate program at the University of California, Irvine, and she plans on starting off her professional career this fall within the field of International Marketing & Communication. This 26 year-old has a passion for travelling, and she is fortunate to have seen all the major cities in Europe and the USA. While studying abroad in St. Louis, Missouri and Valencia, Spain she understood how much cultural differences can make someone not feel at home. In St. Louis, Missouri, she was involved in the International Business Club and the International Student Organization. During her recent experience in the United States, she learned how to overcome and adjust herself to any obstacles she ran into.
Bethiel joined U in the USA to share her experience, help you feel more at home within the American culture and more importantly help you live your dreams. In the days to come, she will personally connect with each of you to discuss your interests, questions and ways to reach your own goals.
I will appreciate your help in making Bethiël feel welcome in our community.
Thank you.
Jean-Marc Dedeyne
U in the USA
“International Students & Visitors. Life Simplified!”
Want to know more about Bethiël click here
U.S. and Indonesia to Expand Educational Ties
Tuesday, July 6th, 2010With 7,500 Indonesians students who attended American colleges during the 2008-9 academic year, the United States will spend $165-million over the next five years on programs to help strengthen higher education in Indonesia through educational exchanges and university partnerships, President Obama and Indonesia’s president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, announced Sunday at a meeting at the G-20 summit in Toronto.
The two leaders also agreed to hold a joint higher-education summit next summer. Continue here
Source : The Chronicle of Higher Education
U in the USA is Hiring
Monday, July 5th, 2010U in the USA seeks enthusiastic, organized and global minded interns. You will promote the company, distribute targeted content, recruit students, engage fans, update platforms (website, blogs, social network profiles etc.), establish and manage partnerships (schools, education agents, sponsors) and help International Students & Foreign Exchange Students adapt to life in the USA. You will work approximately 10-40 flexible hours a week remote (from home) or from our corporate “home-quarters” in Los Angeles, CA. More details here
√ Download Job Description and Application here
√ More about U in the USA here
