If you would like personalized assistance, please contact the CDC for an individual appointment, or stop by during drop-in hours Monday through Friday between 2 P.M. and 4 P.M.
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International Students Job Search: Job Search Strategies Before You Return Home
Now that your process of self-assessment is underway, you are ready to explore the professional fields you are interested in. It may be helpful to break this into a two-phase process:
- Research prospective organizations and make contact with influential and informative professionals.
- Actively pursue specific job leads.
Networking and Information Gathering
Networking is the process of establishing contacts with individuals who might directly or indirectly assist you in your job search. The intent of networking should be to educate yourself about the needs and opportunities in your field and to make yourself known to influential individuals. A thorough, successful job search begins by developing a potentially helpful network of individuals and organizations and educate yourself about the current trends and developments in your home country before you depart. A few sources for networking are listed below.
Exercise: Make a list of contacts with whom you should follow-up.
Follow-up with:
- Friends, Classmates (from any level of school), Neighbors (current and past), Relatives, Host Family, Alumni (local, national, and international), Parents of Friends, Social Acquaintances (sports, clubs, coffee houses, etc.)
- Service Providers (e.g. the CDC)
- Academic Advisor, Professors, Professional Associations, People you met at conventions, conferences, and workshops, Speakers at meetings you have attended, Internationals from your field who are currently working
- Current and Former Employers/Supervisors, Chamber of Commerce, Leaders and Members of your religious organization, Others
Steps to Good Networking
- Research options available to you, both the kinds of organizations and the types of positions.
- Seek leads and contacts through campus connections, professionals associations, home country acquaintances, etc.
- Request informational interviews. Attend interviews prepared with knowledgeable questions and concerns.
- Send thank you letters.
- Decide whether there is value in staying in touch with each contact.
Seek assistance from the Career Development Center
The CDC offers a number of resources related to international employment. Members of the CDC staff are here to help you with your career search process. Resume writing, interviewing, strategies for conducting the job search, and networking represent only a few of the ways in which CDC staff can assist you. In addition, the CDC library contains a variety of informative books, directories, and other tools (e.g. computers).
Seek advice from your academic advisor and other faculty members
Besides providing academic advice, faculty members might be able to help you locate and initiate contact with professionals who share your academic and professional interests. Faculty can be key sources of information about conferences and seminars pertaining to your field. You should also be alert for faculty members who have connections with organizations from your home country. In addition to keeping you informed of the most recent projects and concerns within your country, they may also provide valuable contacts for you as you prepare to re-enter into your home country job market.
Contact your consulate and/or embassy
The degree of assistance and information consulates and embassies provide varies greatly. At larger consulates you should contact the commercial or education officer. At smaller consulates feel free to contact your consul general directly. Ask for information related to current developments in your home country through a newsletter or other means (e.g., on-line publications). Ask to be put on their mailing list. Request a list of trade and commercial organizations with which your home country is involved. Ask about upcoming events that might provide an opportunity to meet individuals with contacts in your home country, whether home country nationals are visiting the U.S. for either business or intellectual pursuits and suggest that you could be of assistance (e.g.,translating), and the names of organizations that assist students with home country re-entry and employment.
Maintain communication with professionals in your field at home
It is important to maintain and promote professional contacts with former professors, employers, co-workers, etc. from home. Request that they keep you informed of local developments in your mutual field of interest. Inform them of new directions in the field in the U.S. The maintenance of these connections with enable you to re-enter your field at home with greater ease.
Contact professional associations in your field of interest
Many professional organizations in the U.S. have international divisions and/or international membership. Lists of members are often published from which you can gather names of compatriots who have studied in the U.S. Students can often join for a moderate fee.
Contact your local Chamber of Commerce
The chamber has international divisions in many major U.S. cities and can provide helpful information. Ask for the names and addresses of key officers at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in your home country. When you plan your trip home, contact the key officers and ask for an informational interview to get their advice as you begin your job search.
Contact other international, private sector, or non-profit organizations that are active in your field
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