Last Updated on 2021-02-03 by ppcguybklyn
We all know that international students who want to stay in the United States to apply for a job, even if they have the brilliant academic experience, must be adequately prepared and undergo a very competitive selection process to find the ideal job. When preparing for a job search, we will definitely refer to the Internet or other people’s experience or suggestions. However, because everyone’s job search situations are different, not every successful experience can be applied to other people. In this article, I will list a few job search myths that I think are worth discussing, and share my views on them.
Myth 1: If you have an “English name”, you have a higher chance of getting an interview invitation?
When revising the resume, many people will suggest adding an English name that looks more like an American or even directly replaces the Roman pinyin of the Chinese name with an English name. By doing so, the company is more likely to think that the person is American or does not need the sponsorship of status, so the chance of getting an interview invitation will be greater, but is this really the case?
When I was looking for a job, I first used the Roman pinyin of my real name, and then changed it to an English name. When I changed it to an English name, I received a lot of interview invitations at first, but I didn’t think this gave me an advantage in finding a job. After changing to an English name, it still took me several months of hard work to find my current job. Whether we get a job offer or not depends on our performance in the interview and the difference in our academic and work experience. In addition, the American workplace now attaches great importance to diversified recruitment. Some large-scale companies will hope to hire employees from various cultural backgrounds, so if the candidate’s academic experience is very suitable for the job vacancy, letting them know that we are international students from other countries may also increase the possibility to get an interview.
Myth 2: Must switch to STEM-related fields to better find a job?
The second common myth is related to the field of non-STEM, such as marketing. Because of the fierce competition, it is very difficult to find a job in the United States. Some people think we must find a way to switch to a STEM-related field to find a job. In my opinion, if you don’t have a green card or citizenship status, unless there is a huge demand for professional talents in the field, it is basically as difficult to find a job in the United States no matter what field you are in, because you have to compete with those who have a green card or are U.S. citizen.
The difficulty of finding a job still goes back to whether your own academic experience can beat other competitors. Of course, this is a bit simpler in the STEM field where job achievements and skills are relatively easy to quantify, because you can clearly compare each applicant The skills and abilities possessed.
On the other hand, because non-STEM candidates possess relatively qualitative skills, sometimes whether you can get an offer or not depends on the personal preference and judgment of the supervisor, so it is indeed more difficult to improve the resume and prepare for the interview than those in the STEM field. But this does not mean that every international student who comes to the United States to study must study in the STEM field to have a chance to find a job. As long as the academic experience is outstanding, prepare for every interview, and get an offer for the vacancy, we still have plenty of chances.
Skills that can give non-STEM international students an advantage
At this point of discussion, what abilities do international students in the literary group have to have in order to be more advantageous in the American workplace? I think the following skills can make their resumes look more eye-catching:
1. Basic data and statistical analysis capabilities
2. Data visualization and presentation
3. Excellent Excel skills
Simply put, the current marketing or other mainstream non-STEM positions are increasingly demanding the ability to analyze data and produce reports, especially the popular business analyst or marketing analyst positions in recent years. Even project managers that require management skills must at least be able to interpret the report data provided by other colleagues to know how to arrange work to make performance better. Therefore, if you choose a non-STEM field when you come to the United States to study, you can strengthen these skills when choosing courses that will be very helpful in job hunting.
Myth 3: There is no opportunity for a job that doesn’t provide visa sponsorship. We don’t need to consider those, do we?
The third myth to be discussed is that if you want to find a job in the United States, you must find a company with a sponsored visa record. If the position does not sponsor a visa, there will be no chance of admission. Even if there is a chance, there is no need to consider this job vacancy.
This concept is completely wrong. If the company itself is unwilling to hire international students, it will eliminate job applicants during the review or the first round. If there is a way to pass the first round of interviews to the next level, it means The interviewer pays more attention to the job applicant’s own abilities than his immigration status.
The absence of a sponsored visa record does not mean that this company will not make an exception for a job seeker. As long as the interview performance is good enough and the interviewer likes us enough, there is still room for negotiation. We cannot give up immediately just because this is a job that does not sponsor a visa.
The time for international students to find a job after graduation in the United States is very short, and they must leave the United States as soon as the time is up. Not everyone can find the ideal job within this period of time, so when the statutory job search period is approaching, there is actually no room to think about visa issues. You must first rely on a job to stay in the United States. Only then can I think about what to do next.
You can find a job that will sponsor your visa while doing the job at hand, or use your excellent work performance to convince your boss to help sponsor your visa. In short, in the case of limited time, the choice of work is usually first and then the best.
It is worth mentioning that there are many companies in the United States that use the mentality of international students to need work visas to introduce many very poorly paid job opportunities or headhunting contracts. The only advantage of these things for international students is that they only need to sign the contract and start to work, you can guarantee that you will not have to worry about your status in the next few years, and you will even be able to apply for a green card. But I think we shouldn’t consider this type of job opportunity unless we are determined to immigrate. Choosing to accept a very low salary and treatment just for visas and green cards will make life very hard. Not everyone can endure this kind of life.
Myth 4: Is it difficult to find a job If my school is not ranked well, or if I am not located in a big city?
The last job search myth to discuss is that if the school is not well-ranked or the school is not located in a big city, it will be difficult to find a job in the United States. Indeed, if the location of the school is not in a big city, upon graduation, it is necessary to find a job in a place with a larger job market to compete with local graduates. However, many companies are willing to hire non-local talents, and some are even willing to cover moving expenses. Not to mention that in the past year due to the pandemic, more and more job vacancies are remote jobs, and the requirements for the location of job seekers have become more and more relaxed, so there is no need to worry that the location of the school will affect the chances of finding a job.
As for the ranking of schools, unless it is an investment bank or a well-known consulting firm that only accepts applications from M7, I think it will not have a big impact on job hunting. The reputation of a local prestigious school may be useful in reviewing resumes or in the first round of interviews, but if you can get an offer in the future, it depends on the performance of the interview and the opinion of the interviewer. Therefore, when choosing a school, the quality of the department you want to study and how much help you can provide for future job hunting will be much more important than simply ranking the school. Doing your homework before making a decision and knowing the employment status and experience of alumni is also a very important part of choosing a school.
(Original Post inShelly's Adventure)
