Last Updated on 2020-10-18 by ppcguybklyn
Many people’s goal is to get a job and stay in the US when they choose to study here. However, after we arrive in the US, spend lots of time and effort on resume and cover letter, how can we start applying for a job? In this article, I’ll introduce common job searching tools and methods.
Mentally-prepared when you’re using job searching platforms
The easiest and most direct way is to use online job searching platforms. Most platforms only need us to upload our resume and set up a personal profile, and then we can start to apply. However, although this way sounds easy, the competition is quite intense. We have a high possibility of being rejected. Unless those who graduated from a top university and possessed lots of experience, most people found their ideal job after applying a hundred thousand times.
Below are some common job searching platforms and my personal experience.
LinkedIn Jobs
LinkedIn is the platform where we can see lots of openings in large-scale companies. If you have set up a complete profile, we can see how many skills are matched to the company’s needs. If we pay and upgrade to LinkedIn Premium, there are some other functions helpful for job applications. LinkedIn jobs offer an “easy apply” function, and all we need to do is upload our resume. In terms of function and the number of openings, LinkedIn is a really useful platform. However, the competition is really intense, so it’s easy not to get any response. Therefore, we can apply for the openings with a high match to our experience and skills, and raise the opportunity to get an interview invitation.
Indeed
Compared to LinkedIn, Indeed offers more openings in small and medium enterprises. We can apply to most openings directly on Indeed. If we want to apply for lots of openings quickly, Indeed is a good choice. Therefore, when applying for jobs on Indeed, it’s possible to see companies with only a little information or we never heard of before. Some job descriptions are very short. If we see only companies with information or look suspicious, we should not apply in order to avoid spam. Before applying on Indeed, due to less information compared to LinkedIn, we should spend more time doing research on the company’s background and evaluation. By doing so can we feel safer in applying and interviewing.
On-Campus Job Searching Platform
If our university has a large scale, decent rank, and puts emphasis on students’ career development, the university would have its own job searching platform. The advantage of the On-Campus Job Searching Platform is most openings would indicate their preferred major. Also, because the employer actively posts the opening there, we’ll have a higher chance to get an interview invitation if the skills and experience are fit. However, the biggest disadvantage is that most openings would indicate they only accept US citizens or Green Card Holders. Thus, international students would possess fewer opportunities.
Official Website
If we have focused on some particular companies, then we can go to their official websites to apply for these openings. Larger companies may have their own recruiting system and may ask short answers for job-related questions. Therefore, it takes more time when we apply on the official websites. We should spare more time to answer these questions to raise the chance of getting an interview application.
Career Fair
Another important tool is to join a career fair. This is an awesome practice chance to interact with the hiring manager and even interview. This also gives international students a chance to be familiar with the different recruiting culture. In my opinion, we should seize every opportunity to join the career fair. Although it would take lots of time, it’s important to seize the chance to practice. Even though we may not get a job at the career fair, we can still progress and apply newly-learned skills in our next interview. There are 2 kinds of career fair:
Held by University or Department
The career fairs held by universities or departments tend to have a smaller scale. The pros and cons are similar to an on-campus job searching platform. We have a higher chance to find openings that fit our experience and skills. However, most of them are not willing to sponsor a visa. In my opinion, the most important thing about joining career fairs is to interact with hiring managers in a place we are familiar with. If interacting with hiring managers is difficult for you, attending on-campus career fairs may be easier because at least the place is familiar to you. Applying your well-prepared elevator pitch on career fairs and understanding how to interact with Americans will make you get a job easier.
Held by Organizations (Different Races or Industries)
Another kind of career fair is held by organizations that represent different races or industries. For example, an MBA can be segmented into African American MBA, Veteran MBA, and so on. Usually, these career fairs would not strictly limit the qualification to attend. African American MBA career fair is not only for the black. If you have military service experience in your home country, you can still attend the Veteran MBA career fair.
These career fairs held by organizations are not free, and they would provide seminars with different topics. In the event, they would provide places for on-site interviews. If things go smoothly, it is possible to get an offer on the same day. The biggest disadvantage is the expensive ticket price. Also, we need to consider transportation and hotel expenses. On average, going to a career fair would take you hundreds of USD. If you have a concern with the expense, you should think about whether it is worthwhile to spend money and get experience and opportunities.
Networking
The last tool, networking, can be the most effective but the most difficult one. According to research, over 80% of the offers come from referrals and networking. Therefore, if we can find an effective way to network with others, it would help a lot.
Below are some networking methods worth trying:
Find hiring managers, alumni, and managers in the industries you are interested in on LinkedIn:
The fastest way to extend a network is searching supervisors and hiring managers in the companies or industries you are interested in, send an invitation, and try to chat with them after they accept your invitation. The most important thing is to build relationships, so we should avoid talking about searching for jobs in the beginning. We can say we are interested in your profession and is it possible to schedule a time to talk about it. If he or she says yes, we can disclose we are searching for a job in the meeting, and see whether he or she is willing to introduce more job opportunities for us.
Alumni
If the university has a strong alumni network, we can make use of the alumni center or related resources to find alumni with similar professions. After building a relationship first, we can ask them about job opportunities. If we have decided to get a job in the US before studying abroad, we should take alumni into consideration when choosing universities. Usually, if the university is located in big cities or the city has famous industries, networking with alumni can definitely be useful in searching for jobs.
Social Events
Besides LinkedIn and alumni networks, it is a good chance to meet people by participating in social events including the event hosted by a university or by private organizations. In Taiwan, we seldom have the chance, so most of the Taiwanese students are not comfortable with these events unless you are outgoing. However, this is the reason why we need to participate in and practice how to network with others. It is worthwhile if we can build relationships with one to two people who can introduce job opportunities for us.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is never easy to get a job in the US, especially joining the career fairs and networking with others, which are hard to practice although we all know the concepts. Only by keeping practicing and trying can we know the weakness of attitudes and abilities. If we can prepare before studying abroad, it will be really helpful in getting a job.
(Original Post inShelly's Adventure)
