The American Job Search –

Special Topics for International

Students

Holly M. Justice

Engineering Career Counselor

259 Capen Hall

Overview

• UB Career Services Office & Resources

• Preparing for the Internship / Job Search

• Internship / Job Search Strategies & Resources

• Challenges International Students Face in

Today’s U.S. Job Market

• Special issues and resources for International

students

Career Services Resources• Individual Career Counseling

• Workshops & Seminars

• On-Campus Recruiting

• Career & Job Fairs

• Practice Interviews with Video Camera

• Resume & Cover letter critiques

• Career Library – (including Walk-in hours)

• Career Services Website – Including BullsEye and CareerSearch

• Meet-A-Mentor Program

Individual Career Counseling• Resume creation & critique

• Cover letter creation & critique

• Discuss academic major

• Internship & Job search strategies

• Preparing for an interview

• Strategies for Career Fairs

• Post graduation plans– Job Market

– Graduate School

– Volunteer / Service

– Other

Express Career Consult • One on one meeting

• 20 minute same day appointment

• Monday – Friday 12:00-4:00

• Call 716-645-2231 or walk-in to the office (259 CapenHall) to make an appt.

• Great for resume reviews, cover letter reviews, graduate school preparation, salary questions, etc…

Practice Interview

• Practice Interview appointment includes

you being video taped while being asked

interview questions.

• Then you and a career counselor review

the video to improve your interview

presentation.

Career Fairs

Where is the

UB Career Services office

located?

(Raise your Hand! )

Quiz question!

259 Capen Hall

(Behind Student Response Center)

ANSWER

Preparing for the

Internship / Job Search

Preparing for the

Internship / Job Search• Professional Materials

– Resume, Cover letter

• Research your industry and employers

• Increasing your competiveness in the employment market

– Get experience!

– Develop your Network of contacts!

• Technical Interview Skills

What Employers Have Said They Seek:• Good Communication Skills –

Oral and Written!*• EXPERIENCE!

(Co-op/Internship, related experience)

• Technical Knowledge & Skills• GPA• Evidence of Team Work• Time Management Skills• Problem-solving Skills• Enthusiasm• Flexibility• Being able to apply what you’ve

learned • Ethical decision making

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Internship / Job Search

Strategies and Resources

The Internship / Job search

may seem very challenging…

Search Strategies • Find Opportunities • Target Companies

Search Strategy 1: Find Opportunities• UB Career Services Website / BullsEye system

– Internships posted & On-Campus Interviewing

– Additional Specific Job Search Engines

– Professional Association websites

– Career Fairs

• Career Fairs at other universities

• Resources listing internships –books & online– Books: Internships by Petersons, Vault Guide to Top

Internships– www.internships.com

Search Strategy 1: Find Opportunitiescontinued

• Commercial Websites– Monster.com, Careerbuilder.com, hound.com

– collegerecruiter.com, collegegrad.com, aftercollege.com, craigslist.com

– Indeed.com, simplyhired.com,

• Specific sites / companies you know– www.employflorida.com

• What about Recruiters/Headhunters/Staffing Agencies?*

Search Strategy 2:Targeting Companies

• Identify companies and create a target

list of companies to pursue.

– Review their website

• if they currently have openings – Apply!

• If no current opening - Submit your resume to

their database anyway.

Search Strategy 2: Targeting Companies continued*

Resources to Identify companies:

• Your “professional” network of Faculty, Staff, friends, family, acquaintances…

• UB Career Services – Meet-a-Mentor program

• UB Career Services – “CareerSearch” tool

• UB Libraries – UniWorld databases

• For International Candidates – H-1B visa database

• Job Choices Magazine (list of companies by occupation)

• Professional Associations

• Fortune 500 list

• Internet – Google, vault.com…

• www.Linkedin.com

Search Strategy 3:

Networking

NETWORKING

NETWORKING

• Getting noticed by a potential employer

through someone that employer already knows

and trusts.

• Employers use networking to recruit.

• Don’t look for a job, look to meet people who need your help.

• Network by “Industry”

Search Strategy 3: Networking • UB Career Services – Meet-a-Mentor program

(Bullseye)

• Family, friends, friends of friends, etc.

• Professors, guest lecturers

• Professional Associations

• Alumni Association

• www.Linkedin.com

– University at Buffalo Mentor Program Linkedin group

• You already know someone who knows someone who may know about a job opportunity…

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NETWORKING

How to get started…

Take at least one “action” a day.

Getting started…• Establish rapport or commonality

– Ex. friend of a friend; alumni from same institution;

• Ask to follow up later– Be clear about what you’re asking for

– Collect business cards

– Leave the ball in your court

• Types of follow-up– Meeting in person (most effective)

– Speaking via phone (effective)

– Email exchanges (effective)

What to say

• Prepare a “30-second commercial”, also

called the “elevator pitch”

• Should contain:

– Your name

– Educational background

– Summary of skills, experience, strengths

– Explanation of immediate goals

– A question to keep the conversation going.

NETWORKING TIPS & TECHNIQUES

• Be specific about your goals

• Ask how they got started

• Ask if there are any projects/special events coming up that you can help with.

• Do class projects that can put you in contact with a potential contact/company.

• Combine two seemingly diverse areas of interest in your life*

Think long-term

• Does this process seem

like a lot of effort? - It can

be.

• It’s never too early to start

• Don’t give up too soon

• You’ll improve your

networking skills the more

you practice them!

Search Strategies • Find Opportunities • Target Companies

Quiz question

ANSWER:

After completing one academic year

(two semesters) of study at a US

institution.

QUIZ:

WHEN can an international student begin

working off campus at their internship

using their CPT work authorization?

Challenges International

Students Face in Today’s U.S.

Job Market

Challenges International Students

Face in Today’s U.S. Job Market

• Slow economic recovery

• Employers’ “fear” of immigration

regulations

• Insufficient knowledge of US culture and

US work-related customs and employer

expectations

Slow Economic Recovery

• Even though there are signs of improvement,

many employers are taking a “wait and see”

attitude

• Some employers prefer to re-hire laid-off or

experienced workers already familiar with

work/projects to reduce training costs

• Different regions of the US experiencing

recovery at different rates

Employers’ “Fear” of Immigration

Regulations• The majority of employers have had little

or no experience with immigration and other federal regulations affecting internationals in the US workplace

• H-1 Visa Status has become highly politicized in the last decade

☞It is illegal for employers to make interview or hiring decisions based on a person’s national origin, citizenship, age, religion, gender, race or disability (and sometimes sexual orientation.)

☞However, it is legal for a US employer to not interview or consider for hire any person who is not authorized to work indefinitely in the US

☞Some employers may only consider US citizens

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International Student’s Insufficient

Knowledge of US Work-related Customs

& Employer Expectations

• It is the applicant’s responsibility to acquaint him/herself with what US employers expect!

• US employers, for the most part, expect international students to adjust to the corporate culture, as opposed to the corporation adjusting to the new employee’s culture (at least at first)

Special issues and resources for

International students

Special Issues• Using Curricular Practical Training (CPT)

and Optional Practical Training (OPT)

• The “OPT Extension”

• Finding companies willing to Sponsor for H-1B Visa

• The H-1B Visa “cap”

• Employment “Contracts”

• Student perspective vs. Employer perspective

Special Issues

• Using Curricular Practical Training (CPT)

and Optional Practical Training (OPT)

– CPT for internships. Must register for

academic credit. May only use while in

school.

– OPT may be used for internships and full

time employment. May be used during school

and after graduation.

Special Issues• The “OPT Extension”

– OPT 12 months + OPT Extension 17 months =

29 months of OPT.

What are the eligibility requirements for the 17-month

extension of post-completion OPT?

• The student must have a bachelor’s, master’s or

doctorate degree in a STEM field.

• The employer must be enrolled in E-Verify. (A Federal

government program.)

• The student must apply on time (at least 90 days

before the current post-completion OPT expires).

Special Issues• Finding companies willing to Sponsor for

H-1B Visa – May not work for the US Federal government or

Department of Defense (DoD) Contractors

– Companies who have sponsored in the past understand the process and may consider sponsoring again

– YOU must be able to explain the sponsorship process to a company who has never sponsored before.

• You must understand the visa & paperwork process

– When reviewing Job Fairs make note which employers agreed to sponsor

Resources • Finding companies willing to Sponsor for H-1B

Visa continued

– Review the H-1B visa database from the Department of Labor. (Free)

• Find this on the UB Career Services website in the BullsEye system.

– http://www.myvisajobs.com/ (Free and $$$)

– http://www.h1visajobs.com/ ($$$)

– http://www.h1base.com/ ($$$)

– http://www.workpermit.com/

– http://www.path2usa.com/ ($$$)

Special Issues• The H-1B Visa “cap”*

– There are 65,000 H-1B visas available each

year

– The past few years their has been twice the

number of applicants (~130,000 applicants)

• A lottery system is used to determine which

applicants are awarded a H-1B work visa

Special Issues • Employment “Contracts”

– Employment contracts are legal and appropriate in the United States

– *Caution* - have a lawyer review your documents before you sign to clarify and verify your commitments and obligations!

• Resource• As a UB student you have access to free legal

services through the Student Association

• SBI Legal Assistance, 377 Student Union

• 716-645-3056

• http://subboard.com/legal/

Special Issues Int’l Student Perspective (Plan)

• “I just want to work in the

US for 1-2 years then go

home.”

• “The US work experience

will be very beneficial to

my candidacy for a job

when I go back home.”

• “I’ll just use my OPT and

the employer doesn’t have

to sponsor me!”

• “This will work great for

everyone!”

Employer Perspective (Plan)

• “I want to hire an entry-

level candidate and have

them stay and grow in my

company.”

• “The 1st + 2nd year will be

lots of training, leadership

development and

mentorship.”

• “The next 3-5 years the

employee will be a major

contributor and will

advance in my company!”

Resources • Tools to help identify companies

– http://www.myvisajobs.com/

– UB Career Services BullsEye system

• Career Search tool

• UniWorld databases

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ub-careers.buffalo.edu

Career Services Website

www.ub-careers.buffalo.edu

Using the BullsEye System in

the Career Services website

www.ub-careers.buffalo.edu

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Contact Career Services• Contact us:

– 259 Capen Hall 8:30am – 5:00pm M-F

– Call 716-645-2231 to schedule an appointment

– Email us at jobs@buffalo.edu

• Website resources

– www.ub-careers.buffalo.edu

• Individualized appointments

• Walk-in Hours for Quick Questions

– Walk-in Hours M-F 11:00am-4:00pm

Thank you for your time.

Holly M. Justice

Engineering Career Counselor

Career Services

259 Capen Hall