Fall 2013 workshop - American Job Search - Special Topics for International Students at University at Buffalo, by Holly Justice - UB Career Services

1. The American Job Search –
Special Topics for International
Students
Holly M. Justice
Engineering Career Counselor
259 Capen Hall

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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 Capen
Hall) to make an appt.
• Great for resume reviews,
cover letter reviews,
graduate school
preparation, salary
questions, etc…

6. 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.

7. Career Fairs

8. Where is the
UB Career Services office
located?
(Raise your Hand! )
Quiz question!

9. 259 Capen Hall
(Behind Student Response Center)
ANSWER

10. Preparing for the
Internship / Job Search

11. 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

12. 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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13. Internship / Job Search
Strategies and Resources

14. The Internship / Job search
may seem very challenging…

15. Search Strategies
• Find Opportunities • Target Companies

16. 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

17. Search Strategy 1: Find Opportunities
continued
• 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?*

18. 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.

19. 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

20. Search Strategy 3:
Networking

21. NETWORKING

22. 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”

23. 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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25. NETWORKING
How to get started…
Take at least one “action” a day.

26. 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)

27. 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.

28. 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*

29. 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!

30. Search Strategies
• Find Opportunities • Target Companies

31. Quiz question

32. 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?

33. Challenges International
Students Face in Today’s U.S.
Job Market

34. 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

35. 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

36. 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

37. ☞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
37

38. 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)

39. Special issues and resources for
International students

40. 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

41. 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.

42. 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).

43. 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

44. 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/ ($$$)
– http://www.workpermit.com/
– http://www.path2usa.com/ ($$$)

45. 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

46. 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/

47. 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!”

48. Resources
• Tools to help identify companies
– http://www.myvisajobs.com/
– UB Career Services BullsEye system
• Career Search tool
• UniWorld databases

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50. ub-careers.buffalo.edu
Career Services Website

51. www.ub-careers.buffalo.edu

52. Using the BullsEye System in
the Career Services website

53. www.ub-careers.buffalo.edu

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64. 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

65. Thank you for your time.
Holly M. Justice
Engineering Career Counselor
Career Services
259 Capen Hall