Getting a job in the U'S'

1
Getting a job in the U.S.
Career Development Resource Clinic International
Programs Services Career Services Spring 2007

• Workshops for International Students

Materials adapted from MU International Students
Career Services
2
Overview

• Workshop 1 February 15th
• What are my career options?
• What are potential barriers and personal
  strengths?
• Workshop 2 February 22nd
• How to plan my career in the U.S.
• How and when to apply for OPT/CPT
• Workshop 3 March 1st
• What is the U.S. work culture?
• What is involved in the job search process?
• Career Panel Successful stories
• Workshop 4 March 8th
• How do I write a resume and cover letter?
• What are good interview skills?
• Workshop 5 March 22nd
• Follow-up

3
Presenters

• Career Development Resource Clinic (CDRC)
• Life Science II Room 217
• Amanda Jantzer, MA Lan-Sze Pang, MA
• Frances Shen, MA
• International Programs Services (IPS)
• Northwest Annex B
• Carla Coppi, Interim Director of IPS
• Phil Lindberg, Assistant Director of IPS

4
Sample timeline for F-1 students

• First year
• Become familiar with campus resources (CDRC, IPS,
  CS)
• Begin to learn how to write professional
  documents (CV, resume, portfolio) (e.g, samples
  from Career Services)
• Learn about U.S. work culture (student worker
  RA/TA)
• Begin to explore potential barriers and personal
  strengths
• Second Year
• Update professional documents
• Learn about potential career paths (e.g., visit
  CDRC talk to professors advanced students in
  your major)
• Attend workshops and seminars

5

• Third year
• Familiarize yourself with what is necessary for
  OPT/CPT application (make an appointment with
  Carla/Phil)
• Learn more about interviewing and how to polish
  your resume (Career Services)
• Begin networking and examine the U.S. job market
• Attend job fairs (Career Services website)
• Fourth Year
• File OPT paperwork at least 3 months before
  graduation
• Start the job search process and information
  interviewing
• Finish writing resume and other professional
  documents
• Arrange to do mock interviews at Career Services

6
My Career Plan

• SECTION A SELF
• Strengths
• My personal qualities hard working, organized,
  responsible______
• My intercultural experiences work with students
  with diverse cultural backgrounds_
• My community/volunteer experiences volunteered
  at ISS new student orientations__
• Abilities/Skills 
• I am good at SPSS, publisher, MS
  Excel_______________
• I can speak/write/read in Cantonese, Mandarin
  Chinese, English____________
• I have professional training in career
  counseling, bookkeeping. licensure exams_  
• Values/Priorities
• I value family, security, equality, learning,
  freedom___________________
• I dont value excitement, popularity,
  comfort__________________________
• Interests
• I love/enjoy interacting with people,
  sports_______________________
• I have no interest in reading,
  music________________________

7

• SECTION B SELF AND ENVIRONMENT
• Family
• Family members parents, 2 younger sisters,
  grandparents_____________________
• Their expectations on me get a job that secures
  financial obligations______________
• Financial/Social status
• Desired annual salary _US40,000/year
• Desired social status of future career
  __professor, CEO__________
• Barriers/Obstacles
• Personal familiarity of U.S. work culture,
  family obligation____________________
• Environment _visa status, discrimination_________
  __________________________
•  
•  
•  
•  
•  

8

• SECTION C CAREER INFORMATION
• Printed resources
• I have collected career information from
• Online job search engines Monster, Occupational
  Outlook Handbook____________
• Most useful information ___________________
• Books/Articles Wall Street Journal_______________
  ____________________
• Seminars/Workshops
• Title/Date/Title Getting a Job in the U.S.,
  2/22/07____________
• Job fairs
• Title/Date/Location _All Majors Job Fair,
  2/20/07, SIU__________________
• Information Interviewing (Company/institution
  visit)
• Name Carbondale Memorial Hospital________ Date
  visited __2/10/07_____
• Rating of interest (1-10) __9___

9

• SECTION D EVALUATION
• How do my strengths, abilities, values, and
  interests (section A) match or not match with my
  career objective?  
• e.g., My values do not match with the work values
  of XX job
• My abilities in Excel match well with XX job
• How do my family expectations and
  financial/social status expectation (section B)
  match or not match with my career objective?
• e.g., XX job pays well and provides health
  insurance for employees
• How do the barriers/obstacles (section B)
  intervene the pursuit my career objective?
• e.g., My visa status may not allow me to work
  permanently in XX compan
•  
• What kind of information do I need more from
  printed resources, workshops/seminars, job fairs,
  and information interviewing (section C)?
• e.g., I need more information on employment trend
  in my field, cost of living in NY
•  

10

• PREVIEW for next week!

11
Career Panel Successful Stories

• Dr. Dhrubodhi Mukherjee
• Assistant Professor, Social Work
• Dr. Philip Shen
• Computer Information Specialist, Computer Science
• Chief Scientist, Asia-Pacific Institute of
  Finance Management
• Neha Udar
• Ph.D. Candidate, Electrical Computer
  Engineering
• Interned at Intel Corp. Agere Systems

12
Evaluation

• Please help us serve you better by
• filling out our evaluation.
• Thank you!
• Next week (March 1st)
• Job search process U.S. work culture Career
  panel Successful Stories