The impact of ‘Job search strategies for international student’ workshop on me
I attended a workshop that was focused on international students and their strategies to get a job. The workshop was held on 4.3.2014 between 4 to 5 p.m. in Davidson auditorium. There were about 20 students like me who attended the workshop. The biggest reason why I chose to attend this workshop was that I am an international student, and this workshop might be helpful for my future career aspirations.
The workshop has a very powerful impact on me, as it was very descriptive and gave a detailed process description of how to find employment in the U.S. market. Following were my key takeaways from the workshop:
- Why will an employer hire me?
This is one of the most important questions that we need to ask ourselves. Obviously, an employer will hire a person for his technical skills, language skills, cultural skills, and company loyalty, risk taking ability, flexibility and knowledge on foreign markets. It is very important that international students focus on sharpening these skills.
- Improve and develop English skills.
English is the most widely used language in U.S and rest of the world, it is very important that students develop and sharpen their written and verbal communication with reference to English language. Students should participate in group discussions, public speaking contests and debates in order to develop their language skills.
- Identify the target companies.
- Create a powerful and impressive Resume.
It is extremely important that the resume highlights all the achievements and academic skills of the student in a simple bullet point form. It is essential to keep focus on ones achievement and responsibilities. There are many resources that can help in creating a powerful and an effective resume, such as career centre, writing centre, CMC and college professors.
- Art of Small Talk.
The art of small talk is one of the most crucial factors that can help in getting a lucrative job opportunity. The most important thing is to create a strong first impression! In order to talk achieve this, one needs to sharpen his overall general awareness related to current events (both local and national), sports, politics, books, movies and general events. It is important to remain updated with the best industry practises and one’s career goals.
- Networking
This is the most important aspect for an international student, and this can be achieved by attending seminars, network meet-up, LinkedIn and by attending community programs.
- Adopt some of the best practises and finding a good internship opportunity
There are some additional strategies that students can make use of, such as finding hidden job markets, following up with prospect companies by writing e-mails, networking and distributing business cards to prospective employers, targeting global companies and creating a planned strategy. Students can try and prepare a 30 –second’s speech in a clear, specific and a confident way. The idea is to tell a memorable story, and record these speeches to make further improvement.
Conclusion
It was a great and a productive workshop that taught me to be persistent in my efforts in finding a right job, the key to success being constant practise, dedication, planning and hard work!
