Not surprisingly, many international students think the most valuable skills they offer to American employers are multi-language proficiency and thorough knowledge of a foreign culture (their home country’s). They think that, everything else being equal, these skills will be the deciding factors to get them hired over an American counterpart. While speaking multiple languages and understanding a foreign culture can certainly differentiate international students from the average American graduate, they are seldom important enough to sway an employer. There are, however, a few industries where proficiency in multiple languages is valuable. For example, if you work in the hospitality industry and you are in direct contact with international guests, speaking a foreign language is perceived as an asset. In most other industries, including science and engineering fields, English is the de facto language used to communicate across the world. Businesses in the US know that most people they encounter abroad will speak English well enough to meet their objectives. The same thing can be said of understanding a foreign culture - unless a business is planning on expanding operations to the specific region you know about, your expertise will be impractical to them. So, if these skills are superfluous to American businesses, what you do you bring to the table? What is your unique value proposition as an international student? To answer these questions, consider this hard truth: college graduates tend to be viewed as commodities by the business community. We are using the term “commodity” in its economic sense. In other words, college graduates are akin to cotton, steel, or lumber. Their quality is expected to be uniform, regardless of their source. Before you call foul, please understand we are merely offering a broad and stereotypical perspective of businesses’ perception of recent graduates. With limited work experience, the tangible skills (also known as “hard skills”) of college students are expected to be uniform. Hiring managers assume, for instance, that all business administration graduates have taken courses in finance, accounting and marketing; hence their knowledge in these fields is virtually identical. With hard skills off the table, we are left with soft skills as the only potential differentiators. Soft skills are less tangible traits of an employee. These traits are hard to quantify, such as being a good team member (or leader), being organized, and able to follow instructions, etc. As an international student, your soft skills will help you set yourself apart from the competition to gain employment in the US. Let’s take a look at your soft skills. Commitment and hard work: Let’s face it, you are risking a lot financially and emotionally by deciding to earn a degree in the US. Many things depend on your performance, including your ability to stay in this country. So yes, the consequences of not achieving good grades are monumental. For this reason, you can’t afford to slack off. This added pressure makes you perform better than the average American student. Maturity: In today’s age of overprotective parenting, maturity is a rare asset. We see more and more college graduates who are emotionally unprepared to effectively participate in the corporate world. Businesses are noticing this trend, and they are not amused. So, what differentiates you from the average American student? What makes you more mature? Think about the fact that you have been fending for yourself in a foreign country (the US) for several years. Remember all the times you had to solve complex situations with little or no family support. THIS makes you more mature than the average American graduate. Don’t assume an employer will know about your higher level of commitment or maturity. Unless you specifically and clearly explain it to them, they will assume you are like any other graduate who walks through the door.

Along with giving new acquaintances your business card, you need to say something brief and noteworthy about yourself. Many people call this the elevator pitch. The elevator pitch is a 30 to 60 second speech about you and your goal/mission. But unlike your American friends, we recommend you have two elevator pitches: one about you and another about your immigration status, where you explain your process. We are surprised how often international job seekers are clueless about their own immigration process. Why do they expect businesses to learn the process on their behalf? Instead, we recommend you take ownership of your immigration process! To prepare your immigration elevator pitch, and to understand when to use it, we recommend you read the section titled, “Interview Preparation: How to Address Questions About Your Immigration Status.” You need to rehearse both elevator pitches until you can recite them with your eyes closed. This is extremely important so you will sound knowledgeable and eloquent when you meet someone new. Remember, first impressions are very important! While we are on the topic of creating a good first impression, we strongly recommend you care for your attire and hygiene. If you think there is a chance you will meet someone during a specific outing, dress appropriately. As a general rule, it is advisable to dress at or above the requirement for the occasion. For instance, if you are attending a function organized by a chamber of commerce, which requires business casual attire, we recommend you dress business casual or business formal. With regards to your hygiene, always be fresh if there is a chance you will meet someone. This may involve taking a shower and brushing your teeth before a meeting or event. These recommendations may sound superfluous and obvious, but we can’t tell you how often we have seen international students fail to follow these simple recommendations.

Looking for a job is a job in itself – it requires time and effort. The more hours you put into your job search, the more likely you will experience a positive outcome. To help you gain perspective on the number of hours required to find a job, here’s what we propose: If you are on vacations, holidays, or already graduated: 40 hours per week Freshman and sophomore semesters: 2-5 hours per week Junior semesters: 5-10 hours per week Senior semesters: at least 20 hours per week. We are not exaggerating. If you are willing to put in the hours, you will see the results.

Seasoned networkers always carry business cards in case they meet new people. We recommend you do the same. You may think that, as a student, you are not worthy of having business cards, but nothing could be further from the truth. If there is a moment in your life when you need, and deserve, a business card, that moment is now! A business card will make you memorable and your new contacts will be able to reach you, if needed. So, what information do you put on a business card if you don’t have a job? Business cards are typically associated with people who are already employed, so the contact information on the cards is relevant to the person’s position within the company. As an unemployed student, we recommend you include your personal contact information and label yourself as a professional in your field of study. For example, if you are finance major say, “Finance Professional”, “Finance Student”, or “Finance Graduate.” One more tip about your business card: Use an email address that presents you in a professional light. For example, use “m.perez@gmail.com” instead of “SexyLatinBeauty27@gmail.com.”

When looking for a job as an international student, your degree has a significant impact on your ability to gain employment in the US. Depending on your major, you will have greater or lesser opportunities to find a suitable employer. Let’s explore some of the factors related to your degree, which may affect your ability to find an employer. Length of OPT: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math degrees (STEM degrees) offer a 12-month OPT with an additional, non-compulsory 24-month extension. If you graduate with a STEM degree, you have 300% more time to undergo an immigration process. Number of businesses and industries within the scope of your degree: Since OPTs are only valid for jobs within your field of study, the specificity of your degree may limit the number of suitable employers; thus making it more difficult to find a job. In this regard, business majors tend to have an advantage over other degrees, because the skills associated with managing a business are needed in virtually every kind of entity and industry in the US. Conversely, a music major has a narrower scope of work, and for that reason, a limited number of viable employers. Economic and industrial trends: Even if you choose a degree that conveys a good chance of finding an employer, economic and industrial trends may affect your employment outlook. For example, if you earn a Petroleum Engineering degree (which is a STEM degree) from a university in Texas (a state historically known to have a large petroleum industry), your ability to find a job may be affected by oil prices. If the oil price drops, like it did in 2015, your job search will become significantly more challenging in the oil industry. Given these factors, we strongly recommend you investigate, at least once a year, the employment outlook of careers associated with your degree. To do this, go to your university’s department of Career Development. They should have updated information about employment trends in your degree. For example, they should be able to provide the placement rate of recent graduates in your degree. We also recommend you stay well informed of economic developments, so you can recognize shifts in the employment landscape. Keep your options open. We recommend you think beyond the jobs and industries that are typically associated with your degree. The broader the scope of the businesses and industries you consider, the better your chances of finding a suitable employer. Regardless of your degree, you can work in any kind of business and industry, as long as your responsibilities are related to your degree. For example, if you are an Art History major, you would typically look for jobs at museums and art galleries; however, you could also consider working for a tech company that is currently developing an app to explore museums virtually. If you wish to discover opportunities of this kind, look for startups that are developing ideas associated with your degree. Visit kickstarter.com and Indiegogo.com (two prominent crowdfunding platforms) to browse thousands of startups that are involved in all kinds of industries.

The efforts described in Konkeros.com will give you the best results when applied to medium and small-sized businesses. Medium and small businesses face greater challenges in regard to attracting talent than larger organizations. For instance, a small, local accounting firm with 15 employees will find it harder to attract top accounting graduates, compared to large and renowned consulting firms, like PricewaterhouseCoopers or Deloitte. Hence medium and small businesses are more likely to hire an international student. It is also important to note that medium and small businesses, because they typically lack rigid processes and extensive (read: restrictive) policies, tend to have the flexibility to entertain unconventional endeavors, like hiring international employees. As a rule, if you can recognize the name of a company, like Coca-Cola, Disney World, Dell, and Bank of America, just to name a few, your chances of being hired are very low. Unless you have a compelling reason to engage with large organizations, we strongly encourage you to focus your energy on smaller businesses. According to the Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) Performance Data for PERM applications, the median size of companies that hired foreign nationals through PERMs is 39 employees.

Part of the process to gain lawful employment in the US requires you to present a valid SSN to your employer. Although the primary purpose of a SSN is to track individuals for social security purposes, the SSN has become a de facto national identification number for taxation and other purposes. Obtaining one is not complex, but it may take days or weeks to receive it in the mail. In the spirit of simplifying and expediting the hiring process for your employer, we recommend you obtain a SSN before you start your job search. Ultimately you can apply for a SSN through your employer, but why add one more nuisance for them? Here’s the tricky part: As an international student, you can’t get a SSN without a job offer. So, how do you get one before you start looking for an internship or full-time employment? The easiest way to obtain a SSN is through a job at your school, while you are a student. Typically, many work-study jobs become available every semester on campus. Find out through your office of international students how to qualify for these work-study job opportunities and, if possible, apply for them. Once you get a job, ask the office of international students to help you complete the SSN application. Your SSN number stays with you forever. This means you don’t need to reapply for one every time you get a job, nor do you have to remain continuously employed to keep it active. For example, imagine you got a job as a library assistant during your freshman year, for which you obtained a SSN, and worked for one semester. During the next three years you did not work again. Then, after graduation, you found a company that is willing to hire you (kudos!) - you can use the same SSN card you received when you worked at the library! Critical note: Be very selective with the people and organizations that you share your SSN with. In the wrong hands, your SSN may be used fraudulently, which may negatively affect your credit history and score. That said, it is common practice to use the last four digits of your SSN to verify your identity in regular day-to-day situations.

If you consider all the possible ways you can find job opportunities in the US, every approach falls within one of two categories: direct applications or networking. If you choose to do direct applications, you will search for opportunities that match your profile on job boards (read: Indeed, Monster, Career Builder, etc.) and apply for them directly. If you do networking, you will first connect and build relationships with people in your industry/career path, and then detect employment opportunities and apply for them. As an international student, you are probably wondering which approach is most effective for you. Should you invest all your time and energy on direct applications, or should you network? Each approach has its pros and cons. So, let’s examine which one is more effective for you. Pursuing direct applications is a logical and effective way to look for a job. After all, each application is an actual job opportunity! Also, direct applications give you a sense of accomplishment. The process of submitting a job application has a specific beginning and end, which means you can track your progress in an objective manner. At the end of the day, you can claim, “I applied for 20 jobs today!”, and feel good about your effort. People who focus their job search entirely on job applications typically talk about playing “a numbers game” - the more applications they send, the better their chances of getting a job. While this is generally true, there are two significant challenges with regards to submitting direct applications. First, according to research conducted by many career development organizations, including LinkedIn, most of the jobs in the United States are never published. Studies generally agree that approximately 75% of all positions never make their way to a newspaper or online job board. This means that most jobs are filled through word of mouth. For example, if a company needs a new graphic designer, it will fill the position through internal referrals. It is not difficult to understand why companies prefer word of mouth. It’s free, fast, and generally does a better job filtering unwanted candidates - after all, you would not recommend someone who’s not qualified for a position in your company because it may jeopardize your reputation. Second, and just as critical, direct applications require a perfect “paper fit.” This means that if the position requires 10 specific (and often eclectic) skills/traits, your résumé must show clear evidence of these 10 skills/traits. The problem for international students is that invariably one of these traits (even if it’s not explicitly mentioned on job descriptions) requires eligibility to work in the United States. In fact, most of the time, employers ask for this information during the application process. If you apply for a job directly, and the employer learns you require a work visa, there’s a strong likelihood you will not be considered for the position. This doesn’t sound very encouraging, does it? Now let’s look at the networking approach to get a job in the US. Networking is admittedly a very indirect and long way to find a job. Not all connections you establish lead to a job opportunity. Building a network also takes time – something international students don’t necessarily have (this is especially true when the Optional Practical Training clock starts ticking). Networking also requires people skills, which refers to the ability to communicate effectively with people in a friendly way. Finally, networking gives you little sense of accomplishment because it is an ongoing process, with no specific beginning or end. So, if networking has all these obstacles, why even consider it to find a job? The most compelling reason is that networking will give you the best, if not the only, chance to overcome your biggest obstacle: convincing hiring managers to employ you. Direct applications typically disqualify you as a viable candidate because you don’t have the perfect “paper fit.” Businesses feel confident they will find someone who checks all the boxes, and therefore, discard your application. Conversely, when you develop a relationship with people within a business, they are more likely to put you at the top of the candidate list, even if you require a work visa. Bottom line: Practically all international students we have encountered over the years, who are successfully employed in the US, found their jobs through networking. For this reason, all the advice we will offer revolves around networking. That’s not to say you can’t continue to do direct applications! By all means, continue searching for job opportunities that have a perfect fit with your skills and experience. All we are recommending is that you spend a minimal amount of time doing this. If we were to quantify it, we would say that you should allocate between 10 to 20 percent of your job-seeking time doing direct applications. The rest of the time is better invested in building your network. Effective networking requires a special mindset. It involves being willing to talk to strangers. For some, networking comes naturally; for others, it requires a conscious effort. While the focus of this book is not to teach you ways to overcome discomfort when you speak with new people, we will say that being in the right frame of mind to network is a conscious decision. Sometimes it is as simple as telling yourself, “I am going to speak with everyone as soon as I enter the room.” The more frequently you engage people, the more proficient and natural you will become. Never forget to have fun at it and be yourself. Critical note about networking: Always keep your end-goal in mind during networking conversations. Remind yourself, “I am speaking with this person because I want a job in the US.” With this mentality, learn to steer conversations to suit your needs. If you believe the person in front of you is instrumental in your job search, don’t spend the entire time talking about superfluous topics – doing “small talk”, as we say in the US. While it’s okay to open the conversation with any pretext, learn to transition to important topics as soon as possible. Be focused and efficient in your networking efforts. Never leave a conversation without having asked your questions. Meet as many people as you can and spend more time with those who show the most promise. Don’t get stuck in a never-ending conversation with a nice person who brings you no closer to your goal. In those cases, simply thank the person and move on!

Let’s begin our discussion about résumés for international students with a true story. During the 2007-2010 recession, there was an American job seeker named José. José had applied for dozens of jobs without any success. Seeing that his job applications were not initiating any interviews, he decided to conduct an experiment: He changed the name on his résumé to Joe to see if it would have an effect on responses. Surprisingly, he started receiving invitations for interviews soon after changing his name. The irony is that many of the calls came from businesses where he had originally applied as José. So, let’s focus on your name. Across cultures there are different traditions when it comes to name-giving and the structure of names. For example, in Latin America it is customary to use two last names (the second being your mother’s maiden name). While this is a common practice there, it is uncommon in the United States. Using foreign-sounding names and name structures that are different than in the US, may unnecessarily highlight your international background. We recommend you go by an Americanized version of your name. For example, if your name is Luis, you may want to use an American nickname – like Lou. It doesn’t matter if this is not a nickname you really go by; all we care about is that it makes you more relatable to Americans. Apply the same logic to all other names throughout your résumé. Americanize as many foreign sounding words as possible. One more thing - don’t say, “fluent in English.” It is assumed you speak the language. Instead, express your fluency in other languages (if any). With that being said, avoid using the term “native speaker” for the other languages, which unintentionally discloses you are from another country. While America is one of the most forward-thinking and accepting cultures in the world, there is still the possibility you may experience discrimination in the corporate world based on your nationality. To play it safe, we recommend you downplay your international background at first. In other words, when potential employers read your résumé for the first time, we want to minimize the chances they identify you as a foreigner.

As you embark on your job searching efforts, we urge you to learn as much as you can about your immigration options. While the information provided here discusses specific immigration processes, it should not be considered legal advice. For legal advice please, pretty please, consult with an immigration attorney. Immigration laws are constantly changing in the United States. As political parties take turns running the country, almost invariably new immigration policies are introduced. The important thing to understand, however, is that despite all the changes, generally speaking, there has always been a way for international college graduates to stay in this country. The United States needs your talent, and for that reason we encourage you not to worry excessively about potential changes in immigration laws. As far as our research shows, now and in the future, there will be avenues available for international students to pursue jobs in this country. Now that you know about the nature of immigration laws in the United States, it is vital that you stay on top of the current laws. For this reason, the single most important piece of advice we can offer now is that you find an immigration attorney as soon as possible. Regardless of your class standing (freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior), get an immigration attorney today! Allow us to elaborate more on why it’s important to find an immigration attorney now: The most common mistake international students make when considering employment in the US is postponing a meeting with an immigration attorney. Many believe they should contact one only if they receive a job offer. The reality is that, if you don’t speak with an immigration attorney in advance, you will severely jeopardize your chances of finding a job in the US. If you are serious about working in the US, you need to engage an immigration attorney during your freshman year. If you are a senior, don’t worry, you can still have a successful immigration process – just don’t waste any more time! While you might think we are exaggerating, here are three compelling reasons why you should contact an immigration attorney today: If you start working with an immigration attorney during your freshman year, the attorney can coach you on the kinds of activities you can perform in college to improve your chances of employment. For example, the attorney can indicate the kinds of internships that will favor you the most when you apply for a work visa. An immigration attorney can coach you on the proper way to discuss your immigration status with potential employers – even if it’s just for an internship. The earlier you learn this skill, the better off you’ll be. See the section called, “Interview Preparation: How to Address Questions About Your Immigration Status.” If you start working with an immigration attorney today, you will save critical time when you find an internship or a job. You don’t want to lose a willing employer because you don’t have an attorney readily available to finalize the arrangements. Keep in mind that good immigration attorneys typically have long waiting lists for initial appointments – sometimes a month out! What’s the cost of an initial consultation? Typically, you can schedule a meeting with a good immigration attorney for $300 or less. This payment will help you address the three points above. When you think about it, $300 is a small price to pay for such an important life event! So, you say you don’t know any good immigration attorneys? Send us a message to info@konkeros.com and we’ll provide the names of some good immigration attorneys. During a meeting with an immigration attorney, be ready to explain your personal situation in detail, especially anything you think will have a negative impact on your immigration process. For example, if you have ever been detained or arrested in the US, you should mention it, because it may negatively affect your process. Keep in mind that immigration attorneys are not there to judge you, but rather to help you overcome challenges in your immigration process. We also recommend that, before the meeting, you ask the attorney what documents you should bring.

Now we are going to discuss potential immigration paths for you. Depending on your nationality, professional profile, and financial situation, you may be eligible for other immigration processes. Below we will cover the two most common ones for international students: H-1B visa and the EB-2/EB-3 processes (we’ll explain these terms below). These options are viable to you due to your F-1 student status. The EB-2 and EB-3 processes are available to you due to your F-1, student visa status. In other words, no work visa is required to pursue them. Unfortunately, the EB-2 and EB-3 processes are not a solution for Indian and Chinese nationals - unless they are married to a non-Indian or Chinese national. Alternatively, Indian and Chinese nationals may apply for other kinds of visas, like an H-1B, O-1, or E-2 (if they are from Taiwan). The reason the EB-2 and EB-3 are not viable immigration paths for Indian and Chinese nationals is because the Chinese have a four to five year wait to achieve permanent residency and Indians have a nine to eleven-year wait. Before you reach any conclusions about your situation, we insist you consult with an immigration attorney!

Optional Practical Training (OPT) is a period of time during which undergraduate and graduate students with F-1 Status, who have completed degrees, are permitted by USCIS to work one year on a student visa without needing to acquire an H-1B work visa. Qualified STEM degrees are eligible for a 24-month extension. Think of this work permit as the means by which you will connect with an employer who will apply for an H-1B or EB-2/EB-3 process on your behalf. We strongly encourage you to embark in one of these paths as soon as you start working at the company. We also advise you to use your OPT exclusively with a business that is willing to hire you right away; otherwise you will burn valuable OPT time.

According to US immigration law, universities can’t issue CPTs unless an internship is required to complete the student’s degree. If your degree doesn’t require one, and your university is enforcing this law, unfortunately you won’t be able to do a CPT. Internships offered as elective courses don’t satisfy this particular US immigration law – the internship must be required. Potential solution: If your degree doesn’t require an internship and you find a valuable internship opportunity, you have the right to identify other degrees offered at your university that do require an internship, and consequently allow you to complete a CPT. There is nothing legally preventing you from exploring a major that requires an internship – even if it’s only temporarily. The exploration of an alternative major would legally enable you to complete a CPT (and maybe even sway you to switch your major permanently). This is a legitimate loophole. Just make sure the responsibilities associated with the internship match the scope of the new major, otherwise the CPT may still be denied. For example, if you are a business major with a potential internship in accounting, you can’t use a major in music to complete the CPT. Use this potential solution at your own discretion.

“Based on my profile, which immigration process would you recommend for me?” “Do you foresee any particular challenges in my case?” “Is there anything I could be doing now to improve my chances of successfully completing my immigration process?” “Are there any kinds of internships or experiences I can include in my résumé that will help me?” “Do you foresee any changes in legislation that would hinder my process?” “How should I explain my immigration process to a potential employer? Can you coach me on how to address these kinds of questions?” “If I find a willing employer, would you be available to speak with them on my behalf?”

The H-1B is the most common type of work visa in the United States. This visa allows you to work temporarily for the employer. These are the three reasons we suggest you avoid the H-1B work visa, if you can: H-1Bs are issued under a very specific timeframe: Applications are submitted in April and the visas are issued in October. This means that if you found an employer in May you must wait nearly a year to apply for this visa, and then many more months to get it approved. H-1Bs are subject to a lottery system. The lottery system exists because the number of visas is capped (the number of visas available may vary from year to year), and there are always more applicants than visas. This means you may find a willing employer and still be out of a job, because you didn’t get the “winning lottery ticket.” H-1Bs make you extremely vulnerable with employers. Since this visa only allows you to work for your current employer, you will find yourself at their mercy for as long as you have that visa. We have heard of cases where employees find themselves tied to a company for a decade! For these reasons, we encourage you to speak with your attorney about EB-2s and EB-3s.

The EB-3 process is the same as the EB-2. The only difference is how you qualify for it. To qualify for the EB-3, you must have a college degree and relevant work experience in your field. This is the reason we propose you do multiple internships during your college years. If you can’t find an internship in the US, get one in any other country in which you can work – it will count too!

Simply put, Curricular Practical Training (CPT) is an internship that completes or enhances your education. CPT is only available prior to the completion of your degree program and you must have a job offer at the time of application. CPT employment may not delay completion of the academic program. This work permit is best used two ways: (1) To acquire relevant work experience in the US so you look like a better candidate to American businesses and develop a better immigration profile for the US government. If you use the CPT for this purpose you may consider companies that are known to avoid applying for work visas (like large corporations). After all, internships don’t require any immigration paperwork, so companies are more willing to hire international interns. For that reason, you should focus your internship search on industry leaders and renowned companies. Using the CPT for acquiring relevant work experience is ideal for freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. We suggest you use Konkeros.com to discuss with an expert specific ways you can detect the companies that are most and least likely to hire international students. (2) To develop a meaningful relationship with a potential employer. The CPT can be effectively used as a gateway to a full-time job. In fact, businesses most often use internship programs as a mechanism to find permanent employees. Your goal, in this case, is to get decision makers in the company to notice you so that, at the end of the internship, they are willing to hire you. Using the CPT for developing a meaningful relationship with an employer is ideal for students with a junior or senior class standing.

The EB-2 is an immigrant visa preference category for US employment-based permanent residence. In other words, EB-2 is not a visa, but an immigration process. Plainly put, it will take you from an F-1 visa to a “green card” in roughly 18 months. To qualify for this process, you must have a Master’s Degree (or a Bachelor’s Degree with more than five years of relevant work experience), a job offer and a Labor Certification issued by the Department of Labor.

“I am concerned this will bend rules. I don’t want to be subject to legal issues.” The media plays an important role in developing people’s perceptions of immigration. This includes perceptions about the legal steps for any immigration process. For example, there are employers who believe the only way foreign nationals can legally work in the US is with an H-1B work visa. These same employers don’t believe an OPT grants you the same (but limited) right. This is what we suggest you say: “I am glad we are on the same page – I don’t want to bend or break any laws either! This process is very important to me, and for that reason I am not willing to risk it with illegal actions. All the steps ahead will be evaluated by my immigration attorney. She will help us keep the process transparent and clean.” If the employer is concerned about a specific thing, find documentation that explains the reality. Following the example above, if your employer doesn’t think an OPT entitles you to work in the US, print documentation from the USCIS.gov website, and offer it as proof.

In some extreme circumstances, businesses will react more sternly to your situation: “We simply don’t do sponsorships. Period!” In those instances, we suggest even more empathy: “Okay. I understand that I am not a viable candidate for your company. This is not a problem at all. For future reference, next time I speak with another company, would you mind telling me why you don’t do work visa applications?” Once you have exhausted all efforts to get to the root concern of why they don’t do work visa applications, and you are unable to move the conversation forward, you should exit on a positive note. Arm yourself with dignity and make an elegant exit. We propose you use this statement: “Thank you for your time. If your company reconsiders doing a work visa application, I’d be very interested in pursuing a job with you.” Then follow up with an email that explains the immigration process in very simple terms.

“I am concerned about the cost of this process.” Employers will typically have an inflated view of the cost to complete a work visa application. Many times, their perception of cost far exceeds reality. Your job, in this case, is to present a realistic assessment of the cost. This is what we propose you say about the H-1B work visa: “Your concern is perfectly understandable. The cost for the H-1B process is approximately $5,000, including government and attorney fees. This fee must be paid by the employer, but I am willing to discuss with you ways to offset this cost.” Ways to help the employer absorb the cost include: (1) forfeiting signing bonuses; and/or (2) forfeiting performance and end-of-year bonuses. In case you qualify for a PERM this is what we suggest you say: “Your concern is perfectly understandable. The cost for the EB-2 (or EB-3) process is approximately $17,000, including government and attorney fees.” The actual cost may vary from one attorney to another. We are using this specific amount to offer you a realistic expectation, based on our experience. If you find a reputable attorney who charges a lower fee, great! Important disclaimer about the PERM fees: Unlike other work visas, most of the costs associated with the PERM application may be paid by you (the H-1B application must be paid solely by the employer). If you have the financial resources to cover the expenses associated with this process, we recommend you do so. Otherwise a potential employer may be discouraged to hire you due to the relatively high cost of the process. As you consider paying for the PERM fees, keep in mind that the full amount is typically paid in parts over the course of several months. You may finance the attorney fees with credit or even ask for a payment plan. This makes paying the PERM process more accessible for you. If you choose to pay for the process, the employer is still responsible for a small portion of the fees – approximately $3,200. This amount goes towards advertisement of the position. In this case, we encourage you to add: “I know that $17,000 is a lot of money. For that reason, you are only responsible for approximately $3,200 – I pay for the rest.” If the employer is concerned about the $3,200, you may add: “I am willing to discuss ways to offset the $3,200.” Ways to help the employer absorb the cost include: (1) forfeiting signing bonuses; and/or (2) forfeiting performance and end-of-year bonuses.

Imagine this scenario: You apply for a position that perfectly matches your skills – it’s as if the job had been created especially for you. Soon after, you receive an invitation for an interview. You get excited! So, the night before the interview you spend hours researching the company and learning all you can about their industry. When you arrive for the interview you are incredibly well prepared. The interview starts and you ace all the questions. The interviewer is very impressed with you. Suddenly she says, “I am detecting an accent when you speak. Do you need sponsorship to work in the US?” As soon as you hear this, the blood drains from your body. Your heart beats faster. You know this question is the kiss of death… Hesitantly, you respond “Yes, ma’am. I do need sponsorship.” The interviewer shakes her head and says, “We don’t sponsor. Sorry…” You get up and walk away. Fact: most companies will say “no.” In your quest to find a job in the US, you will soon learn that many companies say they don’t sponsor work visas for foreign nationals. Notice the way we phrased it, “companies say they don’t sponsor.” Just because they say they don’t, doesn’t mean they actually don’t sponsor. The reason for this discrepancy is the attention that immigration receives in the media. You see, the little bit of information the average American receives about immigration comes from news outlets. News outlets tend to feed their audiences distorted views on many topics, including immigration. Their stories on immigration are often inflammatory and polarizing. They do this to make their news more exciting (at your expense). The more exciting their stories, the bigger their audience and their advertising revenues. So, let’s put ourselves in the shoes of an average hiring manager. Imagine that most of what we know about immigration is negative (because of the news). We wouldn’t be too encouraged to welcome a candidate who requires sponsorship, right? This is precisely how hiring managers feel. To them, given the information they have about immigration, the safest thing to say is, “We don’t sponsor.” Most of the time they will say it, even though they don’t know the implications. The most important thing you should understand, however, is that “no” is not the end of the conversation. This is simply your starting point to have a meaningful discussion with your interviewer(s) about immigration. The issue that you are battling here is one of misinformation. This is good news, because you can learn how to speak to a potential employer about immigration in a manner that could change their mind. From our experience, when a business takes the time to learn about what’s involved in hiring an international student, they become more receptive to the idea.

To demonstrate the ideal way to carry a conversation about your immigration status, let’s use a fictitious (but very accurate) dialogue between an international student (you) and a potential employer. At some point in the interview an employer will ask you point-blank, “do you need sponsorship?” We suggest you answer something like this: “I already have a work permit (in the form of your OPT). If you want to keep me indefinitely we can easily make that arrangement. The process is simple and requires very little input from you. I have an immigration attorney who handles a significant portion of the process. The bottom line question is whether or not you think I am the best candidate for this position.” Notice we are not answering with a “yes” or a “no.” Giving an absolute answer in this case may be detrimental: If you say “yes”, the interviewer’s mind will immediately wander away to a mental list of concerns about immigration. If this happens, it will be difficult to regain their attention. Conversely, if you say “no” (by virtue of the OPT), the interviewer will assume you can work indefinitely in the US, which may present a problem later (we don’t want to misrepresent your real situation). Instead, we offer a more elaborate answer, where we explain the immigration process in the most succinct manner. Answering this way accomplishes a few things: It clarifies you can start working immediately (otherwise they may think you are not eligible for employment until the “papers” are ready). It introduces the idea that the process may be simpler than anticipated. It proves you have done your homework. After all, you have an immigration attorney! This implies the employer will save time and effort. It focuses the conversation on what’s really important: “Am I the best candidate for this position?”

But what happens when the interviewer doesn’t answer your question satisfactorily? Depending on how the interviewer answers your question, you may want to dig a little deeper. Here are some additional questions you may want to ask to get to the specific concern: “Has your business ever applied for a work visa? I am curious about what happened with that application. What was the outcome?” “Are you personally familiar with immigration processes?” “Is there anyone else we can include in this meeting to discuss my immigration process?” “Would it be valuable to you if I explained the process?”

“I am concerned that you will leave when you get your green card.” Believe it or not, this is the most frequent concern employers have when they consider hiring a foreign national. This concern can be interpreted two ways: (1) You will use their business as a trampoline to become a permanent resident and then move on to other opportunities in the US; or (2) you will eventually go back to your home country. Here’s what we suggest you say: “First off, thank you for saying that! This tells me you already see me as a valuable talent for your company. The bottom line is that you run this risk with anyone you hire, whether they are foreign or not. But if this is a major concern, I am willing to sign an employment contract with you. [If you are applying for a local company add:] Also, keep in mind that my roots in the United States are here. I don’t want to go anywhere else. [Finally, turn the tables on them:] Do I have room for growth here? … Then there is no reason to be concerned.”

In some instances, even after offering our proposed answer (see previous point), the company will firmly indicate they don’t do work visa applications: “We don’t sponsor people.” In this case, we suggest you follow up with the following statement: “I understand. I am interested in learning why. Do you have any particular concerns about applying for a work visa?” Notice we are beginning the statement with empathy, “I understand.” By saying it, we are removing any emotional and communication barriers that may have built up. Why is this important? Think about the fact that people don’t like conflict. So, when they tell you they don’t do work visa applications, they feel antagonistic and expect a negative reaction from you. If you give them a positive reaction instead, you will make them feel better and more open to you. The rest of your statement presents a very concrete question, “Do you have any specific concerns?” This is a fair and rational question. Any reasonable interviewer will offer an answer. Your goal is to determine the root of the concern: Why aren’t they willing to do work visa applications?

You stand the best chance when you are face-to-face with a potential employer, in a calm environment, and without major time constraints. Under these conditions the hiring manager will be more likely to listen to you speak about your immigration process and give you a realistic chance to convince him or her. Your chances of success progressively diminish if the conditions described above are not met. Impersonal communication, stress, and tight schedules are your enemies, as it pertains to discussing your immigration status. For example, if you engage an employer via email (as opposed to face-to-face) or at a job fair (as opposed to a calm environment), you seriously compromise the outcome of the conversation. We are not saying you shouldn’t engage employers via email or at a job fair; we are merely saying that you shouldn’t discuss your immigration status under those circumstances. Whenever possible, you want to arrange face-to-face meetings with potential employers and hiring managers. That way you have a real chance to explain your situation and address any concerns.

“I qualify for a kind of visa called H-1B and the application process is extremely simple for you. In fact, my immigration attorney handles a significant portion of the process. I can start working for you [insert date when you are available], because I already have a work permit for the next 12 months (36 months if you are in a STEM field). The application for the H-1B will be approved within the time I am doing the OPT. We even have a safety net called ‘Cap Gap Extension’, which will allow me to work for you, even if the visa takes longer to approve. The best part is that you have zero commitment with me. You can release me like any other employee.”

“Why should I hire you and not an American?” The first thing to know about this question is that it is usually not meant to be adverse. Many times, this question is asked to assess how well you perform in a discussion – like asking, “Why should I hire you?” (which is a standard interview question). Our recommendation is that you always assume the question is being asked in this spirit. Here’s what we propose you answer: “You could very well hire an American for this position; but the fact that I am sitting here tells me there is something about my profile that is a good fit for your business. Besides my skills, I can also bring: more flexibility, more commitment, and more maturity than your average American graduate. Think about the fact that I’ve been fending for myself in a foreign country (the US) for four years. I haven’t had the luxury of direct family support. I’ve had to solve difficult issues on my own. I can bring these problem-solving skills to your organization.”

“I qualify for a kind of visa that is reserved for professionals. This visa process is called EB-2 (or EB-3, depending on your case - ask an immigration attorney which one suits you best) and is extremely simple for you. In fact, my immigration attorney handles a significant portion of the process. You just need to provide a letter with the job offer – like you would any other employee. I can start working for you [insert date when you are available], because I already have a work permit for the next 12 months (36 months if you are in a STEM field). The best part is that you have zero commitment with me. You can release me like any other employee.”

“I am concerned the process will require too much time and effort from me.” Hiring managers are very busy, and they seldom have time for additional responsibilities – such as enduring an immigration process. In this case, perception also tends to exceed reality as immigration processes don’t demand a significant effort from the hiring manager. Here’s what we propose you say: “Yes, I can see why you would be concerned about the time and effort needed for the immigration process. I am sure you are very busy as it is. I had the opportunity to speak with my immigration attorney about this very issue, and I learned the process requires very little from you. My attorney handles most of the process. You are merely responsible for completing several forms and replying to a few emails.” Providing this answer requires you to speak with your immigration attorney prior to the interview. Make sure you understand your attorney’s work flow and make sure you reflect it in your response.

The specific concerns are: The process to hire an international person is too expensive. The process to hire an international person requires too much effort. What you are proposing may bend immigration rules. Once you get your “papers” you will leave. If we know these are the typical concerns/objections, we can effectively prepare for each one! That way, when they come up during an interview, we can easily address them. But before we learn to deal with these concerns, we need to understand when and how to discuss our immigration situation with a potential employer. The way we approach an employer has a significant impact on the outcome.

In some extreme circumstances, businesses will react more sternly to your situation: “We simply don’t do sponsorships. Period!” In those instances, we suggest even more empathy: “Okay. I understand that I am not a viable candidate for your company. This is not a problem at all. For future reference, next time I speak with another company, would you mind telling me why you don’t do work visa applications?” Once you have exhausted all efforts to get to the root concern of why they don’t do work visa applications, and you are unable to move the conversation forward, you should exit on a positive note. Arm yourself with dignity and make an elegant exit. We propose you use this statement: “Thank you for your time. If your company reconsiders doing a work visa application, I’d be very interested in pursuing a job with you.” Then follow up with an email that explains the immigration process in very simple terms.

In some instances, even after offering our proposed answer (see previous point), the company will firmly indicate they don’t do work visa applications: “We don’t sponsor people.” In this case, we suggest you follow up with the following statement: “I understand. I am interested in learning why. Do you have any particular concerns about applying for a work visa?” Notice we are beginning the statement with empathy, “I understand.” By saying it, we are removing any emotional and communication barriers that may have built up. Why is this important? Think about the fact that people don’t like conflict. So, when they tell you they don’t do work visa applications, they feel antagonistic and expect a negative reaction from you. If you give them a positive reaction instead, you will make them feel better and more open to you. The rest of your statement presents a very concrete question, “Do you have any specific concerns?” This is a fair and rational question. Any reasonable interviewer will offer an answer. Your goal is to determine the root of the concern: Why aren’t they willing to do work visa applications?

The EB-2 and EB-3 are not visas themselves, but rather preference categories for US employment-based permanent residence. In plain English: The EB-2 and EB-3 are processes reserved for professionals, and they make successful applicants permanent residents. The EB-2 and EB-3 processes are relatively unknown among employers. Even companies that have done work visa applications (typically H-1Bs) will be unaware of these two processes. (This intensifies the importance of learning to talk about EB-2 or EB-3 clearly and concisely.) Unlike the H-1B work visa, the EB-2 and EB-3 processes are not subject to application caps, lotteries, or application cycles. This means you will not compete against other applicants for a “ticket,” and you may apply any time during the year. If you choose to pay for the PERM fees, the EB-2 and EB-3 processes are more affordable to the employer than an H-1B. If an H-1B costs approximately $5,000, the EB-2 and EB-3 will cost the employer about $3,200. (Remember you would be paying approximately $17,000.)

Your explanation must be easily understood by anyone – especially a busy manager with no previous knowledge of immigration. At the same time, your explanation should be concise (too much detail will likely confuse a potential employer). We highly recommend you practice your explanation as often as possible, until you can recite it effortlessly during an interview. It is important that you sound confident and knowledgeable. Suggested script for a hiring manager WITHOUT prior knowledge of immigration: “The EB-2 (or EB-3) process is simple, and it typically takes between 12 to 18 months to complete. During the first part of the process we apply for a PERM (Permanent Labor Certification). Once it gets approved (which is typically between three to nine months), we apply for a change of immigration status. This is how I become a permanent resident. The process is seamless for you. This means I can work for you without interruptions - from the beginning of the process to the end. (In case you will cover the PERM fees, you can add this statement.) The process is relatively inexpensive – you pay approximately $3,200. The process requires little input from you, as my immigration attorney manages most of it. If I were to quantify it, the process will require about 30 minutes of your time, spread over the course of three months.” Suggested script for a hiring manager WITH prior knowledge of immigration – especially H-1B work visas: “The EB-2 (or EB-3) process is much simpler than the H-1B. It has no application caps, there is no lottery, and we can apply for it any time during the year. The entire process typically takes between 12 to 18 months to complete. During the first part of the process we apply for a PERM (Permanent Labor Certification). Once it gets approved (which is typically between three to nine months), we apply for a change of immigration status. This is how I become a permanent resident. The process is seamless for you. This means I can work for you without interruptions, from the beginning of the process to the end. (In case you will cover the PERM fees, you can add this statement.) The process is relatively inexpensive – you pay approximately $3,200. The process requires little input from you, as my immigration attorney manages most of it. If I were to quantify it, the process will require about 30 minutes of your time, spread over the course of three months.” Let’s also prepare for questions that frequently come up during a conversation about immigration. Only offer this information if asked. Remember: offering too many uninvited details will confuse the interviewer. Interviewer: “Why do you qualify for this process?” You: [EB-2:] “I qualify for this process because I have a master’s degree.” [EB-3:] “I qualify for this process because I have a college degree and several months of experience in related internships.” Interviewer: “What is the PERM?” You: “The PERM is a permanent labor certification, which proves I am the only person available to you now to perform this job. I know it sounds like a hefty statement, but keep in mind the attorney creates a specific profile.” Interviewer: “How does the process start? What’s the next step?” You: [Containing excitement] “The process starts with a brief phone conversation with my immigration attorney, so she can address any questions you may have.” Interviewer: “Why do you pay the $17,000, shouldn’t that be paid by the employer?” You: “I will pay the $17,000 out of good will to reduce your financial burden. As opposed to the H-1B work visa, in the EB-2 (or EB-3) process, the applicant may assume the costs.” Interviewer: “You mentioned the cost of this process is $3,200, what exactly does this cover?” You: “This amount will go towards the advertising you will perform to prove we couldn’t find someone like me.” Interviewer: “What happens if in the process of proving you are the only qualified person for the job we find a suitable American candidate?” You: “In that case, you may opt to hire the American candidate, or revisit the profile of the employee you seek, and start a new search.” Interviewer: “If the process takes 18 months, how can you work for us after your OPT expires (in 12 months)?” You: “When the PERM is approved, we will introduce a petition for an alien worker, which is typically issued promptly. Once this petition is approved, I will be able to work for you indefinitely until my green card is approved. Again, the process will not disrupt my ability to work for you.” Interviewer: “What are the chances of success with this process?” You: “My immigration attorney will assess the chances of success before we even start the process. She will disclose any major challenges upfront. Barring any major challenges, our chances of success are high.” Interviewer: “What are the greatest risks with this process?” You: “There are no major risks to you. The worst that can happen is that you invest the $3,200 in the application and it gets denied.” Interviewer: “All this sounds too good to be true, what’s the catch?” You: “No catch! Luckily, I qualify for the EB-2 (or EB-3), so this process is simple for both of us.” Interviewer: “What happens if we start the process and decide to discontinue it?” You: “Nothing. You can release me like you would any other employee. There are no strings attached.” Schedule a consultation through Konkeros.com, to discuss other specific questions with an expert. Now you are ready to look for internships and jobs in the US!

But what happens when the interviewer doesn’t answer your question satisfactorily? Depending on how the interviewer answers your question, you may want to dig a little deeper. Here are some additional questions you may want to ask to get to the specific concern: “Has your business ever applied for a work visa? I am curious about what happened with that application. What was the outcome?” “Are you personally familiar with immigration processes?” “Is there anyone else we can include in this meeting to discuss my immigration process?” “Would it be valuable to you if I explained the process?”

“I qualify for a kind of visa that is reserved for professionals. This visa process is called EB-2 (or EB-3, depending on your case - ask an immigration attorney which one suits you best) and is extremely simple for you. In fact, my immigration attorney handles a significant portion of the process. You just need to provide a letter with the job offer – like you would any other employee. I can start working for you [insert date when you are available], because I already have a work permit for the next 12 months (36 months if you are in a STEM field). The best part is that you have zero commitment with me. You can release me like any other employee.”

Important disclaimer: We can’t stress enough that, before you apply for jobs and agree to have interviews with potential employers, you should speak with an immigration attorney to discuss the kinds of work visas and immigration processes for which you qualify. Don’t rely solely on the information presented here to assess your own immigration situation. Every immigration case has multiple variables, which may steer your process in one direction or another. This information assumes you have already been vetted as a viable candidate for the EB-2 or EB-3 process. So, don’t consider the information below legal advice, but rather supplementary recommendations to communicate effectively about an EB-2 or EB-3 process with a potential employer.

To demonstrate the ideal way to carry a conversation about your immigration status, let’s use a fictitious (but very accurate) dialogue between an international student (you) and a potential employer. At some point in the interview an employer will ask you point-blank, “do you need sponsorship?” We suggest you answer something like this: “I already have a work permit (in the form of your OPT). If you want to keep me indefinitely we can easily make that arrangement. The process is simple and requires very little input from you. I have an immigration attorney who handles a significant portion of the process. The bottom line question is whether or not you think I am the best candidate for this position.” Notice we are not answering with a “yes” or a “no.” Giving an absolute answer in this case may be detrimental: If you say “yes”, the interviewer’s mind will immediately wander away to a mental list of concerns about immigration. If this happens, it will be difficult to regain their attention. Conversely, if you say “no” (by virtue of the OPT), the interviewer will assume you can work indefinitely in the US, which may present a problem later (we don’t want to misrepresent your real situation). Instead, we offer a more elaborate answer, where we explain the immigration process in the most succinct manner. Answering this way accomplishes a few things: It clarifies you can start working immediately (otherwise they may think you are not eligible for employment until the “papers” are ready). It introduces the idea that the process may be simpler than anticipated. It proves you have done your homework. After all, you have an immigration attorney! This implies the employer will save time and effort. It focuses the conversation on what’s really important: “Am I the best candidate for this position?”

For some of you the following advice may seem superfluous and obvious, but we offer it to make sure we have the same understanding about hygienic habits. Take a shower every morning or evening and whenever necessary, like after exercising or before going to an interview. Also, brush your teeth at least twice a day and before meeting people. Your body and mouth odors play a huge role in the way people perceive you. People with poor hygiene are less likely to get jobs. When considering which grooming and beauty products to use for interviews and for day-to-day work, choose products with mild fragrances. Tip: Preferably use products that are commonly found at American stores, so that your scent is more familiar to interviewers and coworkers. Beware of the “dormitory smell.” If you live on campus, realize that your clothes may be impregnated with a distinct, unflattering dormitory smell – even after washing them! Since you live in the dormitory, your sense of smell may have grown accustomed to the odor. In this case, you may want to ask someone who lives off campus for an odor check. In case you are facing this problem, you may want to ask a (clean) friend who lives off campus to keep a fresh and odorless set of clothes for you at his or her place. Change your clothes there for important events or interviews. Additional hygienic considerations for men: Keep your hair trimmed When faced with the option of wearing a beard or not, you are better off showing a clean-shaven face Keep your finger nails clean and trimmed Additional hygienic considerations for women: Don’t wear excessive makeup Don’t wear excessively long nails

Know when to be humble. Accept constructive criticism, even if you don’t agree with it. Always thank people for their feedback. Ask questions. Asking questions will show you are truly engaged and interested, and guess what? It will make others see you as an intelligent individual seeking professional insight and guidance. Be polite. Be patient. Smile.

Being on time is essential for getting and keeping a job in the US. Tardiness is not tolerated. Always arrive a few minutes early for a job interview. It is better to arrive 15 minutes early than one minute late. If you suspect there will be delays getting to your destination, plan accordingly. For example, if the weather forecast predicts a snow storm prior to your interview, leave early. Give yourself a time cushion to compensate for holdups on the road. If you are already employed, we recommend you habitually arrive a few minutes early to work. As a general rule, you want to be logged onto the network and have your coffee served before your official starting time. Another key thing to know is that you are expected to do your job and nothing else during office hours. Handling personal matters during work time is frowned upon and it may even cause the termination of your employment. We recommend that on your first day at work (or prior to beginning your employment) you ask your supervisor about the time management expectations of your job. Here are a few important questions you may want to ask: “Does the company have a preference or a policy regarding how to complete your workflow?” “What should you do if a personal situation ever arises during office hours?” “How long is your lunch break?” “Are you allowed to take additional breaks during the day?” Usually all these questions are answered in the employees’ manual (if the company has one) or at the moment you formalize your employment. But even then, we recommend that observe how these situations are handled by the company’s top performers. For instance, your contract may say that you get a one-hour lunch break, but in reality, your peers only take a half-hour break. Play it safe. We recommend that you mimic your peers’ positive behaviors.

Your level of commitment and maturity are very important in a work environment. We believe that international students, as a result of the challenges they surmounted to study in the US, usually have the right attitude to enter the American workforce. Even so, we will help you understand what it means to have the ‘right attitude’ for employment. Let’s begin by discussing “entitlement.” In the context of our discussion, entitlement means to believe that you are inherently deserving of certain privileges and special treatment. For instance, you would have a highly entitled mindset if you believed that American businesses MUST sponsor you just because you think you deserve it. It sounds ridiculous to have this expectation, right? Unfortunately, some members of the younger generations (American and international) are perceived to think like this. They seem to believe they deserve certain things they haven’t earned yet. This attitude creates friction with corporate leaders. Students who have been living abroad for an extended period of time tend to have a different mindset. Due to their personal situation (living in a foreign country) and the series of events that brought them to the US, they don’t take many things for granted. International students typically don’t display signs of entitlement. Having said that, we recommend that you do a sincere self-evaluation to determine if you possess any behavioral patterns that may be perceived as “entitled.” If you detect this kind of behavior in yourself, understand that you are better off displaying gratitude to succeed in the American business environment. No one owes you anything and your success is a direct reflection of your hard work. Other positive attitudes that will help you develop a prosperous career in the US are: optimism, common sense, a good sense of humor, and integrity. We trust you understand the value of each of these attitudes and that you are capable of evaluating each one in you.

While assertiveness and self-confidence are important traits to develop, we caution you not be culturally arrogant. Simply put, cultural arrogance is thinking that your culture is better than anyone else’s. Each region of the world deems some aspect of its culture superior. For example, if you are Japanese, you may think that you have a cleaner and more orderly conduct than most other cultures in the world. After seeing Japanese soccer fans during the Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup cleaning the stadiums where their national team played, many people across the world would agree that the Japanese culture is superior in this specific regard. But even with significant evidence that some aspect of your culture is superior, don’t brag about it in a professional setting. Bragging about your culture, or putting your culture above the American, may portray you in an antagonistic light. Bottom line: Don’t highlight cultural differences. Instead, highlight your personal skills and experience.

As a general rule, it is advisable to dress at or above the requirement for the occasion. For instance, if you are attending a function organized by a chamber of commerce which requires business casual attire, we recommend you dress business casual or business formal (one step above). You are always encouraged to wear business formal attire for interviews, regardless of the position. We understand that you may have the choice to attend classes wearing t-shirts, shorts, and flip-flops. But when you go to the Career and Professional Development office, make sure you wear – at the very least – business casual attire. Dressing sloppily, might make the staff perceive you as someone who’s less professional. Dressing “smart”, increases the chances that they perceive you as an intelligent young professional.

In some cultures, modesty and humbleness are highly praised virtues. In those parts of the world, publicizing your skills, experience, and successes tends to be frowned upon. If this describes your cultural background, there is a possibility you may be uncomfortable promoting yourself in a professional context. The problem with not promoting yourself effectively is that you are seeking employment in a merit-based society, where individual achievements are rewarded. Employers are very interested in learning about the traits that make you the best candidate. In fact, this is often a question that employers ask during an interview. Regardless of your cultural background, you should effectively explain the skills, experience, and successes that qualify you as the best candidate. Don’t assume that your interviewer will deduce these things by reading your résumé. It is your responsibility to voice them. If you are not used to bragging about yourself, consider that this is a normal thing to do in the US. By not doing it, you are limiting your chances of getting a job. You may want to contact your school’s Career and Professional Development office for advice in this regard.

Speak clearly. Mumbling makes you sound less intelligent and assertive than you really are. Do you have an accent when you speak English? That’s awesome! In fact, having one may grant you a certain charm, flair, and appeal in the US. But make sure you pair your accent with a clear voice and tone (not too quiet nor too loud). Make an effort to enunciate every word, especially when you greet someone. Speaking clearly, makes you sound more intelligent, competent, and it gives the listener a sense that you are a good communicator. We are surprised how often students greet a caller on the phone with a barely recognizable and audible “hello” (It sounds more like …hulow…). And then they claim they have great communication skills. Certainly not! Whenever you pick up the phone, clearly say, “Hello. Good afternoon. This is [insert your name]. How may I help you?”

An alternative (and very effective) way to find highly distinguished mentors is to research renowned local organizations and capture the name and contact information of their respective leaders (CEOs, presidents, etc.). Then simply contact each one. Since these people tend to be busy and typically have gatekeepers (assistants who block unexpected visitors), we advise you to use an email for your initial contact. Never assume a business leader is too important to be your mentor. Reach for the highest and most distinguished people you can find. You will be surprised how frequently people of grand stature will accept your invitation. The truth is that these people rarely get such requests. Most commonly they receive demands for money, but instead, you are asking for their advice. How refreshing! They may accept your request because they will see it as an opportunity to repay society for their own success.

“Dear [insert name of distinguished person]: I am about to graduate from [insert name of your university] and I have been reading about the kind of work you do. [Make sure you do research on the person, so you really know something about them. If they are distinguished, it shouldn’t be difficult to find information about them.] I am about to start looking for a job locally and I would consider it a privilege to get career advice from you. I just want to ask you a few specific questions about your industry and the economic outlook of the region. It wouldn’t take more than twenty minutes of your time. Are you willing to meet with me in person? I will make myself available at your convenience.” Getting distinguished people to reply to your emails is a numbers game. You may need to contact many people to find ONE willing to speak with you. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t hear back from anyone at first – just continue contacting distinguished people until one replies. Once you send an email to a distinguished person, you may consider calling him or her a week or so later (in case you haven’t heard back).

For the gatekeeper: “Hello, I would like to speak with [insert name of distinguished person].” The gatekeeper will likely press to know the nature of your call. The more distinguished the person, the harder the gatekeeper will press. If they do, follow this script: “I am about to graduate from [insert name of your university] and I have been reading about the work [insert name of distinguished person] does. I finally worked up the courage to call [insert name of distinguished person] for career advice. I have a few specific questions for him/her. It will not take more than five minutes.” There is a chance the gatekeeper will be disarmed when you say you “worked up the courage to call” and may let you speak with the distinguished person. Otherwise, don’t worry about it – simply move on the next call. Important note: Consider that the line “worked up the courage” will give you best results with truly distinguished people; however, if you reach the president of a small business, it will sound silly, in which case there’s no need to say it. Once you get through to the distinguished person, use a variation of the email you sent earlier. Be natural – be yourself. We encourage you to stick to what you promised: ask a couple of specific questions about their industry and about the outlook of the region. Think of these questions in advance, so you don’t find yourself improvising. Here are a few ideas to get you started: “I see that competitors in your industry are forecasting a period of growth (or decline), what’s your opinion about that?” “I’ve been contemplating the idea of staying in the area when I graduate. What do you think is the economic outlook of this region? If you were to do it all over again, would you stay here?” In the process of asking your questions, you will likely detect a disposition from the distinguished person to help you (or not). If the person is friendly and conversational, we encourage you to share your story. If your conversation is on the phone, request a meeting in person. By the way, don’t worry if the phone conversation drags longer than the five minutes you promised the gatekeeper. How do you ask a distinguished person to be your mentor? It’s simple, you simply ask them! There are many ways you can phrase the question, here’s one way to do it: “[Insert name of distinguished person] you have been so helpful – and I can’t thank you enough! Would it be okay if I stayed in touch with you, so I can share my progress? I would love to have someone of your caliber on my side.”

One of the most important things you can do to find a job in the US, is to build a network of mentors. Consider mentors the foundation of your job search. Through them and their networks, you will unlock a vast number of employment opportunities. We define a mentor as an experienced, well connected, and successful person who will support you in your quest to find a job in the US. You will entrust this person with knowledge of your immigration situation and your desire to stay and work in this country. He or she will most likely live in the area where you are looking for employment. Your job will be to identify and connect with multiple mentors, so you can significantly increase your chances of finding a job. Your goal is to gain several mentors through the efforts described in this section. Ideally your team of mentors will possess several of these characteristics: They are well connected in their respective industries or regions. They are distinguished business people. They possess a senior standing in their organizations. They have something in common with you (same nationality, degree, interests, Greek affiliation, or anything else). They like you and are willing to help you. We encourage you to find the most distinguished mentors you can. Highly distinguished mentors (those who possess a high stature in your community) will increase your chances of finding employment. For example, you are more likely to find a job by networking with the Mayor of your city/town (a highly distinguished mentor) than with a mid-level manager at a local small business (a less distinguished mentor). There are two reasons why highly distinguished mentors will provide better results in your job search: (1) They are better connected. More connections mean more chances of finding a company willing to employ you; and (2) their referrals will carry a greater weight than those of lesser-known individuals. We discourage you from using mentors who: Are recent graduates (within the past five years) or possess junior standings in their organizations. Have controversial or polarizing personalities. Are little-known in their communities. Don’t have anything in common with you. Display a general disinterest to help you. Finding and working with mentors is a fluid and iterative process. If you discover that you chose a suboptimal mentor, don’t hesitate to move on to the next one. With that being said, we encourage you to keep communication open with past mentors, as they can still be useful in the future.

First and foremost, don’t strain the relationship with your mentor. Don’t make requests that are outside the scope of what a mentor typically does. This means, don’t ask for money, a place to stay, or to borrow the car. Stick to seeking advice. Just as important, don’t be too needy or intense. Find reasonable intervals of time to contact your mentor. Some mentors will be okay with one or two calls per week, while others will prefer less frequency. It is up to you to determine the level of comfort of your mentor. In fact, it wouldn’t hurt to ask them directly what they prefer. People don’t like whiners, so always carry your conversations in a positive and upbeat tone. Even if you are having a bad day, make sure you look and sound like a successful person. Be honest and open about your situation. The better your mentor understands you and your situation, the better equipped he or she will be to help you. This is particularly true of your immigration needs - including deadlines, paperwork, etc. Don’t assume your mentor has a job for you. The odds of your mentor having an employment opportunity available for you are low; however, at the same time, the odds that someone they know DOES is significantly higher. For that reason, your goal every time you contact your mentor is to unlock his or her network. Whenever appropriate, always ask to be connected with your mentor’s acquaintances. Give your mentor clear and specific instructions on how to help you. As much as mentors might be willing to help you, they will often be unaware how to do it. So, we recommend you are always direct with your requests. Here are a few examples of direct requests: “I am interested in an accounting job. Do you have any connections at local accounting firms? Could you introduce me to these people?” “I know you are friends with the president of this County’s Logistics Association, would you mind connecting me?” “For the longest time, I’ve been trying to get inside ACME company. Do you know anyone there? Would you mind introducing me?” Again, building a team of distinguished mentors is the foundation of your job search. Throughout your quest to find employment in the United States, never stop looking for and connecting with mentors.

You can find mentors through your university’s alumni office. Each university may call it something different. For example: “Office of Alumni Engagement” or “Alumni Association,” etc. Simply go onto your university’s home page and search for “alumni.” We strongly advise you to engage this office in person, not via email - after all, the purpose of these efforts is to connect with people. Explain to the staff your situation and that you would like to connect with alumni who can offer career advice. Bear in mind your request may be completely unexpected. In fact, they may not even have guidelines to handle it. In that light, be patient with them and show empathy. Conversely, your university may already have a well-established mentorship program, in which case you will likely be asked to follow specific steps to connect with a mentor. This is the script we propose you use when speaking with the alumni office: “Hello, I am an international student at this school and I would like to connect with alumni who share my degree. I would like to pick their brain about my industry and what’s happening in the region. If possible, I would like to connect with two or three alumni who graduated with my degree, who still live in the region, and hold senior positions with employers.” In a worst-case scenario, they may turn down your request. If this happens, we strongly advise you to smile and thank them for the information. At a later time, speak with professors or other administrative staff for help getting through to the alumni office.

Schools invest substantial funds to provide students and faculty resources they need to conduct different kinds of research. Among the various resources that universities acquire for research are business databases. In case you didn’t know, business databases are digital platforms that provide in-depth information on companies. They offer facts and figures, executive contact information, and much more. Your school possibly subscribes to one or more platforms that offer information about US-based businesses. If used properly, this information can help international students identify and engage viable sponsors in the US. You just have to know what to look for. In this section you will learn how to use university-subscribed business databases to find sponsors. Disclaimer: The databases described here should be available through your university at no additional cost. Access to these databases is typically included in your tuition. Medium and small businesses are the most common petitioners for alien workers. In fact, the median size of a company that files a work visa application is 39 employees. Conversely, large businesses tend to have informal policies that discourage foreign applicants. We are going to use these databases to identify medium and small businesses in your region. Then we are going to sort them by industry and establish connections with people at companies within our desired career path. There are several databases that can help you identify small and medium businesses in your region. For the sake of illustrating this job search tactic, we will use a database called “Mergent Intellect.” Mergent Intellect is a database with over 20 million employers in the US. It allows you to identify the top industries that employ people within your field of interest, and then list the employers within those industries. The best part is that you can subsequently filter the results to show small and medium-sized employers. Following these steps dramatically increases your chances of finding businesses that are willing to sponsor you. Mergent Intellect also gives you access to contact information for over 250 million US persons. You can search people by name, address, previous address, age, etc. So next time you are trying to connect with a mentor or industry leader, you may be able to find their contact information on this database. Since your school may use a different database than the one we described above, we strongly recommend that you schedule an appointment with your school’s librarian. When you do, explain what you are trying to accomplish and then ask if they have any databases that match your needs. Here’s the way we recommend you phrase it: “I am looking for a platform that will sort US-based businesses according to their location and total number of employees. If possible, I would like to sort them by industry and whether they are engaged in international business activities, like importing or exporting.” Depending on the database(s) your school subscribes to, you may not get all the features you seek. But as long as you can sort businesses by geographic location and number of employees, you are off to a good start! Regardless of your technological savvy, ask your librarian to show you the optimal way to use the databases. You will be surprised to learn about all the features these platforms offer. The idea of asking for a tutorial is to reduce or eliminate the learning curve. That way you can get to finding sponsors quickly and effectively. Remember, often times the companies you identify through these databases may not have any visible job openings. In those cases, we recommend that you use all the networking tools described in this book to connect with people within those businesses and learn about the company’s plans for the future. Are they expanding? Do they foresee hiring new people? The goal here is to be the first in line for any upcoming job openings. Dynamite resource: Your international student office and previous i-20s Think about all the international students from your school who found sponsors in the US. Your school has all the names of these businesses on record. We know this because documenting the names is a legal requirement for government authorities, including SEVIS. Approach your international student office and ask for this information.

The biggest challenge you will face when looking for trade associations online is not knowing which key search terms will provide the best results. For that reason, we suggest you conduct an extensive online search, where you try different terms associated with your ideal job. We suggest you try these queries on a search engine: “[your major] association [your city]” - example, Accounting association New York City. “[type of business you are interested in] association [your city]” - example, Engineering consulting association Miami. “[type of industry you want to enter] association [your city]” - example, Banking association Atlanta. “[type of profession or career you would like to have] association [your city]” - example, Mathematician association Boston. Even when you type your city into the search box, there is a chance you will get results for national associations – this is fine. Whether they are local or national, visit each website and determine if they are a good fit for you. Every time you find a trade association with a good fit, your job is to gather the contact information of its leaders (most of the time you will find this information in a conspicuous section on their website). It is a good idea to organize all your contacts with suitable software, like a spreadsheet, so you can better manage your communication efforts. Read the section titled, “Organizing your Networking Efforts,” in the “Next Steps” section. Another way to find trade associations is to ask a professor or a local business person in your field of interest. If you are unable to find trade associations through your online search, simply ask around. The two most likely sources of information will be professors and local businesses. There is no magic script to ask this question. Simply call and ask if they know about trade associations that fit your criteria.

A trade association may be known by different names, depending on where you live. For instance, you may hear terms like: industry trade group, business association, sector association, or industry body, just to name a few. Trade associations are made up of businesses that operate in a specific industry. There is a trade association for just about every kind of business you can imagine. Take for example, “The North American Wholesale Lumber Association.” Can you think of a more specific association than that? The important thing to understand is that there is at least one trade association for any business you can think of. Trade associations may have a regional focus or operate at a national level (sometimes with regional chapters). Ultimately you should be able to find trade associations in your region. As you will see in the rest of this section, we recommend you look for trade associations near you. This will help you increase your chances of developing meaningful connections with professionals in your field and detect employment opportunities you can actually act upon. So, what does a trade association do? A trade association participates in a variety of different functions, such as: industry promotion and education, lobbying, and publishing. They also produce or sponsor conferences and networking events. (Later we will learn how to connect with these events in your region.) The main reason they are important to us is because they coordinate efforts between businesses. This means they have lots of connections! How do you find trade associations? Here are three ways we recommend you find them: The obvious method is to conduct an online search. Ask professors. Ask a local business in your field of interest.

Once you have gathered the contact information of leaders within all trade associations that fit your career path, it’s time to contact them. Make sure you apply the ultimate rule in networking: A phone number always trumps an email address. This means that if you have both, always, always, always call first. Your initial contact with the leader of a trade association should sound something like this: “Hello. My name is [insert your name] and I am a student from [insert name of your institution – say this even if you already graduated]. I found your contact information through the [insert name of trade association]. I am interested in learning more about the outlook of this industry and local opportunities in this field. For that reason, I would like to know if we could meet in person.” Note: If you are reaching out to a national association, ask them to put you in touch with a local leader/representative. Once you schedule a meeting with a leader, your goal is to establish a relationship with this person, so you can tap into his or her network. To accomplish this, we recommend you engage the leader in a thoughtful conversation. You may want to ask him or her a few questions to get the conversation going. Here are a few examples to get you started: “Where do you think this industry is headed?” “How did you start in this industry?” “What do you like most/least about working in this field?” During your conversation, feel free to share details of your situation. Let them know you need a work visa. And just as importantly, let them know exactly how they can help you. There are three critical ways a leader of a trade association can help you: Introduce you to key members of the association. Connect you with relevant association events. Connect you with volunteering, internship, and employment opportunities (since there may be few internship and employment opportunities available, you may hear more often about volunteering opportunities). We strongly suggest you inquire about the preceding three items during your initial conversation. Depending on the profile of the leader and how the conversation goes, you may want to treat this person as a mentor (if you haven’t done so already, read the section about mentors). If working through the leaders of each trade association does not render the results you seek, you may want to reach out to their members. The more connections you establish in your industry, the higher your chances of finding a job! The idea of connecting with trade associations is to accelerate your networking efforts. If there is an activity that will deliver results quickly and effectively, this is it!

We interviewed a number of Florida-based businesses to learn more about the way they identify and recruit top talent among new college graduates. The HR managers and recruiters at these organizations overwhelmingly agreed that they attribute more importance to the recommendations given by their affiliated school’s Career and Professional Development staff than most other recruitment factors. If a student comes highly recommended from the Career and Professional Development staff, that student is almost invariably considered a top candidate. In full disclosure, all the businesses we approached had a strong relationship with at least one higher education institution. It is likely that the Career and Professional Development office at your school is connected with one or multiple employers within your desired industry or career path. For this reason, it is in your best interest to develop a meaningful, professional relationship with their staff. You should seek and implement their advice regularly and attend as many of their career-related events as possible. To the extent you are viewed in a positive light by the Career and Professional Development staff, you are more likely to be recommended as a top candidate to employers. While the purpose of Career and Professional Development staff is to help you achieve your career goals, they are not a “placement office.” Their role is to provide resources, guidance, and support throughout your career development process. Also, they are not required to make personal recommendations to employers. Doing personal recommendations is a very private decision for the staff because they put their reputation on the line. If they choose to recommend a student, they’ll do so on their own accord and only if they are confident the student will perform above and beyond the employer’s expectations. So, don’t assume they’ll recommend you. First, you must earn the reputation of being a top performer. Once you attain the reputation of a top performer, you may want to prompt the Career and Professional Development office to recommend you. Next time you see an employment opportunity advertised through your school’s system (one that matches your skills), ask the Career and Professional Development office to recommend you. If they agree, great! Otherwise, you may want to ask if there is something you can do to change that. Remember, they are not required to make personal recommendations, so respect their decision. You may also want to actively look for employment opportunities outside your school’s scope of influence. In other words, look for jobs that may not be associated or promoted through your school. If you find a job opening that perfectly matches your skills, ask the Career and Professional Development office to introduce you as a candidate, even if they have never worked with this employer before. Does it sound far-fetched? Not at all. Here’s why this tactic makes sense for you AND the Career and Professional Development office: Why it makes sense for you: Career and Professional Development staff constantly interacts with recruiting professionals. For that reason, they know the best way to introduce a potential candidate. Also, consider that, when a third party (the school) speaks positively about you, it sounds more powerful and credible. Why it makes sense for the Career and Professional Development office: Your Career and Professional Development office is always seeking new business relations. The more they have, the more easily they can assist students to achieve their career goals. By asking the Career and Professional Development office to introduce you, you are giving them the opportunity to build a fruitful relationship with a new business. Build a positive, professional relationship with Career and Professional Development staff. A word of caution: While Career and Professional Development offices are interested in developing relationships with all kinds of businesses, large and small, large employers tend to dominate their lists. This happens mostly because large businesses are more visible and accessible to the community (smaller businesses are more difficult to find). Additionally, large businesses hire more students, so they are more appealing to universities. The issue with this, as it pertains to international students, is that large employers are more likely to have policies that discourage work visa applications. Unless the Career and Professional Development office gives you a clear indication that a large employer is willing to consider sponsoring international students, you are better off focusing your efforts on medium and small businesses. When you speak with the Career and Professional Development office ask them about employment opportunities at medium and small-sized enterprises.

Chambers of commerce not only connect businesses – they also connect community leaders. To this effect, the chambers often have a leadership program and a young professionals group (YPG). Leadership programs target men and women interested in making your city a better place to live. Successful applicants are put through a training program that helps them discover and connect with local leaders and resources. Graduates of these programs tend to be extremely well connected. We are not necessarily proposing you apply to join a leadership program. Acceptance to these programs usually requires work experience and an established reputation in your region. Instead, we are suggesting you connect with the alumni of the leadership programs. The names of these people are generally found on the chamber’s website, organized chronologically, by graduating class. Treat the leadership alumni the way you would mentors. The young professional groups (YPG’s) consists of chamber members who are typically in their 20’s and 30’s. Think of them as the chamber’s relay generation – their future leaders. While they operate under the structure and policies of their chamber, they tend to have their own independent events. Connecting with the YPG is a good idea, because their members are closer to your age bracket, which means they may be able to relate to you more easily. Keep in mind that the members of YPG may not necessarily meet the qualifications of a mentor, as described in the section about mentors (mostly due to their age), but they are well connected. This group lives in the corporate trenches, so to speak. For that reason, they know and understand what’s happening in the local economy. We’ll repeat what we said at the beginning of this section: You’d be foolish not to connect with chambers of commerce in your quest to find a job in the US. The earlier you start connecting, the better your chances of staying.

When looking for a job in the United States, it would be foolish not to include chambers of commerce in the list of organizations you will use to grow your network. You see, chambers of commerce are the hubs of local business communities. If you include chambers of commerce in your networking efforts, you will significantly increase your chances of finding an employer. What exactly does a chamber of commerce do? A Chamber of commerce exists to further the interests of businesses in a specific geographic location or industry. It advocates on behalf of the business community in exchange for membership fees. Most cities have multiple chambers of commerce, each one with a specific focus and purpose. Chambers of commerce typically organize multiple business events throughout the year to help their members connect. These events range from casual gatherings to formal, agenda-driven meetings. Ideally you should attend as many of these events as possible. How do you find the chambers in your area, and how do you connect with them? The first thing we recommend you do to identify and connect with the local chambers is to start at your school. Quite possibly your school is a member of one or more chambers in your area. In fact, your school may even have arrangements with local chambers, as it pertains students participating in their events. Most schools have a person who handles corporate relations, which includes chambers of commerce. Find out who this person is at your school and visit him or her. When you do, explain that you are interested in attending networking events hosted by the chamber(s) and that you would like the school’s help to attend. If you are unable connect with chambers of commerce through your school, finding them on your own is easy. Simply search for them online using “chamber of commerce” and your city’s name. This will give you immediate results. Beyond this obvious search query, consider other keywords in your search criteria, for example: “Hispanic chamber of commerce Miami”, “German chamber of commerce Chicago”, or “export chamber of commerce Charlotte.” Try as many different keywords as you can. If you live in a region with several adjacent cities, conduct your search with the name of each city. You may even want to use your county and state as keywords. Once you identify all of the chambers near you, visit their websites and look at their event calendars. Most of the time you will be able to determine which events are a good fit for you just by reading their labels on the calendar. Even then, we encourage you to contact each chamber and ask about their events. When you do, there is no need to identify yourself as an international student – simply say you are a student from your university and would like to attend their event(s). Don’t be surprised if these events require paying an entry fee (students typically get a discount). You may want to set a budget for attending these functions. From our experience, the entry fees typically range from $10 to $50 dollars, depending on the size of the event and the food served. When you attend these events, you can’t afford to be shy. In fact, your mission is fierce (and friendly) engagement. The more people you speak with, the better your chances of connecting with a potential employer. If you haven’t done so yet, read the section titled “First Steps” at the beginning of this book, for more information about the correct approach to network in large group settings.

If you have one or more years of work experience (abroad or in the US), or if you are in the process of completing a graduate program, you may consider including headhunters in your job seeking efforts. If this is not you, then feel free to skip this information. So, what is a headhunter? Just like the name suggests, headhunters “hunt” for talent in the proverbial corporate jungle. Of course, the reality is less aggressive than the imagery it conveys. Plainly put, headhunters are professional recruiters who find the right employees for businesses. By the way, “headhunter” is the colloquial term we’ll use in this book to describe recruiting professionals. In the field they may call themselves “executive search professionals” or “executive recruiters”, just to name a few. Some are happy with the “headhunter” label, but others aren’t. We recommend that, when you engage these professionals, you refer to them as recruiters, or any other title they prefer. Headhunters help businesses save time and money in the recruiting process. How? Let’s look at the typical recruiting process to understand it. When a company identifies the need to hire someone, they advertise the position, analyze and sort all the applications, schedule interviews, hold internal meetings to discuss each candidate, choose the top candidates, arrange a second round of interviews, and so on. As you can see, hiring someone is a time-consuming process. Headhunters simplify this process for businesses. The businesses tell the headhunters what kind of employee they want, and the headhunters bring them top candidates. Keep in mind that finding the right person is very critical for a business. It can make the difference between achieving growth and success or remaining stagnant and face an eventual demise. Businesses want to find the absolute best person they can afford to reach their goals. So, it makes sense to give this responsibility to someone who does it for a living. Just to drive the point home, you probably don’t want an accountant handling your medical emergency, right? You leave it to an expert, and headhunters are experts at finding employees. Before we dive deeper into the topic of headhunters, it is important to explain that working with these professionals may not always be the best approach for you. In fact, working with a headhunter may impair you from pursuing other worthwhile job searching strategies. Why? There are lots of businesses that prefer to handle their recruiting processes in-house. These businesses see headhunters as an unnecessary expense. So, you may find yourself in a situation where a company is interested in you, but will exclude you as a candidate because you came to them through a headhunter. Are you the right candidate for a headhunter? The general public perception is that headhunters will only work with you if you are a “six figures” candidate (someone who commands salaries of $100,000 or higher). In other words, people generally think that headhunters only work with elite, high-end professionals. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Yes, there are quite a few headhunters who specialize in high-income individuals. But there are just as many – if not more – headhunters who work with “normal” candidates. If you have some work experience or if you are in the process of completing a graduate program, you may be an ideal candidate for a headhunter. But make no mistake, headhunters are not meant for just any kind of job seeker. While their disposition to work with you may not necessarily be tied to your income, they are definitely interested in the skills you have to offer. The more specialized your skills, the more likely you are to attract a headhunter. Naturally there tends to be a correlation between special skills and income; meaning that highly specialized individuals likely earn a higher income. Now let’s look at how the headhunting business works. That way we can determine how international students can participate in it. In headhunting, the job seeker is the product and the business the customer. Simple. But the critical thing to grasp here is that headhunters focus most of their energy finding new customers (read: new placement orders from businesses). After all, the product is relatively easy to find once you have the placement order. Under these circumstances don’t expect a headhunter to look for a job for you. The relationship works the other way around. The headhunter will contact you if (and only if) a new placement order matches your specific skills and experience. This means that many months may pass before you hear from a headhunter, if ever at all. Due to the time constraints associated with your student visa and your temporary work permit (the OPT), we strongly recommend you don’t rely solely on headhunters to find a job in the US. Simply consider this strategy as one of many you will pursue to achieve your career goals. Please pursue this strategy in parallel with the other strategies and tactics described in this book.

Tap into jobs that you will otherwise never see: When a business decides to engage a headhunter to find a new employee, the position in question will rarely be posted on any job board. So, working with headhunters will expand the number of jobs opportunities available to you. Access more information about the position(s) for which you are being considered: Under normal circumstances (without a headhunter), when you go to a job interview, you typically have limited knowledge about the position your applied for. Most times, you only know whatever was disclosed on the job posting. But typically, headhunters disclose more information about the position before an interview. For instance, you may learn under what conditions the job became available; what are the most critical challenges this position poses; what are the keys to success in this role; and the name and title of the interviewer, just to name a few. This additional knowledge empowers you to build a stronger case for yourself. The employment opportunities develop in the background: One of the best things about working with headhunters is that they match your skills with new employment opportunities without requiring your direct involvement. The only moment you are brought into the process is when you are in the short list of candidates considered for a job. This means that you waste no time with lengthy applications, etc. If you think you are a good candidate for headhunters, you should engage them before you complete your degree. You should start connecting with these professionals as soon as you are eligible for a CPT. That way the headhunters have more time to receive a placement order that matches your profile. You should also consider working with as many headhunters as you can. The more headhunters you work with, the more opportunities to match your skills to a job opening. When you engage a headhunter, be open about your need for a sponsor. When you disclose your situation, make sure you explain how your specific immigration process works (hopefully you already met with an immigration attorney). Don’t assume that headhunters will know or understand your immigration process, so be ready to answer any questions they may have. Some may decline to work with you, but others will be glad to keep your profile in case an opportunity comes up.

Idea 1: Use social media to find out if anyone in your network knows a headhunter. Be direct with your request. For example, “Hello. Does anyone know any headhunters in the field of [insert your field], located in [insert your desired geographic area]? If you get a positive response, ask for the headhunter’s name and contact information. The trick here is to engage the headhunters using your mutual acquaintance as a reference. You see, if the headhunter had a successful experience with someone in your network, they are more likely to visualize a successful outcome with you. Idea 2: LinkedIn. Are you looking for a place where all the headhunters hang out? LinkedIn is the place. Use LinkedIn’s search tool to find recruiters in your specific industry and region. To take full advantage of this tool, you may want to consider upgrading to a Premium LinkedIn subscription. Headhunters are relationship builders. Their success is closely associated with the people they know. Next time you are on LinkedIn pay attention to the number of connections that the typical headhunter has – most of them clock at “+500.”

When working with headhunters (and anyone else helping you find a job), we recommend you keep in touch. Stay on their radars, so to speak. That way, if an opportunity comes up, you’ll be one of the first people they’ll think of to fill it. Here are a few pretexts you can use to stay in touch. Update them about your successes. Let’s say that you were recently invited to speak at an event. Tell them about it. Also, if you received a new certification, and you want to include it in your résumé, contact them! Tell them about your findings. Let’s say that you are informally keeping track of new developments in a particular industry, market, or company, let them know about your findings. Ask them for an opinion about your conclusions. Remember, the trick here is to stay in their radars, so it’s not imperative that they agree with you. The important thing is to get the flow of communication going. Ask them questions that play off their expertise. Make them feel important. Ask them questions that are not necessarily linked with your job search. For example: what trends are you noticing in XYZ industry? Work for them: Headhunters spend most of their time looking for recruiting contracts. So, find opportunities for them! If you find a job opening at a local company, ask your headhunter if he or she would like to pitch you as a candidate. Beware of the ads that say, “no recruiting agencies”. Choose these companies wisely.

Don’t assume that they work for you. If every time you speak with them you ask, “did you already find a job for me?” eventually they will start avoiding you. When you contact them, don’t ask questions that will make them feel that they should be looking for a job for you. Your conversations should be tangential to the fact that you are looking for employment. If they have a position that matches your profile, rest assured that they will let you know without you asking. Don’t take up too much of their time. Contact them often, but not too often. Every person is different, so you need to assess their preference individually. Don’t be the needy job seeker. When it comes to seeking employment through a headhunter, you want to maintain an aura of prominence. You want to be perceived by the headhunters (and everyone else) as a desirable professional. If you seem desperate, you will kill that perception. Other caveats: Don’t engage headhunters who want to charge you a fee for their services. Good, honest headhunters make money from the businesses, not from job seekers. Typically, they earn a commission equivalent to 10 - 20% of the job seekers’ annual salary; paid for entirely by the business. If the headhunter wants to charge you a placement fee, you are better off finding another headhunter.

Applying directly for employment opportunities online (or newspapers) is an ineffective job search strategy for international students. Employers typically look for a perfect “paper fit,” which includes eligibility to work in the US. By lacking an unrestricted work visa, international students are often disqualified before they have a chance to showcase their skills and experience. But there is a way to apply for jobs posted online (and newspapers), while reducing the risk of being disqualified. Learn how to do it. First, let’s meet the key players in a hiring process. Typically, hiring processes in medium and large companies involve two kinds of people: hiring managers and human resource (HR) staff (small companies generally don’t have HR departments). When a hiring manager seeks a new employee, he or she commissions the hiring process to the HR department. In doing so, the hiring manager submits a job description, which lists the skills and experience the new hire should ideally possess. Then, the HR department works on behalf of the hiring manager to find the right candidate, exactly as described on paper. No surprises so far, right? Here’s where the process gets interesting (and disfavors international students): HR staff, in an effort to please the hiring manager, will make the hiring process as smooth and simple as possible. This means that, before presenting candidates to the hiring manager, HR staff will exclude anyone who doesn’t meet all the criteria listed on the job description. Even more alarming for you, they will likely rule out candidates who require “complicated” work visa applications. They may do so even if you possess all the skills and experience the hiring manager seeks. Hiring managers know better than anyone else what it takes to succeed in the position they are hiring for. They have first-hand knowledge of which traits are necessary to succeed in that role. What’s more important, hiring managers worry more about performance and getting the job done rather than undergoing an immigration process (HR’s priorities may be reversed in this case). Hence, when considering the two key players involved in a hiring process, we recommend you engage hiring managers. They are more likely to consider employing you (because they are more concerned with performance) and they typically have the final word in the hiring process. So, if hiring managers are the right people to engage, how do you bypass the HR staff? First, if possible, avoid the company’s established application channel(s). If you apply for a job following the company’s instructions, your application will most likely land in the hands of the HR department. Not good. Second, only consider getting in touch with hiring managers if you identify a job opportunity that perfectly matches your skills and experience. When you identify a job opportunity with a perfect match, connect with the hiring manager or any other employee at the company you are targeting. Your objective is to listen and learn as much as you can about the company, the position, and the hiring manager.

Run a query on LinkedIn using the company’s name. This should give you a list of people who work there. Look for ‘second’ or ‘third’ contacts in your network, but don’t be shy when it comes to contacting anyone who works there. Visit the company’s website. Sometimes you can find information about their employees there. Typically, employee profiles are found under ‘team’, ‘about us’, or other related labels. Ask anyone in your ever-growing network if they have contacts in the company.

[If you have a referral, make sure you mention it at the beginning of the conversation. That way you are not a perceived as a complete stranger.] “Hello. I am a student from [insert your university’s name]. I saw a job post for the [insert the position title] position at your company and I am interested in learning more about it. Is there anyone I can speak with about it?” Short, simple, and to the point. Notice we are purposely using the university’s name on the script. We do this to establish a local connection. Businesses are usually aware of the universities based in their area. Plus, there’s always the chance the people you speak with may be alumni. Ultimately, using the university’s name may improve your chances of receiving information about the job opening. Feel free to tweak the script to suit your specific situation. Please know that after speaking with the hiring managers, they may still ask you to submit your application following the company’s standard procedures. This is okay. Hiring managers who are interested in you will reach out to their HR departments to request that your application be given priority. If you decide to incorporate this approach into your job search strategy, we recommend you create a user account on each of the major online job boards such as: Monster, CareerBuilder, Indeed, etc. Then set up automated email notifications for jobs that match your profile. When given the option, make sure you create specific filters based on your skills and experience. That way you will not waste time with opportunities that don’t convey a perfect match.

The legal instrument to secure an internship in the US is called Curricular Practical Training (CPT). In the simplest terms, a CPT is a work permit that allows you to work up to 20 hours during the semester and full-time during the summer and holidays. The important thing to know about CPTs, as it pertains to your search for an internship, is that universities are solely responsible for the approval of CPTs. This means your request for a CPT doesn’t go to USCIS. You need, however, an offer letter from your employer to get a CPT approved by the university. Keep in mind your school may have additional non-legal requirements. According to US immigration law, universities can’t issue CPTs unless an internship is required for the completion of a student’s degree. If your degree doesn’t require one, and your university is enforcing this law, there is nothing legally preventing you from exploring a major that requires an internship – even if only temporarily. The exploration of an alternative major would legally enable you to complete a CPT (and maybe even sway you to switch your major permanently). If you choose to apply for a CPT, be mindful of the total time you are employed. If you exceed 11 months and 30 days, USCIS will start discounting days from your OPT. This is valuable time that you will need later for your immigration process. One more thing: Internship applications forms often ask if you will need “now or in the future” a work visa. This is a tricky question for international students seeking an internship in the US. You are securing a CPT and/or an OPT through the university, so technically you don’t need a work visa. But answering this way may make the employers think you are not being honest. Answer “no” at your discretion and be ready to defend your thought process.

If you haven’t done so yet, please read the material under "Immigration". In it you will find useful information that is relevant to your quest to get an internship in the US, from an immigration perspective. We applaud your interest in getting an internship in the US for two reasons: You will acquire relevant work experience in the US, which may make you a better candidate for American businesses and, at the same time, develop a better immigration profile for the US government. You will develop a meaningful relationship with a potential employer. Unlike searching for a full-time position, internships will broaden the number of companies you can approach. In other words, you will be able to apply for internships at companies that are known to avoid work visa applications. The reason is simple: internships don’t require any immigration paperwork, so companies are more willing to hire international interns. Nevertheless, be aware that some companies use internship programs as a mechanism to find future employees. In this light, they may reject an applicant who requires a work visa beyond the internship. Warning: If your intent is to use an internship as a gateway to a full-time position, do not engage a company that is known to avoid work visa applications. You may think that you will convince them once you are in, but it rarely happens. If this is your goal, then we recommend you conduct your search for an internship like you would a full-time job. Focus on companies that are willing to hire you permanently. In that case, we recommend you read the sections that are relevant to a finding a job. When you find a company with a disposition to hire you, your goal during the internship is to get its leaders to notice your impeccable performance and charisma. This will increase your chances of getting a job afterwards. This strategy is ideal for juniors and seniors, since they are closer to graduation. If your intent is to gain experience for your résumé, you should focus your internship search on industry leaders and renowned companies, regardless of their stance towards work visa applications. Your goal in this case is to connect with the best possible employer and the most interesting internship. If done well, multiple internships, done over the course of your college years, may qualify you for a process called EB-3 (read the section called “Your Immigration Options” for more information about the EB-3). Working internships to acquire relevant work experience is ideal for freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, as they don’t require work visas in the immediate future. Whether you are pursuing an internship to gain experience or to connect with a full-time job, we encourage you to put income considerations aside. In other words, it is much better to connect with an extraordinary and meaningful internship without pay, than an ordinary one with strong financial incentives. The extraordinary internship may increase your chances of finding an employer in the US. Important tip: When considering an internship, always analyze how this experience will help you develop a better professional profile and/or improve your chances of having a successful immigration process.

The time and effort you put into an internship will be completely wasted if you are unable to effectively describe what you did and what you learned. For that reason, the purpose of this section is to help you exploit the most valuable aspects of your internship and convey this information in your résumé. Ideally you are reading this guide BEFORE you start your internship, because our first recommendation is that you keep a log of everything you do, learn, and accomplish while you are there. Don’t worry about using fancy business terms to describe your experiences – feel free to use your own words. Capture as much detail as you can, so you can clearly remember each experience later, when you include them in your résumé. This information will be essential to maximize the value of your internship on paper. If you are reading this AFTER you completed an internship, we recommend you try to remember as many different experiences as you can, while following the same instructions above. With your list of experiences complete, visit www.onetonline.org. This website provides occupational information for all jobs in the United States. The information there is entirely free and is continuously updated. Search for jobs that are associated with your career. You may want to try different job titles associated with your career, so that you find the right information. For each job that matches your career path, look at the different tasks associated with it. Compare your experience with these tasks. Copy onto your résumé every task that matches your experience, just as it appears on onetonline.org. You may have to tweak each one slightly to reflect your experience, but the important thing is that you use their terminology, as it is more likely to match the employer’s expectations. In addition to showcasing the tasks you performed during your internship, it is also a good idea to present the skills you learned and deeds you accomplished. In fact, you may want to consider listing these skills and deeds separately. When you include learning outcomes in your résumé, make sure you describe skills that are crucial in your career path. For example: If you are a marketing major, don’t claim you learned how to use a copy machine (this will not impress employers). Instead, you may want to discuss how you learned to apply digital marketing concepts to improve the company’s search engine optimization (SEO). At the same time, if your efforts led to specific successes, use them on your résumé! When you describe successes on your résumé, make sure they are specific and time-bound. For example: Instead of saying, “I improved the company’s SEO”, say, “I increased the company’s ranking on Google by 10 spots within two weeks.” See the difference? Once you add your tasks, learning outcomes, and successes on your résumé, it is a good idea to get feedback from experts. We recommend you visit your school’s Office of Career Services. Alternatively, you may want to consider your local Workforce Development Board (to find one, just type “workforce development board + your city” into Google). If you are slightly more daring, we encourage you to contact a local talent recruiter and ask for advice about your résumé. If you do so, you will kill two birds with one proverbial stone: (1) you will improve your résumé, and (2) you will have the opportunity to develop a relationship with someone who can help you get a job! One last thing: If you ask 10 people to critique your résumé, you will get 20 different opinions – many times with contradictory feedback. This is our way of saying there is an infinite number of ways to write a good résumé. What we propose in this section is merely one way to do it.

Finding internships that provide meaningful work experience is not easy. Time and again, students are lured into distinguished organizations, only to find themselves trapped in inconsequential positions and performing trivial tasks, like bringing coffee to their supervisors. You may have heard some English idioms, like “gopher” and “copy boy”, which illustrate the disdain some organizations have towards interns and providing them with valuable learning experiences. Luckily, you can avoid falling prey to these organizations by following our advice in this section. The key to finding a meaningful internship is to identify an organization that truly needs you – an organization that is hungry for talent. From this perspective, large, well-established companies may not necessarily be well-suited for aspiring interns. We say this because large, established companies, most likely, have the financial resources to properly staff their operations, leaving few or no significant tasks for interns. In those cases, interns may be considered a nuisance; however, there is one kind of organization that is invariably in desperate need of sharp, flexible, and innovative workers. They are called startups. In case you are not familiar with startups, here are the basics: Startups are new, very small companies. Oftentimes, they have innovative products or services and need all the help they can get to bring them to market. Because startups typically lack abundant financial resources, they can’t afford to hire people. This is your cue to step into the spotlight, because interns are incredibly valuable to startups. While startups lack financial appeal (usually they don’t pay a dime), they make up for it by providing meaningful work experience. Startups will not hesitate to put important tasks and projects in your hands. This gives you a unique opportunity to build a strong curriculum – one that will reward you later, when you look for full-time employment. Another important thing to consider is that startups tend to be very forward thinking, so they are more likely to embrace international students. Many times, startups wish to tackle international markets, which would make you even more valuable. So, where do you find these startups? Startups are easier to find than you might think. There are probably several locations where you live that house clusters of startups (many times startups share working spaces). We recommend you visit business incubators and coworking spaces in your area. You may want to use the following search terms, combined with your city name, to find these locations: “business incubator,” “coworking space,” “entrepreneurship groups,” “business center,” or “business accelerator.” You may also want to look for entrepreneurship events in your area like: 1 Million Cups, Startup Weekend, Ignite, or any business pitch competition. You can either attend these events or call the organizers and ask them to connect you with the startups. Something important to keep in mind: Startups are very unstable and vulnerable enterprises. As many as 85% of startups close their doors within the first five years. For that reason, when you engage a startup, you need to assess the viability of their product or service. You may need to do some research to determine if they have validated their market and if they seem capable of growing their business. We say this because, ideally, you want to connect with a startup that will become the next Facebook (okay, we acknowledge this is ambitious, but you get the point). If you are working an internship with a startup, you are mainly doing it to gain experience. In other words, you are not necessarily doing it to connect with a business that will hire you after graduation. This is critical to understand, because even if the company is willing to hire you, it may not meet the requirements to do so, according to USCIS standards. The criteria to evaluate businesses as viable suitors for work visa applications may include: minimum annual revenue (typically upwards of $300,000), minimum number of years in business (three or more years), or proof they can afford your salary (one way to satisfy this requirement includes showing paystubs). Naturally there is always a chance the startup becomes a raging success, in which case you will be able to not just get your work visa, but also build a successful career!

Reach out to your local workforce development board. Schedule an appointment with them and explain your situation. Request resources to help you find a job. You may also want to visit local entrepreneurial organizations, like business incubators and accelerators. These places are connected to many local businesses. Most times these businesses require new talent like you!

Yes.

No.

To qualify for an OPT you must meet the following criteria: (a) you have been lawfully enrolled on a full-time basis at your institution for at least one academic year; (b) you are currently maintaining F-1 status; (c) your proposed practical training is directly related to your major area of study; and (d) you have not used full-time CPT for more than 364 days.

As a recent graduate, with limited experience, your résumé should be one page long.

No.

No, as long as it doesn’t violate any labor laws.

Visit your state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) website (i.e. search for “Florida DMV”). The requirements to get a new license typically involve: passing one or more written tests, passing a driving test, and paying a fee. Note: If you already have a license from your home country, check if your State has an agreement with your home country. This may save you step(s) in the process.

It depends. If you are working part-time (less than 30 hours a week) it is very unlikely you will receive medical insurance from your employer. If you are working full-time (30 hours a week, or more) you may be eligible for medical insurance. Small companies, with less than 50 employees, may not be required to provide insurance to their employees. Ultimately you can get your own medical insurance.

There are two circumstances in which you can extend your OPT: If an employer petitions for an H1-B visa for you before your F-1 status ends, AND your F-1 status ends prior to the effective date of your H1-B visa, you may be eligible for a Cap Gap extension. Students on OPT may continue to work during this extension. Students who are not on OPT may have their student status extended, but are not authorized to work. You graduated from a STEM-related program.

No. It has to be based to your major (field of study.)

While it is customary to negotiate salaries in the U.S., keep in mind you have a delicate immigration process ahead of you. You need to decide upfront how important this immigration process is to you. The more important, the more cautiously you should negotiate your salary. Ultimately you may find yourself sacrificing a higher salary for the benefit of a visa sponsorship. Either way you only should negotiate your salary at the END of the recruitment process.

In addition to abiding by the OPT eligibility criteria, you may not accrue an aggregate of more than 90 days of unemployment. If you exceed this limit SEVIS may terminate your OPT.

It is recommended that you understand upfront the factors your employer will consider to keep you permanently. Typically it comes down to three things: (1) your performance; (2) the company’s situation; and (3) their willingness to apply for a work visa. You should, at the very least, know from the beginning if your employer has a disposition to do a work visa application. (You don’t want to find yourself in a situation where, six months into the OPT, you learn your employer is not willing to do a work visa application.)

The first part of the process is to get pre-approved for a loan. If you are interested in buying a new home, the builder will typically have lenders available on site who can pre-approve you for a loan. This means you can simply show up at a new neighborhood, visit model homes, and meet with a lender who can pre-approve you. If you are interested in an existing home, you can contact any lending institution to get preapproved. You can also contact a mortgage broker.

The answer to this question depends entirely on your personal situation. We recommend you speak with a finance professor at your university for advice with this question. But ideally you would cover all your expenses with a credit card and then pay the entire balance at the end of the month. This accomplishes three things: (1) It helps you retain cash in your possession longer (until the end of the month); (2) It helps you earn reward points on your card; and (3) it helps you build credit.

Typically car dealers work with multiple banks to get you the best possible rates and conditions. This means you can simply show up at a car dealership and take care of all the loan paperwork there. If you want to be proactive, contact a credit union near you and request a loan pre-approval. Then, when you go to buy a car, you can negotiate better conditions.

There are three major credit-reporting agencies in the U.S.: Experian, Transunion, and Equifax. Each one will generate a credit report about you. These reports are based on your credit behavior and predict how likely you are to repay a loan. They look at factors like how much debt you carry and whether you have paid your bills on time.

It varies, from days, to weeks, to months. Recent studies show that companies in the U.S. take an average of 12 weeks from the moment they identify the need to hire a new employee to the moment they make an offer. Make sure you follow up the interview with an email or letter thanking the interviewer for his or her time. Then be patient.

Depending on the type of work visa that you’re applying for you may be responsible for paying certain fees or reach an agreement with your employer to split the costs.

Enter your answer here

There are many ways you can file for taxes in the U.S. – from paid services to free ones. You can also file on paper or electronically. If your tax documents consist of W-2 and/or 1099 forms only, you should consider using a free online service. Most free electronic platforms walk you step-by-step through simple questions. As you input your answers on these platforms, the system automatically fills out the tax form required by the Internal Revenue Services (IRS), called the 1040 form. Additionally, local libraries are usually giving free tax service forms and basic advice during tax time.

If you earned income in the United States, then yes, you must file for taxes following every year you worked. The tax-filing season is always at the beginning of the year. Typically you can start filing at the end of January. The deadline for filing is always April 15th.

The W-9 form is a request for your taxpayer identification number. As the name implies, this is the form you will use to provide your taxpayer identification number to your employer. Your employer will use your W-9 for payroll purposes only. The information is used to prepare employee paychecks during the year and W-2 forms at the end of the year.

Most employers will extract this information from you in a job application form. This means they will know your status even before you meet them. Whether they have this information or not, we recommend that you discuss your status – and your intentions – before accepting a job offer. The idea is to have enough time to overcome any issues. Also, don’t assume that, just because they know you will require a sponsorship beyond the OPT, they are aware you will want them as sponsors.

The easiest ways to get credit are: “Secure credit card” (a credit card issued by your bank, that is backed by a deposit equivalent to your line of credit.) Student credit card, which typically has lower application requirements. Retail credit cards. Walmart, Target, and Department Stores are typically good places to apply for credit. Avoid electronic stores, like Best Buy, as they are typically more selective in their credit offerings. Ask to become an authorized user. Is an uncle or family friend willing to give you an extension of their credit card? If so, this may be your opportunity to develop credit history with little or no barriers.

H-1B: Ranges between $1,575 and $4,000. Fees: $325 for the USCIS I-129 Petition, $1,500 for the USCIS “Education and Training Fee” (if employer has 25 or more full time employees), $750 for employers with fewer than 25 full time employees (including U.S. affiliates and subsidiaries), $500 for the USCIS Anti-Fraud Fee. Optional: $1,225 for USCIS Premium Processing Service, which may speed up the petition for a processing time of 15 days at USCIS. TN: $160. H-1B1: Same as H-1B. E-1: $205. E-3: $205.

No. Your credit score is based solely on your credit worthiness in the U.S.

There is no application fee for a CPT, but you may have to pay for tuition credits.

The W-2 form is a document your employer prepares for you and the Internal Revenue Services (IRS) at the end of every year. You will typically receive your W-2 at the beginning of the year (between January and March). This form will always be associated with the year that just ended. The W-2 has your wage and salary information, as well as the amount of federal, state, and other taxes withheld from your paycheck. The information on your W-2 is extremely important when preparing your tax return.

Your employer is required to present you with a W-4 and W-9 tax form upon hiring. Once completed, these forms are filed together with your other employee records. Follow the instructions on these forms. If you are unsure how to complete any item on these forms, ask your employer for assistance. (Don’t feel awkward asking for help, as most Americans struggle with these forms themselves.)

Mid and small-sized companies are the best for international students. Large firms conversely are notorious for having rigorous policies against hiring individuals who require visa sponsorship. As a general rule, if you can recognize the name of the company (i.e. Disney, Bank of America, etc.) it is very likely they will not be willing to hire you. If you are considering doing a CPT, startups are great companies to approach. They are typically thirsty for talent.

No.

The requirements to get married vary from state to state. The process MAY include: proving your identity (with a valid ID), providing information about previous marriages, enduring a waiting period, taking a marriage course, paying a fee, and/or doing blood/medical tests. Find out about your state’s requirements regarding your legal status and marriage.

No. The job must be related to your major field of study.

Optional Practical Training (OPT) is a period of time during which undergraduate and graduate students with F-1 Status, who have completed degrees, are permitted by USCIS to work one year on a student visa without needing to acquire an H1-B work visa. Qualified STEM degrees are eligible for a 24-month extension.

Yes. You will face the same credit assessment process as if you were purchasing a car. Typically your monthly payments will be lower than if you were buying the car, but you are limited in the number of miles you can drive the car per year. The number of yearly miles ranges from 10,000 to 15,000 miles, after which you pay an additional fee per extra mile. Before leasing a car determine how many miles you drive per year, then research the lease terms.

90 days before graduation. (You may apply up to 60 days after graduation.)

Yes. The ease of the process – and the conditions of the loan – will vary depending on your credit score and credit history. Without a credit score/credit history you may be unable to get a loan. A limited credit score/credit history may result in less-favorable loan rates. Be cautious when approaching car dealers who claim you can buy a car with bad credit or no credit at all. Analyze the opportunity carefully. Don’t let them take advantage of you!

You may be eligible to apply for the following types of work visas based on your country of nationality: TN: Mexico, and Canada. H-1B1: Chile, and Singapore. E-1: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China (Taiwan), Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Honduras, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Korea (South), Kosovo, Latvia, Liberia, Luxembourg, Macedonia (FYROM), Mexico, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Togo, Turkey, United Kingdom. E-3: Australia.

USCIS recommends you apply for an extension up to 120 days before your OPT expiration.

$410

Yes, but keep in mind these cannot be easily made. Changes may delay the issuance of your employment authorization document.

Excellent credit is typically defined as a score of 750+. The benefits of having excellent credit include: Increased credit card limits Lower financing rates Excellent credit card deals More negotiating power Enhancement in the job market if your prospective employer pulls credit.

Surprisingly no. You can start building credit history even if you don’t have a Social Security number. It's best to have one, though. This would ensure your credit information is recorded properly. Two of the major credit-reporting agencies in the U.S. (Experian and Transunion) don’t require a Social Security Number. If you get a Social Security Number after you started building credit, you should contact all your lenders and provide them with your number.

No.

No.

A 1040 form is an official document that taxpayers use in the U.S. to file their annual income tax return. This form must be filed by anyone who generated income in the U.S. any given year. The submission of this form must occur at the beginning of every year, but no later than April 15th.

An I-94 form, which actually looks like a small coupon, has information about your arrival to the U.S. This form is stamped by an immigration officer when you enter the country and placed inside your passport. Don’t lose it. (It wouldn’t hurt to make a copy.)

The OPT is issued by USCIS.

You have 90 days to find an employer. If you are unable to find an employer in that timeframe you will lose your F-1 visa status.

A credit score is number that represents your creditworthiness. The score ranges from 300 to 850. The higher your score, the more likely you will receive new credit. Excellent Credit: 750+ Good Credit: 700-749 Fair Credit: 650-699 Poor Credit: 600-649 Bad Credit: below 600

No.

Most companies will offer specific guidelines how they want résumés submitted. Follow the instructions precisely. You are always recommended to convert your résumé to PDF format.

Yes. In fact, if you qualify for multiple immigration processes, you should let all processes run at the same time. Whichever gets you residency first will trump the others. For example: Imagine your sibling is a U.S. citizen, and she submitted an application on your behalf for residency. While this process is running (which could take many years to finish) you should take advantage of any other type of application, like an H1-B, EB-2, “visa lottery”, etc.

Yes. The ease of the process – and the conditions of the loan – will vary depending on your credit score and credit history. Without a credit score/credit history you may be unable to get a loan. A limited credit score/credit history may result in less-favorable loan rates. The purchase of a home in the U.S. – old or new – tends to be an intense process which can last weeks, even months. Typically you are expected to give a down payment that ranges from 5% to 20%.

Only STEM fields of study qualify for an OPT extension. STEM fields of study include: Computer Science Applications Biological and Biomedical Sciences Actuarial Science Mathematics and Statistics Engineering Military Technologies Engineering Technologies Physical Sciences Science Technologies Medical Scientist

A 1099 form is a document issued by an organization to you and the Internal Revenue Services (IRS) at the end of every year. There are several kinds of 1099 forms, but they all report various types of income you generated throughout the year. The most common 1099 forms you might encounter as an international student are the “1099 MISC” and the “1099 INT”. The “MISC” form reflects any earnings you may have generated as a contractor (not employed full time by a business). The “INT” form reflects any earnings you may have generated through interest on your bank account.

Simply put, Curricular Practical Training (CPT) is an internship that completes or enhances your education. CPT is available only prior to the completion of your degree program and you must have a job offer at the time of application. CPT employment may not delay completion of the academic program.

The W-4 form is used by your employer to withhold the proper amount of federal tax from your paycheck. This means you have the option to decide how much tax you will have deducted from every paycheck. Consider deducting enough money so you don’t owe money to the Internal Revenue Services (IRS) at the end of the year.

Yes. Ask your international student office about the specific information that should be included in the job offer letter from your employer.

You may apply for an OPT up to 60 days after graduation.

If you got a traffic citation you need to decide on one of the following pleads: “Guilty”, “No Contest”, or “Not Guilty”. If you plead Guilty or No Contest you should pay the fine on time, and determine if you would like to do traffic school to eliminate or reduce the point assessment on your license. If you plead “Not Guilty”, your case will go to trial. Use this option only if you are certain you did no wrong. If you were not arrested, traffic citations typically bear no consequence on your student, immigration, or job-seeking status.

Effectively communicating your situation to a potential employer is perhaps the most critical part of your immigration process. For this reason we encourage you to get advice from an immigration attorney in advance. Attorneys have experience explaining to employers various immigration processes. They should be able to coach you in the proper way to convey this information. Practice your explanation until you can recite it in your sleep. Whether you are able to receive coaching from an attorney or not, keep in mind your explanation must be short and simple. Ultimately your employer should understand your qualities are more important than a petty immigration process.

Build a chain of contacts within your university and then expand it. This means you should use fellow students, alumni, faculty, and staff as key connections to build your network. Always assume that everyone you meet knows someone who can help to find you a job. Tap into the alumni network of your university - ask for help identifying international alumni living in the U.S. Whenever possible contact them. Get involved with your local Chamber of Commerce. Never be shy!

Studies show that as many as 75% of jobs available in the U.S. are never advertised. This means that most jobs (75%) are filled through networking. Don’t be shy! Attend local business events frequently.

You may apply for the H-1B visa. However, depending on your country of nationality, you may also be eligible to apply for other types of work visas. Important note: You may also qualify for other special immigration processes called EB-2 and EB-3. These processes get you from an F-1 visa to permanent residency in approximately 18 months.

Selling yourself to a potential employer requires you to understand exactly what they are looking for. Familiarize yourself with their needs; read their company profile and/or job description, then figure out what about your profile fulfills these needs. Be aware that, as an international student, typically you are a better-rounded candidate: You are more committed (because you have more at stake), and you are more responsible and mature. Think about the fact that you have been fending for yourself in a foreign country for a long time. This gives you an edge over the average American student. Communicate these things to a potential employer.

To start your credit history you simply need to apply for – and receive –credit from an official lender. You are strongly encouraged to apply for a Social Security Number, to ensure your credit information is recorded properly. The easiest way to get your first credit account is to apply for a “secure credit card” (a credit card issued by your bank, that is backed by a deposit equivalent to your line of credit.) You can also apply for a student credit card, which has lower application requirements. Remember: Always pay your credit card statements on time, and don’t spend beyond your credit card limit.

In order to apply for an OPT extension, the student must complete the following steps: The student files Form I-765 with USCIS, Form I-20 endorsed by the DSO, a copy of the STEM degree, and the required application fee. Form I-765 is being amended to require the student to indicate the degree and provide the employer’s E-Verify information. If their post-completion OPT expires while the 24-month extension application is pending, students who timely filed their STEM extension applications with USCIS will receive an extension of employment authorization after their current employment authorization expires, but for no more than 180 days.

Yes. Your cancellation must be submitted to USCIS before your employment authorization document is issued. The application fee will not be returned.

Depending on the nature of the legal violation, your immigration status may be negatively impacted. In some situations it may even involve your deportation. If you are facing criminal charges, you should contact your school’s international student office immediately and ask for a referral list of attorneys or in some instances, you may be eligible for a Public Defender.

No. The job must be related to your major field of study.

The CPT is issued by your college/university.

You can work up to 11 months and 29 days with a CPT without affecting your eligibility for an OPT.

Tell me your situation and I’ll show you how to find employers that sponsor visas and provide step-by-step guidance tailored to your situation.

Just copy and paste a job description, and I’ll review it to assess its sponsorship potential.

Simply give me their name and I’ll look them up. Even if the company has not sponsored, I will tell you how likely they are to do it.

Tell me what’s going on – in as much detail as you want – and I will use my specialized knowledge to guide you.

Share your goals and background with me, and I’ll build a personalized job search strategy for you.

Tell me the type of job, industry, and location you’re targeting, and I’ll create a list of companies that sponsor visas.

I’ll show you how to find new leads and identify potential sponsors quickly and easily.

I have a database of attorneys experienced working with international students, and I’ll even guide you on how to make the most of your consultation.

I’ll help you answer sponsorship-related questions confidently and train you to handle common objections employers may have.