It is all about Networking Building an Effective Job Search Strategy for International Students

The Brand Called YOU Think of yourself as a one person professional service business Define your mission and business strategy Research potential customers Find your customers, build relationships and secure a sale – getting an offer

Part I. Define Your Service What Is Your Competitive Advantage?

What Is Your Career Goal? Your Career Goal Defines Your Direction Where do you want to be in five years? What talents do you want to use? What skills do you want to have learned five years from now? Where can you make a strong contribution now?

Your Business Strategy Competitive Advantage Comes From Your –Work Values –Interests –Personality Preferences –Core Competencies

Using Competitive Advantage Regardless of Citizenship: Maximize your chance of success in the Job Market through using your Competitive Advantage and Core Competencies

Core Competencies Your Core Competencies Are A Unique Mix of –Global Skills –Hard Skills –Soft Skills What Are Yours?

Part II. Researching the Market and Building Relationships Putting Competitive Advantage to Work for You

Job Market Primer Listed Job Market –Jobs publicly listed in classified ads, UCSO CSJ listings, bulletin boards, web Hidden Job Market –Unadvertised or soon-to-be advertised jobs –Such job leads come from networking, direct contact or informational interviews –85% of hiring in real world is in hidden market!

Understanding Your Market Build Relationships with Employers through –Networking at presentations, SCOOP, etc –Club events and career fairs –Informal networking –Informational interviews with alumni –Research and direct contact –Web and print listings

How Professionals Generate Interviews: Allocate Your Time

Tapping the Hidden Job Market experience shows that networking is a very rich source of –job leads –information about unpublished job openings –career advice

What Is Networking Networking is Building Relationships with Other Professionals In Your Areas of Interest Develop knowledge about the contact, their work, and their organization Search for opportunities to work together toward mutual goals

What is Networking? it’s a learned skill it’s all about visibility it’s about creating your own ‘community’ it’s about building alliances, not just about job hunting it’s not a replacement for talent, it’s about being recognized as talented

Networking is Not contacting everyone you know when you are looking for a new job cold-calling people you don’t know a one-way street…it must benefit both parties about gaining the confidence to call strangers to ask for a job always productive…expect some persons to not respond

Learning Networking Skills start with people you know –move on to the referrals –get to the decision makers make contact conduct informational interviews follow-up

Finding Networking Contacts business cards collected professors, friends, relatives professional association colleagues chambers of commerce alumni former supervisors social contacts, former classmates, former group members church members don’t be biased…use all resources

Networking Activities CAREER EVENTS!!!!!! attending professional or trade association meetings talking to parents…yours and your friends volunteering in your community membership in social or religious groups visiting with your neighbors chatting with others while waiting

Obstacles to Networking lack of –commitment, effort, discipline, self-esteem, persistence, mental toughness failure to –socialize, stay connected, treat others as yourself, appreciate diversity, organize, make the 1 st move reluctance to –sell yourself, join in, take risks, gain from others’ experiences complacency, being unlucky, feeling stressed

Networking Tips Make sure you have the correct spelling of their name, correct job title and contact info Keep your conversations brief Follow up with a quick note referring to your conversation and future interests Thank them for their time and consideration

Informational Interviews What is it? –A type of networking that provides you with information about certain careers, companies, industries, positions or opportunities Research the company and industry before asking for informational interviews

How to Obtain Informational Interviews Write or and introduce yourself, ask for an opportunity to get their advice and suggestions Call to setup a meeting to see them Ask for minutes of their time— and stick to it! Meet in person if at all possible Prepare questions in advance Bring business cards or resumes

What kinds of Questions to Ask What skills, personality traits and work styles are necessary for success What they like/dislike about daily tasks Questions regarding career paths, environments, lifestyles What advice they would give you in your search Who else they know that might help you learn more about the field!

Informational Interview Follow-up Send a thank you Keep in touch and inform them about your progress After accepting a position, keep in touch for future use

Direct Approach Research on the industry, positions and companies that you are interested in Send customized resumes and cover letters describing what skills you can contribute to their organization to the hiring managers or recruiters –Try to send them to specific individuals Follow up with phone calls to confirm receipt of your resume and arrange an interview

Web Job Searching Learn about companies and industries Find job postings Join newsgroups relevant to your career Submit a resume online

Web Tips Develop a Strategy –Know what kind of information you are looking for so that you don’t get overloaded Avoid sites that ask for money Be careful about providing personal information –Quality sites offer protection for your name and address

Resources Don’t forget the Guide for International Studies H1VisaJobs.com Directory of Foreign Firms Operating in the United States, or The Directory of US Firms Operating Abroad

Summing It Up Defining your unique Competitive Advantage, researching your market and helping employers meet their needs provides the best opportunity to overcome obstacles presented by immigration policies and land the job you want!!

Final Thoughts it’s a numbers game…the more you contact, the higher the odds that you gain access and exposure success depends on –effective communication –personal commitment –dedication –thorough follow-up

Questions? For further information, contact the UCSO Help Desk or schedule time with a Career Coach