JOB SEARCH AND CAREER FAIR PREPARATION FOR

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Tiera Greene – Internship/Co-op Coordinator, Batten College of Engineering and Technology

Bev Forbes – CDS Liaison to the Batten College of Engineering and Technology

TODAY’S TOPICS• Navigating the Job Search Self-Reflection Resources for your Job Search Researching Potential Employers • Handling your international student status Researching the employer’s citizenship restrictions

• Preparing for the Career Fair Viewing List of Participating Employers

Dress to impress Useful Documents

SELF-REFLECTION

SELF REFLECTION Ask yourself…What do I want to do?

When during the year do I want to work?

Where do I want my job to be located?

How am I going to obtain and maintain this job?

RESOURCES FOR YOUR JOB SEARCH

RESOURCES: ODU CAREERLINK

UPON LOGGING INTO CAREERLINK, YOU’LL SEE THIS TAB ON THE LEFT SIDE…

Hit the Jobs tab for a drop-down list of multiple job search options.

Type your search criteria into the text box…

General search terms will fetch more results, so try “Engineer” instead of “Mechanical Engineer.”

Click on the job title for a detailed position description.

The job description will look something like this…

Review and carefully note important information such as:• Essential functions• Required/Preferred

qualifications• Start date• Contact Information• Location• Application instructions• Required Documents

After uploading any required documents under the Documents tab, you may apply online using this button.

RESOURCES: NACELINK JOB

NETWORK

For an additional job search resource, return to the jobs tab.

Select NACElink Job Network.

Using the NACElink network, you can search for jobs by keyword/title AND location.

The NACElink search engine will fetch jobs in your field, in your selected location.

The job description will look something like this… Review and carefully note

important information such as:• Essential functions• Required/Preferred

qualifications• Start date• Contact Information• Location• Application instructions• Required Documents

GOINGLOBAL

To access GoinGlobal, return to your CareerLink homepage. Scroll down to the bottom, and look for the GoinGlobal icon on the right side.

Through GoinGlobal, you can view companies that have previously submitted visa applications, which may indicate a willingness to work with international students in the future. These companies would be valuable starting points for your job search.

From the homepage, select H1B Info.

From here, you can search by state, metro area, or nationwide for companies who have recently submitted H1B visa applications, and view the numbers of applications previously submitted.

Once you select a search option, you’ll be taken to a page like this one. Here, you can choose a link based on your preferred metro area, and view the top 250 companies that apply for the most H1B visas.

Companies are listed in order of the number of visa applications submitted.

RESEARCHING POTENTIAL

EMPLOYERS

RESOURCES FOR YOUR RESEARCH• Company Website• Company Twitter, Facebook, Youtube • Other Company Social Media• LinkedIn• Glassdoor.com• Hoover’s• Indeed • Previous/Current employees• On-Campus Info Sessions• Monster.com

RESEARCHING THE COMPANY• Mission and goals• Size of organization • Location of facilities • Types of clients or customers & primary competitors • Product lines or services • History of company’s performance, including stocks

• Type(s) of training offered• Relocation/other policies important to you• Plans for future• Others you know in the organization - especially ODU alumni• Recent items in the news about the company

HANDLING YOUR INTERNATIONAL

STUDENT STATUS

CULTURAL CONSIDERATIONS•American cultural attitudes and behaviors related to job hunting and work may be quite different from those of your home country.•Be aware of cultural issues that will influence your success in your job search.

• Employers have a wide range of attitudes towards international students.• It’s hard to know what their attitude will be prior to investing time in the application process. • You must plan ahead and familiarize yourself with the rules and regulations that accompany the immigration laws.• International students will generally need to place more emphasis on:• Researching which employers can legally hire students with your work authorization• Networking to find contacts•You must bridge the cultural gap to sell yourself!

WHERE TO FIND OPPORTUNITIES• Networking• “Hidden” job market• Exporters to your country• U.S. companies active in your language region / doing business in your home country• Others from your home country who have jobs in the U.S. • Search in states that have a reputation of being friendlier to international workers like (CA, NY, TX)

WHERE TO FIND OPPORTUNITIES

• Former international students with jobs in the U.S.• Smaller companies• Companies in rural areas that are exporting• Your home country consulate• International job fairs

WHEN SHOULD I TELL AN EMPLOYER ABOUT MY VISA STATUS?• There is no “right” moment to alert an employer, but it should be before an employer offers you a job. •You may want to raise the issue sometime near the end of a positive first interview, so that the employer feels you are being open about your work situation. • However, if you know that you will be receiving permanent residency status in the near future, share that information as early as possible. That way you will assure your employer that she or he will not need to worry about work permission.

• It’s better to discuss the process early and seriously assess the situation before both you and your potential employer have gone too far, only to find that you are ineligible.

WHAT CAN I DO TO MAXIMIZE MY CHANCES?• Don’t procrastinate or expect to do it all in one day.• Learn everything you can about the process through which an employer can obtain a visa for you. • They may be unaware of the steps, in which case you will need to clearly explain the process.

PREPARING FOR THE CAREER FAIR

BEFORE ATTENDING• Know which companies are attending• Research the companies you are interested in• Print off copies of your approved resume• Create and practice your 30 second commercial• Visit CDS prep and information tables and events• Engineering Career Corner: March 29, 11AM-4PM; March 30, 11AM-4PM• Engineering Systems Building Atrium• Organize your outfit

SELF-ANALYSIS• Analyze your strengths and skills• Know your resume top to bottom• Make sure you can give several examples of relevant past accomplishments • Know why you are interested in the specific position and the company• Evaluate problem areas in your record

INTRODUCTION OR 30 SECOND COMMERCIAL

•Think about if you were in an elevator with your future employer .. What would be your sales pitch?

•Who am I? Ex. Hello, my name is _____.•Why am I talking with you? Ex. (Referral’s name) suggested that I speak with you.•What is my objective? Ex. I am interested in your company’s management training program.•What are my strengths? Ex. I have been effective in problem solving, collaboration, team work and leadership

LIST OF PARTICIPATING EMPLOYERS

Access the main CDS website at www.odu.edu/cds

Scroll down and select the green button that says Attend a Career Fair.

Locate the Spring Career Fair, and click on Participating Employers.

Here, you can view the employers that are registered to attend the fair, in addition to their industry and the majors they recruit.

Click on the Employer Name for more information about the organization.

COMPANIES THAT DO NOT APPEAR TO HAVE CITIZENSHIP RESTRICTIONS• Automatic Data Processing• Allan Myers• American Building Company• Anthem• Bauer Compressors• Becker Professional Education• Bridgestone/Firestone• Busch LLC

• Capital Group• City Year• C.H Robinson• Century Concrete, Inc.• Charles Barker Automotive• Clark Nexsen• CMA CGM (America)• Damco Distribution Services• Dillard's

COMPANIES THAT DO NOT APPEAR TO HAVE CITIZENSHIP RESTRICTIONS• DMG Securities Inc.• Dominion Enterprises• Fastenal• GEICO*• Grunley Construction• Hajoca Coperation• Harbor Point Behavioral Health Center• Insight Global, Inc.

• Jefferson Labs• L.L. Bean • Mitsubishi Plastics Composites America• Norfolk Southern• Smithfield• USAA• Wells Fargo• Whiting-Turner

DRESS TO IMPRESS

WHAT TO WEAR - WOMEN• Conservative business suit (pants or skirt)

• Clean and polished shoes

• Stockings should match suit or be skin-toned

• Neat, natural looking hair

• Manicured nails

WHAT NOT TO WEAR - WOMEN• No fishnet hose• No cleavage showing• No excess perfume• No excess jewelry• No dramatic makeup• No oversized purses or bags• No jeans • No short skirts• Try to avoid open toe shoes

WHAT TO WEAR - MEN• A conservative suit • If you don’t have a professional suit wear a sport jacket, tie, slacks

• Clean and polished shoes

• Socks that match suit

• Neat hair

• Well manicured nails

WHAT NOT TO WEAR – MEN • No jeans• Socks that do not match suit• No sneakers or flip-flops• No tattoos showing• No dirty finger nails• Excess jewelry• Overwhelming cologne• Oversized book bags

FINAL REMINDERS

USEFUL DOCUMENTS• Resume – Multiple copies• Cover letter (except for Career Fair• Reference sheet – Multiple copies• Notes about each company you plan to speak with• Business cards

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES• LinkedIn• Glassdoor.com• Company Website• Hoover’s• Indeed • Monster.com• Presentations and PDFs• International Student Career Fair Prep• U.S. Employment Opportunities for International Students

CONTACT INFORMATION Tiera Greene Internship/Co-op Coordinator Career Development Services Batten College of Engineering and Technology

www.odu.edu/cds

1104 Engineering Systems Building t1greene@odu.edu

Bev Forbes Associate Director, Experiential Learning

Liaison, Batten College of Engineering and Technology

Career Development Services www.odu.edu/cds

1104 Engineering Systems Building bforbes@odu.edu