ANDY BYUN
AN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT’S EXPERIENCE 11
February is filled with career fairs. As an international student, you might feel overwhelmed when it comes to employment in the United States. I had an opportunity to speak with the International Career Consultant at the Career Services Administration about tips on navigating the career fair season as an international student.
BEFORE THE CAREER FAIR Work on building your resume to stand out to recruiters. It is important to seek experiences that will help you prepare for an internship or career post-graduation (both in the U.S. or another country). Student groups, on-campus jobs, volunteer opportunities and research are all great starting points. Also, review a few potential jobs that you are interested in, and pay close attention to keywords that frequently come up in the job description. Obtaining experiences that develop soft and technical skills explicitly mentioned in job descriptions will help your resume stand out. Additionally, highlight your language capabilities, but make sure to put English on top of your list if you’re applying for positions where English is the primary language. The International Career Consultant offers approximately eight workshops and events per semester in collaboration with the International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS), College Career Centers, among others. One of the main events is the international student career fair preparation workshop. The next workshop is on Friday, February 21 from 3 - 4 p.m. in Bruininks Hall, room 420B. The career counselors will tell you what to expect at the career fair, how to polish your resume, and more. The ISSS advisors will also teach you more about work authorization including Curricular Practical Training (CPT) and Optional Practical Training (OPT), and to provide cultural support. You can find a list of upcoming events and workshops on the side of this article. Take some time to visit both the career counselors and the ISSS advisors in-person. Visit career.umn.edu/international-students for more information such as how to look for jobs both in and out of the U.S.
