Hi!  My name is Lucy and I am from Shanghai, China. I am a member of the Class of 2021, and I am majoring in Business and Economics. Since my sophomore year at Skidmore, I have visited the Career Development Center several times and the counselors are really helpful!  I hope by sharing my experiences, more students will know they can get help from the CDC and become more confident in career exploration.

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For this series, I spoke with Soha Jafarzade, the Sands Family Foundation Assistant Director of Diversity Career Development.  Soha is a great resource for international students! For each of my questions, I've shared tips that Soha shared with me.

Please check out Part II for more career tips! 

I’m not at all confident networking with other people. What should I prepare, or what should I do to improve so I am more comfortable connecting with alumni and other professionals?

Lucy

The CDC is highly accustomed and skilled in helping students expand their professional networks.  They can help identify appropriate contacts through LinkedIn or the Career Advisor Network, and they offer writing templates and guidelines for students to use for the purpose of connecting online with professionals. 

The CDC team also works with students to practice elevator pitches (quick speeches summarizing skills and interests).  Counselors also regularly conduct mock interviews with students, helping students to build their stories for interview situations so they can use them effectively.  This practice can help students to be authentic, honest, and natural in career situations.

As an international student, how do I access companies within industries I am interested in? How can I find more than just the big-name companies?

Lucy

 

International students should research companies/positions that are open to international students. Myvisajobs.com is a great resource where students can find employers who are willing to hire international students and potentially sponsor them to stay in the United States. The Career Development Center and Student Academic Services also help international students to navigate Optional Practical Training (OPT) and Curricular Practical Training (CPT) requirements.  Handshake is another tool used to explore jobs and internships which can be set to search for positions that do not require citizenship.

In addition, networking is important to build connections with companies of interest!  The CDC recommends students, especially international students, to start networking as early as possible in their college careers.

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Interested in making a career counseling appointment with Soha?  Stop by the Career Development Center in 204 Starbuck or click here to log into Handshake (Tip: You can log in using your Skidmore ID and password).  Select "Diversity Resources" to book your time slot.