How to find a job in the US after school

Now this is an audacious title. Now I realize that it is audacious and hence I am going to talk about a very specific situation, which is now. The US market as everyone knows is not growing , jobless claims are on the rise. However, there are more students graduating from universities. There clearly is a mismatch between supply and demand. To make matters worse, you might be an international student. There is that added problem of finding a job before your visa expires. I went through a very difficult patch, trying to find a job and thought it would be helpful to systematically talk about how I went about my search. What worked and what didn’t!

Campus Career Council

Most schools have a career council unit. However, not all of them cater toward the needs of an international student. But your first stop should be there. Fix your resume up. Learn the names of companies that visit your school.

Online

Monstor, career builder, dice, yahoo hot jobs should be your next step. Make sure you indicate clearly what you expect and put a comprehensive resume up there.

You can also go to individual company websites and apply directly, filling out their forms and uploading your resume.

Career Fairs

Make sure you go to career fairs. You have a chance to meet face to face with employers and learn about their business. You also get to give your resume.

Cold Calling

Pick up the phone, find the telephone number of the headquarters of a company and call them; give your strongest pitch. Ask if they are hiring, and who would be the best person to talk to.

The reality

The numbers are against you in each of the above methods. There are way too many people applying to way too few positions to get noticed. You have to have a very favorable market atmostphere and an solid dose of luck to make it.

What Works

CONTACTS. What I have learned is that the right hiring manager has to look at your resume. By right I mean, the person should be capable of offereing you a positing if he or she likes you. Many circumstances have to shape up for that to happen.

1. The department/ team is in a hiring mode
2. Your skills set matches their requirements
3. Your expectations matches their ability

Now how do you know if these favorable factors exist? You need to talk to someone who work with this hiring manager. Find out what they are looking for. See if you can modify your resume to best appeal to that team. Make sure that your contact person PHYSICALLY walks over to the hiring manager and places your resume on the hiring managers desk!!! Thats the best way to get noticed. Thats how I got my job!

But what if I don’t know anyone?

Now whose fault is that? Make sure you keep in touch with everyone you know. Make sure you go to networking events and get contact information. And you need to keep mailing or calling to keep you in their minds. The ground work for reaching out to your contacts should be done years in advance.

Laying the ground work

Find out people in potential organizations you would like to work with. Reach out to them. In the first couple of interactions just ask for advice. Small talk! Talk about your passions, your interests, your family. Whatever that you can talk about to connect. You might need to continue this over a year or maybe more. Then when you are in need, you already have someone to turn to. Pick up the phone and insinuate how your career path has been shaped by their advice.

Simple psychology will tell you that no one wants to be wrong. Get them to feel responsible for your career. I dont mean you should say that. That feeling has to develop over time. Another way of putting it is: Get as many people as you can to be excited about your career. Have many mentors. You need people marketing YOU!

My story

I graduated from school without a job. Although I had built up my contact network, I never reached out to them untill I graduated. I felt that I could rely on my career placement unit to find me a job. It didnt happen. Then I reached out to everyone I knew. I also tried every method I listed out earlier. Finally persistance paid off. Someone I knew passed my resume to the right person and I got a call.

Good luck and let me know if you need help with your resume or action plan to approach companies.