How to find a job as an international student

Looking for international graduate jobs for international students and graduates can be quite nerve-racking, especially when you are applying for your first ever job. If you have just graduated and looking for an internship or graduate job, then you have come to the right place to find an effective career accelerator. Using our tips below, you will be able to find the right job much faster than through traditional methods.

Finding an international graduate job is not easy. There are a lot of people out there who have similar experiences and qualifications. And this makes you want to give up trying, but if you follow these 8 steps, you can be sure of a result.

1. Know what you want to do and know why you want it

Many students graduate from university and are looking after jobs abroad to build their career but eventually get frustrated because they don’t know what they want in their job and how to find it. Just ask yourself one simple question – What do I really want to do with my life? Be specific i.e., I want to be a Marketing Manager for Microsoft, or I want to help people with health problems, or I want to be a famous YouTuber! Armed with this mindset, your dream international graduate jobs will easily fall into place. Knowing the purpose helps you clarify your own goals and priorities in such a way that can help direct your search toward the jobs that better suit your needs.

You may want to join a more prestigious company, move to an exciting new city, or just continue exploring the world. By knowing the reasons why you want something you will be much more likely to take action and achieve your goals.

It’s imperative that you keep your values and goals in mind when seeking a job abroad. During the process of finding a job, your values and motivations will change, so be sure to understand what is most important to you at the beginning of your search.

Search the best universities for international students at UniAdvisor.

2. Understand the labour market

As an international university student or recent graduate you may have felt the labour market is tough, especially with so many graduates for each role.

Understanding the labour market is the first step to knowing what steps to take in order to find your dream job. Knowing the labour market, its trends and patterns helps you get a good idea of where it is heading, which will allow you to identify the right profession to be in so you can pursue your dream job.

To get a graduate job abroad, you might have to first find companies offering opportunities abroad after college. You should know that the international graduate jobs for internaional students and graduates placed an average of 1 million candidates last year. Know the market and use it to your advantage!

3. Explore the career opportunities available

With good research skills and right contacts you can find opportunities that not everyone knows about. There are many such opportunities out there that companies advertise on their own websites but don’t go through job boards and other common ways of finding opportunities. If you work hard and learn to negotiate, you can land one of these positions.

Open offices will often have a booth at career fairs. The Graduate Career Fair is a great place for job seekers to meet recruiters. It’s a chance to explore companies and industries, establish contacts, and learn about graduate jobs.

Getting started on informal networking with your friends and classmates also helps, sometimes these informal networking sessions bring as much success as formal networking events. In fact, they are a great source of finding job opportunities if you proactively reach out to them. You can also grow your network and reach more companies through your friends already working there.

Using the hashtags and current events to increase your chance of being discovered by recruiters and/or searching for jobs in social groups is another way to find your graduate jobs.

4. Be ready to work everywhere

Location does not matter when you are searching for the right graduate job. Do you know Singapore has the highest median income in 2015 and this will be 1.5 time more than India by 2025?

International graduate jobs for international students and graduates can be in every other country in the world. Explore new locations, new business cultures and anything new that appeals to your personality. Accept the role where you can contribute the most and grow professionally with time.

5. Be a good fit for the jobs you want

Before seeking jobs abroad after college, do your homework to make sure you will be a good fit for the job. Research both the company’s mission and vision so that you understand each employer’s goals.

Do not be afraid to ask for help when applying to jobs and internships, ask an employer or admissions counselor. Advisors can give you insight into the industry and allow you to practice interview techniques, network with people that may help you later on, as well as help with your resume and cover letter.

If your strengths may not fully match the type of job you are applying for, you will need to sell yourself in a convincing manner. Making a personal hashtag for your resume campaign is one way to ensure you are a good fit for the jobs you want. It makes your resume stand out from hundreds of others.

6. Find internships in advance

Looking for internships in advance can help you secure the best jobs and have a chance at having multiple offers, just like fresh grads with experience.

The keys to getting the right internship are – seeking it early enough, having a strong resume, extensive research on potential companies and roles, secure the internships with multiple job offers and learn skills that help you grow your career. Do not worry about experience, as long as you have the right skills, you still can find ideal companies.

Jobs for international students

7. Consider longer term options too

When you start looking for your first graduate role, understandably you believe you have to settle for anything out there, but this can leave you with very narrow experience and only short-term opportunities that don’t reflect how you ultimately want to build your career. The reality is that students who convert their degrees into a long term career are those who keep their eyes on the bigger picture; visioning out their ideal career while working towards it.

Where will your long-term vision take you? Where is the best place to start? What kind of jobs can match with your skill set? Think about it!

8. Never underestimate the power of a personal introduction

Getting your employer to give you a referral to a large firm in the same industry can help you find your dream graduate jobs.

The idea is to get a personal introduction from your employer to reach out to a Hiring Manager for a larger firm in the same industry as yours. With the right connections and a bit of luck, your dream job can be right round the corner. All it takes is a personal introduction from an experienced recruiter.

So you have been looking for more opportunities outside of your home country and find it hard. Actually, it is not so hard if you are using JOB+ Career Accelerator which is a platform that connects international graduates to employers.

Getting the international graduate jobs for international students and graduates isn’t hard if you follow our JOB+ Career Accelerator 8 steps! Our team has been there and we know how you feel. We have been through the experience of applying for jobs, preparing for interviews and professional training. The JOB+ Career Accelerator Program is designed to get you the international graduate jobs you want!

Find out more our JOB+ Career Accelerator Program.