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How to get a Job in the USA as an International Student

How to get a Job in the USA as an International Student

How to get Job in the USA as an International Student

After higher education, many people dream of living permanently in America, because of availability in the job. I didn’t find much of it in the group so I tried something myself to write. This effort will be successful only if it benefits someone.    Today I will tell you a description of how to apply for an Employment Authorization.

 First of all, there are usually two ways to do jobs in the USA

  1. Curricular Practical Training (CPT): This is applicable only for before graduation. This job is validating for only 12 months. (for full-time job)
  2. Optional Practical Training (OTP): This term for 12 months for the first time.24 months is applicable only for STEM students.

It is applied before or after graduation. That means if you want to stay permanently through employment you have to go through this process.

Details of Optional Practical Training Application Required Documents:

1.Form i-765(attached with new i-20 from DSO)

2.Both side photocopy of I-94 

3. photocopy of Employment Authorization Document (EAD)(if before)

4.  2 copies passport size photo (2”x2”) 

  • The photo should be colorful and the background must be white/off white.
  • Head height should be 1” to 1.375” from top to bottom of the chin, and eye height between 1.125’’ to 1.375” from the bottom of the photo.
  • Write your name and i-94 number with pencil on the back of the picture
  • Photocopy of passport( CV and VISA)
  • All previous i-20 photocopy.
  • Check or money orders amounting $410 in favor of Department of Homeland Security

Form i-765:

  • Link:  https://www.uscis.gov/i-765
  • Form Item#20  ( c )( 3 )(B) must be written when applying for the first time Post Completion(OPT) of Application
  • All other instructions are available at the link above

The mailing address for everything can be found here

https://www.uscis.gov/forms/forms-information/uscisphoenix-and-dallas-lockbox

 Remember to send any address depending on the current address of the student

NOTE:

  • Starting OTP at any time within 60 days after the graduation date. It is illegal to be employed somewhere in the middle of the graduation date and  OTP start date.
  • According to the USCIS website, you are supposed to get the ID card within 90 days after applying for OTP. But usually, it comes before the due date. However, it should be applied for at least two and a half months before.
  • USCI also sends a receipt notice within 2 to 4 weeks of receiving the application. This is very important because the application status can be checked using the confirmation number
  • Before accepting a job offer, it is good to see if they are E-verified. Because only these E-verified companies can apply for h1b visa starting from

OPT extension. However, the company does not need to be E-verified for the initial 12 months OPT. 

Link to check the E-verification

https://www.uscis.gov/e-verify/about-program/e-verifyemployers- search-tool

Happy Job Hunting!

The first step in getting a job in the USA is to apply for OPD. Now it’s time to look for a job. I would like to shed light on this in today’s episode

Needless to say, going through this second step is much more challenging than the first step.

The main reason for this is not that America’s job market is bad.

The real reason is the reluctance of most companies to hire international students.

I have seen from my own experience that many times even after having comparatively more qualifications,

They give more priority to the people of their country than to a foreigner.

This may seem unfair at first glance, but if you look at it from a company perspective, the reason is easy to understand.

If you want to hire a foreigner, a company has to take some extra trouble, which no one wants to take except the big companies.

Besides, there are jobs for which security clearance is required. For which it is compulsory to be an American citizen. That’s why it is better to find out a little about the company when applying for a job

How to find a job

There are three ways to find a job

1. Through networking.

2. Apply directly online.

3.Through consulting firm stuffing/agency.

First comes networking

In some places like Bangladesh, people still get jobs without much evaluation. America doesn’t go for that.

Here you can get a job interview with reference.

Usually the rest of the time you have to qualify, but that’s not to say that it’s less important. Because big companies can have up to a few hundred candidates for a post, and most of them never get a chance to interview with the hiring manager.

Many are left out of the automated application selection because they do not have the correct keyword in their resume/cv.

The rest of his fate was decided after an initial interview with the recruits.

So the reference is very important to get through this initial step and the best way to get it is networking.

The best person to give a reference to is someone who knows you well and can be your professor, your research colleague, your University alumni (your own country, and another country). But there are ways to do networking, for example, if you are not looking for a research-related job, Research gate can be a good platform for you.

But the easiest and most effective place for networking is LinkedIn. Suppose you apply to a company.

The first thing to find out is whether you have any of your university alumni in the company.

If you don’t find it through the link, contact some people of the company, show them your resume. If they can make a good impression, they may agree to refer you for a post.

There is no problem even if you do not get any references. 

At least you can get an idea about Company Culture, Hiring

A strategy that may help shortly.

Now let’s talk about direct application. Networking is a time-consuming affair and in many cases, it is not possible to do so. In this case, there is no option to apply directly to the job.

It can be through the company’s web link like LinkedIn or an app.

But I warn you that the success rate of applying directly is very low.

Maybe you can get a reply from 10 to 15 by applying to one hundred positions.

Here are some strategies that can increase your response rate

Such as arranging your blog, LinkedIn profile, or website, etc. But the most important thing is a good Resume and cover letter.

Features of a good resume and cover letter

1. Should be One page

2. Specifically Targeted for that Job (Most important!)

3. Should Include Summary, List of Core Competencies and Keywords

Remember, Resume and Cover

A letter is not the same. They

should relate to one another, but

their goal is different. While

a resume gives an overview of your

qualifications, your cover letter

gives details.

Finally, you can get a job through any consultancy firm or staffing agency.

I do not have much experience in this field but in most cases, these firms get a certain amount of money in exchange for giving jobs.

Particularly, various Indian firms take 30% to 40% of your monthly salary in exchange for a job.

They resort to fake documents and other lies to get a job so it is better not to go to them.

Find them here http://desiopt.com/

Where to look for a job:

Find any subject job here

1. Indeed

2.Monster

3.LinkedIn

4.Glassdoor (a best informative site about salary)

5.Career Builder

You can find only Engineering/Technology related job here

1. Engineer jobs

2. Dice

4. hire engineering

To find a government job in America

  • USAJobs

You can learn about various tips, tricks, and strategies related to jobs and interviews.

1.The Muse

2. Mentat

But all in all, the best site I’ve ever seen is LinkedIn. a separate post is needed about how to use LinkedIn to get a job. So I did not go here in that context, you can find out some of my tips by Google

Finally some tips of my own

1. It is necessary to have a neat and informative  LinkedIn profile  (With Professional Photo)

2. It is good to be able to get references but it is not a problem if you can’t. You can apply in 200 places but it would not be better to give the same Resume everywhere. Do it in 50 places but resume so that the job is specific.

3. It is better not to give any false information while applying. You will be caught at some stage.

4. If you have profiles on different websites, they will send you job news based on qualifications. For those who do not have enough time to find a job, I will talk about this in the next part of the work.

Needless to say, all of this is written from my own experience, so if anyone has any comments or suggestions, please let me know in the comments.

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