Ensuring International Students’ Career Success

By Sherry Wang and Merab Mushfiq 

A growing proportion of international graduate students want to stay and work in North America after they graduate. And, in fact, such students bring diverse experiences and backgrounds that help strengthen the workforce, as well as contribute to local, state and national economies. Yet because they are seen as “foreign,” “noncitizens” and “temporary residents,” they frequently struggle to find jobs and pursue the careers of their choice.

It can be hard, of course, for even North American graduate students to land jobs after obtaining their degrees but the challenges are

significantly heightened for international students—they are in a new environment and culture and must confront many obstacles that their native-born peers do not. We know that firsthand: We both were international graduate students in North America and both had to struggle, not only with language barriers, academic difficulties and transitioning into a new culture, but also in pursuing a successful and fruitful career path.

One of us, Merab, went to the United States for her bachelor’s degree as an international student. She then completed her master’s degree from a Canadian institution. She faced many hurdles in finding employment opportunities as an international student and achieving her aspirations for career development. She ultimately found her motivation and passion in helping other students in higher education obtain academic and career success. The other of us, Sherry, is Chinese-Canadian, and ventured to the United States for postsecondary studies. She, too, was able to overcome challenges of new environments and leverage her cultural experience in the three countries to support Northeastern University students in both the Boston and Vancouver global campuses.

In this article, we briefly outline a few of the specific challenges that international students confront, as well as some particular moves—networking, developing your personal brand, enhancing your soft skills and communicating more effectively—that can help you land the job and embark on the career you are seeking. We will also highlight some helpful resources and tools.

The post Ensuring International Students’ Career Success appeared first on Inside Higher Ed.

By Lauren Coury
Lauren Coury Career Advisor, Data, Technology, and Engineering