7 Job Hunting Tips & Guides for International Graduates
Learn the tips and techniques you can use to find careers and jobs that are best suited to meet your needs and qualification like a professional job hunter.
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What you'll learn in this article
As a new graduate, venturing in the job market can be a daunting ordeal but it can also lead you to your dream career. We’ve listed 5 job hunting tips & guides that will help you gain the advantage.
The popular study destinations like the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia and many other countries, require international students to acquire the appropriate post-study work visa of the respective country. For example,
- To work in Australia, international students need Temporary Graduate visa
- For Canada, international students will need the post-graduate work permit (PGWP)
- In the USA, students on F-1 visa must have applied for the Optional Practical Training (OPT) visa
- To work in the UK, foreign graduates will need to apply for the Graduate Route.
Let's learn more about how you can find a job as an international student in your respective countries.
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How to Find a Job Abroad as an International Student?
Here are some steps that you, as an international student, can take to find a job suited to your needs and qualifications.
Be a Professional Job Hunter
In the competitive world of job seekers, fresh graduates like you have to be smart to increase the chance of getting invited for an interview and ultimately your first job offer. But what does it mean to be a professional job hunter? Your approaches to job searching should be smart and efficient. With the emergence of diverse options in sending applications, you are able customise or simply complete the forms in job search websites to build your resume/curriculum vitae. Another important aspect is time management. Managing your time allows you to focus on searching for related job vacancies and their requirements.
Create a Professional Resume
One of the major turn-offs for recruiters are messy resume/curriculum vitae and generic cover letters. As a rule of thumb, you are only to include relevant experiences and qualifications to the post you are applying for and highlight them in your cover letter. The purpose is to entice the hiring officer and allow them to see your potential. You should always tailor-fit your qualifications, experiences and strengths to the requirements of the position.
Prepare for Interviews
Practice makes perfect. Performing mock interviews helps prepare interviewees for the actual one. In time, you will develop a strategy for accurately answering questions and for calming your nerves.
Take up Volunteer Work and Internships
Increase your employability with relevant working experience in the country where you currently reside. Whilst volunteer jobs may not be as attractive as they sound, earning work experience is. With the reference letter in hand after completing your volunteer work, you now have actual work experience that matters to employers. Both volunteer jobs and internship opportunities can help you create strong networks, which could potentially lead you to your dream job.
Create an Ironclad Network
Creating a professional network is a crucial part of a person's professional life. From finding the right job opportunities to the right candidate, a good and vast network can be beneficial. As a newly graduated student, the best opportunities to build your network are to attend workshops and seminars hosted by industry giants and experts, and to create an online portfolio of your skills and achievements over the years, like on LinkedIn.
Explore Jobs Beyond Your Proximity
It is a known fact that competition is steep with new graduates and experienced workers competing for the same positions. Broadening your search, especially in terms of location, could be fruitful too, not to mention the opportunities present in regional areas and in other states. Do not be afraid to take the risk and venture into the unknown. Collect the appropriate information and do your research on the new location so you can make the necessary preparations to have a smooth transition.
Upskill Yourself
A great way to stand out from the crowd of highly employable candidates is to learn skills that can be useful in your industry or unique skills that can enhance your resume. For example, in today's world, learning AI prompt engineering and learning how to integrate AI into your professional life can significantly improve your candidature.
To know more about how many points you will be awarded or for any study abroad-related queries in general, reach out to our counsellors for a free consultation.
Trusted Expertise
About the Author
Published and reviewed by AECC counsellors who guide students through every step of their study-abroad journey.
Published by Payal Chandra Roy
IELTS, Courses and Application Expert | 15 Years in International Education
Payal Chandra Roy has 15 years of experience in international education, writing on three areas students navigate regardless of which destination they are heading to: English proficiency tests, course selection and application documents. She covers IELTS and the Duolingo English Test, writes on standalone course guides across disciplines, and covers the application documents that accompany university applications including Letters of Recommendation, Statements of Purpose, academic essays and CVs.
Her background is practical in a specific way. She began as a student counsellor advising students directly, then moved into training and developing counsellors across AECC's network. That progression means she understands not just what students need to know across these three areas, but where the advice they typically receive falls short. Her articles give students the kind of guidance a well-prepared counsellor would offer in a consultation: on which IELTS band a specific university actually requires, what a particular course looks like in practice, and what makes an SOP work for a student with their specific background.
With over 1,000 students helped and more than 464,000 article views across the AECC platform, Payal's content covers the questions that come up most consistently from students preparing for English proficiency tests, choosing a course and putting together their application documents. She holds an MBA in Marketing and is based at AECC's offices.
