International Students: Job Searching in the United States
 

Objective
Activities
Steps to Take in Your Job Search Campaign
Before You Begin: Some Important Considerations...
Research
Persistence & Rejection
STEP ONE: Knowing the Product - You
Common Job Search Assumptions/Myths
STEP TWO: Organize & Conduct Your Campaign
Conduct Your Research!
Establish a Record-Keeping System
Barriers
Ten Job Hunting Errors
Some Suggestions
Selected Websites
Selected Resources in the Career Center Library
Sample Professional Organizations
Final Thoughts

Objective

  1. To know the steps necessary in conducting your job search campaign
  2. To know how to organize and conduct your campaign

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Activities

From the information provided in this guide, the following activities will enable you to meet the objectives listed above.

  • Identify your career goals and objectives (you may also refer to the Career Objective guide)
  • Refine your job search tools (resume, cover letter, interviewing skills)
  • Conduct research related to your job search
  • Engage in networking activities

Additional Activities

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Steps to Take in Your Job Search Campaign

Know the Product (You):

  • Identify your career goals and objectives
  • Consider your needs and personal realities
  • Refine your job search tools

Organize and Conduct Your Campaign

  • Consider what you want to do and where you want to do it
  • Conduct your research
  • Networking
  • Mailing out your resume
  • Interviewing

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Before You Begin: Some Important Considerations...

The job search process takes time.

This is evident in the following statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor.

The job search process takes, on average,

  • 14-17 weeks for 16 & over
  • 8.1 weeks for 16 - 19 yr. olds
  • 12.5 weeks for 20 - 24 yr. olds and,
  • 15.6 weeks for 25 - 34 year olds.

These statistics indicate that the job search process does take time. Don't get discouraged or give up too soon.

Your job search requires an active NOT a passive approach.

Waiting for a job to come to you may not produce the results you are looking for, but an active and persistent approach may help you to have more success in the job search process.

People begin at different places.

Comparing yourself to how quickly or how long it may have taken another person to find a job could cause frustration. Remember that your job search is yours and is different from anyone else's. It is important to measure your job search progress by your own progression and not that of others.

And Finally, Job Searching Involves:

  • Research
  • Persistence
  • Rejection

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Research

Before beginning your job search, be sure to research:

Your field of interest:

  • ex: What does a Clinical Social Worker do?
  • ex: What are the typical salaries for Clinical Social Workers?
  • ex: What are the skills needed to be a Clinical Social Worker?
  • ex: Where do Clinical Social Workers work?

Specific employers in your field of interest:

  • ex: What services does “Organization A” provide?
  • ex: How many employees does “Organization A” have?
  • ex: Where (if any) are other branches of this organization?

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Persistence & Rejection

Don't give up!! Be persistent in your job searching. On average, a job searcher will receive 10 “NO's” for every “YES.” It might be helpful to think of your “No” responses as bringing you closer to your job. Realizing rejection is part of the job search process will help in not taking the rejection personally.

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STEP ONE: Knowing the Product - You

Consider your job search as a marketing campaign with you as the product you're marketing. If you think of your job search in these terms, it makes sense that it would be important to know yourself well - to know what market (job) is best for your product (you); and to know how to sell yourself to that market.

1st: Know your values (what motivates you to work), your interests, and your skills. Review your past work experience, volunteer experience, educational experience and life experience. What are your interests? What strengths are you bringing with you to the job search table? What are you looking for in an ideal job? Write these things down . . . they'll be important when considering what you want to do, in your networking, in refining your job search tools, and during your job interviews.

2nd: Identify your career goals and objectives. The saying “if you aim at nothing, you'll be sure to hit it” applies to your job searching as well. Identifying your short and long-term career goals and working toward them not only will help you better focus your job search, it will also help you be more successful in your career.

3rd: Refine your job search tools. Your job search tools include your resume, cover letter, and your interviewing skills. Reflecting on your values, interests and skills as well as your strengths, as mentioned above, will help with each of these tools. Your cover letter is the tool used to get people to look at your resume, your resume is the tool used to help you obtain an interview, and your interviewing skills play an important part in getting you the job. If you need assistance with writing your resume, cover letters or with your interviewing skills, the FSU Career Center has many resources available to help you. The FSU Career Center has guides for all of these job search tools so be sure to obtain one from a career advisor if you need assistance with any of them. Many of these guides can also be accessed through the FSU Career Center's website: http://www.career.fsu.edu. In addition, you can review additional resources available on the Internet, or at your nearby community/campus library.

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Common Job Searching Assumptions/Myths

“I'll do anything”

Sometimes, when the job search feels like it is not going as well as hoped, we may feel a sense of desperation. Feeling like we have few alternatives and must take whatever is offered limits our options. Realizing we have many alternatives helps us engage in the process necessary to choose an option that may provide a better fit.

“Wallflower syndrome”

As previously mentioned, a successful job search campaign requires an active approach. This means using all the resources available to you and engaging in regular job searching strategies. Don't simply send out one or two resumes then wait for a response. Continue actively engaging in your job search.

“Lone Ranger”

Your personal job search journey does not have to be done alone. The FSU Career Center, as well as many other academic, professional, personal and community resources, are available to help you in the job search process. Don't be afraid to find out about and use these resources (many of which are free).

“Dunce under the light”

When looking for jobs try to think creatively. Searching in the common places (like want ads or employment agencies) will not access the 80%+ of jobs available in the hidden market. Networking is one of the best methods for accessing the hidden market.

Other Job Search Resources/Methods include:

  • Classified ads
  • Career fairs/expos
  • Phoning
  • Dept. bulletin boards
  • Internet
  • Mass mailing resumes
  • Previous employers
  • Employment agencies
  • School placement service
  • “Drop-in” contacts

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STEP TWO: Organize & Conduct Your Campaign

What Do You Want To Do? & Where Do You Want To Do It?

The answers to these two questions are the keys to helping you make your job search productive and manageable.

In considering what you want to do:

  • Consider the Job Family. Example = Social Work
  • Consider the Work Environment. Example = Non-Profit Agency
  • Consider the Occupational Title. Example = Case Worker

Job Families

As you think about “what you want to do and where you want to do it” keep in mind the following sample Job Families:

  • Aging & Health Care
  • Children & Family Services
  • Developmental Disabilities
  • Education
  • Human Services
  • Mental Health
  • Law
  • Politics
  • Public Administration
  • School Services
  • Community health clinic

And Work Settings:

  • Adoption services
  • Adult day care & respite program
  • Area agencies on aging
  • Bank trust department
  • Chemical dependency treatment ctr
  • Children, family & school services
  • Child day care center
  • Child protection services/child welfare
  • Children's hospital
  • Children's psychiatric hospital
  • Elder care centers
  • Family services
  • Foster care services
  • Geriatric case management practice
  • Gang prevention program
  • Hospice program
  • Hospitals or medical center
  • Residential treatment center
  • Private schools
  • Public school systems

Macrolevel Services:

  • Advocacy organization
  • Citizen groups
  • Community action agency
  • Community centers
  • Employment project
  • Foundation/Fund-raising organization
  • Government department (e.g., housing)
  • Homeless shelter

Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Related Direct Services:

  • Treatment program
  • Clubs or programs for chronically mentally ill
  • Employee assistance firms
  • Community mental health center
  • Hospital units
  • Managed care company
  • Military
  • Women's services
  • Psychiatric hospital
  • Private practice

Non-Profit:

  • Social services
  • Disability services
  • Volunteer programs
  • Museums
  • Professional associations
  • Easter Seal

Professions:

  • Law
  • Medicine
  • Clergy

Private Enterprise:

  • All forms of individual and private ownership (e.g., private practice, wellness center)

Sample Occupational Titles in Human Services:

  • Adoption Coordinator
  • Case Manager
  • Child Development Specialist
  • Child, Youth & Family Counselor
  • Clinical Director
  • Consumer Specialist
  • Corrections Officer
  • Domestic Violence Counselor
  • EAP Counselor
  • Executive Director
  • Human Services Counselor
  • Instructor
  • Legislator
  • Lobbyist
  • Intake Counselor
  • Marriage & Family Counselor
  • Mental Health Worker
  • Outreach Program Director
  • Program Manager
  • Rehabilitation Counselor
  • Social Worker
  • Substance Abuse Counselor
  • Therapist
  • Victim Advocate

In considering where you want to work: Think about your geographic preferences.

Examples:

  • Anywhere
  • International
  • National
  • Southeast
  • Florida
  • Tampa

In conducting your job search you can expand your geographic preference OR your job target. Expanding both may make your job search unmanageable and overwhelming.

Example:

In Tampa I'll consider the following job targets:

  • Case Worker
  • Fund-raiser
  • Child-life Specialist

OR

Example: I'm looking for a position as a Fund-raiser in: Tampa or Atlanta or Dallas

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Conduct Your Research!

This is probably one of the most important aspects of a successful job search campaign in the Human Services field. Researching helps you identify WHO has what you want to do.

There are many job search resources to help you in conducting your research.

Examples:

  • Directories of Employers (ex: Nat'l Directory of Children, Youth and Families Services)
  • FSU Career Center
  • Academic Departments/Faculty/Staff
  • Family, Friends, Neighbors, Acquaintances
  • Internet (ex: The New Social Worker www.socialworker.com)
  • Telephone Books
  • Community Resource Directories
  • Professional Assocs & Journals (ex: NASW, American Counseling Association)
  • Newspapers
  • Strozier library & public libraries
  • Employment Agencies
  • State Employment Office/Department of Labor
  • FSU Alumni
  • Chamber of Commerce
  • The United Way
  • Discussion Groups

Research Specific Organizations - through their annual reports, organizational charts, current periodicals, in-house publications, their PR office, local newspaper, their WWW homepage.

Networking

The FSU Career Center has information on networking strategies that may help you in the job searching process. In networking you want everyone to be aware of your job search. Be sure to let them know exactly what type of job you are looking for.

Examples of networking resources (people resources) you might use are:

  • Family, Friends, Neighbors
  • Faculty/Staff
  • Professionals
  • School Associates/Alumni
  • Organized Networks/Clubs/Organizations
  • Former Teachers
  • Former Employers/Supervisors
  • Recreational Acquaintances

Informational Interviews

Informational interviews are another excellent way to network and are similar to “regular” interviews. The difference in an informational interview is that you are the one conducting the interview and asking most of the questions. You can contact an employer or someone who has just the type of job you are interested in and set up a meeting with them. See the Career Center guide on Information Interviewing.

Keys to a successful information interview:

  1. Letting persons you'll be interviewing understand that your meeting is for informational purposes only and not a sneaky way to get a job interview will help them be more open and receptive to meeting with you.
  2. Prior to the meeting, be sure to do your research on the job you are pursuing.
  3. Prepare questions prior to setting up the meeting as the interviewee may want to have you begin your interview right over the phone when you call.
  4. Be courteous and behave in the same manner as you would when trying to interview for a job.
  5. Prior to ending the meeting, try to secure additional contacts in your field of interest from your interviewee to add to your network of contacts.

Finally, send a thank you letter to your interviewee. This will be a good reflection on you and may help to keep you in the person's mind if anything arises in the way of future job openings.

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Establish a Record-Keeping System

Let's face it, your job search campaign, if done well, could involve a lot of contacts, interviews, letters, phone conversations, etc. It is important to find a good way to keep track of all of these things. Use a good record-keeping system that works for you to keep track of things such as:

  • Employers contacted
  • Letters sent
  • Responses received
  • Second interviews
  • Follow-up needed

and any other things that may help your job search campaign run more smoothly.

Barriers

Some of the barriers faced by job seekers are:

  • Shyness/Lack of Confidence
  • Fear of Rejection
  • Lack of Necessary Skills for the Job Sought
  • Procrastination
  • Not Knowing Where to Start
  • Negative Thinking

Being aware of these barriers and figuring out how to overcome them will help your search be more successful. Talk with a career services staff member if you are experiencing any of the barriers listed above and need suggestions on how to overcome them.

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Ten Job Hunting Errors

Some of the biggest errors made during job hunting are:

  1. Having a poor resume — The FSU Career Center has resume writing guides as well as career advisors who can critique your resume. If you are not located near FSU, you can use the Internet, local bookstores or area libraries to locate helpful resume guides and resources. For resume critiquing, visit a university or college career center near you. Other available resources, which typically cost money, are resume writing services or private career counselors in your area.
  2. Failure to network - as discussed above, networking is critical to finding a majority of the available jobs in the market.
  3. Limiting job sources - don't stick with just one source for information about job vacancies, use many different ones (refer to the job search sources listed above).
  4. Using a canned approach - be genuine and personable with every contact you make. Revise your resume and cover letter as needed for a particular job target. Although an employer may not have an immediate opening, by presenting yourself in a professional manner, you can make a positive impression that may help you in securing an interview for a later opening.
  5. Inadequate interview preparation - As stated previously, it is important to do your research prior to the interview. The FSU Career Center has literature on many employers as well as an “Interview Preparation Guide” which is very useful in preparing for the interview. You can also access helpful resources on interview preparation by visiting your area library, bookstore, searching the Internet or contacting other career service professionals in your area.
  6. Poor interview techniques - In addition to the “Interview Preparation Guide,” the Career Center has other resources available to help you perform well in a job interview, including interviewing workshops, book resources, CD-ROMS, videos, to name a few. See a career advisor for more information. Other ways to access helpful information on interview techniques are through visiting your area libraries, bookstores or searching the Internet. Colleges and universities, as well as other career service professionals in your area, might also have helpful resources available.
  7. Restricted job search - If you confine your geographical preferences for your job search, it may be necessary to expand the occupational titles you will consider, especially if the labor market in your chosen area is flooded (the demand for employees is far less than those seeking work). You could also consider expanding your geographic preferences to include other areas if you wish to stay with one occupational title.
  8. Too little time devoted to search - As mentioned in the beginning of this guide, it takes time, effort and persistence to conduct a successful job search. It requires an active approach, not a passive one.
  9. Negative attitude/thinking - Although the job search process can be discouraging at times, it is imperative that you not allow the discouragement to develop into a negative attitude. If this occurs, it could negatively affect the way you present yourself to potential employers, in your networking, in your interviewing, in your resume, over the phone, literally in every aspect of your campaign. If you have trouble with this area, you can get help from trusted friends or career services professionals to overcome or minimize your negative thoughts.
  10. Lack of attention to dress and appearance - In general, the rule of thumb is to always be conservative in dress and appearance for an interview. The Career Center has articles and resources helpful in determining how to “dress for success.” Contact a career advisor, other career service professionals, libraries, bookstores or the Internet to locate these resources.

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Some Suggestions

The following are suggestions which might be helpful to you in your job search process:

  • Get support from friends during your job search
  • Periodically reward yourself - for example: after sending out so many resumes, or completing an interview, or making a certain number of contacts. This helps keep you motivated in your job search.
  • Take care of yourself physically - in doing so, you will make it easier to cope with any of the stresses that may come with your job search.
  • Avoid negative people - especially during the job search process when rejection is part of the “game.”
  • Keep good records
  • Join a job hunter's club or support group
  • Consider part-time or temporary work - See the Career Center's guide: Temporary Services Employment.

Selected Web Sites

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Selected Resources in the Career Center Library*

  • Community Resource Directory VIB2 T4
  • 100 Jobs in Social Change IIB 2032 J4
  • 150 Careers in the Public Health Care Field IIB 26 E4
  • American Almanac of Jobs & Salaries IC W7
  • Careers for Caring People & Other Sensitive Types IIA CF-C31
  • Careers with Children & Youth II4 K4-Ready Reference
  • Complete Guide to Public Employment IIB 11 K6
  • Education Career Directory VIB3 M6
  • Exploring Careers in Social Work IIB 2032 S5
  • Federal Jobs: the Ultimate Guide VIB2 R3
  • Finding a Job in the Nonprofit Sector VIB W3
  • Florida Health Careers IIB 26 F6
  • Good Works VIB 2 C4
  • The Helping Professions IIB 24 B8
  • Human Services & Liberal Arts Careers (Job Notice Table)
  • Job Opportunities for Health & Science Majors VIB4 P3
  • Jobs and Careers with Nonprofit Organizations VIB K7
  • Mental Health & Social Work Career Directory VIB4 M6
  • National Directory of Private Social Agencies VIB 2 N3
  • National Directory - Children, Youth & Families Services VIB2 N31
  • Professional & Occupational Licensing Directory - Ready Reference
  • Public and Community Services Vol. II IIA CIC-11 - Ready Reference
  • Social Work Career Development IIB 2032 D6
  • What Social Workers Do IIB 2032G5

*Many of these resources are also available in public libraries, commercial bookstores, or through web-based “bookstores,” e.g., Amazon.com

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Sample Professional Organizations*

American Assoc. for Marriage/Family Therapy (AAMFT)
112 S. Alfred St.
Alexandria, VA 22314
703-838-9808
http://www.aamft.org

American Counseling Association
5999 Stevenson Avenue
Alexandria, VA 22304-3300
800-347-6647
http://www.counseling.org

American Public Human Services Assoc.
810 First Street, NE Suite 500
Washington, DC 20002-4267
202-682-0100
http://www.aphsa.org

Community Development Society
175 High St., Suite 200
Columbus, OH 43215
614-221-1900 x217
http://comm-dev.org

Gerontological Society of America
1030 15th St., NW
Suite 250
Washington, DC 20005-4006
202-842-1275
http://www.geron.org

National Association of Social Workers
750 First St., NE, Ste 700
Washington, DC 20002-4241
1-800-638-8799
http://www.naswdc.org

*Additional professional organizations can be found in the National Trade and Professional Association Directory

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Final Thoughts

  • Take advantage of all the Career Center's job search resources.
  • Begin now! Talk with a Career Center staff member or another career services professional if you don't know where to begin.
  • Remember, “The best jobs don't always go to the best qualified, but to the best job hunters.