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Whenever I give a presentation on my book, Power Ties: The International Student’s Guide to Finding a Job in the United States, I mention at the beginning that not all international students will be willing to follow the professional networking system that I outline. The system involves reaching out to people you don’t know, taking some risks and stepping outside of your comfort zone. The system works, but most people looking for H1B sponsorship would prefer to sit at home and apply to jobs online – a low effort/low success effort. This is good news for those who are serious about finding a job in the US because it means less competition.
The most recent ‘Open Doors’ survey conducted by the Institute of International Education puts the number of international students in the US in the 2008/2009 academic year at over 670,000. This means that international students hoping to find H1B sponsorship need to find ways to differentiate themselves from the competition. Creating a professional network using the Power Ties system is one of the most effective ways of distinguishing yourself from other job seekers.
It’s a little like choosing a strategy for investing in stocks: if there was an easy way to make money in the stock market, everyone would do it, and then it wouldn’t work anymore. The key is to find something that works, that not everyone is aware of or willing to do. I hope all international students who are looking for an H1B job read my book and follow the Power Ties system for professional networking. But the reality is that many won’t. That fact is your opportunity.
What do you think?
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