Job Search Resources for International Students
The differences from a United States job search
Returning Home
Are you considering returning home after your studies? In addition to preparing for your
relocation, it is also important to learn the basic steps of job searching in the United States’
cultural environment. Learning how to present your skills and abilities effectively is one crucial
element of any job search. The way in which this is accomplished may differ from place to place.
You might write a one-page resume for your U.S. job search, but you may need to provide more
detailed information if you were looking for employment in the U.K. or Latin America. Finally,
the way in which you present yourself in interview settings also may differ drastically depending
upon your location. The critical thing to remember is that every country is different. Become
familiar with the job search rules of etiquette and protocol in your home country and let them be
your guide.
Before you begin your job search, it is important to think through how you have changed, and
what those changes mean for your personal and professional goals. Try to recall the original
goals you had for going overseas to study – they helped you get where you are now. Did you set
these goals yourself? Have they changed? Are the original goals for your professional future still
valid? Or, on the basis of your experience abroad have you established new goals for the next
stage of your life? You must be as explicit as possible in defining your professional goals. The
clearer you are about where you want to go, the more likely you are to get there.
The following information is meant to serve as a resource guide as you begin your return home
or relocation to another country.
Libraries
Career Services offers a variety of resources in the Resource Library that can assist you with
relocating and finding employment in another country. Additionally, the Mansfield Library and
the Missoula Public Library are good sources of information to assist you in your efforts. Make
use of the reference librarians! Often information you will be looking for is catalogued within a
rather complex filing system. Instead of giving up, ask for assistance. Materials are probably
available that you are not even aware of.
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www.umt.edu/career
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Revised 9/09
Resources on the Internet
Career Services also provides access to different resources on the web under the heading Internet
Job Search Sites. Additionally, The Riley Guide is an excellent resource on International Job
Opportunities. It should be noted that the organizations referenced in these web pages are in no
way endorsed by the Office of Career Services, they are simply provided for informational
purposes.
Utilize Networking Resources
Networking is the process of establishing contacts with individuals in various positions in your
field of interest who will directly or indirectly assist you in your job search. The intent behind
networking is to gain knowledge about the needs and opportunities in your field in your home
country and to make yourself known to influential individuals who have the power to hire you.
For students who are returning home, they are also encouraged to reconnect with family and
friends who are residing in the country of origin prior to their arrival. Not only will this assist
with your transition back into the home country environment, these people may also serve as key
resources in helping you prepare for the job search process.
Additionally, connecting with professional associations in your home country is an excellent
resource for networking with professionals. Virtually every field has national and international
professional societies, such as the American Political Science Association, the American Society
of Petroleum Engineers, etc. Many of the national organizations have international divisions
and/or international membership.
Make the most of your academic advisors and other faculty members in your department.
Although many professors and staff members are willing to be of assistance, it is your
responsibility to initiate the communication process. Don’t be shy! Besides providing academic
advice, faculty members may be able to help you locate and initiate contacts with professionals
who shared your academic and professional interests.
The University of Montana Alumni Association and Career Services’ Ask-an-Alum Networking
Program are two examples of great opportunities to network with other fellow alumni of the
institution. However, we would strongly discourage you from asking your networking contacts
for a job offer. Networking etiquette dictates that it is preferable to use your resources to find out
about career opportunities through indirect referrals and information. Conducting an information
interview is an essential part of the networking process.
Resumes for International Students
Generally speaking, there are some major differences between U.S. resumes and resume formats
from different countries. These differences do not apply to all countries. It is important that you
become familiar with the accepted resume formats of your home country or the country that you
are seeking work in. A suggestion is to look at job search information web sites from your home
country or visit the web sites of Career Services offices at colleges/universities in your home
country.
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U.S. Resume
Concise, attractive marketing tool –
summarizes jobs, skills, accomplishments,
and academic background relevant to
employment objective
One to two pages maximum
Does not include age, gender, marital
status, number and age of you children,
race, religion or your photo
May or may not include completion of
military service depending upon whether it
is relevant or makes the person a stronger
candidate
International Resume
Chronologically details academic and
formal work experience
Sometimes two or more pages
Sometimes includes age, gender, marital
status, number and age of you children,
race, religion and your photo
Sometimes includes completion of military
service
In whatever form it takes, the resume is the document that makes the all important first
impression on potential employers. Writing your resume helps you to clarify career objectives,
skills, and the knowledge you’ve gained from past educational, work and volunteer experiences.
Your goal should be to convey the professional qualities and accomplishments that qualify you
for a particular job. Remember that this is the initial impression a potential employer has of you.
It is worth extra time and energy to make your resume as favorable to your candidacy as
possible.
Interviewing for International Students
There are several major differences that may be found between job interviews in the U.S. and job
interviews in foreign countries.
U.S. Interview
Be punctual. Arrive 5 to 15 minutes prior
to appointment.
International Interview
Personal relationships may be more
important than time. Being late may not be
a problem.
Eye contact, especially with persons of
higher status, may be disrespectful.
Interviewers commonly start with small
talk and look for information regarding
character or personality.
Interviewer may talk for the majority of the
interview.
Eye contact is expected and shows
confidence.
Interviewer styles vary. May begin with
direct questions or minimal small talk.
Interviewer may do most of the talking or
may expect the candidate to do most of the
talking.
Questions regarding protected categories
such as age, race, sex, and marital status
are illegal.
Age, race, sex, or marital status may be
issues in the interview. Males may be
expected to dominate interactions with
females. Younger people may be expected
to show deference to older people.
Indirect questions regarding competency,
experience.
Direct questions regarding competency,
experience.
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Open discussion of accomplishments and
skills shows confidence.
Citing accomplishments and skills might be
considered boastful, self-serving, or too
individualistic.
Jobs may be assigned by government or
family. Questioning one’s role in a
company may be seen as disloyal.
Companies sometimes assign work and
expect individuals to accept what is
available.
Interviewer may not expect immediate
competence and instead be looking for a
long-term employee.
Personal questions regarding such issues
might be considered an invasion of privacy.
Show clear self knowledge, career goals
and long-term plans NOTE: It may be
important to be flexible, however, to
initially obtain employment.
Interviewer may expect immediate
competency and look at each new
employee for a 2 to 5 year commitment.
Self-disclosure of strengths, weaknesses,
personality, leadership style, problemsolving abilities, etc. may be appropriate.
Researching the organization and
demonstrating the knowledge during the
interview is expected. Shows initiative and
interest.
Acceptable to ask an employer at the close
of the interview where they are in the
interview process and when the candidate
can expect to hear back from them.
Inquiring about the status of an application
after the interview is acceptable and
demonstrates interest in the position.
Researching an organization in advance
may show too much initiative and
independence.
Asking an employer during an interview
where they are in the interview process and
when you can expect to hear back from
them may be seen as too forward.
Inquiring about the status of an application
after the interview may be seen as rude.
Students are sometimes startled by interview questions asked by potential employers. To avoid
being surprised in an interview, it is worth your while to study the possible questions you may be
asked and formulate appropriate answers prior to the interview session.
In addition to answering questions from the employer, the interviewer may expect that you also
have some questions. This often promotes a conversational atmosphere and reduces the tension
of the dialogue that can occur in traditional interviews. When you ask questions, it suggests that
you are truly interested, listening, and digesting the information about the employer. Be prepared
with several well-focused questions, and wait for natural openings in the conversation or when
the interviewer prompts you to ask them.
To locate further information about resumes, cover letters, job search techniques and
interviewing, Career Services has resource handouts available on these and other topics.
Re-entry Transitions
Returning to your home country involves two transitions: moving from the student world to the
employment world, and adjusting from U.S. norms and values. The job search back home occurs
in the context of a psychological readjustment to life in your home country. Most of us believe
that returning home is easier than going abroad. After all, you are home! You will no longer be a
foreign student coping with life on a far away campus and its larger society. Following are some
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of the factors that affect the level of “reverse culture shock” you will experience. You can use
them to anticipate which issues may be troublesome for you.
Age and academic level. Older students or professionals who were well established in their
fields before their sojourn abroad sometimes experience a less troubled re-entry than younger
students who left home as teenagers. However, there is a degree of adjustment that occurs in the
workplace. Comparison between the two countries will occur. Older students or professionals
might have to re-think their position in their field.
Younger students are more likely to adopt the second country culture rather than selectively
integrate it with their own cultural or personal beliefs. Once home, younger students tend to
compare home country traditions and practices unfavorably with their overseas experience,
increasing their feelings of alienation. It is a normal occurrence and younger students should
refrain from voicing such comments. Younger students should also remind themselves of some
of the positive aspects their countries can give them.
Gender. Female returnees may experience more difficulty and conflict upon returning if their
home society has a strong patriarchal tradition in the family and work place. This does not
necessarily mean that women prefer the overseas environment, rather that they often have to
cope with more “fitting in” difficulties upon return. In general, the greater the extent of
patriarchal values in the home country, the greater potential for conflict for women returnees
who have strengthened their independence of thought and action during overseas study.
Previous cross-cultural experience. Often students who have previously been away from and
returned home encounter a less difficult re-entry after overseas study. Return usually is easier the
second time around. A student who expects to encounter some difficulties on return is generally
better able to manage reintegration problems than students who assume that there will be no
problem.
However, there is a difference between returning home for a vacation and returning home after
the end of the sojourn. Usually, the vacation period is characterized by a tourist feeling and
euphoria where the student visits friends, favorite places and restaurants with the knowledge that
they will be returning overseas soon.
Length of stay and degree of interaction with the host culture. The longer a student stays
abroad and the greater the interaction and empathy with the host culture, the more difficult reentry to the home culture may be. Sometimes the students who have been most adaptive to the
host culture have the most difficulty readapting to the home culture. Remember, although crosscultural experience tends to make people more adaptive overall, a true life skill, the first return
home will be a shock. It is an unexpected feeling of strangeness that the student might have
difficulty relating to their home.
Readiness to return home. Students who strongly desire to return home at the end of their study
are likely to return with a high motivation to re-socialize. Those who strongly desire to stay in
the host country are more likely to feel alienated upon re-entry. The best re-entry is chosen, not
forced.
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Degree of change in home environment. This factor can work in several ways. Returning
students may expect everything to be the same at home as it was when they left. However,
family relationships, standards of living, or political climate may have changed significantly
while you were gone. Encountering such unexpected changes may be stressful. Conversely, you
may return home, to find nothing fundamental seems to be changed. The discrepancy between
overseas perception and local reality can intensify the returning student’s feeling that no one
understands what he or she is going through. It takes time for image and reality of home to move
closer together.
Degree of similarity between the home and the host culture. The greater the difference is, the
greater the reintegration difficulty for the student. The larger the culture gap, the greater the
stress in moving in either direction. Expectations are the key. Try to set proper expectations of
what home will be like for you now that you have been educated abroad.
Type of job placement. Graduates who have difficulty finding an appropriate job upon their
return can experience more stressful re-entry than those who have returned to a past position, or
to a promotion. Students returning to previously held positions sometimes feel they have
outgrown them or that their contributions are not appreciated by superiors and colleagues.
Length of time unemployed or underemployed. Free time during the job hunt can be used
actively to readjust to your home society, or can make the adjustment seem to be more difficult
and take longer than expected. It is easy to imagine that college friends in your second country
are hopping into the work place without any problems, although, in reality, they may be
unemployed too! Being depressed about one thing can make everything else around you look bad
and everything far away look good.
Expectation of success. Many returnees are anxious to show their families that the investment in
foreign study has helped them achieve success in their new professional roles. Some returnees
encounter feelings of failure because their expectations or those of their parents are so high.
Sometimes parents place unrealistic expectations on children who go abroad to study. Some
students postpone return until they can gather another degree or extra money and be assured of
returning “in triumph” in the eyes of family members.
Individual awareness. The most aware individual is not immune to reverse culture shock or
reintegration pain. The more aware you are of the process of re-entry, the more likely the
problems will be manageable and short-lived.
Presence or absence of a support-group. Being able to share concerns and coping strategies
with other recent returnees can help reduce the alienation that accompanies re-entry. It helps to
locate even one person who has shared this experience.
Everyone undergoes subtle but important changes during the re-entry process. Being aware of
them will help you reintegrate into life in your home country more smoothly. Best wishes!
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