Strong networking connections can open up incredible opportunities for international students for internships, future jobs and academic advancement.
Making these connections can be more challenging than it seems as you navigate an unfamiliar environment in a new country.
From language barriers to unfamiliar faces, creating meaningful connections can seem overwhelming, but with some insider tips and proven strategies, it’s possible!
Let’s explore some of the top networking strategies for international students.
First, let’s take a look at why it is so important for international students to build long-lasting networks:
Building strong networks can help you discover job and internship opportunities you might not find otherwise.
Your new connections can share insider info, give you referrals, and help you better understand different industries.
2. Cultural exchange and understanding
Connecting with people from diverse backgrounds helps you gain insight into different traditions, perspectives and cultures. In addition, if you get a job in a different country – having a network of friends who are familiar with the local customs and culture can help you feel more at ease in your new home.
Interacting with a variety of individuals allows you to learn from their experiences, pick up new skills, and expand your knowledge in your field of study.
Plus, these connections can lead to collaborations and partnerships that can further enhance your career prospects.
Connecting with experienced professionals in your field can lead to valuable mentorships. Mentors can offer personalized advice and guidance, help you navigate your academic and professional journey more effectively, and open doors to new opportunities.
Building a network of supportive people can ease your transition to your new school in a new country.
6. Long-lasting friendships
Networking can lead to lifelong friendships. As you get to know each other more, connect over shared interests or hobbies, and support each other’s endeavors – these relationships help you professionally and add value to your personal life.
Now that you understand the importance of networking, let’s look at 10 key strategies you can use to build meaningful and lasting connections:
Don’t just jump into a conversation with someone randomly. Take some time to prepare yourself – think about what you want to talk about and practice your conversation skills.
If you are planning to join a club or organization, it’s even more important to be well-prepared.
Plan ahead of time and try to have a few conversation starters ready. You can also write an outline of what you are going to talk about and do some research to familiarize yourself with the group or organization.
If you take your time to plan and practice, you will be able to make a positive impression.
It’s always a good idea to have a story you can share with the people you meet. This helps you stand out and makes it easier to start a conversation.
For example, if you are at an event for international students, try to focus on talking about your experiences in the country. You could share why you chose to study abroad and how that experience impacted your life.
Joining a club or other organization is a great way to meet like-minded people with similar interests. When you find yourself surrounded by people with similar backgrounds, passions, and goals, it’s easier to build relationships.
Find out what clubs, career fairs, or organizations your school has to offer and join the ones related to your field of study. Almost every university or college has some kind of club that caters to international students.
Also attend local events related to your field. This will help you make new connections and is a great way to spend your free time and explore the city.
Social media is great for networking and connecting with people from all over the world. Start by joining and interacting with online professional groups related to your field or interests. You’ll have opportunities to showcase your technical and professional skills through these conversations.
LinkedIn is a popular professional and business networking platform that allows you to create meaningful connections and build relationships with professionals around the world.
Comment on posts, ask questions and share your own experiences – all of these things can help you make connections and build relationships.
Asking questions helps you get to know a person better, and it shows you value them and are interested in what they have to say.
At the same time, be prepared to answer questions about yourself so you can share your experiences and talk about why you chose to study abroad.
By getting to know each other better, you are one step closer to forming a lasting connection.
Listening is an art. It takes practice. Active listening means paying attention to what the other person is saying, asking thoughtful questions and reflecting back on your understanding of their words.
This will help you form stronger relationships and strengthen your own communication skills.
Once the conversation is over, follow up with a message or an email. This is an excellent way to show you value the connection and are interested in continuing it in the future.
Take time to research professors, other students or employers. You’ll gain deeper insight into their background and interests, which can then help make the conversation more meaningful.
Start by using social media platforms such as LinkedIn and Twitter to research their profiles.
By taking the initiative to learn more about people, you will make a better impression and form stronger relationships with the people you meet while studying abroad.
Don’t expect overnight results. Building meaningful relationships requires effort, and it’s important to give them time to grow and develop.
With patience and perseverance, you can create meaningful connections with people from all over the world.
Lastly, stay in touch with your network. Whether through a quick email or message once in a while, staying connected can help keep the relationships alive and growing.
At the same time, keep looking for ways to connect and build new relationships – whether by attending networking events or joining online groups related to your field of study.
By continually looking for new networking opportunities, you will be able to form more meaningful connections and build a strong network that can benefit you in the long run.
Yes, it can be stressful when you’re planning to study abroad. There are many perfectly understandable reasons to feel stressed or anxious. Tuition fees are high, you’ve got food costs, study materials, transportation, health insurance, and lots of other expenses.
Even the currency exchange rate can be a concern.
When you don’t have enough financial means you might consider taking out a student loan. Paying back the student loan can add another layer of stress. But still millions of students can be found at international colleges every year.
Students find ways to manage their financial situation and complete their education in international colleges.
Here are some budgeting tips for students who want to study abroad:
The tuition fees are probably the most expensive thing you will face when you plan to study abroad. The yearly cost can reach up to five figures and for some private colleges it can even reach up to six figures (USD). The Financial Aid Office or Admissions Office at your college of choice will have up to date information about their tuition fees.
But tuition is not the only cost to consider, living abroad involves other expenses like transportation, phone bills, health insurance, food expenses, holiday expenses, accommodation and more. When we talk about the cost of accommodation, most colleges provide (or at least offer) dorm rooms to their international students. But you can still choose to live off campus — alone or with a group of people. The rental cost for private accommodation will depend on the location you choose to live in.
It will be cheaper if you choose to live in a dorm. You can save money because you won’t have to pay for electricity, water, and internet bills as they will be included in the cost. You can also save money because you will be living on the college campus and therefore probably won’t have additional transportation costs.
Depending on your visa status you might be allowed to have a part-time job while studying. When allowed students can typically work for up to 20 hours a week during the semester and full-time during holidays and semester breaks. This could be a useful source of income to help you with your daily expenses.
Most international colleges have a dedicated advisory office for international students. They provide students the necessary advice so they can manage their experience — including their finances. They help students with budget plans, part-time job information, and other related information. It is a good idea to get their advice before making any decisions relating to your finances.
Although they might seem like a golden opportunity, remember that paying back your international student loans can cause stress and worry for some students. Getting an International student loan should usually be your last port of call for additional funds. We suggest you first look for financial aid and scholarships from schools and other sources. If you still find a financial gap after exhausting all the other sources, this is the time when international student loans come in handy.
If you focus on your education and keep an eye on your budget, you’ll be able to enjoy completing your education at an international college. Try to avoid unnecessary expenses and focus more on savings. Here are a few examples of how you can save money: Use a bicycle to avoid transportation costs, try to cook your food at home rather than eating in a restaurant, so you can avoid food costs. Most importantly take advice from school advisors, they can assist you with your budgeting.
At the same time, look for ways to make the most of your time as a foreign student, take part in activities and explore your home away from home while you can.
While it may be standard knowledge to submit a resume when applying for a job, many international students may be less familiar with the tradition of sending a follow-up letter after an interview.
Many universities around the world are loosening restrictions that previously limited, if permitted at all, the amount of hours international students could work for an off-campus employer. In many places where international students were previously unable to seek off-campus employment, those students are now sending out resumes and applications to businesses in their new host countries—most for the first time. That being said, it is important to know what to write in a follow-up letter, as well as what not to write.
Elements of a Good Follow-Up Letter
A follow-up letter is an applicant’s chance to directly thank the interviewing hiring manager for taking their time to consider him or her, as well as an opportunity to refresh the manager’s memory regarding some more positive points of the interview and to reiterate how well he or she would fit with the company. However, a hastily or poorly written follow-up note can be a disservice, so keep the following points in mind:
Writing a follow-up letter or thank you note to a hiring manager is unlikely to change the outcome of a poor interview. However, sending a follow-up letter can certainly tip the scales in an applicant’s favor and help distinguish them from a group of similarly qualified applicants. Moreover, not sending a follow-up letter can harm an applicant’s chances of success.
That being said, international students should be sure to include writing cover and follow-up letters among their application procedures for finding off-campus employment.
With off-campus employment opportunities for international students, many students will be applying for jobs in their new host countries. Many international students may need a reminder of both the importance of writing a cover letter to accompany a resume and application, as well as how to write an effective cover letter.
Why Write a Cover Letter at all?
Most hiring managers agree that including a cover letter is as important a part of an application resume. However, it isn’t important to write a cover letter because the hiring manager is going to carefully read it—in fact, many will admit to “just browsing” them or, in many cases, not reading them at all—but because hiring managers often DO remember those applicants who didn’t bother to take the time and include a cover letter.
In a situation where someone is looking for easy ways to reduce the amount of similarly qualified applicants to look through, the people who didn’t care enough to put forward the effort are an easy choice when faced with a number of applicants who took the time to craft an individualized cover letter.
Features of a Good Cover Letter
That being said, a cover letter should not be a resume or a condensed version thereof. A good cover letter requires a bit of research and should fit the following guidelines:
Take the time to set yourself apart from the mob of similarly qualified applicants and include a well-written cover letter—it will really go a long way!
The Issue:
Finding employment after college is often difficult. Traditionally, few degrees offer work integrated learning, internships, or actual job experience as part of their programs. Even fewer programs and degrees offer straightforward career placement upon graduation.
This lack of infrastructure to support students’ transitions from the university to the workplace hurts both students and employers—students graduate and move on to the “job hunt”, wherein they regularly must settle for nearly any employment opportunity (often completely outside of their specific field).
Employers, on the other hand, are left with a series of new hires with absolutely no prior training or hands-on experience from which to draw—according to Inside Higher Ed, nearly two thirds of employers surveyed cited these new hires as drains on productivity and resources.
The Solution:
In response, institutions around the world are taking actions to emphasize and increase work integrated learning and networking opportunities into both the curricula of an increased number of programs, as well as broader university infrastructure.
These actions include:
For students, this shift toward competency-based learning can be a real boon in that students can use supplementary resources (like MOOCs [Massive Open Online Courses]) to enhance their understanding of a field and thus, shorten the time it takes to receive a degree in an area in which they have demonstrated mastery.
Want to learn more? Check out International Student Loan’s article on how you can find a job in the US after graduation.
As an international in the US, employment opportunities are not easy to come by as many of you may have already seen if you are a current student. Finding a job is not only hard in general, but your visa status may restrict where you work, what type of work you can do, and how long you can work for.
All hope is not lost, though! Many schools across the US will allow you to work right on campus up to 20 hours a week if you hold a F-1 visa. It’s important to discuss your employment options with your international student advisor before securing any type of position.
To help you on your way, we have given you 5 ways to land a job on campus:
For official guidance on working in the US as a J or F visa holder, check out InternationalStudent.com’s Working in the USA or ICE for more information.
Dan Beaudry is the former head of campus recruiting at Monster.com and former associate director of corporate recruiting at the Boston University School of Management. On October 10, Beaudry presented “How International Students Can Find Employment in the US” to students at Drexel University, and shared his knowledge of the job search system which he has used to help international students.
Drawing on his own experience, Beaudry shared innovative networking ideas that are valuable for both international and American students. For many international students, the word “networking” is an intimidating term that begins following them the moment they set foot on campus, evoking images of overwhelming career fairs at which they find themselves jockeying with dozens of other students for the recruiters’ attention.
This association can prove especially daunting for international students. After all, how are international students supposed to compete with their American peers when they are often conversing in their second or third language? According to Beaudry, you may not have to.
In today’s economy it is getting harder and harder for recent college graduates to differentiate themselves from the herd. Despite the fact that potential employers see application after application with a strong GPA, solid test scores, and positive recommendations, though, there is one thing you can do to help yourself stand out: study abroad. That’s right, studying abroad is not just about having a fun adventure – although, of course, it can be – it can also help your chances when you enter the job market. Here are the top 5 reasons why studying abroad can help your career:
1. Language Skills
Even if your classes are in your native language, immersing yourself in a second one by living abroad has been proven to be the most effective way to learn (or polish) the must-have language skills needed in modern international business.
2. Communication Skills
There is more to getting your point across than the words you use, however, and employers know that applicants with study abroad experience can work with people from different backgrounds – be they in the classroom or in the boardroom – a crucial skill in today’s global economy.
3. Independent Thinking
Because studying abroad, by definition, means leaving home – and the usual support network it entails – behind, employers know that students with international experience are more capable of making well-reasoned decisions on their own.
4. Multi-Cultural Exposure
Because more and more business is being done across national borders (but less and less time is being dedicated to on-the-job-training), hiring managers are eager to find employees who already have hands-on experience in a particular international market. With such experience employees can begin to contribute to bottom-line from day one.
5. International Experience
The piece de resistance, of course, is international work experience. Above and beyond the normal practical experience such opportunities impart, internships and jobs abroad are proof positive that you have developed the skills listed above and can use them in a useful context.
As an international student in the US, chances are you have to worry more about funding your education in the US than your domestic peers do. Because international students do not qualify for federal loans and often have to pay out of state tuition at state colleges, they generally end up paying more for their education than US students.
This infographic seeks to help international students explore their options when it comes to funding their education in the US. Renata and Cristian are both international students, one at a private university, the other at a community college. Like 63% of international students, each primarily rely on personal and family support to pay for their education. However, when something comes up, they both have to find different ways to support themselves.
We hope that this infographic will prove helpful to you as you learn about your different funding options. With the right combination of financial aid, we are certain that you will be able to afford your US education.
Click the infographic above to zoom in.
Interested in applying for international student loans? Find your loans now.
Funding college can be expensive, especially if you have to pay for your education overseas. Most students rely on their own personal savings and get help from family members, however this many not necessarily be enough to cover all of your costs. With most degree programs taking four years, and sometimes even longer, getting an international education can certainly add up. If you are looking to get financial aid for your education overseas, we recommended looking at the following sources:
– Institutional Help – Many colleges and universities offer some sort of financial assistance to their international students. While some schools offer more than others, get in touch with your international student advisor to see what’s available, how competitive it can be, and whether you can rely on it. You will also want to find out when you need to apply and be sure to write down any deadlines in your calendar to make sure you don’t miss any deadlines.
– Private Scholarships & Grants – Universities aren’t the only organization that provides financial assistance to international students. Home country governments, host country governments, non-profit organizations, and international companies do support studying abroad through scholarships, grants, and other awards. Be sure to do your research to find out which awards are available so that you can apply and increase your likelihood of winning awards.
– Work in the US – Many visas have restrictions on the type of work you can do and in what capacity you can do it. Many schools do have openings for part-time employment opportunities that are available to international students. To find out what’s available, check out your school’s current openings and make sure that you are eligible. Remember, payment is minimal and should be expected to cover only ancillary expenses.
– International Student Loans – International students can apply for an international student loan as long as they have a US cosigner. This cosigner must be a US citizen or US permanent resident with good credit and who has lived in the US for a minimum of two years. If international students have a cosigner, they can apply for the total cost of their education minus any other financial aid they’ve received.
We work with leading providers of international student loan programs to provide students around the world with financial aid options to fund their education abroad.
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