International students face increased challenges in job market

Published: Tuesday, April 21, 2009

While the economy makes finding an occupation tough for most people, international students may have more difficulties in the job market than their domestic counterparts.

As the job market has shrunk, so have the post-graduation opportunities for international students, said Carla Coppi, interim director of international programs and services. New regulations set by the immigration service have further complicated matters for the job-seeking students.

“The new immigration rules, the bad economy and the downturn in employment possibilities couldn’t come at a worse time for the international scholar,” she said.

One of these rules forces international students to find a job within 90 days of graduation; if they are unable to, they are required to return to their home countries, she said.

Because of the concerns voiced by students, a workshop was organized to focus on how international students can get jobs in the United States.

The workshop will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. today in the University Museum Auditorium in Faner Hall. Three speakers will talk to students about market trends and ways to explore their own strengths and skills, as well as give them tips on how to make themselves more marketable.

Naseem Ahmed, coordinator of educational programs and women and international development, helped plan the event.

“I felt that international students were feeling less confident and had a lot of concerns about whether they could land a job,” she said.

Ahmed said she asked Career Services if a representative could speak at the workshop about the skills needed for jobs, and locations where jobs might now be.

The other two speakers are career counselors in the development and resource clinic of the department of psychology. They will speak about more psychological aspects, she said, such as job stress and how people can sell themselves as a potential employees.

Ahmed said she hopes students can come away from the workshop with an idea of where they can go to ask further questions or set up an appointment to polish their interview skills.

Srilekha Achanta, a graduate student from India studying electrical and computer engineering, said the workshop could be a great help.

Students will leave the workshop with a better understanding of their own minds as well as current figures in the economy, she said.

She said many international students are making the decision to continue their education. They often choose to go to graduate school rather than face a difficult job search and the possibility of being forced to return home, she said.

Coppi said she tries to keep herself and the students optimistic. She said she encourages them to look at the things they have already accomplished, such as being courageous enough to leave their families and homes to attend school in the United States.

She said the job market will eventually improve for all students, but it is hard to know when the change will come.

“I believe that what goes down must come up,” she said. “I sure hope so, for all of our sakes.”

Source:DE, Carbondale,IL