U.S. Jobs for International MBAs?

• Be aware: If you are reading this and researching business school, you are likely already “aware” of the situation for international students. In general, financial services and management consulting have remained fairly open to visa sponsorship.  There are a few firm-specific exceptions, but you can research these. Corporate roles are more challenging. Some industries, such as technology, are more probable bets. Others, such as manufacturing, less so. Still, there is no easy analysis. Just know in advance to stay on top of it and recognize that things can change quickly.

• Stay informed: There are two points here. First, your choice of a business school. business school. In your decision process, it makes sense to talk to the career center.  Find out about last year’s hiring, what they see on the horizon, and understand what programs are in place to support international students.  Also, talk to current students and alumni to find out the truth about school support and ask for advice.  Second, once you land on campus and you begin the job search process, stay well informed of who is coming to campus and posting positions, and who does/does not sponsor international students. This is more important for full-time jobs, but you want to consider your internship as a path to a full-time offer.

• Get prepared: There are best practices for preparing for the MBA job search.  Understand and apply them. As an international student, there are additional obstacles to consider: U.S. culture, language, business practices, and relationship building.  These are definitely factors in hiring decisions. You need a great resume and cover letter, and smart answers to the typical behavioral interview questions. You also must address these other areas. Fair?  Maybe not, but fact?  Yes. Use the school resources, your classmates, and alumni. Don’t let opportunities slip away because of lack of preparation.

Megha’s full-time recruiting progressed into the spring and, as a result, she had to widen her search for a job. She did pursue some management consulting firms along with some finance positions in corporations. She also considered looking at London (although that market was equally as tough). She spoke to a consultant who saw her as a perfect fit for the firm, but after passing her resume to HR she learned that the firm had just ended hiring of non-US work-authorized individuals.

Megha shared with me the two really important resources she increasingly tapped to land a position in the U.S. The first were her classmates. “We often forget the varied backgrounds of those around us every day,” she says. “They are a tremendous source of information, guidance, and contacts.” The other resource was career services. “They helped me re-craft my resume a bit as I realized I needed to focus more on corporate roles. There are always things you don’t think about and career services was very good at helping me be creative and staying motivated as I ran into roadblocks.”

I remember the day Megha received her full-time offer. She was very excited because the position was much better than many of the opportunities she had looked at earlier.  Megha joined Laureate Education, a rapidly growing global educational services company. Laureate operates in more than 20 countries with over 50 institutions. Since starting with them in August 2009, Megha has held a variety of roles and responsibilities including positions in corporate finance, M&A, and business development. She is currently leading a team of consultants focused on improving operational and financial performance. She told me recently, “It’s exciting and like investment banking, consulting, private equity, and general management all wrapped up in one job.”

Megha’s advice? 1) Really focus on your interests and try to figure out what you want to do. If you go after that with passion, success will follow.  2) Network like crazy with classmates and alumni – and heed their advice. Others before you have been successful crossing the cultural, language, experience, and fit barriers so learn from them. 3) Do more than just your class work. You have to demonstrate you can excel on multiple dimensions.  “I was a second-tear career advisor and that leadership experience helped a great deal,” she adds.

CHANGING GEARS QUICKLY, DRY CLEANING YOUR SUIT.

Another international student from the Class of 2010 comes to mind when I think about things changing quickly. He went through full-time on-campus recruiting and landed a management consulting offer.  In the spring (yes, several months later after gaining the offer), the firm changed its sponsorship policy. He was no longer eligible to work for them. It was heartbreaking, frustrating, and definitely not what you want to deal with your last two months of business school. But this student mobilized quickly, revised his resume, and dry-cleaned his suit. He left whatever bitterness he may have felt behind him. His persistence and positive attitude resulted in another consulting offer a few weeks later.

What I see from the success of these two MBA graduates is that you can’t predict what comes your way, but you can affect your attitude and your actions. If you have never studied or worked in the U.S. prior to business school, you clearly have some additional work to do. If you have, you still need to manage through a rapidly changing environment. You have tremendous resources at your disposal – classmates, alumni, and career services.  Take advantage of them and get yourself in the best position to secure the internship and full-time position that will help you land that dream job.

Pam Schilling is an executive and career coach, and founder of the Career Advisory Services practice with The MBA Exchange, which serves pre-MBAs through MBA graduates, particularly those focused on career change and pursuing career passions. Formerly, as associate director of career management at The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Pam guided hundreds of students and alumni on their job searches. She holds an MBA from Chicago Booth and has 17 years experience in management consulting and financial management. She also serves as a faculty member at North Park University’s School of Business and Non-Profit Management in Chicago.