Thursday, April 17 - "Which Jobs Should I Avoid?"

Happy Thursday!

Here’s what’s on the job description for today:

1. New roles from one of the biggest sponsors of visas globally.

2. Today’s Question: “I’m an international student graduating soon and I’m open to different industries or roles. Are there any that are so difficult I shouldn’t worry about it?”

IN HIRING

Amazon

• As one of the largest recruiters of highly educated talent and a big issuer of sponsorships, Amazon is a great destination for anyone who can take on a high level of expecation.

• There are hundreds of jobs open ranging from gaming, to music, and of course e-commerce.

• Here are a few of the most interesting roles available

  • Analytics and Insight Professional - Click here for full details

  • Strategic Supply Chain Manager - Click here for full details

  • Business Analyst - Click here for full details

Click here for the company’s career page

TODAY’S QUESTION

Today’s Question: “I’m an international student graduating soon and I’m open to different industries or roles. Are there any that are so difficult I shouldn’t worry about it?”

Recommendation: international students face all sorts of barriers but those barriers are most commonly related to language, visas, and lack of local experience.

• First, when it comes to language, most employers expect a high bar for English skills. Even when the dominant language is German, you can often get by with great English.

  • The types of jobs I see most impacted are sales and marketing roles where you’re dealing with local clients. Even if you could convince them that half of their clients speak Hindi or Mandarin, there seems to be a bias in these two functions.

  • Local experience with an internship or your own side hustle helping local businesses is your best bet to getting over this.

• Second, visas are a nasty one. There is little wiggle room as many companies ask if you’ll ever need help with a visa.

  • The roles most impacted are those at startups or lower seniority roles, although there are so many examples of other roles where this is a question that constantly arises.

  • Your best bet is to aim for professional services such as advisory/consulting where visa sponsorship is baked into many of the firm’s hiring culture.

• Finally, having a lack of local experience is a problem you often don’t realize you’re facing until you’ve already graduated.

  • Other than a few select industries such as finance, consulting, and impact-driven work, this is persistent among companies hiring.

  • I have found contract roles can be a great way to break into a local area with many turning into full-time roles or the company giving you preferential treatment in hiring for new roles if things are going well in the contract term.

Conclusion:

While I would never tell anyone not to do something, as I’ve been proven wrong repeatedly, there are clearly challenges that face international candidates making some types of roles more difficult to attain than others.