The recruiting process is quite similar from school to school. It is usually very well documented and explained by the school’s placement office (PO). It looks something like this (it may vary from school to school, however):

As a general rule, follow all the instructions given by the PO regarding the job search process. Try to attend every workshop and event they sponsor. Additionally, don’t hesitate to ask them for:

– Material/workshops on job search, specifically for international students.

– List of companies that have hired foreign students at the school.

– Names and companies of alumni from your country.

– Specific contact names in specific companies.

– The guidelines they impose or recommend to recruiters for hiring international students (if they don’t have such a thing, ask them to work on that, and volunteer to help!)

One of the major problems with recruiters is many of them simply don’t understand the hiring process for international students. A good Placement Office will spend some time trying to educate them, by either talking to them or publishing brochures or manuals. At ForeignMBA.com we developed a page specifically targeted at recruiters, explaining some of these issues. Feel free to point any recruiter or even your Placement Office to the page – it will certainly make their jobs easier. (? Recruiters or http://www.foreignmba.com/recruiters.shtml).

Keep in mind that you are a customer for the PO and they are there to help you. Besides, it is sometimes better for the PO to place you in the US (compensation is probably higher than in your country, thus better performance for them). So don’t hesitate to ask for any information, or even demand a better service for the international students.

As the number of foreign students in US MBA programs rises, many schools are hiring counselors to work exclusively with and for them. They are very valuable resources, so do not hesitate to use them extensively. If your school does not have one yet, speak up and propose the idea.

The process should look pretty much the same for international students. The only differences you should keep in mind:

– You do need more preparation. Schedule additional time to practice interviewing, oral/written communications and other requirements.

– Schedule way in advance your attendance to International Career Fairs (? Getting a Job/Career Fairs). These fairs require advance registration and travel arrangements.

The following is a list of tips to keep in mind along the process (some are specific to foreign students, some are not; some are imposed/recommended by the PO, some not):