To learn more about job search strategy for F-1 international students, visit https://www.icaway.com/ In this episode, I will talk about career branding Career branding is important. It will help you become the right candidate for your dream employer. Good, Legitimate employers who sponsor, will only sponsor you when you can show that you’re the right candidate. I would like to share with you my own experience from when I first moved to the US. I came to the US with an MBA and over 10 years of work experience. I have a diverse background in both industry and consulting, At that time, I thought I would be able to get a job easier by casting a wide net rather than making a narrow search Unfortunately, I was wrong. No matter how many jobs I applied for, I wasn’t getting any job interviews. My approach of applying for jobs like a numbers game wasn’t working! So I decided to change my approach. I started by looking into the job market and defining my niche that would interest American employers. I found that one of my experiences in change management was in high demand in the US. Therefore, I changed my resume and updated my LinkedIn, branding myself as a “Change management consultant.” I also put together work samples for my potential employers. After that, I was able to secure many job interviews and finally got a job with a six-figure salary. Breaking into the US job market is difficult, especially if you are just starting out. For students, you may feel discouraged when reading job descriptions as Most jobs that you see online require years of work experience, even at the entry-level As you’re new to the country, you may not have the professional network to help you bypass those requirements. On top of that, you may also be running into problems caused by your need for sponsorship. The unfortunate truth is that some companies just don’t have a visa sponsorship policy However, I have witnessed many students who were able to bypass those immigration hurdles and land their dream jobs before their graduation How did they achieve that? Your first step is to be the candidate that companies won’t reject! Recruiters said that their biggest reason for rejecting your application was because it was irrelevant. Some companies said that they would blacklist those candidates from coming up in future applications. Please stop treating your application like a number game. It is like taking a shot in the dark with your resume. Applying to more jobs does not increase your chances of getting hired. Instead, you should focus on creating and perfecting your career brand. Your career brand is how your potential employer will see you. It goes beyond your resume and can include online profiles like your LinkedIn, your portfolio, and all the other channels that your potential employers can use to get to know you better. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/icaway/support