Lessons to learn from layoff…
Layoffs are everywhere in the US, from top companies to startups. The layoff impacts anyone, especially international students.
That’s why I would love to share my story regarding career life as an international student and give you guys any advice whether you are an international student or not.
Short story…
I have been in the shoes of when I was jobless, got no motivation to move forward, and started looking for an opportunity outside the campus. It was such a challenging journey. I got no job until I realized my Practical Training (which meant: time to find a job) was almost over, meaning I had to return to my country.
As international students in the US (during Practical Training or internship sessions), we only got 90 days (from a year of internship) to find a job. Otherwise, you had to sacrifice yourself finding volunteer work. Of course, we can still get experience by doing volunteer work. The only downsides are you don’t have the income to pay your life insurance and basic living fee in the US and even send money to your family back home.
Back to story…
It was such a burden for me. I didn’t have money to cover my living costs in the US. Even my family was crying seeing their daughter become homeless in another people’s country. My mom begged me to come home and find a job here. I refused to do so because I was halfway through my educational and career journey in the US.
Two weeks before my visa got terminated, I talked to my mentor, and I was frustrated, telling her that I needed a job for at least nine months (I wasted three months finding a job. So, I only had nine months left to do an internship). Luckily, after short consideration and knowing me for more than a year, she interviewed me and accepted me as a Teaching Assistant in her ESL (English as a Second Language) program.
My responsibility was to assist immigrant students with the English class registration form, and at the same time, I helped the teacher to prepare the class 15 minutes before it started. I also helped with laptop troubleshoot or technical stuff in the classroom. It was quite challenging because I had to manage everything by myself. I was okay with that and I loved that job.
From my experience above, I (and of course you) should learn that:
Not all things are certain
Uncertainty is always happening. We never know whether tomorrow we will still work with the same company or have to leave the company due to some uncertain situation. It would be best if you made sure that backup plans are always ready.
Saving money and having deposit for yourself (or family)
You should have at least an emergency fund while working. Saving money or making an investment is at least what you can do in case something happens.
Networking is highly important
I always emphasize this idea because, without networking, I would never get a job. I know the job I got was not related to my degree in math (at least a little thing I did on the job was about data analysis).
Listening to other people’s advice but never take it for granted
Listening to others’ advice is fine, but they don’t always understand you. For example, my mom told me that I would never be a success if I didn’t get a job at that time. You never know what life will take you. I was down listening to my mom’s statement, but they are not the director of your life. You are the one that leads YOU. You are a leader of your own body, your career, etc.
Sometimes it is good to listen to others. But if that’s not something that makes you happy, leave it be.
You don’t have to have a perfect resume to apply for a job
A resume is the first impression for any employers you apply for. But if you keep making changes all the time and wait until perfect for applying for a job, you will never get an offer or job. At least you should try to use it for several companies and if most of them reject you, try to figure out what’s wrong.
Be confident. At least you don’t put random things on your resume.
Talk to people from different background
I used to be shy and hated to talk to other people; even when they asked for a coffee chat, I tried to find many reasons to reject their requests.
But I learned that it is not the time to be shy. It is time to show your potential to others. They might be interested in you and refer you to their company. Of course, you should never ask for a job when the first time you know them.
Save your shyness or your introverted side for next time :)
Adding skills is good but improving those skills is way better. Sometimes, we are overwhelmed when employers or HR post the job requirement.
“5+ years of using React js, Next js, and so on, so forth….”
I feel you. Maybe you don’t have much experience in those tools, but at least you learned the basics of one of them and made something out of it.
You don’t have to follow every single requirement from the list.
Tools can be learned along the way. Improving to be a better project is not easy.
That’s all I learned. What do you think about these suggestions? Which one do you agree with? Feel free to post in the comment. I would be happy to respond and share my thoughts as well.
And again, all the best to all of you impacted by the layoff. I know you are strong!
