Your U.S. Career Journey has Just Begun
Invest in Yourself the Right Way
Get a Head Start
The Book
About The Book
In an era where information is easily accessible, and where competing priorities exist with academic, career, and social activities, it’s unclear to students what path will set them up to succeed.
Having a strong GPA is important, but your professional career will benefit the most from unlikely sources. Activities such as group projects, social gatherings, and internships or co-ops offer opportunities to learn something that can’t be taught in a lecture hall, or studied from a textbook . . . to learn how to better interact with people. Improving your people skills is the secret to succeeding in the U.S.
This book will show you what to expect from this journey, how to manage yourself, and how to get a head start with your career by developing better people skills. It includes multiple examples of good job-hunting strategies as well as bad examples International Students are susceptible to.
By providing a map of the U.S. career journey, and walking you through the paths that matter, you will gain more confidence in your ability to win and build the future you’ve always dreamt of.
Live Dialogue Events At Your University
Our LIVE and ONLINE dialogue events are carefully tailored to engage International Students on the fundamentals of job hunting during the COVID-19 era. Ranging from topics such as “Networking” and “Thriving during an Internship or Co-op” to “How to develop a Growth Mindset”, University Career Departments can contact us to schedule an All-set or Customized event that meets your and your students’ goals. Dialogue events are 1 hour long, can be set up via Zoom, MS Teams or Google Meet, and require students to be prepared to speak and be on camera (their engagement is key to their learning and development).
All-Set Dialogue Events
Select from two dialogue events already tested with International Students and proven to be highly engaging, informative and action oriented
Thriving in the American workplace
Practical steps to put your best foot forward in your co-op or internship and beyond
Discussion Topics:
- Perception: work to make your work recognized
- How American and International work cultures differ
- Importance of self-awareness and practical next steps you can take to succeed in your coop/internship
Career Networking in the U.S.
Practical steps to put your best foot forward in the job hunt and beyond
Discussion Topics:
- Hiring process overview, and how networking gives you an advantage
- Who are “Potential Advocates”, and how to maximize your chances of connecting with them
- Good and Bad examples of asking for an Informational Interview
Customizable Dialogue Events
Choose one or more of these topics and we will tailor make an event just for your students
- Develop a learning mindset: Identify self-limiting beliefs, deal with fear, find motivation
- The Communication skill gap between American and International students
- How to work with your Career Advisor to maximize chances of finding a job (hint: getting resume writing support is not the answer)
- How to get the most out of Career Fairs
- Understanding Interview Dynamics
- Career Networking part 2: How to connect with Potential Advocates on an emotional level, and when and how to ask for a referral
- Thrive on Feedback: Why it’s important, how to get it, and how to make it part of your routine
Contact us to discuss your event goals, and to receive a sample framework for the agenda and presentation content
What Students are Saying
What Universities are Saying
Sammy Hejazi has the workplace and more importantly, life knowledge that makes him a strong advocate and supporter of International Students. Sammy is an incredible speaker who is able to connect on a deep level with International Students, because he was in their shoes and successfully navigated the same obstacles they are facing. Whether it’s talking about how to best adapt to the American work culture or how to Network properly in the US, Sammy talks with authority and understanding. I highly recommend him to any institution that services International Students
Meet Sammy
Sammy Hejazi has more than 15 years of experience working in roles across business functions, both in the U.S. and Internationally. He graduated with a Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering from Penn State, where he was an international student, and has an MBA from INSEAD. Growing up outside the U.S., Sammy is intimate with the challenges of adapting to American culture and is passionate about supporting international students and co-workers in their quest to develop successful careers.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sammyhejazi/
Why We Created the International Student Handbook
Vision: Create career opportunities for every International Student seeking U.S. employment
Mission: Inspire successful professionals in the U.S. to become International Student advocates; to more readily respond to International Students’ attempts to network, and to actively engage the International Student population with mentorship and career support.
As an International Student himself, Sammy Hejazi struggled to find his first job in the U.S., fumbled at creating social connections, and lost a few years of career progress as he tried to create a life in this country.
It took a few years of working in the U.S. for him to get embedded in the culture.
As he grew more comfortable, he noticed that his adapting was correlated with improved performance at work.
And it wasn’t just him . . . many International Students who learned to navigate the culture also started to boost their status at work.
What’s the key to navigating U.S. culture?
Improving communication and people skills. (Easier said than done)
There is a large gap in practical training material, tools and coaching that is tailor made for International Students.
More importantly, International Students struggle to access the community of successful, ex-International Students, for guidance and career support.
These gaps exist despite most universities depending on income from International Student tuitions, and tech companies depending on foreign talent!
Students spend hundreds of thousands of dollars and the majority of their time to learn everything but these skills … while Americans focus and emphasize these skills from as early as kindergarten!
ISH is on a mission to change all of that.
Starting with our eBook and LIVE training sessions, we want to help ALL International Students succeed in their U.S career journeys.
We sincerely believe in their ability to be top performers in the jobs they choose, and we want to help them “show” their skills and make the right impression, to get that job and build a career they can be proud of.
Hey Students!
We want to hear from you! Send us your favorite quote, share your story or ask any question by emailing us at [email protected]
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