Author: Coach Kwan, ICAway

Landing Jobs in Canada 🍁

If you were an international Student seeking H1B in 2021, your overall chance of getting selected for H1B cap employment was only 31% Because of this, many students have started considering Canada’s easier system as a backup plan. But, is it easier for international students to get a job in Canada? In this episode, I […]

What To Do When Your 90-Day OPT Unemployment Is Running Out

Five Steps To Take If You Are Unemployed Under Optional Practical Training (OPT) I get a lot of messages from international students such as the one above as their 90-day OPT unemployment allowance period comes to an end. Many new graduates hoped that three months would be enough time to secure a job offer. Unfortunately, […]

3 Steps to Getting Referrals from Your Connections

Dear Coach Kwan, This pandemic has made job searching so competitive. I am so torn by online job applications that don’t yield results. You taught us about building meaningful connections with US professionals, and you advised we should not ask for jobs right away when connecting with people. I try to follow your advice, but […]

Virtual Career Fairs: Three Tips for Success

Dear Coach Kwan, I never find career fairs helpful for me, as I hardly get to meet with companies who want to sponsor me. However, my career advisors advised me to attend, and I wanted to give it a try. Since everything is still happening virtually because of the pandemic, I’m not sure how to […]

International Students’ Stories: Career Fair Strategy

I had the pleasure of meeting Uyen when I was at the Vong Tay Nuoc My 6 (VTNM6) Career Conference in Chicago. I was a mock interview coach, and Uyen was part of one of the VTNM6 committees. She impressed me with her authenticity, charisma, and intelligence. Uyen is a former international student who successfully […]

Questions International Students Should (and Should Not) Ask at Career Fairs

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes Career fairs can be tricky for students to navigate – you want to sell yourself to companies while also getting answers to important questions. So, what questions should you ask and what should you avoid asking at a career fair? 1. Never ask: “Do you sponsor H-1B? or Do you hire students […]

Never Settle For Less

You have big dreams that you will land a good job. But when you move to a different country, you may run into a lot of naysayers -someone who thinks that you are joking and says “It’s impossible!” Our guest mentor in the Meet the Mentor Podcast for International Students is a Career Strategist and […]

International Students:<br>Applying and Awaiting for my OPT

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes Post-completion Optical Practical Training (OPT) allows international students to work on their F1 visa status after graduation. Depending on the degree, this period can be from one to three years. This article will be exploring one international student’s process of applying for her OPT. We encourage you to follow her […]

Diversity of Thought for Better Business

Ponsi Trivisvavet, a former international student from Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management, is highly recognized as the leader in AgriBusiness in the US. She is currently the CEO of Inari, the SEEDesign™ company headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Within 3 years of her leadership at Inari, the organization has grown fivefold and has raised >USD […]

Is Job Hunting Really a Numbers Game?

Dear Coach Kwan, I am an international student who is actively looking for a job. I hear from so many of my peers that they have been sending out dozens of applications each day. This is very discouraging since I know that most of them have sent out hundreds of applications to no avail. Is […]