If you
are an international student, chances are very high that you have been plagued about what is the next step for your career after the completion of your studies. Look no further since IU School of Public Health has its own resourceful tool called the Passport Career System.
Passport Career is an online platform used by academic institutions, including IU, and other organizations to facilitate the easy international career transition of their employees, students, scholars, faculty and their spouses or partners. IU SPH offers this online platform to each of its students for FREE. Current students can look for internship or job opportunities not only in the U.S. but also abroad.
We highly recommend all international students to sign up for Passport Career and the steps on how to register for this unique system can be found on this link.
Once you sign up, these are some of the steps I would advise each international student to do:
- Complete “My Get Connected! Profile” which allows you to build an online profile, build up your resume and communicate with global jobs seekers.
- If you are currently looking for an internship or job, navigate through each country portfolio and get access to country-specific guidance and resources to tailor your job search on the Jobs/Intern portal.
- Subscribe to their Global Career Blog so that you do not miss on regular insightful advice on how to apply for internships and jobs.
- There is also an H1B Employer Database which has a list of employers seeking to hire international applicants and it is very likely that you will come across employers who have a record of hiring international students.
- If you find yourself confused with how H1B visa works or what are the requirements for an international student seeking employment in the U.S., find out more about the IU Immigration Bridge Program on here.
- Passport Career is on social media! Be sure to follow them.
- Join the LinkedIn Passport Career Discussion Group and follow their page on LinkedIn. Just by doing this simple step you will stay abreast of latest events, job postings, articles, and training.
One last piece of advice I would leave you with is that START EARLY! As an international student, I am doing the same and I have just begun taking small steps to consolidate my career. Plan your time accordingly and make the most use of Passport Career, irrespective of where you find yourself right now on your career journey.
I am also grateful to Dr. Susan Simmons, the Director of Career Services and Kim Ecenbarger, Associate Director of Career Services for sharing their valuable advice and tips all along. Speaking of which, the Office of Career Services in SPH is composed of very efficient Career Coaches on this website to help any student, whether international or not with any step in navigating smoothly through the job process. Each of them has flexible drop-in office hours and you can also schedule appointments to get your queries answered.
Trishnee is a second year PhD student in the Department of Applied Health Science and her major is Health Behavior. She was born and raised in Mauritius and is currently having the best time pursuing her doctoral studies and working on her research goals in the wonderful B-town. Her hobbies include cooking, knitting, gardening, reading romantic novels, and playing with her pets. Anything related to health highly interests her and she hopes to reach out to others on health-related issues that matter.
