Khushi's Path to Success: How to Optimize Your Resume, Cover Letter, and Networking
Khushi (2024, Wake Forest University)
MS in Business Analytics | Supply Planning and Strategy Analyst at Ralph Lauren
Challenge:
Khushi’s job search during her senior year was marked by numerous hurdles, primarily due to her international student status and the limitations of her non-STEM degree
Khushi faced a significant challenge during her senior year when she applied to numerous jobs but received many rejections due to her status as an international student. Some companies couldn’t hire her because of visa restrictions.
“I applied to a lot of jobs and I got a lot of rejections and it sucks when sometimes I made it to the final round but then they realized that I'm an international student so they couldn’t hire me.”
Additionally, her non-STEM undergraduate degree limited her to just one year of OPT, which many companies viewed unfavorably.
“Since my economics degree wasn’t a stem degree I would only have 1 year of OPT and companies didn’t really like that.”
Solution:
Pursuing a STEM Master’s Degree
Using Career Resources and Networking’s Degree
Targeted Job Applications
Showcasing Storytelling in Interviews
Khushi’s job search during her senior year was marked by numerous hurdles, primarily due to her international student status and the limitations of her non-STEM degree
Khushi faced a significant challenge during her senior year when she applied to numerous jobs but received many rejections due to her status as an international student. Some companies couldn’t hire her because of visa restrictions.
Additionally, her non-STEM undergraduate degree limited her to just one year of OPT, which many companies viewed unfavorably.
Solution:
Pursuing a STEM Master’s Degree
- Khushi realized that a STEM master’s could give her more opportunities and a longer OPT period. With her interest in data from her econ studies, she chose Business Analytics, where she learned various data tools.
- She believes expanding the toolkit is key to standing out—showing employers you can quickly learn and adapt to new tools, even if they use different ones.
Using Career Resources and Networking’s Degree
- She used Handshake, LinkedIn a lot, and her school’s career center, staying in close contact with her career coach.
- Besides applying to jobs, she focused on networking to gain insights into different industries and roles, which helped her navigate her job search more effectively.
Targeted Job Applications
- She tailored her resume and cover letters for positions that matched her background, carefully including relevant keywords from job descriptions.
- By using FrogHire.ai to screen out companies that don’t offer visa sponsorship, she made sure her effort was directed toward opportunities that could truly work out for her.
Showcasing Storytelling in Interviews
- Khushi used her interviews to clearly explain her past experiences, her current goals, and why she was drawn to each role.
- She always followed up with a thank-you note, either through email or LinkedIn, to leave a lasting impression.
Highlights
Discover how to optimize your resume and cover letter and master the art of effective networking.
By using FrogHire.ai to filter out companies that don’t offer visa sponsorship, I was able to focus my efforts on opportunities that could truly work for me.— Khushi (2024, Wake Forest University)