Tiffany Nguyen, 26, has been the coordinator and assistant principal at Marymount University (MU), Virginia, USA, for over a year. Her main job is to manage student data and evaluate appropriate projects to improve the quality of teaching at the school.

To get this job, Tiffany spent 11 months of hard work applying for a job, starting in May 2022.

Tiffany graduated from MU with a bachelor's degree in Information Technology in 2019 and later won a scholarship to study master's degree in Data Analytics at George Washington University. Intending to apply for jobs before graduating, she started sending out applications to companies in September 2021.

During the first three months, Tiffany went on job websites every day, looking for positions to apply for. She said she sent her resume to 5-7 companies every day, but usually didn't get a response, or if she did, it was an email saying she "didn't meet the criteria" of the company.

After being rejected repeatedly, she changed her approach to employers by returning to submit her application every three months, using her connections, friends, and asking for resume reviews and job referrals. Tiffany also asked the school for a list of companies that prioritize hiring graduates to submit. In addition, she took resume writing courses and always updated her cover letter before sending it. However, she was still unsuccessful.

“I was so sad and scared because I was about to graduate and I hadn't been invited for an interview yet,” Tiffany recalled.

The moment Tiffany wanted to give up the most was two months after completing her master's degree, in May 2022. Graduating at a time when tech companies in the US were cutting staff, she felt even more pressured. Whether she returned home, stayed in the US, or went to a third country, she would face difficulties in finding a job, because the IT industry is highly competitive.

Many sleepless nights, she thought back to the reason she pursued IT - a very difficult field. This is a field of study that allows international students to stay and work in the US for up to three years after graduation. Tiffany also wanted to stay because she wanted to practice the knowledge she learned and accumulate work experience.

"If I don't fight to the end, I will be the one who will regret it the most," she admitted, then continued to apply for jobs everywhere.

Previously, Tiffany focused on applying for positions in her field of expertise such as data analyst or technical staff, but now she is no longer picky, expanding her application to other fields such as banking, schools, fashion... because she believes these places all need data managers.

To differentiate herself from other candidates, Tiffany sent her resume directly to the recruiter, rather than sending it to the company’s general inbox. She went on LinkedIn, researching information, needs, and recruiters at companies to contact.

"It's time-consuming, and you might find the wrong person. But if you find a good person, they'll say they received your email and forward your resume to the person who needs it," Tiffany said, adding that she tries to impress recruiters and avoid being filtered by AI by using prominent keywords.

She also made a list of places she applied to with detailed information such as which position she applied to, who was hiring, and what the results were to avoid confusion or possible problems.

Eleven months after sending out her application, Tiffany finally received interview invitations and was accepted. She chose to return to her old school MU because she liked the environment here and wanted to help international students with her experience, such as how to register for classes, choose a major, do internships, or get official documents and procedures.

Looking back, Tiffany believes that to increase the chances of finding a job, international students need to prepare their resumes as soon as possible, advertise themselves by approaching existing relationships, and make an effort to interact with seniors from the same school.

The most important thing in a job application in the US is to be concise, use keywords, have basic computer skills and soft skills. In the application, the cover letter needs to state the candidate's personality and abilities, as well as demonstrate suitability for the job position through previous work and projects.

"The shorter and more to the point, the better. Employers only have a few seconds to scan your sentences, so don't write long sentences," Tiffany concluded. She also advised candidates not to be discouraged in the context of a difficult job market. In addition, candidates should prepare a backup plan if their plans do not go as expected.

Tiffany is planning to organize an international summer camp for high school students to exchange and learn at MU or events to connect Vietnamese students studying in the US. She also hopes to become an IT lecturer and, if given the opportunity, will pursue a PhD to assist in teaching and research.

Dawn