Your Language: Find that NICHE!

As international students, we often forget about important skills deeply rooted in ourselves – language! We are fluent in at least two languages, and often, even more! As more companies are growing in size and opening up offices across the globe, they are looking for candidates who can speak more than one language. So, why not highlight your language skills? 🌎

Whether you are working as a business analyst, a biology lab assistant, or a musician, you can develop additional skills and knowledge as a multilingual! Imagine you are tasked with a project to research an Indian IT industry in a US company. Or a COVID-19 technique that South Korean researchers have recently discovered.

Now, how can you look for jobs that require specific language skills? Simply type in the language, “Spanish,” “Chinese,” or “Korean” on the LinkedIn search bar. You can identify the companies that are hiring based on those languages. You can also follow “The Chamber of Commerce” to see if they have any open opportunities! Depending on your country of origin or the language you speak, you might be able to find openings where you can directly translate your experiences. Start following them on LinkedIn and attend free networking events to look for employment opportunities!

Last but not least, don’t forget to browse through job boards posted in your own country (or in different languages)! Sometimes, jobs that might be a perfect fit for you do not show up on LinkedIn or Handshake. The more you branch out, the more opportunities you will find!

Here’s a link to more resources: International student resource guide

By Sarah Moon
Sarah Moon Drop-In Peer Coach