Damilola O: Positioning for Employment as an International Student in the United States
Can you please introduce yourself?
Hi, my name is Dami and I work for Bulge Bracket Bank as a Financial Analyst. I am originally from Ibadan Nigeria and came to the USA for my Undergraduate Education obtaining a B.Sc. Economic Degree. I was lucky enough to get a job with a Wall Street firm immediately after graduation. I have worked in the finance industry for the past 7–8 years across 2 firms and multiple teams.
Do you think it’s challenging for freshly graduated international students (Nigerians) to find employment in the US?
I won’t say it is impossible to get a job as freshly graduated international students, but to be honest it is definitely a lot trickier and challenging nowadays especially under the current geopolitical and economic climate. Everyone’s experience is different but on average an international student will require a company to sponsor their work visa. Most international students seek employees that are willing to sponsor the H-1B work visa. This Sponsorship requirement puts international students at a slight disadvantage because it limits the pool of companies they can apply to for jobs. Luckily most big multinational companies sponsor the H-1B visa. The immigration law dictates that the hiring company must prove to the Government that no USA citizen is qualified enough and willing to accept the job they are about to offer you as an international student. Due to the additional requirements, hiring firms must pay extra legal fees to hire international students. STEM roles and more technical roles will increase the probability of getting sponsorship due to the simple supply of freshly graduated USA citizens vs the demand.
Is there an easier route through which freshly graduated international students may go through to make the process of employment easier? How effective is volunteering?
I think this a broad and generic question that depends on what you are studying and the type of jobs you intend to seek post-graduation. If your number one objective is landing a job after your studies then you must make a conscious effort even from your choice of school to aid in achieving your goal. I will advise getting into the highest quality school ranking wise (delay a few months if necessary if that will help land admission in a better school), other things to consider is the proximity of your school to your target industry of choice. This goal can be achieved by either going to a school that your target industry goes to yearly on recruiting trips. Going to an ivy league school will help you for instance if you want to work on wall street after school. Of course, not everyone can afford an Ivy League education. A suitable alternative is going to a cheaper State school close to your industry of choice. If you aim to become a Petroleum Engineer going to School in Texas is smart due to proximity to oil companies, or someone interested in Finance going to a State school in New York.
While in school your studies should be your priority but something, I have noticed some International students don’t do well enough in getting plugged in on campus. We sometimes miss a trick when we only network/communicate with other Africans/Nigerians. Getting plugged is extremely critical to learning more about the culture and traditions of people across the world, it also aids when the recruiting season comes around. For instance, as an Engineer, you might want to join NSBE National Society of Black Engineers, such affinity organizations help you form a network in school, and in addition, they have recruiting events for their members. I will share later some of the other benefits of getting involved on Campus.
Finally, I will advise you to start the job search process as soon as possible, if you are an undergraduate you want to start at least a year before your graduation. You must treat the job search like an additional class in your final year. So be prepared to dedicate 2–3 hours weekly to job search.
What’s would you say the interview process is like? Is there a general interview procedure?
It varies by company and industry. I am quite inexperienced because since college over 8 years ago I have not actively searched for a job but I can walk you through my experience and compare it to the usual norm in the Finance industry.
Most people land full-time jobs via an internship. Wall Street firms usually target Sophomore (2nd Year) and Junior (3rd Year) as well as first-year MBA students for internships. The standard process is all the tops Banks go to top schools and recruit the best students for internships. There has been an effort lately to recruit from more schools, but the historic target schools will always have an advantage. During school visits/ career days the companies usually select the candidates they are interested in and invite them for an office visit. During office visits, you will face 2–3 rounds of interviews before they make their decision.
Since I did not attend a target school my experience was a bit different. This is where your networking plays a vital role in your success. Going to Junior Year I had no prospect of landing an internship and I found it hard to imagine a path-way to landing a Finance job. The previous summer; I joined a Business Fraternity against the advice of my loving Parents based on the African stereotype of such organizations. That decision played a key role in achieving my goal. I decided to get actively involved, and I ran for vice president (V.P) of my pledge class and later became the President of the Chapter. One of the members of the group told me about her experience that summer working for an investment company. She insisted I will be a good fit, she advised me to apply for this group called SEO sponsors for educational opportunities (I will advise any international student interested in a Finance job to look into the organization). The group helps minorities especially those from non-target Colleges land internships on Wall Street.
Based on that discussion I knew I might have to push my graduation back a semester in other to qualify for an internship with SEO. I left my graduation to the last minute because I did not want to make decision until I was sure I will get accepted into the SEO program. I continued my path to an Economics degree but picked up more Finance classes that can count towards a double degree. My experience researching and preparing for the SEO interview helped me in pursuit of a full-time role.
By December of my final year in college, there were no promising leads in spite of being selected for the first round of interviews by all the top companies that recruited in my school. After discussing with some of my Frat brothers it became obvious that I should have been applying to multinational companies due to my immigration status. On the back of those discussions, the Head of Finance Association in my alma mater randomly reached to me on Christmas eve about a posting on the School’s career page. Long story short I got selected for a phone interview and flown out for an in-person interview. I got an offer less than months later and I had to graduate because they wanted me to start working ASAP. I wish I learned about the SEO program earlier in my college because I would have gone into the workforce even more prepared. My job search process illustrates the benefit of getting plugged in and creating an effective network. 85% of jobs are filled through networking and referrals.
What are the general work ethics you will advise a Nigerian to imbibe in an international work environment?
Just be yourself! You have a lot to bring to the table, be honest with yourself by knowing your strength and the areas you need to improve, and work on. Work hard and treat others the way you would like to be treated. Outside of the golden rule, you want to learn about the company’s culture as soon as possible. If the company’s culture is not a good fit you will not get far in such an organization. Understanding your team’s dynamic is also important. Then finally you need to understand your manager. Having a great professional relationship with your manager can make or break your career. Just like college, you want to create a network in your professional career, and don’t forget to reach back and mentor those below while seeking mentorship from more seasoned professionals. Most companies have Affinity networks that might aid in this process.
End of Interview,
