International Student Handbook - LIVE course and comprehensive support system

5.0

(3 ratings)

·

3 Days

·

Cohort-based Course

Transform your job-hunting skills in 2 core workshops. Then 4 weekly sessions, and a support community until you lock in an offer.

Course overview

International Student Handbook

Don't roll the dice on a life altering change.


If you desire to transition from international student to U.S. employee, we are here for you.


Our course is the “extra” support you expected from your university but didn’t get.


Invest in yourself. Start your U.S. career.

This course is for

01

Graduate, PHD, and MBA international students looking to land a job.

02

Former international students working in the U.S. and stuck in their current level at work or are still on OPT.

03

Motivated under-graduate students who want to build their network early to prepare for a successful U.S. career.

Topics covered

Quickly get companies to respond to your applications

We will cover the hiring funnel and why the majority of online applications go nowhere. We'll discuss how recruiters work with the hiring team, how they leverage LinkedIn, and how you can find anyone from the hiring team (plus what to say when you reach out) to maximize responses

Learn business operating models and why they matter for your job search

Stop sounding canned and unprepared in interviews. We will enable you to distill a company's business model, and use that to better target your job search and impress recruiters and hiring managers in interviews

Tailor your approach with recruiters and hiring managers

Recruiters have access to many open roles, but are bombarded with connection requests and can only get you past the first door. Learn how to approach them, to get responses, and how to make them your ally in the interview process. Impress hiring managers to get offers

Demystify how top companies grade your interview responses, and how to ace them

You will practice how to answer common networking and interview questions, and get personalized feedback on your English, content depth, speech patterns, and likability. We will go deep and personal in these exercises to ensure you know exactly where and how to improve

5.0

(3 ratings)

What international students are saying

        Hi Sammy, the hiring manager called me and said I got very good feedback across the board with both cases and examples. They like my 'ownership of solution' and trouble shoot' traits, so I got an offer! I couldn’t get through the process like this without your help! Just feeling so grateful!!
Sheila T.

Sheila T.

Partner Operations at Wayfair
        Sammy's advice to follow a recruiter and send them a note when they post about an opening vs. random note at random time increased my response rate by 80%! My answer to "tell me about yourself" drastically improved after the workshop ... in the most recent phone screen the recruiter put me through to next round within 5 mins of speaking!
Jayant V.

Jayant V.

Masters Grad at Boston University
        Hi Sammy!!!!!!! I got that offer!!!!!!!! The Operations head said I am impressive. -------- It's been a month since I started full-time. Everything goes well. I have already taken up some reports and participated in some projects. People here are nice and patient. Thank you so much for mentoring me. I can't get this job without you!
Jiayi X.

Jiayi X.

SIOP Leader at Murata Power Solutions
        I was really impressed by Sammy's talk at my university and was excited to attend his workshop. My main takeaway was about treating people with a human touch when networking. An obvious concept we all know but the good/bad examples shared and live demonstration really brought it to life for me .. and I quickly spotted where to improve
Sandeep A.

Sandeep A.

Ph.D. Candidate at University of Minnesota
        I was aware of the importance of networking but never got tips beyond "you should cold email to start". Sammy broke down how referrals work, provided scripts of what to say, how to follow up and demonstrated real life good/bad examples which were very helpful. I've read his articles, am a supporter and recommend him to students
Anh N.

Anh N.

Freeman Asian Scholar at Wesleyan University
        The live demonstration on small talk/relationship building was amazing! I've been in the U.S. for 3 years, and have heard a lot of people telling me that networking is a critical skill, but I haven't seen someone show us how like Sammy did.
Karan S.

Karan S.

Masters Grad at Northeastern University
        I found Sammy on LinkedIn when I started applying to internships. After the workshop had an "aha" moment about transactional communication, and how it doesn't work ... like sending notes that say "Hi - I'm a masters grad looking for XX, can you help me". Post workshop I have a better system and more confidence to reach out and follow up with people
Rahul M.

Rahul M.

Masters Grad at Texas A&M University
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Meet your instructors

Sammy Hejazi

Sammy Hejazi

Sammy has 15+ years of experience working in roles across business functions, both in the U.S. and internationally. He graduated with a Bachelors in Electrical Engineering from Penn State, where he was an international student, and has an MBA from INSEAD. He's currently an Associate Director at Wayfair, and has a published book: International Student Handbook.

Alejandra Leon-Sarinana

Alejandra Leon-Sarinana

Ale is a Director in a smart city controls startup, has a Masters in Marketing from Northwestern University where she was an international student. Despite English being a second language, her career success stemmed from strong gravitas and executive presence, and is excited to share her experience and tips and tricks in this course.

Course syllabus

01

CORE (Week 1) Workshop 1 - Networking, the right way

"Stop wasting time applying online blindly. Start targeting companies intelligently while building your communication confidence". You will take action during the session with step by step instructions to select target companies that sponsor, pick who to network with, when to connect, and what to say at each step to land referrals.

02

CORE (Week1) Workshop 2 - Prepare, and make an impression to land effective referrals

"Not all referrals are equal. To get strong referrals, you must find the right people, and say the right things. Make them believe in you”. At the end of this workshop you will know how to research companies and people, prepare a call sheet, and practice your intro and small talk skills to maximize chances of making an impression.

03

Workshop 3 - Writing stories for your resume and interview prep

You only need 3-4 stories (from you academic projects and/or work experience) to prepare a great resume and practice responding to interview questions. We help you extract the most important details from your experience to make you stand out amongst candidates.

04

Workshop 4 - Cover letter and communication do's and don'ts

International students tend to include "fluff" in communication. Instead, communicate through examples that resonate. We will show you how to stop saying "I'm really motivated to join your company and excited to learn and grow with you" and start saying "I'm excited to apply my negotiation and analysis experience in physical retail to ecommerce".

05

Workshop 5 - Crack behavioral interviews

It's one thing to practice answering behavioral question by researching what questions companies are asking. It's another to have the grading template top companies use and have a hiring manager explain how to crack it. Once you try our template, you will ace all your upcoming behavioral interviews.

06

Workshop 6 - Crack case interviews

We walk through a real life case example from a top company and show you what to avoid and how to structure your responses to nail these interviews.

07

Ongoing Support System

Stuck not getting people to respond to LinkedIn requests? Having trouble saying the right things, or building a connection? Landed an interview and need help to prepare? "We are here for you". You will be part of our student community and have access to Ale and Sammy until you land an offer. See FAQ for more details.

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Learning is better with cohorts

Learning is better with cohorts

Active learning, not passive watching

This course focuses on live workshops and hands-on projects

Meet others with similar ambitions

Surround yourself with like-minded people who want to grow alongside you

Learn with a cohort of peers

You’ll be learning in public through breakout rooms and an engaged community

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is this course NOT for?
What's actually included in the "ongoing support system"?
How much time should I expect to dedicate to course work per week?
The program price is too high for me. Do you have a discounted option?
Why did you create this course?

Course schedule

4-6 hours Week 1, for core workshops
  • Thursday, April 14th

    7:00pm - 9:00pm EST

    Workshop 1 - Networking, the right way

  • Saturday, April 16th

    10:00am - 12:00PM EST

    Workshop 2 - Prepare, and make an impression to land effective referrals

  • Each week after

    1 hour Workshops on Tuesdays at 7PM EST


    Daily Slack support - to ask your job search questions.

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International Student Handbook - LIVE course and comprehensive support system

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Bulk purchases