How to Ace your F1 US Visa Interview

Today I will be talking about " How to Ace your F1 Visa interview.

I will be telling you a few basic things which I believe would help you in acing your F1 visa interview.

The first and foremost thing. Keep a smile on your face. Have you heard of the phrase "Smile is a curve which sets everything straight ? " . Smile on your face shows that you are confident. Of course from inside everybody is nervous and this anxiety and nervousness is a part of human nature. At the same time its important to not show that nervousness and anxiety to the VO ( Visa Officer). Practice a few questions in front the mirror. If you fumble speak the question and answer again. Do not cram any answers.

Prepare a list of questions and answers which you think the VO would ask (Previous experiences posted on various websites and forums would help you in getting the questions ) . Also always be prepared for the unexpected. There can be one question asked by your VO which is out of the blue and at that moment just try to be calm and composed. If you don't know anything about the question , just say that I don't know. Keep it straight and simple. I will also recommend that while searching for previous years experiences ( questions asked by VO) , don't copy the answers. Try to prepare your own answers that way you will more confident and comfortable in answering those questions.

Also try not to drag any answer. Keep it short and to the point. Remember usually there are a lot of people waiting in the queue behind  you and in a day VO usually takes 60 -100 interviews.( You can take your time in answering the questions but just drag an answer and keep it to the point)

Before going to the center make sure you have all the documents. To organize your documents I would recommend you to buy a harmonium folder or a display folder ( Picture Shown Below) . You can also carry this to US and trust me it is very useful to keep all documents at one place.

Don't reach the Visa center too early . Waiting can decrease your energy level and can make you tired. Try to reach there at most 45 minutes before your visa interview.

Below is the list of few important questions ( which are generally asked in the visa interview) :

1) Why did you choose this University among the other admits ?

2) What do you want to do after MS?

3) Why not India or any other country ?

4) Tell me about the course ?

5) After completing your Master's , what are your plans ?

6) Who is sponsoring your education ? How ?

7) Why MS in Computer Science ( replace it with your course of study)

Remember its OK to fumble once or twice but if you fumble a lot than it would portray that you are nervous. If you do not understand a question or you didn't hear properly , just ask the VO to repeat it.
Know the program well and maintain a positive attitude.

I hope the above information helps. If you have something to add to it , do leave a comment below . Don't forget to like our facebook page for latest updates. Also follow us on Twitter.

You would also want to look at my article : The Difference 

MS in MIS ( Management Information Systems)

Today I will be talking about a specific degree course which has shown an upward trend from last few years. I have seen the intake for this degree course has nearly doubled from fall 2013 to fall 2014 and it continues to be one of the most popular degree course opted by International graduate students.

Master's of Science in Management Information Systems

MS - MIS program is suitable for students with information systems background. Also its an ideal compliment for any undergraduate student with degree in business , engineering science or maths.I have usually seen students who come from India to pursue this program have  their bachelors degree in Computer Science or Information Technology.

What Job role you can get into after completing your Master's in Management Information Systems ?

• Business Analyst 
• Software Developer
• System Analyst
• Network Analyst 
• SAP Analyst
• Business Intelligence Analyst
• Technology Advisor
• Systems Developer 
• Web Developer

If you have a bachelors degree in Computer Science or IT and Masters degree in MIS your career path becomes really flexible. As you can see there are a variety of job roles you can get into and this will help you getting your dream job.

Below is the list of Top five colleges which offer this advanced degree which is MS in MIS :

1) Carnegie Mellon University :  http://www.heinz.cmu.edu/school-of-information-systems-and-management/information-systems-management-mism/index.aspx

2) University of Minnesota Twin Cities :

 http://carlsonschool.umn.edu/degrees/undergraduate/academics/majors-and-minors/management-information-systems

3) UT Austin : https://www.ischool.utexas.edu/courses/msis_course_guidelines

4) Univerity Of Arizona : https://msmis.eller.arizona.edu/

5) University Of Maryland - College Park : http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/programs/ms-programs/information-systems

I hope the above information helps. If you have something to add to it , do leave a comment below . Don't forget to like our facebook page for latest updates. Also follow us on Twitter.

You would also want to look at my article : LinkedIn - A Powerful tool which will help you in getting your Dream Job

Establishing Credit History - An Important Thing

If you are in USA then you have to understand the importance of establishing your credit history. I have seen many students here that do not apply for credit cards even after living here for a while. Of course you have to have a job first ( part time or full time) to get your social security number and then you can apply for credit cards.

In US , everyone's credit history is linked to their SSN ( Social Security Number) . Credit history reveals a lot of things about you. It reveals if you are a dependent borrower or not . It basically reveals your patterns of taking loans or credit. If you pay on time then you will establish a good credit history . If you are a defaulter and don't pay on time then there might be a derogatory mark on your credit report. If you have a credit card I would suggest you to pay in full every month within the deadline. This will help you establish healthy credit history.

If you have a bad credit history ( lots of derogatory remarks because of your late payments or other reasons) or no credit history , then you may not be able to apply for any loan. Also you may have problems getting a phone connection , leasing an apartment, getting electricity connections etc.

Lenders will always check your credit history before they lend you some money. If you have a good credit history then say getting an approval for a loan or new credit card is easy.

If you are denied a credit card , don't apply again for it the very next day . This will affect your credit history. Wait for a while and of course if you are denied credit , then the creditor will provide you with a written explanation why they denied your credit request. Also don't apply for a lot of credit cards. Depending on bank to bank the credit inquires on your credit history can be "hard" or "soft" . If the credit inquiry is soft it will not bring your credit score down much . But if you have a hard inquiry than your credit score might plummet down.

Opening a bank account is also important . Open tallest one checking and one savings account. This is one of the first things you should do after you land here in USA. Opening bank accounts does not help you in establishing your credit history . But they are important because lenders can view them to see how well you manage your money.Also bank statements can be used as address proof which will help you in the long run.

Also its always good to get an apartment, utilities, electricity etc. In your name.Try to pay bills on time.

There are specially designed student credit cards by some financial institutions. They have less credit limit but it helps you in establishing your credit history. Try getting one of these and after a few months apply for a regular credit card.

Also usually most of the credit cards give you cash back . So you get something back when you spend which is not the case when you make a purchase with your debit card. Therefore I believe its a win win situation . One- It is helping you in building your credit history and  two it is also giving you cashback.

I hope the above information helps. If you have something to add to it , do leave a comment below . Don't forget to like our facebook page for latest updates. Also follow us on Twitter.

You would also want to read my article : How to Save Money in US

House Hunting In USA for International Graduate Students

I have received a few requests to write about the topic "House Hunting". So today I will talk about the same. I hope it help.

You have received an admit and you have made your mind to attend "XYZ" university in USA. Now you start looking for housing options . As it is not mandatory for Master's student to live on campus therefore all most all of us look for off campus housing.

Usually there will be a apartment complex near the university which I call it as desi housing. You would find usually all most all the desis live there.

The first thing to do is to search for the "Indian Student Association Page" for that particular university.  A few universities have Indian student Association websites as well. Here are a few examples :

1) Indian Student Association OSU : http://www.isaosu.com/

2) Indian Student Association TAMU : http://tamuisa.tamu.edu/

These websites usually have their facebook page info. Try to talk to your seniors who are already studying there. Post in that group that you will be coming there in fall or spring and ask for affordable housing options.

One thing I would want to suggest you is that don't decide for roommate even before coming here. I have seen students who make groups on Whatsapp or facebook and they decide from India itself that they will stay together as roomates . It is sometimes not a good idea. I would suggest you to first come here ( usually Indian Student Associations provide you with temporary accommodation ) and then talk to a few guys and then decide. Sometimes you never know how the person is till you talk to him. It is just my observation and my personal opinion.

Also try not to sign a lease for a long term. I would always go with a 6 month contract . When you start living with your roommate there can be an instance where you feel like you cannot live the same person any more in the same house and if you have a longer leasing contract you would have to pay hefty fine to break out from the lease.

Try not to live very far from the university . Summers and winters can be extreme here in USA and it is difficult to walk a long distance if you stay far from your university . You would have your early morning 8 Am classes and trust me it is a difficult thing to walk in winters with wind blowing at a speed of 40 miles per hour. Buying a bicycle would be a good option as well.

Also usually here in USA apartment complex offers students referral money. So if your senior is referring you ask the leasing office is he is getting some kind of referral money . You can usually negotiate with your friend and you can keep half of it . Also once you are here you can also refer other students and this can save you some money ,

Once you move in the house make sure everything is working fine and the carpets are clean with no stains. If you don't report to your leasing office ( usually in 48 hours after your move in ) you would have to pay a fine after you leave the house.

Try to move in a new place rather than someone sub leasing you an apartment . You need to understand that if you sublease an apartment than you are responsible for paying any fine once you move out . So say the house which you are sub leasing has a stained carpet than you would have to pay the fine once you move out after six months even if it wasn't done by you.

I hope the above information helps. If you have something to add to it , do leave a comment below . Don't forget to like our facebook page for latest updates. Also follow us on Twitter.

You would also want to look at my article : How to Save Money in US

The Difference

I will talk about a few things said and done differently here in USA as compared to India and also I will talk about a few more things I have observed so far.

When I was here for the first time in US,I did take time to adjust myself with new terminology which they use in their day to day life . Its not very different but there are a few things which you would probably want to know before hand. Its always good to know about a place and their people because you will be spending significant amount of time here if you decide to come for your Master's or PHD.

I am not following any order while I am writing this article. Whatever comes to mind I will just jot it down.

Ordering Pizza - The first thing you will notice that they don't know what capsicum is. Here they call it green peppers.

When you go to Walmart ( which you will do a lot ) and ask for a "polythene" they would probably not understand you . Here it is simply a bag . So you just ask for a bag .

The ceiling fans here have very slow speed. It usually looks like this.

Yes the lights will be affixed on your fan itself . They are not at all like our Khaitan Ceiling fans which we usually get in India . Their speed is probably five times lesser than the speed of Khaitan fans. So in summers you have to switch on your AC because these fans are just a show piece.

The good thing is usually the houses here are centrally air conditioned and heated( but not all) . Also in winters because the houses here are built of wood so it does not matter how cold it is outside , inside you will feel insulated because of the wooden house. It is not the case in India as the houses have concrete walls.

You will of course love the internet speed here . As compared to India where there are places which still don't have 3G network and here usually everywhere we have 4G network.

Tips - Here giving tips is a big thing. Initially you would be hesitant in giving tips and I have seen a few people that don't give tips at all . You need to understand that there are few employees here work on only tips. So if you are taking a service (  A pizza guy delivering you a pizza, A hair stylist giving you a hair cut ) do tip them . I understand initially you would feel like giving a $2 tip ( at the back of your mind you are converting that in rupees and you think that you are giving Rs. 120 as tip ) is a lot. You will get use to it but keep in mind there are employees here who work only on tips.

Most of you know but for those who don't here it is Right hand driving . In India we follow left hand driving.

Indian English Vs. American English - There are a  few words which we are use to saying like "shifting" . They call it "moving" which is probably the correct English . The equipment to heat your water , we call it "Geysers" they call it " Water Heaters". When we cross a road and it has those white and black lines , In India it is called as Zebra crossing , here they call it a crosswalk. We call spare tire stephanie , here they just call it spare tire. We call Yogurt curd , and they call it Yogurt. ( Irony isn't- We know it is yogurt but we still call it curd)

These are just a few things which I can think as of now. If you have something to add to it , do leave a comment below . Don't forget to like our facebook page for latest updates. Also follow us on Twitter.

You would also want to look at my article : A day in a Life of a Master's Student in US

OPT 17 Month Stem Extension and E-Verification

You would want  to apply for OPT  STEM extension if your H1-B doesn't get picked up in the lottery or for some other reason . The important thing is that the employer you are working for his company should be E-Verified and then only you can apply for 17 months OPT extension.

Usually all big companies in US are E-Verified. According to USCIS nearly 500,000 employers use E-Verify currently.

Recipients of bachelors, master's and doctoral degrees qualify for one time 17 month  STEM extension after your Post completion OPT.( Total Eligibility becomes 29 months - Initial 12 months of Post Completion OPT and then 17 months of STEM extension).  It is important to know that is does not matter during your Post completion OPT period that your company is E-verified or not . But when you apply for STEM extension it does matter because while filing the stem Extension it will ask for your company's E- Verification number.

Like you receive a EAD Card  for your post completion OPT ( for one year ) you will receive a new EAD card for your OPT Stem Extension. The filing fees for your Post completion OPT and OPT stem extension is $380 ( currently - It can change) .


Overview for STEM Extension (17 Months)

During your lifetime you are granted 17 month OPT extension only once. It does not matter how many additional degrees you have . For Instance: You do your masters and then work for a company for initial 12 months on Post completion OPT and then you apply for your STEM extension for 17 months ( Taking into account your company didn't sponsor your H1-B or it didn't get selected in lottery ) . So you decide to go to school again , then remember you cannot get stem extension again. It is granted once per lifetime. Also it is possible to change employers in your stem extension and also during Post completion OPT. You can continue to work with your employer if you have applied for your stem extension and are currently waiting for the card.

There are few Requirement for STEM Extension

1) Your degree should be a stem degree ( Science , technology , Engineering or Mathematics)

2) You should be currently on your Post Completion OPT

3) Your employment must directly relate to your field of study ( Your Major) . You should work at least 20 hours a week .

Also during your OPT extension you can work with multiple employers i.e. you can have multiple jobs but all the employments must relate to your field of study.

To apply for your Stem extension you should contact your DSO. Your DSO should verify all the paper work and you should send a $380 money order or check.

Travel during OPT STEM Extension

You would require a few documents to re enter US :

1) Stem Extension I-20 with page 3 endorsed for travel by your DSO .

2) Valid F-1 Stamp

3) Valid Passport

4) Job Offer or a letter from your employer stating that you are employed with their company.

Don't forget to Like our Facebook page. You would also want  to read my article How not to feel Homesick In US

How to find if a company Sponsor's H1-B visa or not ?

While searching for a job in US you want to make sure that the company you are applying to sponsor's H1-B visa or not. In simple terms does it employs any immigrants ?

As applying for jobs is a tedious and time consuimg process , therefore you would want to make sure that you are applying to the companies which sponsor H1-B visa. There are big companies like GM ( Genera Motors) , Ford , National Instruments ( from last year they stopped sponsoring H1-B's) which do not sponsor your H1-B visa.


There is a website called My Visa Jobs which has a huge database and an accurate one. You can just visit this website and search for an employer.

See below Screenshot I searched for Amazon :

As you can see it will show you that did company file for any H1-B's or not .Usually I have seen the statistics are pretty accurate.

I hope this will help you in your job search . Don't forget to like our facebook page for latest updates. Also follow us on Twitter.

You would also want to look at my article : How to search for Jobs

A day in a Life of a Master's Student in US

"Things would change" . Yes I am starting my article with the phrase  "things would change". It would not be the same. Yes you would become very independent and if you were use to getting things done from someone else then you would be doing all those thing yourself.

So your day would probably start with your laptop and also would end with a laptop in your hand . You would realize your best buddy would be your laptop. I have talked a little bit about you and your friendship with the laptop here in my post How not to feel Homesick in USA.

On daily basis when the semester will be on you would have lot of tests, quizzes and projects. Unlike India where you usually have classes 5 days a week, you will have classes probably on Tuesday's and Thursday's or Monday and Wednesday's. Still even with 9 credit hours ( 3 courses ) you would feel like you have so much to do . You would either become a person who lives on edge and submit his assignments very close to the deadline or else you would try to atleast complete everything before the deadline. 

After attending your classes you would want to come back home . Of course after attending just two classes you are feeling tired. But it does not stop here. If you are staying with your roommate you would have turns for cooking and your happiness would be at a saturation point when its your room mate's turn to cook ( If he is a good cook - wait ..doesn't matter you just want food , you are HUNGRY) . Not to forget that if you have an on campus job then after attending classes you would be working as well. It would be great if you have a flexible schedule but if not then you would fell tied up. 

Finally its evening but wait in summers its not dark outside till 8:30 Pm . When you were looking outside at bright sunny day , at the back of your mind you are thinking that its 6 Pm and you still have half a day left and you can relax . But coming back to reality its almost 9 :00 Pm and this is the time when everybody in India would have been woken up by now. 

So you would call your parents , girlfriend/boyfriend and you would realize that clock shows 10:30 Pm . You have still assignments to do , there will be a few tests and quizzes scheduled and you have not started studying yet . You would probably call safe ride ( college shuttle service) go to library and study or you might just stay at home and say to yourself " Still there is time left , I can manage to watch a movie ." lol 

The whole week you will wait for the weekend and the weekend will flew away so quickly that you would wait for next weekend to do the things you scheduled to do in your previous weekend.

Well this was kind of a ordinary day in a life of a master's student. 

If you have something to add to it , do leave a comment below . Don't forget to like our facebook page for latest updates. Also follow us on Twitter.

You would also want to look at my article : Benefits of Graduating Early 

How to not feel Homesick in US

After you come here, some of you or mostly everybody feels home sick for a few moths or so. The only thing I can tell you here is to keep yourself occupied.

The more time you spend alone or doing nothing, the more you will feel home sick.  Try to keep yourself busy. Usually when the semester is going on and you have a lot of assignments, quizzes and tests and you would not think about being away from your home but as soon as you start giving yourself some free time , your mind just gets diverted and you start thinking about your family friends and become nostalgic .

During the interim do something you love . If you like reading books , library usually has huge collections of books . Go check them out and remember you are already paying library fees with your tuition fees, so make good use of it. Hang around with friends, go to church and let about American culture. There are lot of things to do and you would better know what you like to do the most . 

If you don't have any hobbies , develop one. Also look out for volunteer opportunities. Volunteering can be a lot of benefit to you and the community. You can make a lot of new connections, meet new people and you can always add your volunteering work to your Linked profile. Employers in US love to see Volunteer work in your resume . 

You would realize that your laptop or tablet is your best friend. You would spend a lot of time with it . Studying, watching movies,Skyping , doing assignments etc. etc. Trust me you will spend a lot of time with your laptop. Of course when you have free time and you are feeling too lazy to go out for a walk or hang out with friends , who will come to your rescue ? Yes you guessed it right - Your Laptop.

Of course stay connected with your parents , siblings and friends. All hail the technology today that even after being 8000 miles away from home you can still video chat with your near and dear ones.

Yes last but most important thing - Don't listen to the "Maa" song from the movie Taree Zameen par

and also try not to listen too "Luka chuppi bahut hui" from the movie Rang de basanti . :-)

If you like my post do share it  with your friends and also let us know which songs you would not listen other than listed above . :P

You would also like to look at my other post :

Doing Master's ofr Phd in US - It is not a bed of roses!!

Image credit :  http://www-tc.pbskids.org/itsmylife/images/summercamp6.gif

How You can Save Money In US

When you first come here , for a first few months you will keep converting dollars to rupees. If you are coming from a middle class family you would not want to spend a lot of money and would want to save as much as you can . There are a few known and basic things you can do to save money.

1) Try eating at home. Make you own food, it will be much cheaper. Eating outside is expensive. Eating home made food is healthy as well so try and avoid eating outside. ( Initially when you will buy even french fries here for $3 you would convert it to rupees and will think Rs. 180 is a lot and the quantity you got was way to less.You will stop converting once you get use to it after a few months)

2) Get used books from Amazon . Don't buy new ones. Usually you will get most of the books from your University library but sometimes due to a lot of students taking a same course, the library might not have enough copies. You can get a pretty good deal on used books on Amazon or you can even rent a book.

3) Use Coupons. USA is full of discounts and coupons , if you know when and how to use and at the right places. Usually on campus you get a lot of coupons.

4) Have a room mate. Having a room mate really helps . Your expenses are shared and you can save substantially .

5) Try to get into a family cell phone plan. T mobile is a bit cheaper than AT &T.

6) Get a credit card like discover. This will help you in a few ways, First you will get cash back on everything . Secondly it usually has some deals. Like discover gives $50 to sign up  and opening a credit card account. Also this well get you started in establishing in your credit history . Don't get a lot of credit cards , this will lower your credit score significantly.

These are a few ways with which you can save money in USA.

You would also want to look at my previous post which talks about how you can get an on campus job


I hope the above information helps. If you have something to add to it , do leave a comment below. Don't forget to like our facebook page for latest updates. Also follow us on Twitter.

How to find an On campus Job

After you come here in USA the first thing in your mind after studies is to find yourself an on campus job. Of course on campus jobs are really helpful because most of the times the money you make from them help you in paying your rent and grocery bills.

One of the things you can do is to come early . If  you are coming here in fall and your orientation say is August 13 then try to come here in July second last or last week ( You cannot enter USA a month before the date mentioned on your I-20 ) . This really helps because most of the students start coming here around August first week or so . This buys you time to make connections and searching for on campus jobs. 

Talk to your seniors who are graduating . Referral really works here in USA. If  they refer you for their position then most of the times you will get an interview call. 

Modify your resume accordingly . For an on campus job in library you would not want to show them a two page resume about your lab research or experience in Java. Make a simple one page resume which shows some of your extra co curricular activities and if you have prior experience in customer service , add it to your resume. 

I believe Library jobs are the best jobs ( though it is a  minimum wage ) but you can study there, not a lot of work and the schedule is flexible usually. On the other hand I would not recommend hospitality jobs because you would have to stand for hours , mop the floor stand near the oven and bake food etc . Etc. But usually it pays more than minimum wage and also you get good discounts on food. Hospitality usually requires a lot of student assistants , so if you are searching for an on campus job your starting point should be hospitality. 

The most important thing to note here is . "Talking never hurts ". Don't be afraid or scared , just go and talk to the managers and ask if they any positions open. Talk to them about your prior customer service experience or any other job related experience you have. Make sure you have modified your resume according to the job . You would not want to hand over your 3 years Java experience resume for the post of student assistant in Hospitality .

Master's or PHD students can always look for RA/GA/TA jobs. ( Research Assistant, Graduate Assistant and Teaching Assistant) . Sometimes it is hard to get these jobs but still talk to your professors and ask if they have any open RA or GA positions. These positions pay really well. Generally a  Research assistant can fetch you up to  $1200 - $1500 a month. A Graduate Assistant position can fetch you up to $10 to $ 15 an hour . Teaching assistant position can fetch you up to  $1500 to $2200 a month . These jobs comes with other perks as well. You might get a tuition waiver and this would save you a lot of money. 

Make a lot of copies of your resume and go to each and every department . Introduce yourself and ask them if they if they have any jobs available. Leave a resume with them even if they say they currently have no open positions. Ask for a business card from them and follow up in 15 days . But don't be pushy.

I hope the above information helps. If you have something to add to it , do leave a comment below . Don't forget to like our facebook page for latest updates. Also follow us on Twitter.

You would also want to look at my article : How to Search for Jobs

Image Credit : http://www.sjfc.edu/campus-services/payroll/student-employment-overview.dot

All You need to Know about CPT - Curricular Practical Training

While you are in your school you can opt for CPt which is curricular practicl training . You cannot have more than 12 months of CPT.

If you more than 12 months of CPT then you are inelgible for OPT . Usually I have seen Master's student getting Internships during summer time for a period of 3 months.

Mostly companies in USA hire interns in summer time for 12 or 14 week period.

There are a few things to keep in mind before you go for your CPT :

1) CPT must relate to your major and the experience you gain must be a part of your program study.

2) Usually in USA if you are a master's student then you can go for your CPT ( Internship ) after two semseters or 9 Months . There are a few universities which give day 1 CPT but it is usually recommended to go after your CPT after 9 Months. 

3) Your school DSO will provide you with a new I-20 which will show that the DSO has approved your Employment.

4) You can either wok full time or part time on your CPT.

Make sure you don't extend the period of CPT mentioned on your I-20 . If you need extension contact your DSO and ask for a new I-20 . 

EAD - Employment Authorization Document

Today I will be talking about EAD - Employment Authorization Document . You apply for your EAD 90 days before graduation. It is always advisable to apply as early as possible ( 90 Days before graduation ) because USCIS receives lots of requests throughout the year and it usually takes 90 days for them to send your EAD card. 

You cannot start your employment without your EAD card. EAD card will have your employment start date and the initial post completion OPT is valid for one year . So if graduate in December and you choose your Employment start date to be February 1 2016 then your 1 year post completion OPT will end on 1 February 2017.

If you are a stem major then you can apply for STEM extension which is of 17 months duration . Though your company should be E-verified in order for you to apply for your stem extension. 

EAD card basically gives non immigrants work authorization ( Of course if you are eligible ) . Also make sure when you receive your EAD card all the information is correct . Report any errors or misprints on the card to USCIS immediately. 

Sample EAD card here : 

P.S - This is just a sample EAD Card.

Once you apply for your EAD card , you get a receipt via mail which is called as I-797. It has your case number and you can check your status here : https://egov.uscis.gov/casestatus/landing.do

I have seen students who graduate and after there graduation till the start of their employment , they usually have time for a month or two and travel outside USA . If you are travelling outside USA make sure you wait till you receive your EAD card. Because when you come back at the port of entry your EAD card would be checked. This is highly advisable . 

I have seen student's who do not wait for theire EAD card and travel outside of USA and then someone here in USA fedex them their EAD card. I would not recommend this . In case if the mail career company looses your packet then you would be in trouble. Its always safe to wait till you receive your EAD card and then travel outside USA. Therefore apply as soon as your 90 days starts before graduation. 

I hope the above information helps. If you have something to add to it , do leave a comment below . Don't forget to like our facebook page for latest updates. Also follow us on Twitter.

You would also want to look at my article : How to Save Money in US

Linkedin - A powerful tool which will help you in getting your dream job

I have seen students who are about to graduate and still have not created their LinkedIn profile. I believe Linkedin profile is one the best tools for your job search.

Make sure that you have a  Linkedin profile and that too a complete one. The first and most important thing in your LinkedIn profile is to have a professional profile picture. The first thing which catches recruiter's attention is your profile picture.  A profile with no profile picture or with a casual profile picture might not interest the recruiter .Also having a profile picture gives it more authenticity.

Including a summary in your LinkedIn profile really helps . Recruiters usually don't have much time to browse through your whole profile. Usually recruiters prefer to go through the summary and see if they can find the key words in your profile which match the job posting .

Also attaching  a resume to your LinkedIn profile really helps. That way if recruiter likes your profile he or she can directly view your resume from your profile itself and doesn't have to ask one from you.

Including your LinkedIn profile link in your resume helps. Here is a tip which will help shorten and customize your LinkedIn profile URL and that way it will not take much space on your resume.

Here is the link which tells you how to customize your LinkedIn profile URL :

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140424124611-12064186-how-to-customize-your-linkedin-public-profile-url

You can customize your LinkedIn profile URL to something like this  http://linkedin.com/in/yourfullname ( depends on the availability )

Also make sure to have a complete profile i.e. highlight your work experience, education (you can include your GPA if you want) , Awards/Honors, skills etc .

The vital thing here is not to just have a complete profile but also to add as many recruiters to your profile as you want. The more the better. Don't hesitate in sending an invite request to a recruiter . They are there to help you out and are looking for the best talent. After they accept your request personal message them including your summary and ask them if they have any opportunities .

You would also want to read my post : How to Search for Full Time Jobs where I have included more information about LinkedIn.

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