Subject: NDUS, Job Series 2, Oct 17, 1990

From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 17 Oct 90 01:34:40 CDT

*  *  *   C H I N A    N E W S    D I G E S T   *  *  *

                            September 27, 1990

            Special Package on Visa and Job Hunting (Series 2)

        +-+-+-+- ( China News Digest,  US Section Service) -+-+-+-+

Editor's Note: This special  series is sponsored  by China News  Digest to
               assist Chinese students  and scholars in  U. S. in  dealing
               with Visa  or Job  related problems.   It is  mostly edited
               materials  which has previously  appeared on SCC  (A Usenet
               discussion group).  CND suggests that this materials should
               only be used  for your reference rather  than authoritative
               answers.  You may contact your local  foreign student advi-
               sor or INS  for further details on related  questions.  CND
               welcomes comments and contributions.

         - - - - - - T a b l e   o f   C o n t e n t s - - - - - -
No. Subjects                                                    # of Lines
1.  Job Hunting Essentials (A Conversation on Job Hunting)  . . . . . . 85
2.  Q & A's on Job Hunting  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  104
3.  Job Situations of Some Graduated Chinese Students (Table List)  .  115
4.  Current Situation on U.S. Job Market  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

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1.  Job Hunting Essentials (A Conversation on Job Hunting)  . . . . . . 85
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>From: [email-masked] (Bo Xiong)        Date: 18 Sep 90 19:59:43 GMT

     More and more Chinese students and scholars in the  US have found/are
looking/ will be looking for decent/permanent job out of various reasons.

     Many  of  them  have  no  experience  in  job-hunting,  especially in
collecting job related  info, due to the fact that Chinese gradutes in PRC
were (are ?) not allowed to find job themselves upon their graduation from
Chinese colleges, therefore there  was (is ?) no need for  them to collect
job info nor the  info was (is ?)  available in PRC  in terms of free  job
market.

     The following is  the transcription and translation  of conversations
between a graduated  Chinese student (A) and a  graduating Chinese student
(B).

                            - - - - - - - - - -

B:   I am graduting  this fall semester and considering to look for a job,
     I have  read several newspapers but there  seems not many chances for
     me.

A:   Well, there  should be some chances on the job  market since US is to
     make progress in  its economy and society.   What newspaper have  you
     looked at?

B:   Some nationwide newspaper published in midwest, east and west coasts,
     such as New Yourk Times, Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune.

A:   Where did you get those newspapers?

B:   The library in my school.

A:   I guess that's where  the problem is.  Let's take  Chicago Tribune as
     an example.   Since you school is far from Chicago, most probably the
     library subscribes to  Chicago Tribune "Final" or  "National" edition
     in which the classified columns do not include much job info, I don't
     know why, but it's the case.

B:   What's the correct edition?

A:   As for Chicago Tribune, you have to read "City" edition(not "Chicago-
     land"  edition), and  also, MOST  job  ads are  appeared on  Sundays'
     "City" edition classified.  You may call toll-free # at 1-800-tribune
     and tell them your credit card # to subscribe to Chicago Tribune CITY
     EDITION SUNDAY ONLY for less than $10/month, you'll receive it two or
     three days after previous Sundays.  Someone else told  me the similar
     situations for those major newspapers in the east and west coasts.

B:   I also read  our local newspaper and  saw some job ads on  it, do you
     think those local newspapers contain valueable info about job?

A:   It's hard to generally evaluate the helpfulness of local newpapers in
     job hunting, it varies from township to township and depends on where
     you live.  However, those newspapers  published in metropolitan areas
     certainly contain  much more  job infomation  because most  employers
     like to seek  for qualified persons from geographically  larger area.
     On  the  other hand,  don't forget  to  make use  of the  career ser-
     vices/placement office in  your school, they can  usually provide job
     info that's  much more suitable and specific to your major because of
     their connections with  prospective employers.  No need  to say, your
     connections with your  friends, graduate advisors and  relative might
     provide your invalueable job info.  Another job  info source could be
     departmental offices in your  school, they usually receive  all kinds
     of employment info and post it on public bulletin board.

B:   If I am going  to look for a teaching/research job  in college, where
     to find the job ads?

A:   The "Chronicle of Higher Education" is one of the most important  job
     info  sources in  academic society, it  carries, on its  Section B, a
     wide variety of college job ads, from two-year college through top US
     universities, from bachelor's degree through postdoctor, from labora-
     tory attendent through  fulltime professorship, from US  to overseas,
     the weekly  newspaper runs  job ads  in all  major and  all field  in
     academic environment.   This  newspaper is  available in any  college
     library and in  most departmental offices.  Besides, you may also see
     many  job ads  on some  academic/science/engineering newspapers/maga-
     zines in some  special field, such  as "American Chemical  Engineer",
     etc..

B:   I understand that my major is not that hot on the current job market,
     how can I do an efficient job search in my case?

A:   There seems  no absolutely "cold" major, as far  as I know, there are
     quite a few Chinese students who succeded in finding a job and earned
     their degrees in "cold" fields  from masters to Ph.D. in Linguistics,
     American Literature and Physical Education.  Of course, it's not that
     easy for them  to find  their jobs, they  had very  hard time in  the
     whole  process of  their  job searching,  from  resume writing,  info
     collecting, interviewing to  finally getting a job offer.   For those
     who major in some  science and engineering  fields, the life seems  a
     little bit easier  for them in terms  of job hunting. It  will take a
     while to talk about those cases and stories.

B:   OK, let's talk those into detail next time.

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2.  Q & A's on Job Hunting  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  104
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>From: [email-masked] (Bo Xiong)        Date: 19 Sep 90 15:54:54 GMT

[email-masked] (Junsheng Long) writes:

     "Just some thoughts:
     Resume  writing  and  interview  are  two of the most important parts
     in hunting a  job, if you have no  inside help. There are  many books
     that  give general  techniques for  resume writing and  interview and
     they can help you at least to know the process of job searches."

     One  may visit his/her university career services/placement office or
library to find  out those books and  video tapes about the  techniques in
resume writing and interview. In many  schools, students can  even have  a
videotaped "simulation interview" to pratice themselves.

     Generally speaking, those books and videotapes can only provide  some
generic interviewee's techniques of  meeting with recuiters, but the  most
important  interviews are usually conducted by prospective supervisors and
co-workers  in the  places  where  one will  work  (i.e., visiting  future
employer),  the topics in the interview will be mostly concentrated on the
technical scope.

     Another thing needs  to be pointed  out is  that most resume  writing
guides are  for undergraduates, a  good place  to look  at sample  resumes
written by masters and Ph.D.'s is news  group job.resume, you may also see
a lots of job info on  the usenet news groups ***.job.*** (there are  more
than five job groups available now on usenet).

     "Sometimes,  you  may  hear  the suggestion that  one should boast 70
     percent  if he knows  30 percent, when  writing a resume.  I feel you
     should  be honest  and fact-minded.  Noone will  be  comfortable with
     boasting guys.  Avoid using the  subjective terms, such  as creative,
     very important or reputed. Use facts to back your claims. If you know
     a language (e.g., C++),  place it in a project you  have participated
     in (for example, designed and  implemented XXX in C++). Describe your
     experience and  projects in some details so that others can know more
     about you."

     Yes,  in many cases,  prospective employers will  call applicants and
talk some  technical issues briefly  on phone, if one  exaggerates his/her
knowledge and  ability in his/her  resume and shows less/nothing  in phone
conversation,  he/she will  not be  invited  to the  employer's place  for
(further/final) interview.

     "News  papers  may  not  be a good place to spot openings, especially
     for one with  a Ph.D.. Direct call to  the companies and universities
     you  are interested  may work  for you.  There are  many unadvertised
     openings. My wife got her dreamed job in this manner."

     To find out the companies and universities you are interested in, you
may  look at  some books  and publications  about job/labor  market, e.g.,
"Peterson's Guide"  Job Section  in Computer  Science/Electrical Engineer-
ing/... (foreign  students usually very  familiar to this  book's graduate
programs section), "Opportunities in Chemistry", "CPC Annual Job Report on
Job  Market",  etc.. These  publications give  very detail  statistics and
trend prediction  of Job Market  in all fields,  and list most  US compan-
ies'/schools' hiring records of past years.  You  may  find  what employer
needs what major with what degree in those books.

     "Aim  high.  Consider  the  future  growth  for  your  career.  Don't
     settle for less. Looking  a job in small companies may  not be easier
     than in the large ones. Small companies look for the experienced ones
     who can start to work right way. Many of us are from school to school
     and lack of real working experience. The large companies usually have
     training  for new  employees and  therefore they  can afford  to take
     someone less experienced."

     It's ture that looking for a job in small companies may not be easier
than in the large ones.

     The  question is  that what's  one's preliminary  goal, if  one takes
getting  US permanent residence  as FIRST goal,  it might  not matter that
much whether he/she work  in a large companies and how  good the salary is
(see China Spring Magazine, July and August, 1990).  On the other hand, it
could  be easier  for an  alien to  get Alien Employment  Certification if
he/she has  work experience in related  field prior to joining  in his/her
current company.

     If one is  hired by  a company  who will train  him/her, when  he/she
files for AEC, Labor Department  will ask his/her employer to  explain why
they don't train US  workers since the position  is an entry level  job or
less  experience required,  which will  bring  extra trouble  to both  the
applicant and his/her employer.

     "Don't  feel  bad  about  yourself  if  you  got a rejection  letter.
     Everyone gets  rejected and possibly  a lot. Think  positively: there
     are many jobs waiting for me; it  is I who haven't found them yet. If
     you try hard, you will have a happy ending."

     It is  said that if you send out  100 application letters, receive 30
replies (whatever replies :-)  out of the 100 letters, get  10 phone calls
out  of the 30 replies, finally are called for interview by 3 emplyors out
of the 10 phone calls, YOU ARE LUCKY DOG!

     However, if you send your applications to "right" employers, the "hit
ratio" will be definitely higher.  From my  own experience, I sent out 110
letters  in later  1988 and  received 20  responses, only  got two  unpaid
interviews out of the 100 application letters.  Then, in early 1989, after
careful study  (do homework  :-) on my  qualifications and  employers' re-
quirements, I sent  out 60 letters  and got 36  phone calls, 14  employers
called me for interview  and I only went for 10 of  those 14 interviews (I
gave up four  interviews because they wouldn't  pay me for travel  and the
places are beyond one day drive).

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3.  Job Situations of Some Graduated Chinese Students (Table List)  .  115
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
>From: [email-masked] (Bo Xiong)        Date: 20 Sep 90 18:46:54 GMT

     The following table  may give readers some idea  about job situations
of some  graduated Chinese students,  the table was prepared  according to
first hand information.

     The following table  may give SCC readers some idea  about job situations
of some graduated Chinese students, the table was  prepared according to first
hand information.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
No.|Sex|Age| Yrs| Start | Major/ | Job Title/ | Salary | History | Employer/
   |   |   | in | Date/ | Degree | Service    |Raise in| of Visa | Location/
   |   |   | US | Salary|        | When hired | 1st Yr | Status  |# of workers
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.   M  4?   8   12-85   Physics   Assistant      4%    J-1/F-1    A Midwest
                 /30K    /Ph.D.    Professor            /H-1/PR    State Univ.
                                   in CS Dept.

2.   M  35   7   86      Architect Assistant      ?      J-1/PR    A Midwest
                 /28K    /MS       Professor                       State Univ.

3.   M  35   8   9-87    Computer  Assistant      8%     F-1/H-1   National
                 /30K    Sci./MS   Scientist             /PR       Lab.

4.   F  37   6   2-88    Psychology/   ?          ?      F-1/H-1   Trading Co.
                 /27K    Education/MA                              Chicago(70)

5.   M  33   4   6-88    Computer  Consultant     ?      F-1/H-1   Comp. Store
                 /29K    Sci./MA                                   Chicago /50

6.   M  3?   5   6-88    Computer      ?          -      F-1/H-1   SoftwareCo.
                 /32K    Sci./MS                                   Chicago /25

7.   M  36   8   8-89      MBA     Programmer     ?       F-1/PR   Trading Co.
                 /28K              in COBOL           (by marrage) Ohio /20

8.   M  3?   4   8-89    Industry  Engineer       15%     F-1/H-1  Manuf. Co.
                 /24K    Tech/MA                                   Chicago/200

9.   M  42   4   8-89    Computer      ?          ?      F-1/H-1  Comp.Co./200
                 /33K    Sci./MA                                   San Jose,CA

10.  M  3?   3   8-89    Computer  Engineering    12%    F-1/H-1   A R&D Inc.
                 /34K(?) Sci./MS   Coordinator                   Chicago/5000

11.  M  4*   7   8-89    Physics   Senior         10%      PR    MajorUS Semi-
                 /57K    /Ph.D.    Scientist                     Conductor Co.

12.  F  2?   4   1-90     MBA      Programmer     20%    F-1       SoftwareCo.
                 /21K                                    /Training LA, CA /40

13.  M  3?   5   1-90    Computer      ?           -     J-1/H-1   Comp. Co.
                 /3?K    Sci./MS                                   Chicago/220

14.  M  35   6   2-90   Linguistics Instructor     -     J-1/H-1   4-YrCollege
                 /25K   /Ph.D.                                     in Midwest

15.  F  30   5   6-90    Computer    Analyst       -     F-1       LargeInsur.
                 /33K    Sci./Ph.D.                      /Training Co.,Chicago

16.  F  3?   5   6-90      MBA         ?           -     J-1/F-1   Nat'lInsur.
                 /35K                                    /Training Co.,Chicago

17.  F  3?   6   6-90    Ed. & Math    ?           -     J-1        Insurance,
                 /33K    /Ed.D                           /Non-status  Chicago

18.  M  3*   6   6-90    Computer    Analyst       -     J-1        Comp. Co.
                 /42K    Sci./Ph.D.                      /Training  Chicago/20

19.  F  37   7   6-90   Linguistics  Assistant     -     J-1       2-YrCollege
                 /27K    /Ph.D.      Professor           /Training  in Midwest
                                   (Teaching Chinese)

20.  F  38   4   6-90   Physical    Instructor     -     F-1       2-YrCollege
                 /23K   Ed./MA      in gymnastics        /Training  in Nevada

21.  F  2*   4   7-90   Architect   Architect      -     J-1       Arch. Firm
                 /23K   /MA                              /Training Chicago/500

22.  M  4?   10  7-90   American    Technical      -     F-1/PR    SoftwareCo.
                 /3?K   Literature  Writer(?)                      Chicago
                        /Ph.D.

23.  M  3*   5   9-90   Computer    Software       -     J-1       Industr.Co.
                 /34K   Sci./MS     Engineer           /Non-status Chicago/800

24.  M  4?   ?   5-89    Animal   Researcher(?)    ?     F-1/H-1   A Midwest
                 /3?K    Sci./MS                                 Research Inc.

25.  F  34   7   7-89    Math.      Assistant      ?     F-1/H-1  4-Yr College
                 /26K    /Ph.D.     Professor                      in SC

26.  M  3?   8   7-89  Electrical   Assistant      ?     J-1/?    An Univ., TX
                 /32K  Eng./Ph.D.   Professor

27.  M  28   3   7-89  Physiology   Laboratory     ?     F-1/H-1   A Midwest
                 /17K  /MS          Attendent                      University

28.  M  30   4  12-89  Electrical   Engineer      15%    J-1/H-1   Electronics
                /27K   Eng./MS                                     Co., IL/400

29.  M  3?   6  12-89  Material        ?           -     J-1/H-1   A R&D Co.
                /4?K   Sci./Ph.D.                                  /1300

30.  M  3?   5   3-90  Physiology   Laboratory     _     J-1/H-1  4-Yr College
                 /27K  /Ph.D.       Instructor                     in IL

30.  M  3?   4   4-90  Chemistry     Lab.          -     J-1/H-1   Chem. Co.
                 /23K  /MA           Analyst                       Chicago/120

32.  M  3?   7   4-90  Biophysics    Research      _     J-1         A R&D Co,
                 /42K  /Ph.D.        Scientist           /Training   Ohio/2000

33.  F  26   3   6-90  Surgical         ?          -     J-1       An Hospital
                 /32K  Pathology/MD                      /Non-status  in MI

(The end of the table)

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4.  Current Situation on U.S. Job Market  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
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>From: [email-masked] "Deming Tang"         Date: 12 Oct 90 15:51:36 GMT
>Source: UPI News

     BETHLEHEM, Pa. (UPI)  -- This year's college graduates  found the job
market a  mixed bag, but the  demand for chemical and  petroleum engineers
brought higher starting salaries, a survey says.

     The survey by the College Placement Council Inc., based in Bethlehem,
showed  that graduates in the technical fields were aggressively recruited
and received  higher starting  salaries, while  graduates in other  fields
faced a tight job market.

     Salary offers to petroleum engineers rose 7.4 percent since September
1989 to an average of $35,202 a year, the survey said. Chemical
engineers also saw a 6.6 percent increase to average salaries of $36, 112.

     Salaries for mechanical engineers also increased, but not by as much,
the survey  said. Starting  salaries  rose 5.2  percent to  an average  of
$32,064.

     The demand for health-care professionals also continued to grow. A
nursing shortage drove the starting salaries for nursing graduates up 13.5
percent to an average of $28,270. Allied health graduates got 12.4 percent
more in 1990 over 1989, with the average starting salary being $27,436.

     Computer science  graduates saw salaries  increase 4 percent  to $29,
804, but  the need for  information science graduates shot  their starting
salaries up 8.3 percent to $28,631.

     Cutbacks by  financial employers resulted  in a tight job  market for
economics and finance  majors, the survey said. Those  majors saw starting
salaries rise 1.9 percent to an average of $25,184.

     Salaries for human resources majors averaged only 1.1 percent more in
1990 to $23,101.  But salaries for journalism graduates  dropped 3 percent
to $19,488.

     MBA's fared  well, although there  were reports of  decreased hiring,
the survey said.

     Nontechnical undergraduates getting master's degrees but with no work
experience saw average salaries increase 6.8 percent to $36,175.
Commercial bankers in this group averaged $36,626.

     However, MBA grads with technical  backgrounds only saw a 1.7 percent
in average salaries at $37,737.

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