At the recent seminar “Journey to apply and succeed in the US” held in Hanoi, Mr. Duong Van Linh, who has passed the entrance exams of the world’s largest auditing companies and a career consultant in the US, said that currently, Vietnamese parents invest a lot of money for their children to study abroad, about 200,000-400,000 USD (5-10 billion VND). Therefore, it would be a waste for international students to return home immediately after graduation because they have not yet optimized the good things in the host country.

According to Mr. Linh, when studying abroad, students only stop at experiencing the academic and cultural environment in that country. In this regard, students studying in international schools in Vietnam can also meet this requirement. Meanwhile, part of the advantage of studying abroad is career development.

“When graduating and working in American multinational corporations, in the first years, young people will be trained in professional skills and working skills. That is the stage when they really learn the ‘essence’ of the American economy ,” said the former American student.

470053614_954428300172305_1058132077812506400_n.jpg
Mr. Duong Van Linh is currently a career consultant in the US. (Photo: NVCC)

That is also the reason why Mr. Linh believes that after graduating, Vietnamese students should stay in the US to work for a few years to accumulate experience and gain experience, thereby opening up better opportunities after returning to Vietnam. In addition, the knowledge gained from science , technology, operations management... when brought back will also contribute to the development of the country.

“Therefore, if you plan to return to Vietnam to work long-term, I think young people should stay for 2-3 years after graduation to gain experience. However, if you want to become an expert in a certain field, you should stay for at least 7-10 years,” said Mr. Linh.

How to get a good job in the US after graduation?

Regarding this question, according to Mr. Duong Van Linh, universities today only stop at providing specialized knowledge related to the field of study. What students need to equip themselves with are specialized skills that are evaluated by employers through interview rounds.

For example, if applying for a technology position, candidates will be asked to solve algorithms and data structures during the interview. Or if applying for a strategy consulting position, candidates may be asked to come up with a solution to a business problem within 45 minutes.

In addition, candidates must also have job-related skills and soft skills such as communication, leadership, problem solving...

“That is the reason why many good students graduate but cannot find a job right away because being good at studying is not enough,” he said.

Mr. Duong said that when going for a job interview, candidates must “find the right itch” of the employer. Everyone wants to say what they desire and are most proud of, but that is not always what the employer appreciates.

In addition, it is necessary to create a difference in the profile. The ranking of the school attended and the scores during the study process are important but not everything.

“There are many students who come from less prestigious schools, but with their eagerness to learn and a progressive spirit, they can learn new knowledge and develop their thinking. In addition, candidates must be resilient to challenges and ready to face failure,” said Linh.

These things, according to him, are reflected in the early “building momentum” for the future, for example, from year 1, year 2, it will be very difficult to apply for an internship in the US. Students can participate in projects in school, find small companies or can return to Vietnam, work in reputable companies and corporations to gain experience and ask for connections from people in the industry. By year 3, year 4, when they have experience, students can “apply” to large US companies. If they do well, students may receive an “offer” for official employment.

“Connect and build relationships with seniors to know what the company needs and prepare early; try to do well during the internship period to have the opportunity to have your profile reviewed, create interview conditions... Those are all 'important secrets' to help international students find good jobs in the US right after graduation", Mr. Duong Van Linh shared.

The awakening helped the male student turn the tide, winning an 8 billion US scholarship . Starting to apply for studying abroad when his score was only average due to his past neglect of studying, Nguyen Bentley Minh Nhat made an effort to break through, step by step reaching his dream school.
Essay helps Hanoi male student win US scholarship worth more than 7.5 billion VND. Nam Khanh describes his journey of self-change, which helped him conquer the top liberal arts university in the US.