Getting your Optional Practical Training (OPT) can definitely be exciting as you will finally get to utilize your knowledge in your field of study. However, it is no secret that international students often have trouble finding an OPT job simply because there is a lot of competition or because of various visa-related constraints.
However, waiting for luck to strike to land an OPT job won’t cut it. Instead, you need to be ahead of the pack prove yourself against the competition and quickly land a job. The best way you can do this is by building a strong online presence. This shows employers that you might be an investment rather than a risk.
So, in this article, we will share some of the best tips on how to build a strong online presence for your OPT job search.
Let’s check out what needs to be done!
Optimize and Increase Your LinkedIn Presence
We all know that LinkedIn recently became the go-to place for most business-related networking. It’s definitely not exactly the best place for OPT job searches, but if you do manage to get in contact with the right people, you might just increase your chances of getting a job offer seeing as most of the top companies for CPT or OPT jobs are already on LinkedIn.
To optimize your LinkedIn profile, focus on the following points:
Update your work and education experience – while making your LinkedIn profile look pretty is definitely beneficial and might attract the eye of certain people, what matters most is showcasing your work and education. So, make sure to add all of your internships, projects, and side projects, as well as your exact studies.
Add skills and attributes – another thing that is very valuable to employers is what you can offer with your skills. So, definitely try to (realistically) add as many skills as you can to your LinkedIn profile. Make sure to include people-related skills as they’re quite important when it comes to job interviews. So, always maintain a balance between your technical and people skills!
Change your headline – above we mentioned that making your profile look pretty is not the number one priority, but it is still a priority. Make sure you have a headline that accurately describes your role or potential future role.
Create a professional profile picture – having a professional-looking photo on your profile is also an important factor if you want to leave a positive impression. To create a professional-like photo, make sure to use a high-resolution image, be the only person in the photo, keep the background plain, and wear something smart.
Be active – like any other social media platform, LinkedIn boosts people who are more active. So, try to build your number of connections, post more often, and engage with others by liking and commenting on their posts. You can also share blog posts from your website if you have one (more on that below).
Create A Website For Your Portfolio
While LinkedIn can be a great way to showcase your portfolio, you don’t have as much freedom as you would have with your own portfolio. This is why we recommend building your own website to showcase your abilities and your work in detail.
Building a website is quite affordable nowadays, especially when we consider just how cheap web hosting services have gotten. Hosting has become cheap and surprisingly, building the website from scratch is also cheap and easy as well. Many of these hosting services come with free website-building tools, so building your portfolio is practically a drag-and-drop process.
Here are your most important points for your website:
Highlight your projects – showing that you are capable of translating your knowledge into real-world applications is definitely something employers are on the lookout for. So, this should be one of the main points of your website/portfolio.
Highlight other achievements – if you have certain academic achievements or certifications that can showcase your ability to learn and skill, make sure they are also on top of your work history.
Write blog posts – one of the best ways to show employers that you are indeed ahead of the competition is by writing blog posts related to your field of study. Sharing your take on current happenings in your industry shows that you are actively learning at all times. And, as we mentioned previously, you can link your own blog posts to your LinkedIn to further increase your online presence.
Don’t Shy Away From Job Search Platforms
Job search platforms are slowly becoming one of the most popular options for job hunting and they are likely to become even more popular in the next decade or so. In fact, 73% of (younger) job seekers found their last job through social networks.
So, if you want to land an OPT job, then you need to be active on various job search platforms and not just LinkedIn. Check out one of the many online job search sites like Glassdoor, OPTNation, Indeed, Upwork, and others.
However, it’s important to mention that if you want to see results from these types of sites, you will need to send out job applications very often. This significantly will increase your online presence as well as increase your chances of landing a job interview.
Participate In Online Communities
For almost any industry out there, there is a community or a forum dedicated to it. Here, people help each other by sharing their experiences, work or study-related problems, or just chatting on topics related to the industry.
This is exactly where you can boost your online presence. Join these conversations and try to contribute as much as you can. Your knowledge is valuable, so consider using it to help members of the community. Provide ideas, thoughts, or solutions for their problems. This is how you can gain respect in the community which might lead to opportunities in the future.Usually, you can find such communities/forums on Reddit, LinkedIn, Facebook, or other similar platforms.
Conclusion
Building a strong online presence can be one of the most powerful tools in your OPT job search. By optimizing your LinkedIn, creating a portfolio or website, and engaging on social platforms, you can showcase your skills, connect with the right people, and increase your chances of landing your desired OPT job.