Career Track - April 2011

We had a lot of great entries for our "Winter Living and Working in the USA" photo contest, but Anna-Lena Korner took top honors with her picture of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.

Anna-Lena will receive $50 and will be featured on our blog and Facebook page.

We encourage our interns and trainees to stay connected by sharing photos on Facebook and on our Flickr pages. We enjoy seeing your workplaces and local areas!

Anna-Lena Korner from Germany, Public Relations Assistant on a 6-month internship in New York City.

What would you tell a friend from your own country to encourage him/her to do an internship through InterExchange?
“I would tell so many things. I can recommend the life experience and the work. You have to learn to be independent, find your apartment, and get into this real life. You will learn about yourself. You meet new friends.”

What were the professional goals you wanted to achieve through this program?
“I wanted to improve my English language skills, because it’s becoming more and more important for people in Germany to know English. I also wanted to gain more knowledge about the travel and tourism sector worldwide, particularly in the U.S.”

In addition to the professional experience, what have you enjoyed most about working with your employer?
“I work with a really great team. In our New York office there are only 15 staff members, but we have many more worldwide. It is easy to work with each staff member, and my coworkers are very patient and willing to help. The office is also next to Madison Square Park, so I loved being in the middle of the city and eating lunch in the park.”

Are there any skills you’ve learned that you can apply to your future career?
“I’m working in the travel and tourism sector, communicating with clients internationally, and I’m now much more confident in my English skills. I’m also learning a lot about the social media aspect of the PR business, including Facebook and Twitter, which are more popular and widely used by businesses in the U.S.”

American employers appreciate individuals who take initiative. The more energy you put into searching for a position, the more likely it is you will find a program that suits you.

One of the best ways to find an internship on your own is through your personal network – friends, professors, and current or former employers are all great people to connect with. The people they put you in touch with could lead to your next great job!

In addition to using your own network, there are many online job search engines that can help. Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com and others allow you to search for positions by job field, location, and skills. If you sign up for an account, they'll even send you jobs that meet your criteria when they become available. You can get more targeted job listings using an industry-specific job search engine like engineeringjobs.net . Such a site allows those in the engineering field to narrow their search focus to resources geared specifically to professionals in the field.

In addition to job search engines, there are other resources on our website that can provide help with writing a competitive CV, interviewing with an American employer, and more. Visit our website for other resources that can help with your search!

The Career Training USA Placement Program matches highly qualified candidates with American businesses all over the country. We work with a variety of employers from different industries. Some of the exciting new positions for which we are recruiting:

• Marketing/International Business in Boston, MA
• Hospitality in Bretton Woods, NH
• Fashion Design Business Operations in New York, NY
• Web Programming in Delray Beach, FL

To take a look at all of the available positions, please visit our job board: http://www.interexchangejobs.org.

Read news about:

• Business Students Increasingly Go Abroad, More International Students Come to U.S.
• The 100 Women Initiative Celebrates Cultural Exchange

For more news, visit our Career Training USA news page.

Being part of the Career Training USA program offers more than just a new position at an American company; you'll also learn to adapt to a new culture and way of life. One of the things that can make your transition to the U.S. easier is meeting the people who live here. Check out the Career Training USA blog for ideas on how to meet new people!

Also recently featured on our blog:

• Seattle City Guide
• 2011 WYSE Video Contest Announced

We had a great time getting to know each other at our latest Career Training USA event – An intern and trainee happy hour at Solas in New York's East Village.

Even though you may not be in the U.S. yet, you can still connect with other international interns and trainees from around the world by participating in the Career Training USA online community!

InterExchange is a non-profit organization and a designated J-1 Visa sponsor devoted to promoting cross-cultural awareness through work and volunteer exchange programs. Our Career Training USA program connects international students and young professionals with internships and training programs across the USA.

The J-1 Visa is a non-immigrant visa offered through the Exchange Visitor Program, and is a requirement for candidates to legally intern or train in the U.S. Career Training USA works with international interns and trainees who find their own internships as well as with those individuals who are placed in an internship through our Placement Program.