Career Track - Fall 2011

Jenny Ba, France InterExchange Business and Management 6 months

How did you find your internship/trainee program?  

I found my traineeship through my past work connections.  I used to work for one of InterExchange’s cooperators in Paris and had expressed the wish to work with them by participating in the J-1 Visa Sponsorship program in the future. When I left the company in Paris, I remained in contact with the InterExchange Career Training Program Manager.  As soon as I was ready to come to the USA, I got in touch with her and she offered me the traineeship.

What were the professional goals you wanted to achieve through this program?

Though I was working with InterExchange on a daily basis back in France, there were many aspects of the program that were still a little fuzzy to me.  By doing this training program, I hope to gain a comprehensive understanding of both the J-1 Visa sponsorship process and the Career Training USA Placement Program.

In addition to the professional experience, what have you enjoyed most about working with your employer?

1. I have always wanted to work and live in NYC.  The city is amazing and I can never get tired of it.  Our office is located in Manhattan, in a vibrant area full of diverse places to eat, drink and shop.  It has many options for a perfect lunch break or after work drinks.
2. I have realized that InterExchange is very participant-oriented.  They do care about their participants: the ‘customer service’ is impressive.  InterExchange develops projects to help participants have the best experience possible and every regulation is primary set up in/for the interest of the participants. It is rewarding to work in a company that has such a good ethic and focuses so much on their participants even if it requires time, work and money.

Describe the cultural exchange aspects of the program:

I have noticed a lot of cultural differences although I have been in NY for 5 weeks only.

On a professional level, people seem to work longer hours than in France and do not take much vacation.  Back home we would not trade our 35 hours/week and 5 weeks of vacation a year for anything; it is hard to believe that some people spend so much time at work.

I am always amazed to hear so many different languages in NYC’s streets and to see so many people from different backgrounds! The other striking thing to me is the food: there is food at any time of the day and night and it is very hard to resist. 

I like discovering new cultures and I also like to share mine. Wherever I travel I always feel the urge to ‘spread the word’: French people are not that pretentious/arrogant, we do not eat croissants every day, we are not always late and, we do not walk down the streets wearing a beret. I try my best to show people that we are friendly and may seem arrogant only because most French cannot speak English.  They can find it irritating when people come to them and do not make the effort to speak French but they truly appreciate it if you try to speak even a few words in French. 

Share examples of exchanging business practices from home country with U.S. colleagues & employer.

Companies in the U.S. are more organized; employees are more computer literate and, most workers are more than just colleagues since companies organize events outside of work.  I intend to share this aspect upon returning to France.

What are three of the most memorable things you’ve experienced during this program?

1. Walking through Times Square on a Saturday night was an experience!  It was ridiculously crowded and I think most people were thinking the same ‘I have seen Times Square so many times in the movies and now I am right here, living it!’  It was also funny to notice that there was not a single local around us.
2. A typical American barbecue in Prospect Park (Brooklyn) organized by some colleagues of mine.  Having a barbecue in a park on a sunny Saturday afternoon is such an American thing to me.  I enjoyed watching all these people from different backgrounds cooking tons of food and playing sports and I loved listening to the different music while breathing in the smoky smells surrounding us.  The atmosphere was relaxed and I appreciated seeing my colleagues outside work.
3. Earthquake and Hurricane Irene within the same week!  I did not feel the earthquake but people talked about it all day long.  The Hurricane was pretty scary; we did not know what to expect and I honestly do not know how I would have reacted if things had gone poorly in New York.

What would you tell a friend from your own country to encourage him/her to do an internship through InterExchange?

I would tell my friend that on top of providing the J-1 Visa sponsorship InterExchange offers their participants many other services and continuous support/help –from the very beginning to the end of the program.  They provide tips on their website to help you find your own internship and also have positions available throughout the year.  They have a community where participants can find helpful information for adjusting to the U.S., for travelling around the U.S., etc.  Participants can also share their experience or get in touch with other interns/trainees through the community.  InterExchange organizes social events (mainly in New York City) in order for participants to meet each other, photo contests and, their staff is always available to the participants.

I do have a few friends from Europe who are currently training in the U.S. and from what I have heard; their sponsor does not provide any ‘after-sponsorship’ services.  They were amazed to hear about the photo contest (and the reward), the Happy Hour event, etc.  I also forwarded them the information about Boston since we have decided to go on a getaway weekend together.

The Career Training USA Placement Program recruits highly qualified candidates for employers at American businesses all over the country. We have a variety of employers from different industries that we work with and we wanted to highlight a few of the exciting new positions we are recruiting for:

• Culinary/Baking in Rye, New York»
• User Experience (UX)/Information Science in Los Angeles, California»
• Marketing/Public Relations in San Francisco, California»

To see all of the available positions, please visit our job board: http://www.interexchangejobs.org.

The Career Training USA staff is committed to connecting students and young professionals with internships and training programs in the U.S. Our friendly and experienced team is always here to help you with your J-1 Visa Sponsorship and can direct you to helpful resources for finding a great internship in the United States!  Learn more»

Resume and curriculum vitae (CV) tend to be used interchangeably, but their length, content and purpose are different. A CV is typically two or more pages and provides a detailed summary of educational and professional background, awards, honors and other details. A resume is a brief synopsis (1-2 pages) of an applicant’s education, experience and skills. In the U.S., it is more common to use a resume and it is a very crucial part of the job search. The tips below will help you create a resume that will help get you noticed!

Purpose of a Resume

The goal of a resume is to sell yourself to potential employers. A good resume provides a concise overview of your academic and professional experience and should not exceed more than two pages. The reader should be able to easily scan the document within a minute or two to get a sense of your qualifications.

What to Include in Your Resume

What to Omit from Your Resume

Personal information that is often included on a CV should not be included on a resume you send to American employers. Here is a list of things that should not be included on a resume:

• Marital status
• Age
• Religious affiliations
• Physical description (height, weight, etc.)
• Objective statement: Your cover letter should include what you’re looking for and why – it is not necessary to include this on your resume as well.
• Hobbies and personal interests
• Unrelated information: if the information doesn’t directly relate to the position to which you are applying, don’t include it.

These are just a few basic tips to get you started on creating a resume that will get the attention of American employers. Visit our website to view our resume template and get more tips on writing a great resume!

Career Training USA has been on the road recently, connecting with international educators from around the world. We exhibited at EAIE: European Association for International Education in Copenhagen earlier this month and were able to meet universities from Europe and beyond – the conference brought together more than 4,200 international higher education professionals from 87 countries! Speaking with educators who believe as strongly as we do in the importance of international experience provided us with insight into the needs and expectations of students from around the world. One of the recurring themes in our discussions was the importance of students finding their own internships, and as a result, we will be developing materials to further assist our participants in the internship search process. We greatly enjoyed meeting so many passionate educators and had a great time experiencing the culture of Copenhagen in the process!

Have you started working at your internship program but you’re not as confident in your English language skills as you’d like to be? Your English will naturally improve during your program in the U.S., but you can also take advantage of free English learning resources offered in your city to quickly improve your English proficiency.

We’ve compiled a list of programs that offer English language resources and free classes in the New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Miami, Boston and Washington DC metropolitan areas.

Click here to for a list of English language resources»

Career Training has created top ten lists for some of our favorite things to do, some of our favorite cities and some of our favorite sites in the U.S. Check out our first top ten lists on the Career Training USA blog»

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.