To hire or not to hire?

It’s a dream come true for an international student to come to study abroad. With much enthusiasm, high expectations and fearlessness to take on the world, an international student is looking for successful career outcomes. However, it does not always pan out like that. The one thing that international students expect that when they complete an international degree, is that they will become suitable and highly likely to get hired by any employer. But it is commonly reported that it is difficult for international students to secure employment after graduation in the host country.

This has happened to me and many of you like me. We always read or listen to stories both successful and not so successful, from an international student/employee perspective when seeking employment. After a lot of research, conversations and experiences it is wise to understand an employer’s perspective. Why shouldn’t international students get hired? Why can’t international students find a job in their domain? What is the difference between them and domestic students?

In this blog we examine why international students may not get jobs; but also, the other side of the coin; why international students may be successful in securing employment outcomes, examining these from an employer perspective. We seek to provide insights to employers as to why they should consider employing international students, and also to international students so that they may better prepare themselves for job hunting, and so that they develop realistic expectations about securing work.

Why international students may not get jobs?

1) Visa issues:

Research indicates that there is a low employer understanding of post-study work rights (PSWRs) for international students (Tran, Tan & Rahimi, 2019), especially for smaller firms. This means that employers are not always aware of temporary resident (TRs) visas that international graduates have, the rights associated with those visas and that they could actually employee international graduates on them. The duration of TR visas for only two years also posed a problem for some employers. This time frame was often too short for both employers and international graduates, because by the time the student had secured their job, and started working efficiently and productively, the visa was up, and employers would have to either support the student with a new work visa, which is costly or lose an employee that they had spent money on training and developing them (Tran et al., 2019). Likewise, the short-term nature of the TR visa was not compatible with graduate positions, as it usually takes 2-3 years to get a return on investment from putting students through graduate programs, and by that time the visa has already run out. Tran et al., (2019) found that some employers had negative attitudes, and international students “were perceived to be PR hunters and could not be trusted”. The above may suggest that it is riskier to hire international students due to visa issue

2) Universities don’t teach all of the knowledge and skills that employers are seeking:

Universities are always challenged on being relevant, keeping up to date with new tools and technologies, new ways of doing things, and the developing knowledge and skills, that employers need, for now, and into the future. It often the case that employers are looking more than academic skills, and often look for experience, soft skills and transferable skills. Whilst this point could also be relevant for domestic students, international students may be further impacted due to the other issues they face around English language capability, visa issues and so on.

3) International students are unrealistic about the job market in Australia:

International students may not secure employment after studying because they are not realistic about the job market, and the types of positions that they would be suitable for. International students don’t often have the work experience that employers are looking for, and resumes, job applications, interview skills need to be adapted to the Australian market. Having work experience from their home country is a great asset, however, it is often not enough to get into Australian workplaces. Employers may perceive that international students can’t do the same job as domestic students because they lack previous work experience in Australia and their English language capabilities can be poor.

International students may have unrealistic expectations due to what they would experience in their home country. For example, in India, employers would visit the University campus to hire graduates who are in their last semester of study, a practice termed “campus placement”. Unlike Australia, students in India have certainty that they will secure an employment outcome immediately after graduating. In Australia, this may take six months or longer. International students from India expect the same approach in Australia and become disappointed when it does not pan out like this.

4) International students are not a good cultural fit for Australian organisations:

Some reported reasons why international students may not get jobs in Australian organisations is that may be perceived to be ‘not a good cultural fit for the organisation’, and they wouldn’t fit in. Although this has been argued to be a misconception and at worst biased/discriminatory views.

5) English language capabilities can be poor:

English language capabilities can be an issue for why employers may be reluctant to employ international students. That is international students might not be as capable as domestic students when it comes to English language capability, this is despite the fact, that international students go through English proficiency tests such as IELTS or PTE exams before being accepted to study in Australia. Poor English skills may cause problems in regard to reading, writing and communicating at work, causing productivity issues, sources of confusion and so on.

While we know now why employers don’t want to hire international students, there are some positive outcomes as well, and there are plenty of examples where international students have secured excellent career outcomes for themselves, soon after their graduation. So, what different attributes do these employers find in an international student to want to hire them?

Why do the firm’s employee international students?

1) International students offer a different perspective to domestic employees:

International students may offer a different perspective to employers, that local students can’t provide due to their country or cultural background. International students may also offer knowledge, networks and reach into their home countries, which may be beneficial for organisations to develop their international strategies (IEAA, 2020). Employing international students also allows for a greater understanding of the regions from which these students come from (IEAA, 2020), in terms of culture, language and doing business there. These students will have language capability in their home country language, which international firms may exploit in executing their international strategies. Research indicates that the more diverse organisations are, the more productive and innovative they will be (IEAA, 2020), and international students can contribute to this diversity. Rather than just relying on the domestic talent pool, employers now have access to the international talent pool, which may increase the workforce that employers have access to.

2) International students display an excellent work ethic and positive attitudes:

International students are willing to work hard to establish themselves, and by doing so will benefit their employers. They are also heavily enthusiastic and show positive attitudes which motivate others.

3) International students have a range of qualities that employers are looking for:

IEAA (2020) indicates that there are a number of qualities that international students offer, including maturity, independence demonstrated by moving abroad to study, resilience due to the fact that international students have dealt with many challenges, patience, empathy and cross-cultural skills (IEAA, 2020).

4) International students may in fact have very good written and spoken English:

Whilst it is often the perception that international students lack English language capability, this perception may actually be incorrect because Universities may often have very strict and high English language requirements specified for their courses, this coupled with writing many assignments, reports etc, can translate into capable English language speakers and writers at the conclusion of their degrees in Australia.

5) International students are more willing to move to regional areas:

International students may be more willing to move to regional areas than local students, thereby opening up the talent pool to regional employers, making them more productive. Domestic students may be more reluctant to make this move due to their family and friend’s networks, and international students are not constrained by this as they may have little networks in the host country.

Few Recommendations

In summary of this blog, we offer the following recommendations to international students and employers:

For International Students:

1) Develop a range of experiences during your studies:

Anecdotal evidence suggests that if international students have a range of experiences to present to employers, then they will be more attractive to employers. For example, rather than just having a degree, and some work experience, students should also demonstrate volunteering skills; inside and outside the university, involvement with professional associations, good work-integrated learning experiences provided by universities. International students should take advantage of the 20-hours of work a week rights, during their studies in order to gain work experience to improve their job-related skills. This will help to get experience in Australian workplaces, understanding Australian culture and developing communication skills. Also, look for opportunities to match your qualification with your desired occupation as this will maximize your chance.

2) Develop better English Language Communication Skills:

Given the importance of English Language requirement by employers, international students need to find opportunities to develop their English language and communication skills. This can be done by actively participating in various clubs & societies, taking communication workshops provided by your University or online courses, volunteering & unpaid internships, group projects and taking assistance from writing mentors for your assignments.

For Employers:

1) Can provide internships or short-term contract opportunities:

Employers can provide mentoring, unpaid and paid internships, work-integrated learning placements, short-term contracts, part-time and casual opportunities. Employers can employee international students for short periods of time to assist in making decisions about whether they would like to hire them for more longer-term opportunities at the company.

2) Employers work alongside with universities to develop skills:

Employers can work alongside Universities to develop the skills that employers need, and also pathways into employment including short-term projects, work-integrated placements, internships or to create career guidance centres. This way employers and universities can assist one another, and help international students be more ‘ready’ for employment, and also develop more realistic expectations of opportunities available to them. In return, employers can benefit from hiring international students who are culturally fit, resilient and understand Australian workplace.

This blog helps us in understanding why employers may hire or not hire international students. This is helpful as it assists with understanding the reasons why international students may not get employed and how to overcome these issues.

References Used:

International Education Association of Australia (2020) International students: A guide for Australian employers, https://www.ieaa.org.au/documents/item/444, 02/11/2020.

Tran, L., Tan, G. & Rahimi, M., (2019). Australia’s temporary graduate visa attracts international students but may find to get work in their field, retrieved from https://theconversation.com/australias-temporary-graduate-visa-attracts-international-students-but-many-find-it-hard-to-get-work-in-their-field-123997, 29/10/2020.ec