Deputy Director-General Alex Fan opened the event with words of encouragement for the students. The event featured a series of lectures and Q&A sessions with experts in resume and interview preparation, human resources, entrepreneurship, and student visa issues. He urged those in attendance to ask the experts lots of questions and to be extra diligent in a tough job market. Joe Chang, a successful entrepreneur who founded a consulting company, spoke on what students should focus on when preparing resumes, cover letters, and going to interviews. Joe came to New York to study business and he himself got his first job opportunity at a USCOF event. He told everyone that he is now more experienced and has a record of success, and he wants to help other students from Taiwan who are currently in the position where he once was. His tip for a good resume: put yourself in the shoes of the reader, and think about what will make your resume stand out from possibly hundreds of other sheets of paper.

Tony Wang, International Students Director at the School of Visual Arts, and Tao Lin, a Manhattan attorney, both spoke about important visa deadlines and procedures. Lin explained the fine differences between the different types of student visas, and visa-conversion methods. Lin also cautioned students that when focusing on job-hunting, visa deadlines still have to be strictly obeyed and regulations have to be followed.

Education Director CJ Liu expressed confidence in Taiwan’s scholars. Liu cited the high number of students from Taiwan studying abroad and reiterated that wherever they may find opportunities, Taiwan will be proud of them.