India, Dec. 8 -- An Indian software engineer has shared how a strategic shift in his job search helped him land a role at Amazon after nearly 10 months of struggle. In an interview with Business Insider, Jugal Bhatt, 24, offered practical advice for international students navigating the competitive US tech hiring market.

Bhatt moved to the US from India in 2024 to pursue a master's degree in computer science at the University of Illinois. He told Business Insider that he began his job search 8 months before his May 2025 graduation, believing his approach was sound. However, despite starting early during what he had heard were peak hiring months, his applications failed to generate interviews.

"I thought my job search approach was solid,...