I think the OP is more concerned with part time jobs.
first and foremost, you need to be able to speak good fluent english. It's a different thing to be able to read/write/understand english but to be able to speak good/ fluent english is different. This will affect the kind of job you get. Hang out with english speakers and improve your speaking abilities and for god sake lose the "indian accent", dont emphasize T's, D's, R's etc in your words and try to pick up the north american english style. for e.g. schedule is pronounced different in north america than it is in India (which is the british version).
second, aim high. dont apply for low skills jobs (like janitors, ditch diggers etc) because you think you dont have skills/ work experience etc. working in retail is usually easier to get into and you gain good experience.
third, dont rely on others too much. you have to be self dependant when looking for jobs. Just because you know someone who works somewhere, dont count on them to hook you up for a job. Job hunting is a an experience in its own and teaches you a lot of things by the time you graduate and look for permanent jobs.
fourth, if a particular job does not fit well, look for other jobs. no need to be stuck in a job that leads you nowhere. think long term, part time jobs are normally meant to help out financially but if it pays you and gets you some valuable experience and skills, thats a bonus.
the economy is in a $hit hole as it is but part time jobs should be easy to come around since most employers dont have to offer benefits for part timers, so there's an incentive for them.
as for permanent jobs, its luck of the draw. some get them very easy, some dont. simple.
Its not as simple as 1-2-3, like a lot of people think before coming here. It does not simply work as simple as: come here, study for 2 years, work part time, then get a full time job, then Pr and life is set. Not quite!
all i can advise is be prepared for the worse and plan accordingly. always have a plan b.
