Job search is never easy for anyone. As an international student, you know that job search is exceptionally challenging, and there is often additional work that you must do to find the right job or internship. Don’t worry—the Career Design Center can help guide you through your search!
Before you apply for a job/internship or attend a Job + Internship Fair (such as the STEAM), you should check out the employer and the preferences and qualifications for each job/internship they’re hiring. Other than meeting employer’s preferences for GPA, major and school year, international students often have to worry about their US work authorizations—do they considering students on CPT or OPT, or is the employer willing to consider work visa sponsorships. 😮
So, let’s talk about it!
US Work Authorization
The Two Big Questions
The phrase “US Work Authorization” could perhaps be some of the biggest, most daunting phrases that trigger countless anxiety for many—especially for international students. Students are often asked the following questions during their job application process:
- Are you legally authorized to work in the United States?
- Will you now or in the future require work visa sponsorship?
F-1 students, when you’re eligible, are often able to apply for Curricular Practical Training (CPT) and/or Optional Practical Training (OPT) to work off-campus legally. With an approved CPT or OPT, F-1 students may be authorized to work legally for US employers. With CPT and OPT being two benefits of F-1 students once eligible, students may answer “yes” for the first question about legal US work authorization.
Since CPT and OPT are two benefits when students are on F-1 visa status, most of F-1 students would require work visa sponsorship beyond their CPT and/or OPT. That’s why in almost all cases, F-1 students should answer “yes” to the second question regarding work visa sponsorship.
Check out the International student employment: answering questions about the need for “employment visa sponsorship” article from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) for more information and further elaboration on answering questions about visa sponsorship.
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If you haven’t checked out Bullseye powered by Handshake, I strongly recommend you do so as soon as possible. Bullseye powered by Handshake is an online tool that makes it easy for you to connect with employers. If you are looking for a job or internship, we encourage you to log in and start managing your search today.
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Student Profile – Work Authorization
Like I’ve mentioned before, employers are allowed by law to ask job candidates about their work authorization eligibility in the US. When you sign in to your Bullseye powered by Handshake account, you’ll be asked the same set of questions—and the answers will be saved on your profile. You must either answer both questions or opt-out of sharing. The work authorization information provided by you determines if you are considered qualified or not qualified for employer preferences on job postings and requirements on virtual fair 1:1 sessions. It is extremely important to make sure that you have made the right selection based on your unique circumstances. You may update your work authorization information at any time by updating your settings and learn more about how your work authorization selection may impact an employer’s job posting preferences.
Learn more about Student Work Authorization Information in Bullseye powered by Handshake >>
Job Search Filter – Work Authorization
When we discuss job search strategies, we often talk about 3Ps—Postings, Prospecting, and People. So, it’s a no-brainer to use the powerful filters in Bullseye powered by Handshake, the ultimate job and internship spot, to help you with prospecting and postings. Read this article explaining the 3Ps and how to use filter is Bullseye powered by Handshake. 👇
The Secret to Finding a Job or Internship >>
You may filter job postings by the two work authorization requirements set by employers. These selections include “Will sponsor or doesn’t require US work visa” and “Accepts OPT/CPT.” While creating your target list of companies or job postings to apply to, I’d recommend utilizing this filter feature to narrow down your search. You may want to select “Accepts OPT/CPT” to identify a list of employers who would like to hire you while you are eligible to apply for CPT/OPT, and select “Will sponsor or doesn’t require US work visa” to identify another list of employers who may hire you on another US visa category or work authorization aside from CPT/OPT. Learn more about the Job Search filter.
Start searching in Bullseye powered by Handshake 👇
Opportunities posted by employers willing to sponsor or doesn’t require US work visa
Opportunities that accepts OPT/CPT
Virtual Career Fair – Work Authorization Qualification
“Although employers can refuse to interview or hire international students who do not already have some form of permanent work authorization, most cannot stipulate that U.S. citizenship is a job requirement. […] An employer may require U.S. citizenship for a particular job only if U.S. citizenship is required to comply with a law, regulation, or executive order; is required by a federal, state, or local government contract; or the U.S. Attorney General determines that the citizenship requirement is essential for the employer to do business with an agency or department of the federal, state, or local government” (NACE Staff, 2014).
Learn more about whether “employers [are] required to interview international students.”
As much as we wanted to, based on the paragraph above, we know that not all employers can hire international candidates. Some employers have internal policies prohibiting work visa sponsorship or do not have the budget for visa sponsorship. However, some employers are just not familiar with US work authorizations for international students and hence have not been open to considering international students during their recruitment effort. While the Connections Team in the Career Design Center has been working hard in educating employers on the benefit of hiring international candidates, international students may also educate employers and advocate themselves. I encourage international students to attend Information Sessions offered by UB International Students Services to learn about CPT, OPT, and additional post-graduation visa options.
When employers sign up to participate in any UB Virtual Career Fairs (such as STEAM Job + Internship Fair), they can set up 1:1 sessions and group sessions during the virtual career fair on Bullseye powered by Handshake to meet with students. Due to their different hiring practices, employers may or may not be willing to allocate time to connect with international students during these sessions. That said, it is important to make sure that your US work authorization selection is accurate, such that you may be able to filter sessions offered by different employers accordingly. Again, you may update your work authorization information at any time via Settings.
Conclusion
Job search is never easy , especially so for international students. On top of countless challenges that international students have to go through during their transition to a foreign country, they have to take into consideration possible visa and immigration complications during their job search process. We hope that this article provides some foundational knowledge about US work authorization for international students. Feel free to reach out to Vicky Lee, Global Career Consultant at the UB Career Design Center, if you have any other questions related to international student work authorization in the US.
