Career Resources for International Students

Search whether the company supports OPT or future visa sponsorship.

• Handshake: Handshake is the leading job platform site for college students and Gordon’s primary platform to connect with employers. Unlike many other major search engines, there are filtering options like “US Authorization Optional” or “Not Required”, “Accepts OPT/CPT”, and “Willing to Sponsor” to make the job searching process easier. 
• My Visa Jobs: Identify companies who have sponsored H1B visas and green cards in the past, finding the top industries that offer sponsorship along the way.
• VisaDoor: Search H1B LCA Database including H1B violators.
• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services: Information about student visas and employment as well as other helpful links for current and prospective students.
• “Working in the U.S. as an International Student” Video: Covering visas, on-campus employment, and OPT/CPT.

• “3 Essential Job-Search Strategies for International Students in 2021”: Article provides tips for job searching as an international student, as well as current policies in place and implications of current political events on international students.
• “How, Why, and When to Share your Immigration Status on Job Interviews”: Article covers the disclosure of immigration/visa status when applying for an internship or job. What is legal for employers to ask and evaluate, as well as best practice for your responses.

When you submit applications online, employers have the right to ask you authorization questions such as:

• Are you legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer?
• Will you now or will you in the future require employment visa sponsorship?

As a general rule, if you qualify for CPT or OPT, you can answer “yes” to the question of whether you are legally authorized to work for a U.S. employer. For the second question, in most cases you will also answer “yes” since you will require H-1B sponsorship or other work visa sponsorship after your CPT or OPT expires.

Even though visa sponsorship is a very important part of the job search process, it should not be the first thing you talk about with your potential employer. Instead, highlight the skills and strengths that you would bring to their organization. If you are eligible for CPT and OPT, you should bring it up during the first couple of conversations unless the organization indicates they are specifically looking for international students or students with global experiences. 

If you have visa-related questions specifically for the company, ask the recruiter at the end of the interview or conversation. Be prepared to help educate the employer on how the hiring process works with your visa. They might not know that you have work authorization through your student visa.

Overall, don’t treat your visa status as a negative – rather, create it as a strength of your own.

If you need help with interviews and/or how to network well, check out the Resource Hub.