International Students

International students

The Career Center understands your experience as an international student is a unique one. Our team is dedicated to your success not only as a student here on campus, but your future success in your career. Use the resources below to learn more about how the Career Center can assist you as an international student at the University of Oklahoma.

Self-Assess

Determine if you are eligible to work. Meet and discuss your options first with your International Student Services contact. To find out who you need to contact, please access the list on the OU International Student Services website.
Once you have determined that you can work, then you would need to know if you are eligible for on-campus or off-campus employment.
Are you seeking a summer internship? What kind of position would you like to find? What kind of company or organization? What kind of experience do you want to have?

Research and Network

Create a list of job titles and companies that you are interested in learning more about.
Verify if the company had accepted applicants under OPT / CPT and if the company has filed for an H1-B visa previously.
- You can access the USCIS H-1B Data Hub by either searching for an individual employer or download a yearly report of all employers under the “individual fiscal years” link.
- You can search on MyVisaJobs by employer, location, industry, or job title to find historical filing information.
Build a list of people you already know and people you would like to get to know within those companies.
Create and update a LinkedIn account.
Access and update your Handshake account.
- F-1 Student: make sure you answer “YES” to the “Are you legally authorized to work in the United States?” and “YES” to the “Will you now or in the future require visa sponsorship?” questions in the settings tab.
- J-1 Student: make sure you answer “YES” to the “Are you legally authorized to work in the United States?” and “NO” to the “Will you now or in the future require visa sponsorship?” questions in the settings tab.

Career Documents

Virtual Drop-in Resume Reviews are available Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday (1:30 pm to 4:00 pm), or you can schedule an appointment to have it reviewed. Click on a specific day and time for detailed instructions.
To schedule an in-person or virtual appointment, access your Handshake account, click Career Center then Appointments in the top navigation panel. Follow the instructions on scheduling an appointment in the Career Center.

Find Open Positions

There are numerous resources to aid you in finding a position. A great place to start is Handshake. Handshake provides amazing filter capabilities that could narrow down your search as an international student. You can access this document to find instructions on how to filter for organizations that “Will sponsor or don’t require the US work visa” and that “Accept OPT/CPT”

How to Filter & Create a Job Alert on Handshake (pdf)

Access free resources to research and find jobs through the Career Center here.
Find jobs on campus here.

Attend Events and Workshops

We understand your needs as an international student are unique and require more assistance in certain areas than perhaps other students at the university. A great way to gain information and access to resources is by attending the Career Center events and workshops.
Check for the International Student Career Workshop Series provided in the spring and fall semesters under Handshake Events.

Explore upcoming events & workshops on Handshake