As an international student, you may face some unique challenges if you wish to pursue employment in the US. The CSM Career Center understands this and has a variety of resources to help you achieve your career goals. You can use all of the CSM Career Center’s resources and services available to US students, and we will work with you independently if you have special needs. To take advantage of these services and resources, you should begin with completing your profile and uploading a current resume into DiggerNet.
Special note: If you are going to pursue an internship or part-time job while at CSM, please contact the International Office to obtain the necessary paperwork and learn about how internships and part-time employment will affect your visa status. You can call the International Office at 303-273-3210 or visit the International Office web site <http://www.mines.edu/Stu_life/intl_stu/>
As an international student, it is very important that you utilize a variety of job search strategies and resources due to the inherent challenges in obtaining full-time paid employment in the US. It will be somewhat easier (with regard to immigration law) to obtain short-term employment or internships, but we still recommend that you plan your search very thoughtfully.
Also be sure to contact the International Office to complete the appropriate working papers. For the F-1 student, practical training is authorized by the Immigration Service through CSM’s International Office. You are required to complete an application according to INS procedures, after which the International Student Advisor may endorse practical training. We strongly recommend that you contact the International Office at least 90 days prior to graduation to obtain the necessary application and more detailed information regarding practical training. If you apply later you may not be able to begin work when you wish and/or may have difficulty traveling outside of the US.
For J-1 students, “Academic Training” is approved and authorized by the International Student & Scholar Services Office. You are required to submit an offer of employment letter that shows that the work you will be doing is in the same field as your major. You must have the authorization letter within 30 days of completion of your studies. Since the J-1 Academic Training is employer specific you must obtain permission from the IS&SS office prior to changing jobs.
Our staff can help you:
A self-directed job search is the most effective means of contacting employers who meet your occupational interests. When you have clearly decided on the type of employment you are going to pursue, the Career Center staff can help you:
We can then help you develop a strategy to take your job search directly to the companies that interest you.
As an international student, you are welcome to participate in on-campus interviews. Please be aware, however, that some employers are not willing to interview candidates who are not US citizens. When an employer registers to conduct on-campus interviews, they are asked to clearly define their work requirements, and indicate if they will hire individuals that possess practical training work authorization or only those with full-time work authorization. Based on their response, our campus interview system is programmed to include or exclude international candidates from specific schedules. We do this solely based on an employer's stated willingness or unwillingness to interview international candidates. Their answers typically reflect cross-company policies regarding the hiring of international employees.
Occasionally, employers will not allow international students to interview for full-time positions because,
Some employers, however, will accept resumes of international candidates, even if they are unwilling to include international candidates in on-campus interviews. If you are interested in a particular employer, who will not let you participate in on-campus interviews, we encourage you to speak with the employer's recruiter. The recruiter may forward your information to a specific international recruiting office or division.
The following resources may provide further assistance with your job search.
1. rileyguide.com/internat.html
2. asia-net.com
4. LatPro.com
6. internationalstudent.com/jobsearch/index.html
7. Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS), 10 West Jackson, Dirksen Federal Building, Chicago, IL 60604 (312) 353-7334. http://uscis.gov/graphics/index.htm
8. Department of Labor, Region V Office, 230 S. Dearborn St., Room 605, Chicago, IL 60604 (312) 353-2550. http://www.dol.gov/
9. ubalt.edu/careercenter/careerlink/00_fall/feature_intl_resume.html [Resume and interviewing advice.]
10. International Careers Organization “Advice for International Students” link.
1. Directory of Foreign Manufacturers in the United States. 5th Ed. Atlanta: Georgia State University, 1993. NU Call #: L 338.767 D597 (In the CSM library)
2. Directory of American Firms Operating in Foreign Countries. 15th Ed. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1999. NU Call #: L 381.002 D598 (In the CSM library)
3. Directory of Foreign Firms Operating in the United States. 9th Ed. New York: Uniworld Business Publications, 1998. NU Call #: 338.74 A581d 1998
4. Goodman, A.P., J.A. Hartt, M.K. Pennington, K.P. Terrell. International Students and the Job Search. Journal of Career Planning & Employment. 48, no. 4, (Summer, 1988): 55-61. [See Ron in the Career Center]