UF International Career Community

The International Students Career Community

Welcome to the International Students Career Community page. If you are just starting to learn about yourself and career options, preparing for your next steps after The Swamp, or somewhere in between, this page was created for you as a resource for your career development. On this page you will find customized resources specifically for UF International students.

These resources include:

• Ways to connect with you’re a certified career coach
• Specialized events to prepare you for your career
• Customized handouts and resources for your professional development

In order to be competitive in the US job market, you will need to showcase a diverse skillset. Subsequently, it is important that you spend your time at UF getting involved in experiences, that:

• are in compliance with your visa status,
• will help you develop both technical knowledge and the necessary “soft skills”, and relevant competencies

While it can be challenging as an international student to find employment opportunities, getting involved on and off campus will help you to gain more experiences with relevant workplace competencies.

More Resources

• UF International Center
• Gator Professional Series

Learn about yourself and Career Options

As an international student, it is important for you to gain clarity about the career options available to you as early as possible. This will involve you engaging in industry research and a bit of concurrent planning. To get started, consider the following:

• Career Roadmaps for industry specific strategies and resources
• Network with international students who have successfully completed an internship in the US. Look for people in your program, on LinkedIn, or your community. Ask questions about helpful strategies, what their experience was like, and advice they might have. Set up an informational interview to hear about their experience.
• Explore professional associations related to your field. There are often job and internship boards, mentoring and/or networking opportunities, and specialized career advice for your field of study.

These tools below will help you identify skills and experiences to support your career readiness.

Develop Professionally

No matter what step you are in the job or internship search process, these customized handouts were created to help you highlight the unique skills and knowledge you have as a Veteran student!

More Resources

• CV Preparations
• Personal Statement Preparation

Build Experience: Jobs and Internships for International Students

Many students seek out internships, externships, co-ops, or other types of training to gain practical skills and experience while also building other competencies necessary in today’s workplace. These experiences are also great ways to begin building your network in your field or industry.

3 Steps to Build Experience as an International Student

STEP 1: Obtain Pre-Authorization

Before beginning your search for an experience, there are some additional steps to take in order to legally work as an international student. Whether it is on or off campus, during or after graduation, visit International Student Services to learn about the process to receive authorization for employment and training opportunities.

STEP 2: Search for employers

Gator Career Link has a number of employers who are specifically looking to hire UF candidates. Look through these listings to find employers who are open to sponsorship by filtering through the appropriate Work Authorization filters.

GoinGlobal is a resource that can be accessed through Gator CareerLink. It provides a comprehensive database of international friendly employers, resume/CV and visa regulation guidance for many countries and much more.

If you’re interested in working on campus, the best place to start is on Careers at UF. You can filter by student positions to find a position that’s right for you.

STEP 3: Interact with Employers

There are many opportunities throughout the academic year for you to meet face to face with employers. You can introduce yourself to them at Career Showcase or Part Time Job Fair, attend various employer hosted events such as an information session to network, or interview with them on campus.

• Career Fairs
• Employer Hosted Events

Looking for a job or internship? Target your search to companies with a history of hiring international students. By researching and applying to major companies who have hired international students and/or have provided sponsorship, you are maximizing your chances of finding employment. Use the resources below to research US companies that have hired international students in the past.

• Myvisajobs.com
• Immihelp.com
• ForeignBorn.com
• Department of Labor: Office of Foreign Labor Certification

Additionally, remember to focus your search on companies that have international initiatives. They will be more likely to value the unique skills that you bring to the company.

GoinGlobal

Explore career options in different countries, find out about visa regulations, and read various country guides.

Learn more by logging into Gator CareerLink and checking out the GoinGlobal tab under Resources.

Prepare

Resources

• Schedule an Individual Career Planning Appointment
• Express Drop-In Service
• Find Your Academic Career Community

The tools below will help you take active steps to transition from where you are to where you want to be!

Salary Negotiation Resources

• Bank Rate
• Salary Expert

Relocation Tools

• CareerOneStop
• Moving City Data

Salary Negotiation Resources

• Smart About Money
• Mint