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Affinity, Experience, and Identity Based Resources

We at the ’68 Center for Career Exploration actively support all persons on their path to finding rewarding, meaningful, and safe work. We recognize the diversity within our community and are committed to supporting comprehensive service, active advocacy, supportive counseling, and affirmative hiring for our student body.

Employers are placing a stronger emphasis on recruiting students from diverse backgrounds and place a high value on their unique perspectives. Your identity and experience play a huge part in who you are and the lens through which you see the world.

For tailored assistance with your career journey, schedule an appointment with an advisor today!

Many resources and opportunities are listed below:

  • The ‘68 Center is available and excited to work with international students at Williams! 

    In addition to Handshake and EphLink, the job search platform Interstride is available to all students. Interstride provides information about companies that support different visa types in the United States and is an internship/job search tool. It also allows you to search for jobs around the world! Log in with your Williams email.

    We partner closely with Dean Ninah Pretto and ISS and deliver workshops to help support and prepare international students for career exploration, from international student first days through graduation. We encourage students to visit the ‘68 Center for Career Exploration throughout their journey at Williams to create a plan for exploration and the post-graduation search.

    Many international students have the objective of remaining in the United States after graduation and starting a career. While international students face unique and diverse challenges in seeking U.S. employment, they also have experience and skills that are valued in the U.S. job market. Check out some of the resources below that are dedicated to supporting International students.

    '68 Center Campus Affiliates
    International Student Services
    Optional Practical Training (OPT)
    STEM OTP Extension
    On-Campus Employment
    Williams College International Club
    Dean Pretto: She is Associate Dean/Director of International Student Services, and is dedicated to promoting global education and diversity, inclusion and equity in higher education. Please speak with Dean Pretto regarding the process of applying for CPT, OPT, and STEM OPT Extension. She offers workshops on these topics during the year.

    How To Apply for Opportunities 

    1. Career Preparation for International Students
      • Career Preparation is crucial for International Students. Begin learning about your interests and options early. 
      • Major Choice and Career: At a liberal arts school like Williams, you can use your first two years to explore interests through coursework and on-campus engagement. Students planning to stay in the United States to work after graduation and who are interested in the STEM OPT Extension should have a major in a STEM field while at Williams. Your STEM Extension job will need to be related to your major. 
    2. Applying to jobs/internships as an international student
      1. Questions employers can’t ask:
        • Employers are not allowed to ask questions about national origin, citizenship, visa type, native language or ethnicity. You do not need to include that information on your resume. They are allowed to ask if you are legally authorized to work in the United States and/or if you require future sponsorship for an employment visa. See below for suggestions on answering these questions.  
      2. How to talk about eligibility to work in the US and using Handshake (information for students on an F-1 visa)
        1. If you are planning to apply for an internship or job in the US using CPT or OPT, you can say that you are "eligible to work in the United States." You are eligible because Williams supports CPT and as an F-1 student, you have up to 12 months of post-graduation OPT. We suggest not using the terms OPT or CPT with employers because this identifies your immigration status and employers often do not know what these terms mean. We also suggest not using the term "sponsor." However, respond honestly about your immigration status when asked.
        2. A visa is different than eligibility to work using OPT and the STEM Extension. If you are planning to use OPT post-graduation and then earn a graduate degree or return to another country, you do not need to discuss visas with an employer. To learn more about H1-B and other visas, visit www.myvisajobs.com
        3. You can update your Handshake profile in "Settings" to indicate that you are eligible to work in the United States. You can also choose to not provide this information to employers.
        4. Choosing when to discuss your work eligibility with an employer is a personal preference and there is not one right way to go about this conversation. Employers can be wary and unsure of the process of hiring an international student on OPT, and they are not allowed to ask you about your country of origin. If you are unsure of an employer's willingness to hire international students, you do not need to disclose personal information in the initial stages of an application and you can simply state that you are "eligible to work in the US." Once the employer knows you and wants to hire you at the interview stage, you can at this stage bring up your start date and end date and clearly state your process for completing the required steps for verifying your eligibility. Always respond honestly about your immigration status. Employers do need this information before making a final hiring decision.
        5. For post-completion OPT (before the STEM Extension), it is the responsibility of the student to do most of the paperwork and it does not cost the employer anything.
        6. Students planning to apply for OPT and subsequently the STEM Extension: The employer must be an E-Verify Employer and your major needs to be connected to your job. The STEM Extension is not guaranteed, but if you intend to apply, then you will applying with an E-Verify employer and working closely with them when you do apply for the STEM Extension. In this case, you may be having a conversation about your work eligibility sooner in the application process.
        7. Employers that hire international students: Search for international friendly employers using Interstride. Talk to alumni who have navigated this process. Large, global, US-based companies in finance and banking, other business, and STEM fields are more likely to be familiar with the process. International Organizations and Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) also value the international student skillset. Consulting and contracting firms may be less likely to hire if they do work with the US federal government.
      3. Advance planning and multiple options
        • International students face barriers when applying for internships and jobs, and it therefore good practice to begin exploring and planning your career early. Talk to fellow students and alumni to build a network, research employers who hire international students (myvisajobs.com is a good site), and know the deadlines and best practices for applying. For example, jobs in finance, banking and software engineering all have hiring timelines 12-9 months prior to your graduation date.
        • We recommend that international students have several plans, depending on their goals. This may include: applying to graduate school, applying to fellowships, applying to multiple jobs in the US and applying to jobs in your home country.
      4. Funding: ASIP, Fellowships
        • International students are eligible to apply for the Alumni Sponsored Internship Program. Students find and apply for unpaid or low-stipend internships on their own, then apply in the spring for the ASIP grant.
        • International students are eligible for Williams and national fellowships. Learn more from the Office of Fellowships.
      5. On-campus employment
        • International students can apply for on-campus jobs and work for up to 20 hours per week during the semester. Search on-campus jobs in Handshake.

    Career Documents and Interviewing

    1. Resumes and cover letters 
      • There are differences between US resumes and resumes of other countries. You can find sample resumes here. In the US, we do not include a photo, nationality, gender, marital status, or age on the resume. Most resumes for students should be one page. 
      • A CV is used for research positions and applying to doctoral degrees. See here for an example. 
      • A cover letter is a document that tells the story between your resume and the specific job that you are applying for.
    2. Interviewing 
      • A well-crafted resume leads an employer to read a succinct and compelling cover letter which leads them to invite a student for an interview. Some employers have one interview and some employers (particularly for full-time jobs) have two rounds of interviews.
      • Thoroughly research the organization using their website, LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and conversations with alumni. You need to be able to articulate why you are excited about the organization and what you bring to them. For example, what makes Goldman Sachs different from JP Morgan different from Guggenheim Securities? Be able to speak to the focus area, culture, and mission of the organization and how it aligns with your skills, interests, and values.
      • Prepare for your interview. Have a 30 second "pitch" about yourself that highlights your key academic and skills-based preparation and your interest in the field in which you are applying. Arrive early (15 minutes), bring copies of your resume, shake hands and look directly at your interviewers.
      • Be able to articulate the skills you bring as an international student: language, adaptability, cross-cultural communication skills, global perspective, leadership
      • Practice your interview using Interview Stream and mock interviews at the career center and with peers and alumni.

    The Importance of Networking

      1. Networking is about building a relationship, learning more about a career field or organization, and then reflecting on your own interests, skills, and values
      2. Attend one of the '68 Center Career Treks (mostly during Winter Study) to start making connections
      3. Use EphLink 
        • Join the International Students and Alumni Group on EphLink
        • Sign up to shadow alumni through our Job Shadowing Program. Job shadowing is a great opportunity for international students to learn about a career field by spending a day watching a professional on the job. Job shadowing does not require formal approval because it is not work.
        • Explore the Community: you can filter by major, industry, and self-selected identities
        • Reach out to international alumni as well as folks working in careers you are curious about
          • The goal of a conversation with alumni is not to get an internship or job but rather to learn and start to build a connection
          • Start networking early and take the long view of relationship building; if an alum got to know you and your interests in your sophomore year and you continue to reach out yearly and update them on your progress, they will be more likely to refer you for an opportunity post-graduation than if you reached out for the first time in your senior year. 
          • EphLink has great resources for questions to ask alumni and how to build a mentorship relationship

    Meet with an Advisor 

      • Explore our Career Communities and schedule a meeting with the relevant advisor
      • The '68 Center can be a resource for students getting started
        • Questions you may want to ask us: How do I make a resume for US employers? What types of questions are employers allowed to ask me in an interview, like can they ask if I'm an international student? How do I know if I need visa sponsorship? What is a cover letter and how personal should it be? I'm concerned about not securing a job, so should I be thinking about graduate school as a plan B?

    National Organizations & Resources

    Interstride -- Job search platform and company research in the US and abroad. Log in with your Williams email.

    MyVisaJobs.com -- use this site to search for companies who have sponsored H1-B visas in the past, which is a good indication of organizations that value and hire international students

    E-Verify -- Employers hiring students for a STEM OPT-Extention must be an E-Verify Employer. Use this list to search those organizations.

    Cultural Vistas
    Foreign Labor H-1B Program Certification Data Center
    U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services 

  • Diversity inability does not define any of us, especially when looking for fair, academic, and competitive work. The Williams College'68 Center for Career Exploration is dedicated to the advocacy and development of all Williams College students regardless of physical ability, neurodiversity, or mental health status. Resources are provided below to help you navigate career opportunities both here at Williams and in life after.

    '68 Center Campus Affiliates
    Accessible Education
    Policies, Rights, and Responsibilities

    Types of Support

    National Organizations & Resources
    The Job Accommodation Network
    The Workforce Recruitment Program
    Ability Jobs: A place where people with disabilities can seek employment, confident that they will be evaluated solely on their skills and experience.
    Career Guide for College Students With Disabilities -  This guide put together by Maryville University has a variety of resources available to recent graduates with disabilities, and with guidance, finding the route to a successful career can become much more attainable

    The Lime Network - Career network to help university students find careers, scholarships, internships, and fellowships

    Industries for the Blind and Visually Impaired - an organization dedicated to enhance the opportunities for economic and personal independence of people who are blind, primarily through creating, sustaining, and improving employment. NIB and its network of associated nonprofit agencies are the nation's largest employer of people who are blind.

    USAJOBS

    In addition to the resources listed above, we encourage students to also schedule an appointment with a career advisor on Handshake to help formulate their career education plan.