OPT for F-1 Student Employment

F-1 students looking for OPT jobs in USA, must start their job search process, as early as possible. Usually, the idea is to start before he/she graduates. By doing so, a student will be utilizing his/her idle time in looking out for OPT Programs. Plus, it is an opportunity to stand ahead of many OPT students looking for Jobs.

The best time to start their career planning is right after the first semester. A student must put some serious thinking on his/her career at least two semesters before graduation. An OPT student who is on a non-thesis option may graduate in 2 years; an OPT student with thesis option might take 2-3 years to finish. So, the earlier the students start their career planning, the better it would be for them to get started on their OPT programs. And, the sooner they grab a job, the better it will be for them in terms of work experience.

How does an OPT Student Start his Career Planning?

If students start early they’ll have ample of time preparing their CVs and submitting them to their university/college career centers. It is always good idea to attend mock interviews conducted by university/college career centers to face the real interviews. There are employment boards, which put up jobs for OPT students in USA, so students can register in these job boards and post their resumes/CVs in them.

And, since there is economic stagnation these days, it is great to have additional skills or internship experience on resumes. If necessary, students must consider taking any additional training after their curriculum that might enhance their skills and ultimately, this might land them in their dream job even in the worst times. And, students should be open to any changes in their career path to withstand the competition in this economic downtime.

As H1 is filed in the month of April, students will have sufficient time to look for employer who can sponsor them an H1, if they graduate in December.