The HBS Career Office Is Helping International Students With More Job Opportunities

International students in the U.S. have increasingly faced greater obstacles in their job hunt process compared to their native counterparts. With stringent visa rules and regulations, coupled with companies’ growing reluctance to sponsor visas due to unpredictability with the H-1B lottery, international students have found it harder to land a job in the country post graduating from business school.

However, The HBS Career Office, i.e. Career and Professional Development Office (CPD), is enabling international students in its MBA program with resources, guidance and access to job opportunities. In an interview with Corporate Relations Director and Career Coach Philip Andrews, the school focuses on what international students should know about working in the U.S. after their graduation. Philip looks after the employer relations in Africa, Canada, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East for HBS and also provides guidance on U.S. immigration and work authorization.

International Students and Timing of Job Search

Andrews reveals that the Class of 2018 saw 66% international students securing a full-time job in the U.S. after graduation. Discussing the different approaches students needs to take while job hunting, Andrews says:

As a student, it is important to understand the timing of recruiting for a given industry or company, and the degree of networking that you will have to undertake in the job search, so you can plan your approach and set a strategy. Some companies, typically the large MBA employers – such as large consulting, financial services, and tech firms – recruit second-year students early in the academic year (September and October). Other organizations recruit students throughout the winter (December – February), while still others recruit in the spring closer to graduation (March – May).

H-1B Visas and Sponsoring Firms

Discussing the chances of international students securing work visas at American companies, specifically the larger ones, he says: 

H-1B visas require sponsorship from the employer and are granted through an annual lottery system. Since the process is truly a random lottery, the size or type of company has no bearing on a student’s likelihood of receiving the visa. What is more important is that the job closely aligns closely with the student’s unique skill set. While a large company may have sponsored H-1B visas more often than a smaller firm – simply because a larger company hires more people – and therefore is more familiar with the process, the larger company has no advantage over the smaller, earlier stage company. We have observed that smaller, earlier stage companies are increasingly willing to pursue visa sponsorship and in securing H-1B visas through the lottery.. Perhaps this is because these firms are more comfortable with risk and understand the value of an international perspective.

According to HBS’s recruiting statistics, 35% of Class of 2019 students seeking employment sourced their position from 12Twenty. 12Twenty is a data driven cloud based career center SaaS (Software as a Service) solution that helps universities and students approach career recruitment through a different perspective.

Role of Career and Professional Development Office at HBS

Highlighting the role of the Career and Professional Development Office at HBS, Andrews says: 

CPD uses a job search framework to help students think about the job search: “Discover, Source and Pitch”.  First, you need to discover what interests you. Then, you need to find opportunities that align with your career interests, and finally, you need to pitch yourself for those opportunities. Using this framework, CPD helps international students who are looking to work in the U.S. after graduation discover what organizations are open to sponsoring work authorization in the U.S. and how to pitch themselves and their unique skills to those U.S. employers. One of our most valuable resources for students is our Career Coaching program (we have more than 55 coaches!) who work with students 1 on 1 to help them sharpen their career vision, navigate the job search, and perfect their pitch. Overall, there is substantial CPD support in place for international students seeking to work in the U.S.

Andrews also touches upon the alumni network at HBS, mentioning that often non U.S. alumni working in the country are more than happy to help students from their home country or region with the U.S. job search.

Career and Professional Development Office at HBS

The Career and Professional Development Office is dedicated to providing various resources specific to each individual’s need. The organization also helps with the professional development of students post their graduation.

CPD’s team consists of more than 30 career education professionals who are dedicated to not only guide students and alumni, but also create invaluable relationships with employers, both current and prospective, for HBS’s network. Andrews mentions that CPD has 55+ career coaches who are trained to work with students throughout their career trajectories. All the coaches are experienced business professionals who help students and alumni with a number of things, including resumes, cover letters, creating and executing a search strategy, preparing for interviews and tips on improving networking skills.

The CPD team focuses on a number of areas such as Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Financial Services, Technology and many more. Furthermore, each sector has a dedicated team of professionals who specialize in a particular field, so as to provide the right kind of advice and support to students and alumni. The team is also divided per regions, with a focus on Asia, Europe, Latin America, Canada, Middle East & North America and more.

The Career and Professional Development Office hosts more than 290 companies on campus each year for interviews, presentations and networking events, while more than 6,000 companies also post jobs with them. Both students and alumni have access to HBS’s exclusive job-posting board, which allows users to search by industry, location, function and experience. It also allows users to make company connections through various student-led clubs on campus, which can help in networking with various organisations. 

HBS have revealed the recruitment calendar for 2020. Interview preparations for first year students have already begun, with on campus interviews having begun between 13th – 17th January. There will also be a number of Job Search days for both first year and second year students beginning from 31st January. You can check out the full calendar here.