Firm FAQ's
Still Have Questions? See our FAQ's Below.
Career Day includes several events, including a keynote presentation and reception on Sunday evening, attended by visiting representatives, faculty, and students.
We have a wonderful group of international students in our program, and they are looking for opportunities to work for your company. Fortunately, it’s not a difficult process for students to gain permission to work within the United States.
Here are a few answers to common employer questions about this topic:
How does it work?
Most of the international students you may be interested in hiring are on non-immigrant F-1 and J-1 student visas. This means they can work under certain conditions.
How much paperwork is required?
There is little paperwork required for F-1 or J-1 students.The company only needs to provide the offer letter and send the work description to Virginia Tech’s International Office.All paperwork is completed by the student and the school.
Do international students need special work authorization before a company within the United States may hire them?
They do not need to apply for another visa type to be able to work as an intern. A work authorization called Curricular Practical Training (CPT) will allow students to work outside of school. The students will use their internship offer letter and work description to get work authorization for internships. The process of applying for the permission takes about two months and is done by Virginia Tech’s international office (not the company).
What duration of time may students work within the United States with their visa?
Students are able to work for about twelve months using CPT before completing their studies in addition to twelve months of optional practical training (OPT) before or after graduation.
How many hours can a student work per week?
Students on OPT must be full time and work 40 hours per week.
What if I want to continue to employ international students after their work authorization expires?
An employer can hire international students to continue to work for them in the H- 1B visa category for a total of six years (authorization is granted in two, three-year periods). You may not want to wait until the end of the OPT to decide on the H1B as OPT is only for one year and the H1B lottery is only once a year. The H-1B is a temporary working visa for workers in a "specialty occupation." The job must meet two basic requirements: 1) The salary must meet the prevailing wage as defined by the Department of Labor 2) A bachelor's degree is a minimum normal requirement for the position.
Does it cost more to hire an international student?
No, the only cost for an internship is the time and effort to find the right person for the role. There is a fee for H1B.
We are hosting our registration through Handshake, a service that Virginia Tech uses to connect students with employers.
If your firm has used Handshake previously, it should be relatively straightforward to register. If your firm has never used Handshake, you will need to create a company profile. If the person registering your firm has never used Handshake, they will need to create a user account.
If you have any questions about creating a company or personal account, please contact Ashley Roberts (ashleylr@vt.edu) from the Virginia Tech Career and Professional Development Center.
The registration timeline is as follows:
After you select a booth tier and fill out some general information, we will review your registration. You will then be sent an invoice. Credit cards are the preferred method of payment.
There will be three tiers of booths available:
Standard ($700)
58 Booths:
Includes
-Booth and table (set up and tear down included)
-Event parking
-Electrical line extension
-Refreshments and catered lunch
-Name listed on promotional materials
Deluxe ($850)
41 Booths:
Includes:
-Booth and table (set up and tear down included)
-Prominent booth location
-Event parking
-Electrical line extension
-Refreshments and catered lunch
-Name and logo listed on promotional materials
Premium ($1.100)
10 Booths:
Includes:
-Booth and table (set up and tear down included)
-Top-tier booth location
-Event parking
-Electrical line extension
-Refreshments and catered lunch
-Profiled on the career day page and our weekly newsletter
-Name and large logo featured on promotional materials
Packages for Career Day are being handled by Hollins Exposition Services. Hollins will send emails containing information about accessing your vendor account to purchase items, including freight handling. If you did not receive that information and you plan to ship items to the fair, please check your spam folder and/or contact Hollins directly at 540-362-3940. Packages CANNOT be shipped directly to the Virginia Tech campus.
- The Inn at Virginia Tech is offering a special rate for our career day attendees. To take advantage of this rate, please book your room directly through our reservation link. Reservations must be made by January 25th.
- Hyatt Place is offering a special rate for our career day attendees. To take advantage of this rate, please book your room directly though our reservation link. Reservations must be made by January 25th. Hyatt Reservation Line: 540-552-7500 Group Name: School of Architecture and Design Career Day
- Residence Inn is offering a special rate for our career day attendees. To take advantage of this rate, please book your room directly though our reservation link. Reservations must be made by January 25th. Residence Inn Reservation Line: 540-750-4400 Group Name: School of Architecture and Design Career Day
For general Career Day questions please contact Andrew Durfee.