A company has launched to assist international students in the US to find employment opportunities and “simplify the job search process”.
F1 Hire provides job seekers with company visa sponsorship information, E-verify participation status and the H-1B history of companies in a bid to empower users and enhance their chances of securing relevant job opportunities.
“Our tool is undoubtedly the most comprehensive for international students, as well as for international advisors and career advisors,” stated Andrew Chen, founder and CEO of F1 Hire.
“We recognise the challenges that international talent face in securing internships or jobs in the US. We’re striving to close this gap by offering crucial, real-time information to guide their job search process more effectively.”
The platform offers a browser extension that integrates five major job boards, including LinkedIn, Indeed, HandShake, Glassdoor and Google Jobs.
“We’re striving to close this gap by offering crucial, real-time information”
Recent analysis by the company has indicated that of over half a million STEM job openings in the US job market, only 2.97% clearly stated a willingness to sponsor students and graduates on the CPT/OPT/H-1B programs.
The platform filters out those not offering sponsorship, which it says will “demystify” the obstacle for job seekers.
Its algorithm also analyses and matches users’ resumes with job descriptions providing an “instant skill match”.
In a short time, the product has been a “game changer” for Central Michigan University international students, according to the director of the university’s Career Development Center, Rob Van Dorin.
“[The product is already] making the process much easier and saving students a significant amount of time in finding the right fit for them,” he said. “We are excited to see the growing impact in the time ahead.”
The use of AI to read job descriptions and inform about particular job sponsors “saves the job seeker so much time from reading through each job description only to discover that even though the company sponsors, they won’t be sponsoring for this particular role”, certified career management coach of Washington University in St. Louis, Jennifer Krupp, added.
F1 Hire plans to expand its offerings to Canada, Europe, Australia and the Middle East as its user base grows.
“We believe that our commitment to providing real-time, crucial information for job seekers will make securing a job more straightforward, ” Chen concluded. “And with our planned expansion, we aim to cater to the global job market.”
