Meet Our Talented Students

Every year, Webster University assists students in developing their career portfolios, obtaining interviews, exploring internships and finding jobs after graduation. Our skilled students and alumni come from a variety of disciplines, including communications, business, technology, science and health care, dance, fine arts, performance arts and more, and are prepared to take on professional roles in their respective markets. 

If you're a prospective employer looking for talented labor and would like to visit Webster for recruiting and related events, please contact us at:

About the Career Planning and Development Center

Two Webster employees working in the Career Planning and Development Center

Recruiting Policies

An employer who registers but does not attend an on-campus recruiting event without communicating their attendance status to the Career Planning and Development Center prior to the start time of the event will be considered a no-show. It is at the discretion of the Career Planning and Development Center to approve registration for future on-campus recruiting events if employers have no-showed at prior events.

If an employer registration fee is not received by six weeks after the event takes place, it is at the discretion of the Career Planning and Development Center to approve or decline registration for future on-campus recruiting events. If employers are delinquent on payments, they will not be approved to attend any future on-campus recruiting events until their previous balance is paid. 

To keep events focused, on-campus recruiting event registrations from external universities/colleges promoting their academic programs, employers promoting opportunities requiring an applicant to pay a fee and employers who do not meet Career Planning and Development Center standards for Handshake posting approval will not be approved.

The Career Planning and Development Center will issue a 50% refund for an employer’s paid on-campus recruiting registration fee if the employer cancels their registration up to three weeks before the scheduled recruiting event. All cancellation requests should be submitted in writing via email to careercn@webster.edu.

The Career Planning and Development Center will determine whether to postpone or cancel a scheduled on-campus recruiting event due to inclement weather. Good faith efforts will be made to communicate event cancellations to relevant constituents via email at least 48 hours prior to the event's start time. Employers are advised to make their own judgment if weather conditions pose an issue or concern if the event has not been canceled. A full refund will be issued if the on-campus recruiting event cannot be rescheduled by the Career Planning and Development Center.

Webster University will only approve job and internship positions based at commercial businesses. Home-based businesses and in-home dependent/childcare positions will not be approved in Handshake or shared with students and alumni via electronic communication.

Webster University defines third-party recruiting as any agency, organization or individual recruiting candidates for seasonal, temporary, part-time or full-time employment on behalf of another organization. This may include employment agencies that list positions for several client organizations and receive payment when a referred candidate is hired, contract recruiters, resume referral firms, commercial job listing and resume collection web sites.

To post positions in Handshake as a third-party recruiter, positions must be internal to the third-party recruiting agency, or clearly disclose the client for which the third-party recruiting agency is recruiting. Approved third-party recruiting agencies in Handshake must review and follow the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Principles for Third-Party Recruiters.

If a third-party recruiting agency is approved to post positions in Handshake at Webster University, and fails to abide by the standards discussed above, Handshake access at Webster University will be permanently revoked for the entire agency.

The persistence of fraudulent companies using generic email addresses has resulted in Webster University to require all employers in Handshake to use an email domain specific to their company. Employers who request Handshake access at Webster University who register with a non-company specific email domain, e.g., Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, Hotmail, etc., will be declined.

Any company offering existing services provided by Webster University or the Career Planning and Development Center, e.g., resume writing, career coaching or job listings, will be declined Handshake access at Webster University.

Employment opportunities requiring an applicant to pay a fee will not be approved in Handshake at Webster University.

Employers approved to post internships in Handshake at Webster University must review and meet the U.S. Department of Labor Standards for internship compensation. Any internship for academic credit must be coordinated between the student and their academic program.

Employers who cultivate, distribute or promote the use of marijuana, cannabis or other federally illegal drugs will not be approved for Handshake access. Since Webster University receives federal funds and grants, the university complies with federal laws.

Employers are expected to follow appropriate recruiting practices and exhibit professional behavior whether recruiting virtually or in person.

Updated Sept. 16, 2024

Hiring International Talent

With students from 50 states and 148 countries, Webster University offers the diversity in recruiting you are seeking. We recognize the important contribution international students and scholars make to the University, surrounding communities and your organization. International students add value to your organization and provide a competitive edge by:

  • Speaking the language of the countries in which your organization is doing business and looking for growth
  • Providing knowledge of international culture, markets and business practices
  • Contributing a global perspective and specialized skill set
  • Displaying their adaptability and work ethic by adjusting to a new culture

Webster University has international students in a variety of academic programs. More popular degree programs for international students include:

Technology-Focused Degrees

Business-Focused Degrees

Health Care-Focused Degrees

The Career Planning and Development Center is dedicated to supporting your endeavors to hire international talent. The St. Louis Mosaic Project is a region-wide initiative working to create a more inclusive, globally welcoming workplace. The Mosaic Project can help with a variety of issues, including helping employers understand the value international talent brings to St. Louis, options for hiring international talent and pathways to connect employers with community resources and talent.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) also provides recruitment resources and insightful research and articles that can assist with the hiring process.

Visas and Residency for International Talent

F-1 Visa Holders

  • The F-1 visa status is a temporary nonimmigrant student visa. F-1 visa holders must obtain work authorization before beginning employment off-campus. (Note: F-2 visa holders are dependents of the F-1 visa holder and are not, under any circumstances, allowed to earn income in the U.S.)
  • For students who complete a designated STEM program, they can potentially extend their OPT work authorization for two years to have a total of three years of employment based on their student visa.

J-1 Visa Holders

  • J-1 student visa status is granted to students who participate in international exchange programs between Webster University and universities in other countries, or whose education in the U.S. is financed directly or indirectly by the U.S. government, the government of the student’s home country, an international organization of which the U.S. is a member, or by another institutional sponsor. J-1s have some work authorization options that must be pre-approved.

Details on how F-1 and J-1 visa holders can obtain authorization to work is detailed in the section that follows. Employers do not incur processing costs for employment authorization of international students while they are on F-1 or J-1 visas.

Curricular Practical Training (CPT)

  • Students in F-1 and J-1 status are required to be full-time students and may work on-campus up to 20 hours a week or in the practical training options detailed below.

CPT is temporary employment authorization directly related to an F-1 student’s academic program and is granted by International Recruitment and International Services (IRIS). CPT is typically authorized on a part-time basis (up to 20 hours a week) during the school year and can be authorized on a full-time (over 20 hours a week) or part-time basis during vacation periods. CPT gives students the possibility to work off-campus or to work for more than 20 hours a week on campus if certain qualifications are met. There are two types of CPT:

  1. Required for the degree program: In order for training to be considered required, all students in the degree program must be required to complete an internship or practicum in order to receive their degree. A few programs at Webster University have such requirements.
  2. Integral part of an established curriculum: If the internship/work experience is not required, then it must be taken for academic credit. Students will work with their academic advisor to complete the CPT Authorization Form issued by IRIS. Please visit the IRIS website for more information.

The student must receive an offer before securing the employment authorization and is thus unable to provide documentation of authorization at the interview stage. IRIS needs a signed, written offer of employment on the company’s letterhead as part of the CPT application requirements.

The employer and dates for which the student is authorized to work will appear on the student’s Form I-20 (certificate of eligibility). Students cannot begin work before the start date on the Form I-20 or continue working after the end date. CPT authorization may be renewable for additional academic terms if the student continues to be eligible.

Academic Training (AT)

J-1 students may apply for temporary work authorization through AT either prior to or after completion of studies to accept positions within their field of study.

Students seeking or completing bachelor's or master's degrees are eligible for 18 months of AT. Students seeking or completing doctoral degrees are eligible for 36 months of AT. Non-degree (exchange) students are eligible for AT authorizations matching the length of time they have spent studying in the U.S. Example: A one-semester (4-month) exchange student is eligible for up to 4 months of AT.

The U.S. government allows students to apply for authorization to gain practical work experience to supplement their academic programs. Many employers find this to be a useful opportunity to hire a student with valuable international perspectives.

Optional Practical Training (OPT)

OPT is defined as “temporary employment authorization directly related to the field of study.” F-1 students are eligible for up to 12 months of employment authorization under this category. For students whose majors are given the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) designation, employment may be extended for an additional 24 months, if the F-1 visa holder is employed by an E-Verify employer.

OPT is recommended by International Recruitment and Services (IRIS) at Webster University and granted by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The application process can take several months.

Students on OPT will receive an employment authorization document or EAD card. USCIS issues the EAD and it specifies the dates of authorized employment.

Academic Training (AT)

J-1 students are eligible for Academic Training both before and after graduation. See details in “Before Graduation” section above.

Employment Options for Nonimmigrant Visas

Beyond CPT, OPT and AT, there are options for employing international students and alumni.

Temporary Worker (H-1B) Visa

An H-1B visa allows foreign nationals to work in the U.S. in specialty occupations. The H-1B visa category has the following key requirements:

  1. Applicant must have theoretical and practical application of a highly specialized body of knowledge and must have a minimum of a bachelor's degree or its equivalent in a specialized field.
  2. The company is the petitioner of the H-1B and the international candidate is the beneficiary.

The company should consult human resources and legal counsel when considering sponsoring an international candidate for an H-1B visa. The employer makes an H-1B visa petition to the Department of Labor and USCIS. An employer may petition for H-1B status for a maximum of 3 years at a time. An individual can hold H-1B status for up to a maximum of 6 years. It is advised to plan petition applications early as timing of filing is critical due to H-1B visa limits.

Additional temporary nonimmigrant work visa options are outlined by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Depending on the type of role and an individual's background, other visa options may be available.

Lawful permanent residency is a status granted by the U.S. government to citizens of other countries. One option to obtain permanent residency is through an employer-based petition. For example, the employer may document the need for a person’s occupational skills, or the individual must prove international recognition is his or her field. While an employer may sponsor an individual, USCIS makes the final decision. The employer should make no promise or guarantee to the employee.