Employer Work Authorization Workflows

By collecting work authorization information directly from students, we increase transparency for employers and improve students' application experience. 

Employers also reduce the amount of time they spend interviewing and reviewing candidates they cannot hire, while gathering more information about applicants without requiring them to disclose their work authorization status.

Topics: 

• Student-facing work authorization options 
• Employer-facing work authorization questions 
• Job posting qualifications display 
  • Applicant selections match employer qualifications 
  • Applicant selections do not match employer qualifications 
  • Prefer not to answer these questions 
• Job posting work authorization qualification matrix

Student-facing work authorization options

Students are required to provide a response to the options below by either answering both questions or opting out:

• Select Yes/No for both questions:
  • Are you legally authorized to work in the United States?
  • Will you now or in the future require visa sponsorship?
• Or select (checkbox) Prefer not to answer these questions

Students can provide a response to these questions in their account settings. However, if they have not been answered, this prompt will appear the first time students apply for a job, or if they register for a virtual fair and haven't yet applied for a job in Handshake.

The answers to these questions will determine whether a student is fully qualified for a position.

Note: students who select "Prefer not to answer these questions" will be shown as FULLY QUALIFIED for the position and able to view and sign up for virtual fair 1:1 sessions with work authorization requirements. 

Employer-facing work authorization questions

To better surface opportunities for students, we recommend that you answer the following question in Handshake:

• Does this job require U.S. work authorization? (Select Yes/No)
  • If you select Yes, you'll also be required to answer the following questions:  
    • Would you sponsor a work visa for the right candidate? (Select Yes/No)
    • Are you willing to hire candidates that are temporarily authorized to work for a defined period in their field of study (e.g. for an internship under OPT/CPT)? (Select Yes/No)

This question is present on the job form, a career fair registration form, and when setting up 1:1 sessions for a virtual career fair. 

Job form 

• Student impact: the job post will indicate whether the student's selections match your qualifications- all students may apply, regardless of whether their selections match the job qualifications.  

Career fair registration

• Student impact: the response is only an indicator, and students can register for a career fair regardless of their work authorization status.

Virtual career fair (1:1 sessions) 

• Student impact: schedule qualification selections act as a blocker, preventing students who do not meet the qualifications from viewing or signing up for 1:1 sessions.

Job posting qualifications display

When reviewing your applicants, the Qualifications column in the applicant table indicates which qualification each candidate meets.

Hovering over the icon displays whether the student meets your work authorization qualifications, as well as other candidate qualifications.

Applicant selections match employer qualifications

If the student has selected answers that match your qualifications, the modal displays a checkmark next to the qualification(s) they meet.  

Applicant selections do not match employer qualifications

If the student has selected answers that do not match your qualifications, the modal displays a circle-backslash icon next to the qualification(s) they do not meet. 

Prefer not to answer these questions

Students may choose not to disclose their work authorization status in their profile settings.

Students who select "Prefer not to answer these questions" in their profile settings are FULLY QUALIFIED for all positions and virtual fair sessions that require work authorization.

Note: students will always appear as fully qualified for jobs not requiring U.S. sponsorship, regardless of their answers to the work authorization questions.

The filter Work Authorization above the candidate table displays students who meet your work authorization requirements and those who chose not to disclose their work authorization status.

Job posting work authorization qualification matrix

In the qualification matrix below, the upper-most row is the Employer Preference indicated on the job posting, and the Student Selection heading represents the far-left column, with each possible student selection combination listed per row. 

Student qualification outcomes are listed as Fully Qualified or Not fully qualified–– if not fully qualified, the reasoning is highlighted in italics.