Career Services teams up with students to bring Interstride to Cornell

By Kelly Kuehn, Student & Campus Life

Looking for a job or internship is an exciting experience for students. They’re one step closer to entering an industry they’re passionate about, ready to immerse themselves into a fulfilling career. The process may come with hurdles along the way, though. Writing cover letters, applying to several jobs, preparing for interviews—it can be an overwhelming process.  

International students face an even tougher job search, given the additional obstacles and processes they must navigate compared to their domestic peers. 

“An employer must be willing to hire an international student, knowing they can only work for 1 to 3 years after graduation, and be willing to sponsor a work visa for them if they wish to employ them longer,” Erica Ford, the International Career Development Coach within Cornell Career Services, explains. “Because of the time limitations, not all employers are willing to hire international students and it can be difficult for students to locate international-friendly employment opportunities.” 

It’s those obstacles that drove Cornell students and Career Services to join forces and bring Interstride, an international job search resource, to Cornell’s student body. 

What is Interstride? 

Interstride is a platform that guides international students through their job search and the many steps and decisions that come with it, from work authorization challenges to networking with international students and alumni. It also helps international and domestic students find jobs abroad. Interstride’s features include: 

• Jobs and internships from employers who have a track record of hiring international students
• Resources for international students interested in work visas 
• Helpful guides for students looking to start their careers abroad

Interstride currently partners with more than 130 universities nationwide, including Cornell. Its debut on campus was made possible through the Technology Innovation Fund, which was established by an anonymous donor to support technology enhancement in Career Services.

A partnership with students 

Interstride was launched through the work and advocacy from the International Students Union (ISU) and Career Services. 

Pareesay Afzal ’24 first encountered Interstride during their second year at Cornell. They were searching for summer internships and became frustrated that very few results were available to international students. 

 Rather than give up, Afzal looked for resources that specifically helped international students with their job search and found Interstride. They quickly realized how beneficial it would be at Cornell and partnered with ISU to advocate for it. The student organization was on board right away since the platform helps support its mission. 

“At ISU, we’re always trying to advocate for and represent international students' interests and concerns at Cornell,” Pedro Haracemiv Moreira, the president of ISU, says. 

Once they decided to advocate for Interstride, students from ISU contacted Career Services - who was also seeking a platform to better support international students - to explore their options and Interstride came out on top. 

“Interstride offers a lot of functionality that allows students to easily search for employers that have a history of sponsoring the H-1B Visa, as well as resources to find employers that have utilized the CPT and OPT options international students have,” Dr. Erica Kryst, Executive Director of Cornell Career Services, said.

Ford worked with international students to review the platform, getting their insights to ensure it benefited them. 

“It was definitely productive, fruitful and generative,” Afzal says of the collaboration with Career Services. “Erica Ford, especially, was really pivotal in making all of this happen.”   

Interstride launched on Oct. 13 after two semesters of collaboration among Career Services staff, students and the International Services team within the Office of Global Learning. 

Interstride’s influence on the international student experience  

That functionality Kryst mentions can make a world of a difference to international Cornellians looking for work. 

“I think because it’s a resource that’s tailored for international students, it supports their overall well-being by making the job search easier for them,” Kryst explains. “It also enables them to connect with other international students through the platform, helping them to build that community a bit more.”

Interstride also has great features to help students land jobs within the U.S. and across the globe. It’s those features, and more, that are impressing both Cornell students and staff. 

“I am most excited for Interstride’s job search resources, U.S. visa insights and country insights,” Ford says. “Each of these will not only help alleviate some of the frustrations international students face but also open every student up to global career opportunities.”

What students are saying about Interstride 

Currently, 708 undergraduate and graduate Cornell students use Interstride. Both Afzal and Moreira praise the platform’s approach to international job search and information on immigration journeys. 

Both students also say that while Interstride’s launch is a great step in the right direction, they encourage international students to keep advocating for tools and resources at Cornell that set them up for success. They also hope students collaborate with organizations on campus to see those initiatives come to fruition. 

“I hope students see Interstride as potential encouragement for them to find solutions for other problems,” Moreira says.

Students can sign up for Interstride at interstride.com/cornell/. It’s also linked within the Career Development Toolkit. Career Services also has an Interstride demo to help students explore the platform’s highlights and robust features.  

“Even if you don’t know much [when first using Interstride], you’re definitely going to learn a lot if you use it,” Moreira says. “Check out the demos—they’ll make the process a bit smoother.”

If you have a question about Interstride or other resources at Career Services, stop by 103 Barnes Hall Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to talk with Cornell’s career professionals or email career@cornell.edu. Students can also learn about other career resources available across campus through the Cornell Career Network.