First Jobs in the US for MENA SOs

[KHPerfectMatch 1]

H is unemployed.... He finally reached his limit of tolerance and just threw in the towel... He's been working in a restaurant where he was constantly being harassed and called "the terrorist" by the Mexican employees who thought he didn't understand much English because they typically heard him speaking arabic with the manager who is from Jordan. Amazingly once the manager got wind that H was being harassed (the assistant manager told him, not H) the manager decided to make his work so hard that H would leave... Rather than deal with his employees harassing H it was easier to get rid of H...

On top of all of that, one of the Mexican women who had done the loudest talking about "the terrorist" had male family members come to the restaurant and sit out side watching H and even followed him part of the way home, which is what made him decide the job just wasn't worth his safety...

I'm so depressed because it's his first and only job (other than working in our family business for a few weeks) and now he really can't use it as a reference because he walked out... So hard to explain on applications that you're his age and don't have ANY verifiable work history!

He wasn't too proud to work at any job that wasn't haram.... and for that I love him even more... He was so happy to just be making SOMETHING so he could contribute, and now the sadness in his eyes is killing me.

He has a bachelor's degree in Greek Philosophy (big call for THAT!!! NOT!!!) .... and was self-employed his entire life in Egypt... not a single thing in his work history that he can use here.... I don't know what to do to help him... It's so hard when you're his age to start over.... we need to think of a business he can do on his own, but so far, I've not come up with an idea that won't take all my time... I'm working 10+ hours a day already running my own consulting business...

It's so hard on his Egyptian Machisimo Pride/Dignity.... I never dreamed it would be THIS hard to find something! ANYTHING!! Unemployment here is about 13% even the Labor Ready shop is closed... Soooooo depressing...

[S and S 12]

try Fresenius Medical Care and Davita. They are both big Dialysis Companies. Usually they are hiring Patient Care Techs. You can go on their web sites and look for openings in your area. They train you and you don't need experience. Would be nice if you were a CNA with who has their Med Aide Cert.

I checked out both those companies. They sound like great companies, but there are no openings that fit his skills or in his area. Both companies are around my area, just no jobs he can do. Thanks for the advice. I may keep it in mind for the future as you never know what jobs may come up later!

[S and S 12]

H is unemployed.... He finally reached his limit of tolerance and just threw in the towel... He's been working in a restaurant where he was constantly being harassed and called "the terrorist" by the Mexican employees who thought he didn't understand much English because they typically heard him speaking arabic with the manager who is from Jordan. Amazingly once the manager got wind that H was being harassed (the assistant manager told him, not H) the manager decided to make his work so hard that H would leave... Rather than deal with his employees harassing H it was easier to get rid of H...

On top of all of that, one of the Mexican women who had done the loudest talking about "the terrorist" had male family members come to the restaurant and sit out side watching H and even followed him part of the way home, which is what made him decide the job just wasn't worth his safety...

I'm so depressed because it's his first and only job (other than working in our family business for a few weeks) and now he really can't use it as a reference because he walked out... So hard to explain on applications that you're his age and don't have ANY verifiable work history!

He wasn't too proud to work at any job that wasn't haram.... and for that I love him even more... He was so happy to just be making SOMETHING so he could contribute, and now the sadness in his eyes is killing me.

He has a bachelor's degree in Greek Philosophy (big call for THAT!!! NOT!!!) .... and was self-employed his entire life in Egypt... not a single thing in his work history that he can use here.... I don't know what to do to help him... It's so hard when you're his age to start over.... we need to think of a business he can do on his own, but so far, I've not come up with an idea that won't take all my time... I'm working 10+ hours a day already running my own consulting business...

It's so hard on his Egyptian Machisimo Pride/Dignity.... I never dreamed it would be THIS hard to find something! ANYTHING!! Unemployment here is about 13% even the Labor Ready shop is closed... Soooooo depressing...

I am so sorry to hear about all your difficulties. It is horrible that anyone should go through such troubles when they just want to work. Someone suggested to us this afternoon to try 7-11 (the convenience store) as they even have starting pay at about $11 an hour and always need people. We plan to check that out tomorrow. It isn't what we want, but it is a start so hopefully they will give him a chance and we can always work on finding something medical related later.

I wish you and your husband good luck. Hopefully he will find something better. It really does seem like such a long search.

[S and S 12]

S and S,

Yes, its an extremely difficult for professionals who must start at the bottom again in the US. My thoughts are that you and your hubby work together to sell himself at an interview. To be told that he is over qualified is ridiculous (but not uncommon). Help him prepare a few comments to make during an interview. Something along the line of, " I understand that I may be considered overqualified, however I think this creates a great opportunity for us both. As an immigrant to the US, I will have to complete a residency program in order to become a licensed physician. I expected it will take a few years before I can enter a program. In the meantime, I've completed a certified nursing assistant program to establish myself in the healthcare field here in the US. Given the state of the economy, I would think you have your choice of candidates and that its to the benefit of your team and the hospital to hire someone who has skills and experience beyond your expectations." I think its worth a try, either they'll love it or hate. If they hate it, probably means they wouldn't have offered him the job anyway. Come up with a few responses and practice them.

I know its tough. I'm in school as well. We got married 2 months before I started my PhD program. It was stressful at times, helping my hubby apply for jobs, and getting to interviews (he didn't know his way around very well) plus my coursework. But everything did work out in the end. We had to budget very carefully. My hubby had a problem with underemployment. He had 2 positions that were supposedly full-time, but he was rarely scheduled to work full time. Anyway, just remembered it does get better in time. School should be your focus, but maybe you might want to look into temp work during school breaks and vacations. I had a few friends who did this in undergrad & grad school, they enjoyed the experience and extra cash.

Thanks for the advice on what to say. He has mentioned some of that when dealing with recruiters, but he is never allowed to talk to the managers who actually make the hiring decisions. This means he nevers gets the chance to sell himself. The hospital recruiters have been nice and very sympathetic, but so far no news and he applied for these jobs weeks ago and we see they are still open.

[amysaid 9]

Eh, this is something that I'm worried about having to deal with. Ahmed has a degree in TOURISM (specifically Egyptian Tourism, Egyptology, etc) which is not particularly useful in the US. He's worked as an air traffic controller at the Cairo airport for the last 11 years, but again... not particularly useful in the US. Not sure what he's going to do when he's here, and I hope they don't ask in the interview, cause that's gonna be a great big question mark. At this point, I'm just hoping that having him here (if he is given the visa) will cut down on my child care costs and that we'll at least be saving a little money, even if he's not actively making any at first.

[Aymsgirl 0]

H is unemployed.... He finally reached his limit of tolerance and just threw in the towel... He's been working in a restaurant where he was constantly being harassed and called "the terrorist" by the Mexican employees who thought he didn't understand much English because they typically heard him speaking arabic with the manager who is from Jordan. Amazingly once the manager got wind that H was being harassed (the assistant manager told him, not H) the manager decided to make his work so hard that H would leave... Rather than deal with his employees harassing H it was easier to get rid of H...

On top of all of that, one of the Mexican women who had done the loudest talking about "the terrorist" had male family members come to the restaurant and sit out side watching H and even followed him part of the way home, which is what made him decide the job just wasn't worth his safety...

I'm so depressed because it's his first and only job (other than working in our family business for a few weeks) and now he really can't use it as a reference because he walked out... So hard to explain on applications that you're his age and don't have ANY verifiable work history!

He wasn't too proud to work at any job that wasn't haram.... and for that I love him even more... He was so happy to just be making SOMETHING so he could contribute, and now the sadness in his eyes is killing me.

He has a bachelor's degree in Greek Philosophy (big call for THAT!!! NOT!!!) .... and was self-employed his entire life in Egypt... not a single thing in his work history that he can use here.... I don't know what to do to help him... It's so hard when you're his age to start over.... we need to think of a business he can do on his own, but so far, I've not come up with an idea that won't take all my time... I'm working 10+ hours a day already running my own consulting business...

It's so hard on his Egyptian Machisimo Pride/Dignity.... I never dreamed it would be THIS hard to find something! ANYTHING!! Unemployment here is about 13% even the Labor Ready shop is closed... Soooooo depressing...

I am sorry to hear this K. I know how bad he wanted to work.

[brnidokiegurl 0]

s/s if your in OKC i see signs all over at the nursing homes wanting CNAs. If this is what i think as a job the OSU extention here gives a class only lasting like 10 days with free enrollment if you agree to sign with one of there jobs placements. So if he already knows all this even if it meant taking this class to refress then take them up on their openings (i may have this all wrong but i think this is how it works,) and if your here now where did you find your meats?

[VivianNYC 1]

H is unemployed.... He finally reached his limit of tolerance and just threw in the towel... He's been working in a restaurant where he was constantly being harassed and called "the terrorist" by the Mexican employees who thought he didn't understand much English because they typically heard him speaking arabic with the manager who is from Jordan. Amazingly once the manager got wind that H was being harassed (the assistant manager told him, not H) the manager decided to make his work so hard that H would leave... Rather than deal with his employees harassing H it was easier to get rid of H...

On top of all of that, one of the Mexican women who had done the loudest talking about "the terrorist" had male family members come to the restaurant and sit out side watching H and even followed him part of the way home, which is what made him decide the job just wasn't worth his safety...

I'm so depressed because it's his first and only job (other than working in our family business for a few weeks) and now he really can't use it as a reference because he walked out... So hard to explain on applications that you're his age and don't have ANY verifiable work history!

He wasn't too proud to work at any job that wasn't haram.... and for that I love him even more... He was so happy to just be making SOMETHING so he could contribute, and now the sadness in his eyes is killing me.

He has a bachelor's degree in Greek Philosophy (big call for THAT!!! NOT!!!) .... and was self-employed his entire life in Egypt... not a single thing in his work history that he can use here.... I don't know what to do to help him... It's so hard when you're his age to start over.... we need to think of a business he can do on his own, but so far, I've not come up with an idea that won't take all my time... I'm working 10+ hours a day already running my own consulting business...

It's so hard on his Egyptian Machisimo Pride/Dignity.... I never dreamed it would be THIS hard to find something! ANYTHING!! Unemployment here is about 13% even the Labor Ready shop is closed... Soooooo depressing...

It makes me very sad to read this. That manager's behavior was absolutely outrageous, not to mention illegal - there are very clear laws in this country against discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, religion etc. And it's heartbreaking that other minorities, who must face discrimination in other parts of their own lives, would turn around and inflict the same hurtful behavior on other minorities. I guess it gives them some kind of weird power kick. In any case, must be very hard not to take that personally and realize some people are just stupid and ignorant.

I hope your husband finds something soon, around good people who value him, even if it's volunteer work to start with, at least to keep him busy and productive until the economy improves.

[JeanneVictoria 55]

Wael was extremely fortunate to find a job 2 wks after arriving here. He works for a military contractor on base. Haven't had the problems yet with discrimination. He tells me he can't believe how nice the people are to him.

He will begin his studies this fall at the University of Arizona pursing his second BA in Economics. We were happy he could transfer many of his units from his BS in Accounting from Egypt. His supervisor at work told him to let him know when his classes were so he could possibly still be there and work partime! He really has been blessed.

Wael wasn't able to receive any Pell grants coz he already has a degree, but was able to receive student loans and private grants.

[~*Dorothy*~ 2]

My husband was very fortunate as well. Since his father owned a cabinet making shop back home Jamal possess high level of cabinet making skills so he didn't have any issues with finding a job that pays well. There seems to be a high demand for skilled cabinet makers in NY. I admit that it's a hard work and there are a lot of long hours involved but he is making more money then I do doing office work...

[Sandrila 1]

When Medo got here we had our planes to open our tattoo shop. ( he is a artist) So after3 mo of him being here that is what we did. Thank God that was our plans because with the economy I think he would still be looking for a job. But the economy has not always been good for our busness. We keep thinking about what else we could open to make money.

Wish you lived closer, we could hire him to give my hubby his first tat.

I told him not to do it. I like to actually see his bronze skin but...

I can't talk, I have 2 . Anklets. One is chinese good luck symbols and the other is a tribal piece.

I never have regretted them and get complicated quite often on them.

[Sandrila 1]

Ya know S & S, this is a very good question. Does anyone know of a "resource thread" of companies, businesses, organizations that may be a god starting point of newly arrived immigrants?

I've been at the same job for more than 10 years and am also at a loss as to where to help my husband begin to find a job. He has a degree in Math and speaks 3 languages so I'm hoping he'll those strengths 1st... does your hubby have any special skills/talents/education he can promote for himself?

I have heard alot of people tell my husband to apply with a more respectable company as a translator.

But I think if you don't have a good handle on the English language, which involves slang, as well as grammar and sentence structure, add to that the short work history here and no real notable work references back home I don't see how they would jump for him. Now that I have reminded myself about it I will have to research that.

Supposedly there is a great demand for arabic translators.

This is what I have heard anyway.

[Sandrila 1]

AbuS' first job was in a check cashing place. Total soul suck and haram to no end.

There are a few things that really helped him:

1. Internship. I wish we had thought of this sooner. He got an internship as an accountant in a non profit. This was how he landed his first real job as an accountant at a theater. He learned valuable lessons of how to work in an american office, bulked up his resume and he got a fabulous reference who helped him beyond compare. If you are ok on money and dont need him earning a ton of money, americorp offers a lot of internship type opportunities that look fabulous on the resume.

2. Practice practice practice. Practice job interview. Practice writing cover letters. Practice writing resumes. Practice until he's perfect, literally. The accent may not have completly disapeared, but he should be able to hold a phone conversation without confusing the person on the other end. And his cover letter should be fluent enough that the receipient won't be befuddled by the quirky english.

3. ESL classes. Even if he thinks he's good, he could probably stand for some improvement. And if the local ESL classes say he's good enough, find a way for him to speak english with a wide variety of people. I can't emphasize enough how important verbal communication is for landing a good job.

4. Keep a list of everywhere he's applying. Seriously, spreadsheet. If he's applying for a dozen jobs a week, it can be hard to keep track of them.

5. Don't answer the phone. Now, this may sound counterproductive, but it works. If they're interested in him, they'll leave a message. Listen to the message, consult the list of jobs, review the job posting, review the cover letter he sent and then call them back. That way he has a chance to compose himself and sound put together and with it. This is seriously how my husband landed his current job. They were so impressed with his initial phone interview that they asked him to come in ASAP and hired him 2 hours after the interview.

6. Job training. If he doesn't have a college education (or even if he does and isn't have any luck finding work with it), look into a job training program. They will help him with the necessary skills for job hunting and will help him in his search.

7. Patience! Patience! Patience! It took AbuS 3 years to find a good job, and many many many many long months of unemployment that were increadibly demoralizing. And then just when everything was looking up, he lost that good job due to the economy. It sucks. It really really does. But inshaAllah this too shall pass.

Squeaky, your points were very informative.

Thank you

[MrsAmera 41]

There is a demand for Arabic translators esp with contracting companies BUT for most of them you need 1) to be a USC 2) to have a very high level of spoken AND written English. Hubby is up for Citizenship in late August and if all pans out this is something he plans to apply for. ESP in the DC area, there are so many embassies and govt agencies that it's a good gig

[sara535 15]

from what I have heard, most translator jobs are either directly or contractually related to the military and often to overseas activities. Pay is good, but my husband spent several years in the moroccan military and didnt feel like 'doing more time'