Advice on jobs

[amal 4]

I was going to put this on my other advice thread but thought it might be seen if it were its own thread.

#1 - My husband is now working for Wal-Mart. Not the ideal job for him since he is in shipping/receiving and he is being seriously discriminated against by some of the co-workers. Such as...they leave all the heavy things for him to do, laughing at him when they give him the hard jobs etc. He is not a big man by any means so this is just plain torture to him.

#2 - He completed 2 years Mathematics in college and is only 1 test away from being a teacher.... He has his bachelors degree in Business Administration.... Owned his own business for quite some time......

#3 - He is a fantastic graphic designer.. I can post links to some of the websites he's created if anyone is interested. He could work online with someone if they needed a designer.

Does anybody have any work suggestions I can give to him???? He speaks very good English and is a very hard worker. I have applied at every business I can think of and so far this job is it. He is completely miserable right now and I can't allow that to continue. He has some friends in other states that could help but I am not able to move since I just bought a house and have a little one in school.

(I've posted this in the yalla middle east thread before but I'll say it again in here) If anybody knows anyone who can help...It would be so greatly appreciated. If anyone knows of anyone that needs a graphic designer for ANYTHING...PLEASE LET ME KNOW... I don't know what else to do, where else to look.....We've tried hospitals, printing companies, factories, small businesses, big businesses, grocery stores, movie rental places..everything we could think of and each time come up empty handed ....I feel like we're fighting a losing battle.

amal

[iceyspots 0]

I was going to put this on my other advice thread but thought it might be seen if it were its own thread.

#1 - My husband is now working for Wal-Mart. Not the ideal job for him since he is in shipping/receiving and he is being seriously discriminated against by some of the co-workers. Such as...they leave all the heavy things for him to do, laughing at him when they give him the hard jobs etc. He is not a big man by any means so this is just plain torture to him.

#2 - He completed 2 years Mathematics in college and is only 1 test away from being a teacher.... He has his bachelors degree in Business Administration.... Owned his own business for quite some time......

#3 - He is a fantastic graphic designer.. I can post links to some of the websites he's created if anyone is interested. He could work online with someone if they needed a designer.

Does anybody have any work suggestions I can give to him???? He speaks very good English and is a very hard worker. I have applied at every business I can think of and so far this job is it. He is completely miserable right now and I can't allow that to continue. He has some friends in other states that could help but I am not able to move since I just bought a house and have a little one in school.

(I've posted this in the yalla middle east thread before but I'll say it again in here) If anybody knows anyone who can help...It would be so greatly appreciated. If anyone knows of anyone that needs a graphic designer for ANYTHING...PLEASE LET ME KNOW... I don't know what else to do, where else to look.....We've tried hospitals, printing companies, factories, small businesses, big businesses, grocery stores, movie rental places..everything we could think of and each time come up empty handed ....I feel like we're fighting a losing battle.

amal

Job markets are tight now-a-days.. I was wondering the same for Yacine as well, what he can do when he comes...

BTW - Ditch the walmart....... Capitalism at its worst....

[amal 4]

OH, I know wally world sucks the big one (I hate that place, it closes every small independent store and completely ruins every town it moves to)!! But it's the only job after 4 months of applying at every dang place in my town and nearby towns that accepted him *sigh* Soon all my savings will be gone coz my bills are more than I bring in each month so he HAS to work wherever he can until he gets a better offer somewhere. I feel so bad for him. He said, why did I leave my country, my family, my world to come to this country and have to work in the worst jobs? He has also said, I have good degrees, I am qualified for so much more than unloading trucks. LORD HELP US!!

amal

Edited May 5, 2006 by amal

[jordanianprincess 0]

These are the websites I reccomend:

www.monster.com

www.dice.com

www.hotjobs.com

www.craigslist.com

Does he have his resume put together? I know they have a way of doing it in Jordan, which won't fly here so make sure he does it in the right format.

Another thing to keep in mind, when applying for a job, you should tailor your resume to fit with the job description. If you have the traits they are looking for, make sure that you make those noticeable on the resume.

Amal, this is gonna be tough because of lack of expericance in the USA. Try looking at some local colleges too, they usually have some entry level positions available.

Hang in there, don't lose hope, something will come up!

[AngelK96 0]

Amal since he has a job now, he can start applying to other places. They look at the work history and if they know he has a job already it might be in his favor. He might want to talk to his manager at walmart if it's getting that bad and he just started his job.

[amal 4]

I've been doing some playing at monster.com, msn job search, and a few others. Haven't had any luck with them yet. I'm also in the process of trying to find him a car so he can transport himself to and from work.. Right now he's using mine which is making me a nervous wreck. I did tell him to notify his manager of the treatment he's been getting. He said he will if it continues on Sunday. (he's off today and tomorrow). We'll see what happens.

amal

[honeyblonde 0]

Amal,

Do a search on the web for large companies that use skills like he has to offer. Most of them will have websites and job opportunity pages. For the kind of work he does, I'd recommend he provide the links to his work when he submits electronic resumes. Portfolios say a lot in that field. There are large companies that hire satellite workers who work from home the majority of the time, but I'm sure it will take some digging to find them.

I'd also rethink the move issue. I know it might be difficult, but if he can make enough more money to make it worth it then it might be the best option. Some companies even move you if the position is high enough on the totem pole, so it might not be as bad as you think. If you just plain can't move, be prepared for this to take some time. The right job is the gold nugget at the bottom of the river - everybody is looking for it but only the person willing to sift through pans and pans of mud will find it.

Once you compile a list of companies he would like to work for and their job sites, be sure to check them every week. For example, our company posts jobs for one week, on Thursdays. Even if the job isn't filled yet, it comes down the next Thursday. That means that even though he may not have seen a job one week, there might be one the next week. The company that does our computers is CSC, and they're huge. He might try their website and watch for openings. They support several major companies all over the country so they have openings in different places different weeks.

Some areas of the country are just difficult to find work in if you don't have connections. My brother had 6 years as an electrician on a nuclear sub and a degree in Math and it still took him a year to find a sub-standard job in logistics for a train company here. I was a contractor at the phone company here at the time he was looking for something better and found out how he could apply there (it's one of those cases where you have to know the number to call to schedule yourself to be tested and the specific job number you're applying for). He finally got a call from them a year after he tested! He's been with them now for about 6 or 7 years, but before that we didn't think he'd ever find anything decent, even though he is brilliant.

hang in there and keep trying. Things will work out.

[Yaads 0]

Hello,

I don't know where you are living but I suggest you find out if you have a local Worksource office. I have found them to be absolutely wonderful. I know there are offices all around the country. They are a non profit organization affiliated with Employment Security Dept. Here where I live they offer free workshops and job training seminars (like computer classes, resume writing workshops etc) and they have a site for local job postings and availability. They will help you find a job and help you fill out applications and all that good stuff. I know a lot of our local employers use the worksource office and are more willing to hire someone if they know they have been working with worksource as they are a pretty reputable place. Do a search to see if there is anything in your area. Good Luck!

Jamie

Also they will do skills testing so that your husband could use that in place of actual work experience...its better than nothing to an employer

[Elena 0]

This is exactly one of the reasons why I worry about my husband coming here. In his country, he's considered educated and capable. Here, he'll be viewed as ignorant simply because his English isn't so great. I worry that he won't be able to find a job at all, even at a place like Walmart. Sometimes I think it would be better for me to move to his country because I can always teach English and still make pretty good money. It would be ok in the short run but I don't want to raise a family there. It's so stressful to think about sometimes on top of all this visa stuff.

I think there's enough people here on this forum that we can create a thread or post job openings that are immigrant friendly, if there is such a thing. I'm sure many people here own a business or work for a company or know an employer who can be sensitive to the struggles of immigrants.

[landp 0]

I am so sorry to hear this. My husband Aziz, is actually going through the same thing. I feel awful, but we need the money. To make matters worse he has to take a crappy bus to and from because I also commute to work. I'm pushing my husband to do the following: first thing get his degree translated to USA equivalent Bachelors, which may require a couple classes more here. two, continue with his ESL the more fluent in english the less people will take advantage. He's currently enrolled in ESL at the College University near us. Third, I am advising him to go to the Moroccan embassy in New York to see what help they can give him.

I'll keep you posted if I come across any valuable ideas/information. This is why our men definitely need a support group. Outside of family and friends already settled here. It's important they know other brothers are going through the same right now at this moment!

Best to everyone,

salams,

prena

[Bosco 1]

Have you had his degrees evaluated by one of the evaluation services such as http://www.wes.org/ to get an U.S. equivalent? This may carry more weight than his foreign degrees.

Is going to school here a possibility? One or two classes in his field may be all he needs to get some connections, or the school may offer placement services.

My husband has a Bachelor's from Morocco. Unless he continues in law, very few if any of his credits will go towards a degree here. I want him to enroll in college full time in the fall and get a degree here. I can afford it, and it seems like the best plan for our future. It is so difficult - if he goes to school he will feel bad because he will feel he is not working/contributing, and if he doesn't, he will probably feel crappy in whatever job he is able to get.

I think there are no easy answers.

Rebecca

[AInfante-Saraireh 0]

If his English is good, how about translating from arabic to english and vice versa?

[UmmSqueakster 54]

If his English is good, how about translating from arabic to english and vice versa?

My husband looked into this, and at least in Minnesota, you need to be certified in one form or another. It might be worth investigating.

My husband is having employment issues as well. He's finally come to the realization that he's going to have to work a not so hot job for a year or 2 and build up work history and references. I hope he gets a job soon *sigh*

[elizabeth&hisham 0]

More advice:

1. Figure out where your region's nearest city or county workforce development and employment counseling offices are. Explain his situation and see if they can give him an appointment. They might know about programs and local employers you weren't aware of.

2. Job fairs. (The folks at #1 might know about upcoming ones in your region.)

3. If you know anyone who attends classes or works at a local college or university, check out the job-search resources there. Maybe there's an office that offers info about local businesses, or info about seasonal or temporary positions. Keep an eye open for bulletin boards where employers are permitted to post info for students. You're likely to find postings aimed at people of all ages, education levels, and disciplinary backgrounds.

4. And, while you're there, check the college or university's Human Resources office for jobs on-campus. Even a job on a landscaping crew or as a janitor would beat Wal-Mart hands down because at least there, working on a campus, he'd be 100 times more likely to see and hear about work and school-related opportunities.

Good luck!

E

[myfellah 0]

Unfortunately I think many of our men will face this issue. My husband wants to continue his university classes but right now we can't afford it. He was lucky enough to get the first job he interviewed for right out of our local paper. It is not what he would want and it is really below him for his education but this position has turned into a very good opportunity for him. He really enjoys the people he works with and the opportunities it has opened for him. He proved he is such a hard and reliable worker that he has been rewarded. For him this has turned into a good experience.

Good Luck.

Doreen