September AOS filers

[Nao 0]

You could also try looking for job fairs in your area. What is your work field?

Good idea! I'll try to find some! I don't know if there's any in my area though...

I never worked before...only student jobs! My master degree is Economics, European Law (useless) and Chinese!

Actually, don't think that your field in international issues or your knowledge in a second or third language is useless because it is an advantage when you really think about it. You have the skills that a lot of US jobseekers don't have and if you try to market that about yourself in your resume or during the interview, it really makes you stand out from the rest. With your master degree and language skills, I would try to look for companies/ organizations that deal a lot with European countries since you obviously have the expertise in European law and then try to sell that about yourself. IMHO, job hunting in the end is like you trying to advertise yourself that you can do the job and do it well. As for references, my advice would be to volunteer first in an organization that appeals to you, and then use them as your reference. You can also use your previous employers from abroad. The key is to be patient, since it might take you as long as 6 months to find your dream job, but you can always accept something less while looking for something better.

When I was looking for a job, I looked in a bunch of websites: craigslist, monster.com, idealist.org, etc. Google them and apply to as many as you can in order to keep your options as open as possible. Look up companies and organizations that you are interested in working with and go to their careers page to see if there are any openings. Don't, and I cannot stress this enough, let go of any lead even if you're sure that you've landed a job until you've officially start your first day.

I hope this helps! I understand the frustration of job-hunting well but if you don't give up, you'll get that dream job one day.

Great advice.

Also, create a strong network. Get involved with local group such as church group, cultural group, volunteer group and more.

Get to know lots of people from your country since that can increase the change of using your expertise.

I have a degree from a university here in California and also have a work experience here in the U.S. as well as in Japan. And, what I learned most is that.... it is not so much about what you know but about whom you know.

So, get involved with many groups. Once they accept you as their friends, they are more than willing to help you out with job hunting.

Nao

Edited December 17, 2008 by Nao

[kiwibecka 0]

Perhaps we will all end up like cutie_fishball and get surprise emails one day!

Well, my husband still believes that it's no coincidence.... his phone call triggered that sudden surprise e-mail. Tomorrow is my 90 day mark on my EAD and I hope they will issue me an interim EAD.... (for some strange reasons, my husband kept saying it's an EMERGENCY EAD) well, I hope I can get it... and get any job to sustain for the time being (after getting laid off for a week)

Hmm, perhaps I should get my husband on to their case too then

I hope you get it too, what a terrible time to get laid off. Will you ask them for the interim? I'm at 100 days today and nobody at USCIS has ever mentioned the interim to me, or that I might be entitled to it (I admit I should have already asked but I really want that AP).

Also here's the email I got in response to the service request in case anyone's interested:

Dear :

On 12/08/2008 you, or the designated representative shown below, contacted us about your case. Some of the key information given to us at that time was the following:

Caller indicated they are:

-- Applicant or Petitioner

Attorney Name:

-- Information not available

Case type:

-- I765

Filing date:

-- 09/02/2008

Receipt #:

-- MSCXXXXX

Beneficiary (if you filed for someone else):

-- Information not available

Your USCIS Account Number (A-number):

-- XXXXXXXXX

Type of service requested:

-- Beyond Regulatory Time Frame

The status of this service request is:

Your case is currently under review. You should receive a decision or notice of other action within 60 days of the date of this letter.

If you have any further questions, please call the National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283.

[cutie_fishball 0]

Perhaps we will all end up like cutie_fishball and get surprise emails one day!

Well, my husband still believes that it's no coincidence.... his phone call triggered that sudden surprise e-mail. Tomorrow is my 90 day mark on my EAD and I hope they will issue me an interim EAD.... (for some strange reasons, my husband kept saying it's an EMERGENCY EAD) well, I hope I can get it... and get any job to sustain for the time being (after getting laid off for a week)

Hmm, perhaps I should get my husband on to their case too then

I hope you get it too, what a terrible time to get laid off. Will you ask them for the interim? I'm at 100 days today and nobody at USCIS has ever mentioned the interim to me, or that I might be entitled to it (I admit I should have already asked but I really want that AP).

Also here's the email I got in response to the service request in case anyone's interested:

Dear :

On 12/08/2008 you, or the designated representative shown below, contacted us about your case. Some of the key information given to us at that time was the following:

Caller indicated they are:

-- Applicant or Petitioner

Attorney Name:

-- Information not available

Case type:

-- I765

Filing date:

-- 09/02/2008

Receipt #:

-- MSCXXXXX

Beneficiary (if you filed for someone else):

-- Information not available

Your USCIS Account Number (A-number):

-- XXXXXXXXX

Type of service requested:

-- Beyond Regulatory Time Frame

The status of this service request is:

Your case is currently under review. You should receive a decision or notice of other action within 60 days of the date of this letter.

If you have any further questions, please call the National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283.

tomorrow my husband and I will call USCIS again about my EAD and I will let you know what they are going to say to me... about the laid off, I was upset and mad int he beginning, but now I think it's actually for the better because I have never enjoyed working in that place anyways... time to look for some place that I will be happy to work in (if the whole market clears up... it's tough times now)

[time1300 0]

Hello everyone,

So I just called USCIS since it's been 90 days from date of receipt that I have not got any update on my EAD or AP, also after filing a service request last monday. So the lady looked at my file and I did not have to mention interim EAD, she after looking at my file suggested that I can do two things:

1. apply for interim EAD over the phone

2. Go to my local office and apply there, where she also stated that they do not issue Interim EAD at the office but they look at your eligibility and apply for you. And since my local office is about 2 hours away, i just applied over the phone.

So she gave me a confirmation number and said that if I don't hear anything within 45 days to call them again. So either way, still waiting. They should have interim EADs expedited like something like within a week, and not 45 days.

So I hope this helps some of you guys waiting. I mean the officer was nice and all and it does not benefit anyone if you get mad or frustrated with them because they are not the one issuing them to you and they have very little information on your status. All they can do is apply and follow procedure, so all we can do is just pray and wait.

Good luck all

[envy_me 18]

i know.. im an industrial engineer..

the reason why im tryin to get an entry level job is cos i know people wont hire me cos i dnt have exp here in the US..

and it sucks that even at a secretarial job they'll be askin me for that f*ckin history..

how am i gonna have that if nobody wants to give me a chance..

.

hi envy_me, don't sell yourself short. A college degree is a big thing in the US, even if received from a foreign country. Don't waste it by doing something 'entry-level' and unrelated. I suggest that you still apply to positions commensurate to your qualifications. Include in your resume any work you've done outside of the US (especially if you've been working for a long time). Even if you haven't worked a long time, you can show your qualifications. Think of it this way, you're just like any other fresh US college graduate who's working for the first time in their field. These college graduates don't go and work in unrelated fields.

If you do decide to apply for an 'entry-level' job, think of it as a stop-gap measure of getting some income while you actually hunt for the job appropriate for your qualifications.

Good luck!

mellowgeorge, it is just a stepping stone..

just so i can have an work experience here..

and income for now.. im gettin rotten here in our house..

just sucks that most companies here look for your histories!!!

credit, resident, work..

of course i dnt have that for now..

[AlHayatZween 2]

Hello everyone,

So I just called USCIS since it's been 90 days from date of receipt that I have not got any update on my EAD or AP, also after filing a service request last monday. So the lady looked at my file and I did not have to mention interim EAD, she after looking at my file suggested that I can do two things:

1. apply for interim EAD over the phone

2. Go to my local office and apply there, where she also stated that they do not issue Interim EAD at the office but they look at your eligibility and apply for you. And since my local office is about 2 hours away, i just applied over the phone.

So she gave me a confirmation number and said that if I don't hear anything within 45 days to call them again. So either way, still waiting. They should have interim EADs expedited like something like within a week, and not 45 days.

So I hope this helps some of you guys waiting. I mean the officer was nice and all and it does not benefit anyone if you get mad or frustrated with them because they are not the one issuing them to you and they have very little information on your status. All they can do is apply and follow procedure, so all we can do is just pray and wait.

Good luck all

Thanks for sharing, Time!

Yes, this sounds like what the woman mentioned to me last week. i really hope you get the EAD soon... an additional 45 days is ridiculous...

Did she mention at all what the hold-up might be?

Edited December 17, 2008 by AlHayatZween

[time1300 0]

Hello everyone,

So I just called USCIS since it's been 90 days from date of receipt that I have not got any update on my EAD or AP, also after filing a service request last monday. So the lady looked at my file and I did not have to mention interim EAD, she after looking at my file suggested that I can do two things:

1. apply for interim EAD over the phone

2. Go to my local office and apply there, where she also stated that they do not issue Interim EAD at the office but they look at your eligibility and apply for you. And since my local office is about 2 hours away, i just applied over the phone.

So she gave me a confirmation number and said that if I don't hear anything within 45 days to call them again. So either way, still waiting. They should have interim EADs expedited like something like within a week, and not 45 days.

So I hope this helps some of you guys waiting. I mean the officer was nice and all and it does not benefit anyone if you get mad or frustrated with them because they are not the one issuing them to you and they have very little information on your status. All they can do is apply and follow procedure, so all we can do is just pray and wait.

Good luck all

Thanks for sharing, Time!

Yes, this sounds like what the woman mentioned to me last week. i really hope you get the EAD soon... an additional 45 days is ridiculous...

Did she mention at all what the hold-up might be?

No she didn't mention why the hold up and like i said I didn't call because they are just doing their job on protocol and they do not have any info on the status of our files that we do not have ourselves. I mean even when she pulls up our files, it's the same that is updated on the USCIS website and they do not have any jurisdiction to look into it. So I just left it at that and maybe by calling twice and putting in a service request, maybe I will get an answer sooner than later.

[envy_me 18]

When I was looking for a job, I looked in a bunch of websites: craigslist, monster.com, idealist.org, etc. Google them and apply to as many as you can in order to keep your options as open as possible. Look up companies and organizations that you are interested in working with and go to their careers page to see if there are any openings. Don't, and I cannot stress this enough, let go of any lead even if you're sure that you've landed a job until you've officially start your first day.

I hope this helps! I understand the frustration of job-hunting well but if you don't give up, you'll get that dream job one day.

that is what i do too!

i send as many resumes as i can in a day!!

i also look up companies that i like then click the "careers" button!

hoping they got a vacant position for me..

[AlHayatZween 2]

No she didn't mention why the hold up and like i said I didn't call because they are just doing their job on protocol and they do not have any info on the status of our files that we do not have ourselves. I mean even when she pulls up our files, it's the same that is updated on the USCIS website and they do not have any jurisdiction to look into it. So I just left it at that and maybe by calling twice and putting in a service request, maybe I will get an answer sooner than later.

i hope so!

i'm about to ban myself from the USCIS website again for a few days...

good luck!

[alexpapa 4]

When I was looking for a job, I looked in a bunch of websites: craigslist, monster.com, idealist.org, etc. Google them and apply to as many as you can in order to keep your options as open as possible. Look up companies and organizations that you are interested in working with and go to their careers page to see if there are any openings. Don't, and I cannot stress this enough, let go of any lead even if you're sure that you've landed a job until you've officially start your first day.

I hope this helps! I understand the frustration of job-hunting well but if you don't give up, you'll get that dream job one day.

that is what i do too!

i send as many resumes as i can in a day!!

i also look up companies that i like then click the "careers" button!

hoping they got a vacant position for me..

being more selective instead does help, for instance I advertise positions on careerbuilder.com and I can tell who is mass-applying, no cover letter and no personalization - if you take more time and even slightly edit your resume for each application and show interest in the company you want to work for, you will have a better chance of getting the position in the first place, earning more money and most likely moving up the ranks quicker.

but that's just my advice, use it or don't use it

[envy_me 18]

.

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AnneLise+Mark......08/30.........09/18..10/15..K1...*................
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slapointe..........09/10..09/12..09/16..09/30..O1........A.....N/A...
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LynnandAhmed.......09/26..09/28..10/06..10/25..K1......12/15....A....01/26..
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blukiss24..........09/29..09/30..10/07..10/28..K1...*...N/A..........
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j.kevs.............09/29..10/01..10/09..11/05..K1.......N/A...12/15..
lucie&damon........09/30..10/03..10/07..10/29..K1........A...........




- case at CSC..
- case at MSC/NBC..
- case at local office..
- A = approved..
- P = pending approval..
- N/A = no application submitted..
- last update : charramal..



--------------------------------------------------------------
good luck everyone!
--------------------------------------------------------------






.

[envy_me 18]

being more selective instead does help, for instance I advertise positions on careerbuilder.com and I can tell who is mass-applying, no cover letter and no personalization - if you take more time and even slightly edit your resume for each application and show interest in the company you want to work for, you will have a better chance of getting the position in the first place, earning more money and most likely moving up the ranks quicker.

but that's just my advice, use it or don't use it

i do this to the jobs that i really like..

but to the jobs that i just wanna have for now.. im mass-applying!

i just wanna work soonie!!!!! it sucks to stay home for 6 months!!!!

today, dec 17 is my 6th month here, i feel rotten..

i tried to do volunteer work the first few months that i got here..

but they still asked for something that i dnt have like histories and all..

[alexpapa 4]

being more selective instead does help, for instance I advertise positions on careerbuilder.com and I can tell who is mass-applying, no cover letter and no personalization - if you take more time and even slightly edit your resume for each application and show interest in the company you want to work for, you will have a better chance of getting the position in the first place, earning more money and most likely moving up the ranks quicker.

but that's just my advice, use it or don't use it

i do this to the jobs that i really like..

but to the jobs that i just wanna have for now.. im mass-applying!

i just wanna work soonie!!!!! it sucks to stay home for 6 months!!!!

today, dec 17 is my 6th month here, i feel rotten..

i tried to do volunteer work the first few months that i got here..

but they still asked for something that i dnt have like histories and all..

have you tried job fairs?

[lucie&damon 0]

Thanks for the great advices guys!!

I will try to do so!

I totally agree that it's who you know which is important! the sad thing is I don't know many people here yet! I'm new here and Damon is new too in Colorado. All the people we know works at the same place and there's no jobs opening. or when there is one it's always a scientist job...

I'm in contact with french groups and international houses at the university here in Fort Collins (used to be a volunteer there) , but there's no jobs and people tell me that I shouldn't expect any job opening this year or next year etc.

I hope I will be lucky and see a good opportnity soon! ... and if my EAD get approved one day...

[envy_me 18]

have you tried job fairs?

no.. i dnt know how job fair works..

never tried that even back at home..

is it out in the open or inside somewhere?

cos i dnt think i would like to go if it's out in the open..

it's friggin cold out!