How Did You Find Work In The US Without US Work Experience?

[Canadianmade 1]

Hi everybody how are you? I just want to ask you guys, for the people in the process of finding work or to the people who are working right now, where did you look for work, and how long did it take you guys to find work? I also want to ask and for us immigrants, we have no US work experience or references here, so did it make it tough for you guys to find work and what kind of jobs were you aiming for?

Here's a little background on me: I am in the process of looking for work here in the US, and we all know that the economy is terrible right now. I did get my EAD in the mail last friday, and I am waiting for my SSN to come in the mail. My work experience is in Customer Service, so I am trying to aim for jobs in that area. I am willing to take anything right now, to gain work experience, and to make money. I do have a 2yr diploma back in Canada in Accounting, but I have no desire to persue it at all. I do plan to go back to school to become a social work while working to get a bachelors degree because nowadays you have to have an education. Can you guys share any tips and info about your stories on finding work in the US?

Thank you in advance.

Hi CandianMade,

If you are in Ohio, as ur profile says, Honda goes nuts over any kind of a college degree (Doesn't matter what it is). You can also try a Home Depot or Lowes near you. The bigger retailers and home improvement stores also love college degrees of any kind. (mentality being that you are more mature and more social, and will be nicer to customers). Give it a try, chances are they won't start you at the bottom either.

Hi SteveandTiff, thank you for sharing your tips with me, and you know what, I will consider whatever company and job I can get, so I will absoueltly take your advice and look into the companies you mentioned above. Yes I am in Ohio. How did you find your first job and what kind of job was it? Thanks again.

It seems like my last post was deleted.....so lemme try again.

Hi Canadian

I'm the USC so I'm the one with the more solid foundation. I've worked a fantastic array of jobs since childhood from potato chip fryer to steam presser. I'm now in the field of Criminal Law.

My wife Tiff, came here as a visitor, and she fell in love with the land. She ran out of $$ and had to take a part time job. Being in NYC, jobs are always available as long as one's not picky. She's now going to school to be a cosmotologist.

We are indeed in trying times on a global scale. But America is very resilient as a whole, and we will get through it. We are in a dip in a long trend cycle of our economy.

My further advice to you is, look everywhere, look hard, the more you look, the more chances you'll get. This afterall, is the land of opportunity. And it's there. Goodluck, and let us know how you make out.

Thanks again SteveAndTiff for the advice and wow you sure do have worked at all different kinds of jobs. I respect people like yourself because you worked hard to get to where you are at and do you like working in the Criminal Law field?

I came to the US as a visitor as well and that is where I came to be with my wife. NYC definately has plenty of jobs compare to Ohio LOL, but it is true what you said, if you want a job, you cant be picky. Good for Tiff for going to school and hope she gets a job in her field.

I will definately take you up on your advice and everything you said is very true. Thank you for the advice.

[Canadianmade 1]

my husband is from Morocco with little to no work experience even there

not to mention that no matter what credentials and experience you may have from abroad, it is no guarantee that once here you will be able to get a job in your field or any job at all for that matter.

i worked for a security company and left on excellent terms

my boss knew my husband would come and need a job and he told me that he was welcome to apply when he came

when the greencard came we went there and NO QUESTIONS asked.

it was an easy "in" for him, a way to make money and establish his work history here

it may not be the best job but for him it is just fine for about 6 months until he can search and find something better

i am so proud of him

we are blessed

Hi sandrila thank you for sharing your husbands story here and I am glad that he was able to find work once he got here. I tell you these days its not what you know, its who you know that gets you the job. I agree with the statement you said about having all the credientals and work experience from abroad verus someone with little to no work experience, when you come to the US, you are starting from sratch.

I think that is so cool that you left your previous employer on good terms, its always helps and it may even be benefical like in the case for your husband it was.

Hopefully down the line he will find work he enjoys and it sure is all about building experience on the resume and building up those references.

[SAT 9,609]

Hi everybody how are you? I just want to ask you guys, for the people in the process of finding work or to the people who are working right now, where did you look for work, and how long did it take you guys to find work? I also want to ask and for us immigrants, we have no US work experience or references here, so did it make it tough for you guys to find work and what kind of jobs were you aiming for?

Here's a little background on me: I am in the process of looking for work here in the US, and we all know that the economy is terrible right now. I did get my EAD in the mail last friday, and I am waiting for my SSN to come in the mail. My work experience is in Customer Service, so I am trying to aim for jobs in that area. I am willing to take anything right now, to gain work experience, and to make money. I do have a 2yr diploma back in Canada in Accounting, but I have no desire to persue it at all. I do plan to go back to school to become a social work while working to get a bachelors degree because nowadays you have to have an education. Can you guys share any tips and info about your stories on finding work in the US?

Thank you in advance.

Hi CandianMade,

If you are in Ohio, as ur profile says, Honda goes nuts over any kind of a college degree (Doesn't matter what it is). You can also try a Home Depot or Lowes near you. The bigger retailers and home improvement stores also love college degrees of any kind. (mentality being that you are more mature and more social, and will be nicer to customers). Give it a try, chances are they won't start you at the bottom either.

Hi SteveandTiff, thank you for sharing your tips with me, and you know what, I will consider whatever company and job I can get, so I will absoueltly take your advice and look into the companies you mentioned above. Yes I am in Ohio. How did you find your first job and what kind of job was it? Thanks again.

It seems like my last post was deleted.....so lemme try again.

Hi Canadian

I'm the USC so I'm the one with the more solid foundation. I've worked a fantastic array of jobs since childhood from potato chip fryer to steam presser. I'm now in the field of Criminal Law.

My wife Tiff, came here as a visitor, and she fell in love with the land. She ran out of $$ and had to take a part time job. Being in NYC, jobs are always available as long as one's not picky. She's now going to school to be a cosmotologist.

We are indeed in trying times on a global scale. But America is very resilient as a whole, and we will get through it. We are in a dip in a long trend cycle of our economy.

My further advice to you is, look everywhere, look hard, the more you look, the more chances you'll get. This afterall, is the land of opportunity. And it's there. Goodluck, and let us know how you make out.

Thanks again SteveAndTiff for the advice and wow you sure do have worked at all different kinds of jobs. I respect people like yourself because you worked hard to get to where you are at and do you like working in the Criminal Law field?

I came to the US as a visitor as well and that is where I came to be with my wife. NYC definately has plenty of jobs compare to Ohio LOL, but it is true what you said, if you want a job, you cant be picky. Good for Tiff for going to school and hope she gets a job in her field.

I will definately take you up on your advice and everything you said is very true. Thank you for the advice.

I can't stand my job Canadian......lol I'm thinking about opening an immigration service.....

Edited January 19, 2009 by SteveAndTiff

[sherry0201 0]

I had a really hard time finding a job. I grabbed whatever possible for me. Even though I have a BA from university in US, lacking of US working experience made everything very hard.

I put some of my professors' names and some of my friends.But, you know they do not really know what kind of employee I can be. They just know me.

So, I grabbed a job which was not the best job for me. But, I get to know a lot of people and I am trying to build a good work relationship with my boss, so I can put her on my reference list.

What do you really mean,

it is not what you know, it is who you know ?

A lot of people who I work with say the same thing.

Do you mean that a lot of employers do reference check to decide if they want to hire me or not?

Do you mean you get a job through people you know?

[kaffy 2]

Do you mean that a lot of employers do reference check to decide if they want to hire me or not?

Definitely. Potential employers usually don't check references until after the job interview and a good/bad reference check can no doubt determine whether you are offered the position or not

I think only professional references should be included.

Do you mean you get a job through people you know?

Yup! Networking is very important in the workplace.

[Canadianmade 1]

Hi everybody how are you? I just want to ask you guys, for the people in the process of finding work or to the people who are working right now, where did you look for work, and how long did it take you guys to find work? I also want to ask and for us immigrants, we have no US work experience or references here, so did it make it tough for you guys to find work and what kind of jobs were you aiming for?

Here's a little background on me: I am in the process of looking for work here in the US, and we all know that the economy is terrible right now. I did get my EAD in the mail last friday, and I am waiting for my SSN to come in the mail. My work experience is in Customer Service, so I am trying to aim for jobs in that area. I am willing to take anything right now, to gain work experience, and to make money. I do have a 2yr diploma back in Canada in Accounting, but I have no desire to persue it at all. I do plan to go back to school to become a social work while working to get a bachelors degree because nowadays you have to have an education. Can you guys share any tips and info about your stories on finding work in the US?

Thank you in advance.

Hi CandianMade,

If you are in Ohio, as ur profile says, Honda goes nuts over any kind of a college degree (Doesn't matter what it is). You can also try a Home Depot or Lowes near you. The bigger retailers and home improvement stores also love college degrees of any kind. (mentality being that you are more mature and more social, and will be nicer to customers). Give it a try, chances are they won't start you at the bottom either.

Hi SteveandTiff, thank you for sharing your tips with me, and you know what, I will consider whatever company and job I can get, so I will absoueltly take your advice and look into the companies you mentioned above. Yes I am in Ohio. How did you find your first job and what kind of job was it? Thanks again.

It seems like my last post was deleted.....so lemme try again.

Hi Canadian

I'm the USC so I'm the one with the more solid foundation. I've worked a fantastic array of jobs since childhood from potato chip fryer to steam presser. I'm now in the field of Criminal Law.

My wife Tiff, came here as a visitor, and she fell in love with the land. She ran out of $$ and had to take a part time job. Being in NYC, jobs are always available as long as one's not picky. She's now going to school to be a cosmotologist.

We are indeed in trying times on a global scale. But America is very resilient as a whole, and we will get through it. We are in a dip in a long trend cycle of our economy.

My further advice to you is, look everywhere, look hard, the more you look, the more chances you'll get. This afterall, is the land of opportunity. And it's there. Goodluck, and let us know how you make out.

Thanks again SteveAndTiff for the advice and wow you sure do have worked at all different kinds of jobs. I respect people like yourself because you worked hard to get to where you are at and do you like working in the Criminal Law field?

I came to the US as a visitor as well and that is where I came to be with my wife. NYC definately has plenty of jobs compare to Ohio LOL, but it is true what you said, if you want a job, you cant be picky. Good for Tiff for going to school and hope she gets a job in her field.

I will definately take you up on your advice and everything you said is very true. Thank you for the advice.

I can't stand my job Canadian......lol I'm thinking about opening an immigration service.....

Damn that sucks that you have a job you hate and WOW that would be cool if you did open an immigration service, theres always a need for immigration services. I have definately learned a whole lot about immigration that I never knew about at all before as well as my wife is learning about it as well, before it all, I knew the basics but not in such detail.

[Canadianmade 1]

Do you mean that a lot of employers do reference check to decide if they want to hire me or not?

Definitely. Potential employers usually don't check references until after the job interview and a good/bad reference check can no doubt determine whether you are offered the position or not

I think only professional references should be included.

Do you mean you get a job through people you know?

Yup! Networking is very important in the workplace.

I agree with you kaffy very true indeed what you said here.

[noel_jas 0]

thanks canadianmade for starting this thread. i have started looking for jobs since my EAD was approved but i haven't gotten any call yet. i have been feeling frustrated these past days. last monday i cried when i received an email from the company where i applied as administrative assistant telling me that i was not being considered blah blah blah. i cried because this is a job that's already beyond my skill and yet they won't even consider me for an interview. i started to miss my job back home and the other opportunities that are waiting for me if i stayed there. i began to question my capabilities and all. i thought that i was not good enough but after reading some of the posts here i realized that maybe the reason why they are not calling me for interview is that I don't have a US work experience and not because I am not capable or what. anyway i won't stop looking for job and i will also befriend some of the ppl at our church and maybe they could help me find a job. it is indeed hard to be in a foreign country but having our loved ones by our side eases all the pain and frustration. i think you have good chance since your primary language is also English so just keep looking and i'm sure you will find one soon.

[Canadianmade 1]

thanks canadianmade for starting this thread. i have started looking for jobs since my EAD was approved but i haven't gotten any call yet. i have been feeling frustrated these past days. last monday i cried when i received an email from the company where i applied as administrative assistant telling me that i was not being considered blah blah blah. i cried because this is a job that's already beyond my skill and yet they won't even consider me for an interview. i started to miss my job back home and the other opportunities that are waiting for me if i stayed there. i began to question my capabilities and all. i thought that i was not good enough but after reading some of the posts here i realized that maybe the reason why they are not calling me for interview is that I don't have a US work experience and not because I am not capable or what. anyway i won't stop looking for job and i will also befriend some of the ppl at our church and maybe they could help me find a job. it is indeed hard to be in a foreign country but having our loved ones by our side eases all the pain and frustration. i think you have good chance since your primary language is also English so just keep looking and i'm sure you will find one soon.

Hi pinoy_pinay your welcome for starting this thread, and I personally feel that it is very important to have this discussion because all of us have to go through the same stuggle to find work in the US, and hear other peoples advice and experience does help. I am sorry you are having a hard time landing a job, for one thing the US economy is terrible right now, so there isnt much work out there, and the work that is out there now, they are making tough for everybody US citizens and immigrants to find work. I think it sucks that, US employers dont consider foriegn work experience and high education credentials because, I personally believe they would benefits tremendously. The problem is alot of the US employers have no idea about the whole immigration and legal status stuff. I am in the process of looking for work and will be more after my interview. All I can say is keep looking for that job and dont give up, you will find something, eventhough it may not be something you did before, but it may be close to it and it will lead you to where you want to go in the future. It is hard and frustrating when you dont get the results you want, but it will be all good in the end. Its all about having US work experince and contacts. I agree that having your love ones by your side here does help ease things. Thank you for your word of support, and I hope it wont be too hard for me to land a job, we will see I guess. Good luck to you and let us know when you find something.