Dealing with Online Job Applications

[KHPerfectMatch 1]

My husband got his EAD a week ago. (We've had his social security card for months!) He doesn't have any job skills from "back home" that are particularly transferable here so he is fine with any entry level position....

Many companies require you to complete online job applications. Today we did about 4 or 5 of them and I nearly went INSANE because they don't give you any chance to record information that doesn't have a STATE and ZIP CODE. Those are required fields and if you want to put a college in Egypt, it won't accept it because there is no STATE or ZIP CODE. I tried to "cheat" and write in Egypt and of course it wouldn't let me...

We are also going crazy because he has no verifiable employment (he was self-employed much of his life) and there's no chance to write in that he is newly arrived in the USA and so it looks like he's 47 and never had a job! Even thinking of references that are not relatives was difficult considering he's only been here a few months.

We are also debating whether or not to reveal that he has a degree. If he is applying for entry level positions maybe it's better not to mention it.... but then again we don't want them to think that he isn't educated... He in fact had a very posh upbringing in private British schools... etc.

If they saw him they would have a totally different impression than they do reading a print out from an online form we fill out! But there's no chance unless they invite him to an interview... which seems unlikely if they see the only info we were able to make the form accept!

Any suggestions? Anyone else that has found a way around this?

K and H

[msnoob 3]

Many companies that require online applications allow you to upload documents at the end of the process. I would create a resume that could highlight your husband's abilities and upload it at the end of the process.

Best of luck!!

[KHPerfectMatch 1]

Many companies that require online applications allow you to upload documents at the end of the process. I would create a resume that could highlight your husband's abilities and upload it at the end of the process.

Best of luck!!

None of them allowed for that option at all.... Of course the resume is a whole different problem... but at least it gives you a chance to explain...

Thanks for the good wishes...

[Aymsgirl 0]

We had similar issues. My husband was an attorney in Egypt and we think that it really has hindered him with job applications. At least if you could put an application in person they could put a name with a face. I would just put what experience he has with anything on there and hopefully they will see something as an asset. My husband had some luck with the temporary agencies like CBS, Job Store, places like that. Best wishes!

[KHPerfectMatch 1]

We had similar issues. My husband was an attorney in Egypt and we think that it really has hindered him with job applications. At least if you could put an application in person they could put a name with a face. I would just put what experience he has with anything on there and hopefully they will see something as an asset. My husband had some luck with the temporary agencies like CBS, Job Store, places like that. Best wishes!

It seems like this gets harder every day.... but we did go to an Employment Agency today and they will interview him on Thursday. The lady there is an immigrant from South Africa so she totally understood his situation! They do have entry level positions coming up, but all are a long distance from us.

I keep nagging him about at least trying to pass the written driving test. We ordered some English/Arabic/Arabic/English dictionaries online today. The words in the driving manual aren't abundantly clear to him... (implied consent? - wasn't clear to me either the first time I heard the term)... He promises to take a first stab at it next week. I'm so frustrated that they seem to have the manual and exam in every other language on the planet except arabic! And no translators allowed... just a dictionary.

One day at a time eh?

[Aymsgirl 0]

We had similar issues. My husband was an attorney in Egypt and we think that it really has hindered him with job applications. At least if you could put an application in person they could put a name with a face. I would just put what experience he has with anything on there and hopefully they will see something as an asset. My husband had some luck with the temporary agencies like CBS, Job Store, places like that. Best wishes!

It seems like this gets harder every day.... but we did go to an Employment Agency today and they will interview him on Thursday. The lady there is an immigrant from South Africa so she totally understood his situation! They do have entry level positions coming up, but all are a long distance from us.

I keep nagging him about at least trying to pass the written driving test. We ordered some English/Arabic/Arabic/English dictionaries online today. The words in the driving manual aren't abundantly clear to him... (implied consent? - wasn't clear to me either the first time I heard the term)... He promises to take a first stab at it next week. I'm so frustrated that they seem to have the manual and exam in every other language on the planet except arabic! And no translators allowed... just a dictionary.

One day at a time eh?

I know this is very hard fetch here but the stuff my husband didn't understand we typed it up and he lingo'd it from a translation source he had on our pc. He also took his written exam and failed it before we did this. He couldn't get an Arabic manual but in Ohio he was able to take the test in Arabic. When he did this he said it made total common sense to him. That sucks they can not give him the exam in Arabic....... I know it is money but have thought about having somebody sit down with him and go over the manual with him? I checked into a company that did that here. They went over the entire guide, would make sure that the person understood and would actually drive him/her to the written exam. Of course there was a fee.....I also had a private instructor drive with my husband for two hours. He said he taught the teacher and the teacher taught him nothing. I can't say I actually agree with him or not...you know how funny these guys can be.

It is good though that he will interview Thursday with the temporary agency. Maybe they can at least keep him in their system for something closer. The job my husband had worked well with my schedule but we had to drive 35-40 min. each way. It sucked but it gave him a few months of work and some money of his own with experience on his resume.

Best wishes to you.