Old Job, New Job

[Piefre 15]

I worked full time before leaving Canada for the US and given my area's phenomenal lack of job opportunities, I wanted to know how everyone else fared when they moved to the US. What did you do before coming here and what do you do now? What was your first job in the US? My EAD is a couple of months out, but it would be interesting to see how everyone did transitioning careers when they did their big move.

In Canada I was a graphic artist for a courseware company. I'm hoping for the same kind of work here, but many of the positions in courseware seem to require US citizenship which has me rather worried.

[decocker 7,198]

i don't know about your field of expertise but if you're willing to be flexible, it's relatively easy to get a job. orfee has two jobs - he's a valet at a local hotel and houseman at a b&b. since he speaks french, has an accent, he's a bit exotic to most folks out here in our neck of virginia and he makes better tips because of it (lots of canadians, particularly from quebec, pass through our area on their way to FL ). as soon as he received his ead last year he dove headfirst into the hunt and things fell into place quite nicely. actually he's meeting a woman on saturday to pick up a third source of income - simply speaking french with this woman's young children a couple hours a week! i think it is a combination of personality,skill and location. having a second language helps, too.

[Udella&Wiz 325]

I worked full time before leaving Canada for the US and given my area's phenomenal lack of job opportunities, I wanted to know how everyone else fared when they moved to the US. What did you do before coming here and what do you do now? What was your first job in the US? My EAD is a couple of months out, but it would be interesting to see how everyone did transitioning careers when they did their big move.

In Canada I was a graphic artist for a courseware company. I'm hoping for the same kind of work here, but many of the positions in courseware seem to require US citizenship which has me rather worried.

I worked in IT doing QA and software testing and I do the same thing now. One of the first companies I applied to hired me and I've been there ever since (4 yrs in March) and love it. I had no plans to take a lesser job then what I'd been already doing for 10 yrs+ so I guess my expectations were high? I wouldn't get too discouraged about the 'requiring US citizenship' thing. Many positions will say that but will accept folks who are not...unless you would be doing government work and that would require citizenship.

I found the pay quite a bit better, in fact I realized that the Cdn company probably hadn't been paying me enough in hindsight. It was a 15K improvement upon hiring so I didn't mind that at all. As a Graphic artist, I expect you could also do freelance work as well? Might be an oportunity to expand there.

Edited February 1, 2012 by Udella&Wiz

[canada_socks 97]

When I lived in Canada, I was an assistant manager at a McDonalds. I made a very decent salary. I am still waiting on my EAD, but have no idea what I want to do. I know I could easily get a job at another McD's here (I have a glowing reference from my former bosses), but I want to get away from the food industry. Although, any job is better than no job!

[SapphireDreams 71]

I work in public relations and basically did a seamless job switch. I was pretty strategic though and had planned to work a couple of years in Toronto to build my work experience knowing that I was going to eventually move to NYC to be with my husband. I had researched the industry and knew that agency jobs were the most abundant, and found myself to be pretty good at that side of the industry, so I've stuck with it. I started going on informational interviews and applying to jobs as soon as I moved here. I used my network in Toronto to set me up with people in New York.

I think the job market here is decent, but it really depends on where you are moving. Larger cities have better job opportunities, hands down. People make longer commutes to work at jobs in cities. Like Udella said, I've found the pay is much better too. I make more money than a lot of my friends in Canada in the same industry who have higher level jobs.

Since you're in graphic design, I'd start researching what the opportunities are like in your area, create an amazing resume that really markets yourself well (I spent my first month in the US really perfecting my resume and cover letter) and then apply like crazy to jobs.

The city you're moving to will likely dictate how easy it is for you.

[Piefre 15]

Thanks for your feedback, everybody. The industry I want to be in here isn't too bad. There are definitely a lot of companies doing what I was doing before. I guess I'm just nervous because I was fresh out of college and only worked a couple of years before moving. I'm polishing up my resume right now in anticipation of that EAD. Another question? Does anyone mention the EAD on their resume? How did you word it if you did?

[SapphireDreams 71]

Thanks for your feedback, everybody. The industry I want to be in here isn't too bad. There are definitely a lot of companies doing what I was doing before. I guess I'm just nervous because I was fresh out of college and only worked a couple of years before moving. I'm polishing up my resume right now in anticipation of that EAD. Another question? Does anyone mention the EAD on their resume? How did you word it if you did?

I wouldn't be nervous at all. You're in a very good spot not being entry level because I find that entry level jobs in the US are highly competitive because there are SO many college grads here. Your experience is worth a lot, even if only a couple of years.

I did not mention the EAD personally. But did mention to HR reps that I did not require any kind of visa sponsorship and had a work permit.

[Udella&Wiz 325]

Thanks for your feedback, everybody. The industry I want to be in here isn't too bad. There are definitely a lot of companies doing what I was doing before. I guess I'm just nervous because I was fresh out of college and only worked a couple of years before moving. I'm polishing up my resume right now in anticipation of that EAD. Another question? Does anyone mention the EAD on their resume? How did you word it if you did?

No - I wouldn't. You're authorized to work and the only time you'll need to show it is when you're hired. You may be asked questions at the interview due to your resume showing only experience in Canada of course and a short honest answer is best. Not every company understands (although in a metro area they usually do)what an EAD is. One thing I did do on my resume was account for the gap between ending my previous job and when I was applying for the job since it was about 4 months. Obviously my experience was back in Canada so they might have looked at my resume and thought I was trying to move here for a work VISA. I cannot remember how I worded it but I just laid out the facts....I had moved to the US through marriage and I was looking to restart my career which I had very much enjoyed for x yrs and been successful at...blah blah blah.

I just figured I'd call it out rather then having them guess. I like the previous post where the person mentioned explaining it to HR/recruiterduring the interview. Worked like a charm because like I said, 1 of the first companies hired me.

Edited February 4, 2012 by Udella&Wiz