Advice on finding a job

[Chris&Lin 0]

Hey all,

I successfully emigrated to the US at the end of April 2012 and got married in July. I finally got my permanent residency card (green card) through in January and was very excited to start job hunting however after 3 1/2 months of no success I'm starting to get very disheartened and therefore thought about turning to VJ for advice.

Firstly; I have a BSc from a British university and also an associates degree equivalent and AP classes (all of which have been converted to US equivalents through WES). I also have 3 years experience in a architectural firm where I developed many transferable skills that can be utilised in a job.

We live in Ohio however will relocate anywhere to get work, however preferably it'd be Ohio or West Virginia and I'm applying for any jobs in management or a supervisory role due to experience and the supporting degrees.

My problem is that my wife has been in her job in a medical field for 12 years and therefore does not have any established networks outside of that field. I am primarily looking to get into a business field hence the management or supervisory roles but without networking it appears I have the limited options of going on websites such as careerbuilder or monster, or looking in the classifieds section of the newspaper but these are proving very unsuccessful. I must have applied to easily over 500 jobs and only heard back from potential employers 10-15 times with interviews being given 6 times. It's starting to become frustrating therefore any advice on the issue would be appreciated.

I am honestly not sure where to begin outside of the internet resources as I am ideally looking for a graduate position or even a graduate entry level position. As previously stated any advice with regards to your experiences is appreciated and any advice in general. I have tweaked my resume several times but I find it hard to translate all of my attributes as it's my perception they see the sentence regarding me being a greencard holder or having an english education and instantly dismiss the application.

I love being here with my wife and family however being unable to find work is meaning I am nothing more than a burden to them. I set a deadline of August before I look for work back in England and potentially the wife will move back with me.

[Mariana2012 89]

It took my American husband four months to get a job when we relocated so I doubt that you having a greecard is an issue. Perhaps look outside your area of expertise? And temporarily lower your standards?

Edited April 11, 2013 by Mariana2012

[LeftCoastLady 441]

As Mariana noted, you may need to lower your expectations a bit. Land the first job and then go from there to work up to where you want to be. Even though you have the background, from an employer's perspective, you're starting at square one.

For the opportunities where you got to the interview stage, what were the reasons you weren't selected? Hone in on that and determine if there's something you need to do to make yourself more marketable to an employer based on that feedback.

Look for regional/local groups that focus on architecture or something else that is relevant to your prior work experiences -- LinkedIn is also a good source for this as well. While online job searching is a great thing, it shouldn't be the only part of the job search. You need to get out and meet people who can put in a good word for you and build professional relationships on your own.

Hey all,

I successfully emigrated to the US at the end of April 2012 and got married in July. I finally got my permanent residency card (green card) through in January and was very excited to start job hunting however after 3 1/2 months of no success I'm starting to get very disheartened and therefore thought about turning to VJ for advice.

Firstly; I have a BSc from a British university and also an associates degree equivalent and AP classes (all of which have been converted to US equivalents through WES). I also have 3 years experience in a architectural firm where I developed many transferable skills that can be utilised in a job.

We live in Ohio however will relocate anywhere to get work, however preferably it'd be Ohio or West Virginia and I'm applying for any jobs in management or a supervisory role due to experience and the supporting degrees.

My problem is that my wife has been in her job in a medical field for 12 years and therefore does not have any established networks outside of that field. I am primarily looking to get into a business field hence the management or supervisory roles but without networking it appears I have the limited options of going on websites such as careerbuilder or monster, or looking in the classifieds section of the newspaper but these are proving very unsuccessful. I must have applied to easily over 500 jobs and only heard back from potential employers 10-15 times with interviews being given 6 times. It's starting to become frustrating therefore any advice on the issue would be appreciated.

I am honestly not sure where to begin outside of the internet resources as I am ideally looking for a graduate position or even a graduate entry level position. As previously stated any advice with regards to your experiences is appreciated and any advice in general. I have tweaked my resume several times but I find it hard to translate all of my attributes as it's my perception they see the sentence regarding me being a greencard holder or having an english education and instantly dismiss the application.

I love being here with my wife and family however being unable to find work is meaning I am nothing more than a burden to them. I set a deadline of August before I look for work back in England and potentially the wife will move back with me.

[LeftCoastLady 441]

Removing double-post.

Edited April 11, 2013 by LeftCoastLady

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Why does your resume say you are a Greencard holder or have a sentence that you have an English education? That shouldn't be on a resume. AP classes also shouldn't be on a resume (they are just uni level classes you take in high school and eventually become a part of your uni degree). Also if you have a bachelor's you don't need to put that you have an Associates. (especially if you only "have" it from an evaluation agency). Have you had a professional evaluation service look at your resume? Are you looking to work in Architecture? You need a license for that, have you looked into taking the licensing exam? What field is your bachelor's in?

[dandk 72]

As Mariana noted, you may need to lower your expectations a bit. Land the first job and then go from there to work up to where you want to be. Even though you have the background, from an employer's perspective, you're starting at square one.

For the opportunities where you got to the interview stage, what were the reasons you weren't selected? Hone in on that and determine if there's something you need to do to make yourself more marketable to an employer based on that feedback.

Look for regional/local groups that focus on architecture or something else that is relevant to your prior work experiences -- LinkedIn is also a good source for this as well. While online job searching is a great thing, it shouldn't be the only part of the job search. You need to get out and meet people who can put in a good word for you and build professional relationships on your own.

We can vouch for Linkedin. A month after my wife received her EAD, she got interview for a management position via Monster.com from a global manufacturing company. The HR manager actually looked at her resume posted on Linkedin, in addition to more than 200 of endorsements on her network. I myself from time to time receive offers from headhunters nationwide in addition to weekly job listings on Linkedin. You need to make sure your resume is up to date. As far as Monster.com, there are too many of job listings posted by temp agencies. You will have to read between the lines on the lists.

[Ellesse 11]

Hi there

Hope you don't mind me pitching in here, but I noticed that your profile states that you live in Lancaster, Ohio, and I'm here too, so wondered if I could provide you with some local information about groups that might be useful for networking in and around the Lancaster area.

Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce, Lancaster: http://www.lancoc.org/

Young Professionals of Lancaster: https://www.facebook.com/YoungProfessionalsofLancaster

Young Professionals of Columbus: http://www.ypcolumbus.org/

There are also some professional meetup groups on meetup.com that might be worth looking into, although I haven't looked at these in any great detail: http://professional-networking.meetup.com/cities/us/oh/columbus/

Other posts have mentioned architecture, so I didn't know if you would have tried the American Institute of Architects, Columbus chapter.

I've not checked out their websites, but there are other groups that may be help too: Kiwanis, the Rotary Club or getting involved in volunteering to, again, make those connections.

Would also like to add that, on a personal note, I found networking in Lancaster pretty tough (and still do), but hang in there! If you need any further information, then let me know.

Good luck!

L

[Chris&Lin 0]

Hey all,

Apologies for the very belated response, i've been swamped recently but I thank you all for your input and will definitely take all comments into consideration.

It took my American husband four months to get a job when we relocated so I doubt that you having a greecard is an issue. Perhaps look outside your area of expertise? And temporarily lower your standards?

Hey Mariana,

I've been looking for a generic job in business currently so any form of management whether it be; retail, industrial, manufacturing, restaurant or HRM/other business sector. I've not had much look currently but I have applied for lower positions such as trainee manager etc etc. I have 3 years management and supervisory experience and therefore don't perceive it as out of my reach and don't really want to put aside my education just to find a job. Hopefully i'll fall into an entry level position but I'm concentrating on networking and hopefully that'll open the door.

As Mariana noted, you may need to lower your expectations a bit. Land the first job and then go from there to work up to where you want to be. Even though you have the background, from an employer's perspective, you're starting at square one.

For the opportunities where you got to the interview stage, what were the reasons you weren't selected? Hone in on that and determine if there's something you need to do to make yourself more marketable to an employer based on that feedback.

Look for regional/local groups that focus on architecture or something else that is relevant to your prior work experiences -- LinkedIn is also a good source for this as well. While online job searching is a great thing, it shouldn't be the only part of the job search. You need to get out and meet people who can put in a good word for you and build professional relationships on your own.

Hey LeftCoastLady,

During the interview stage I did very well, I actually got offered one of the jobs. However I turned it down due to it being too heavily commission based and not enough job security. I've tweaked my resume as I've been meeting with a career advisor and hopefully that'll get me more interviews in which I can fully highlight my skill set. I have no problem lowering my standards but only to a certain level as I don't want to disregard my education as previously stated.

I'll definitely be checking linkedin out!

Why does your resume say you are a Greencard holder or have a sentence that you have an English education? That shouldn't be on a resume. AP classes also shouldn't be on a resume (they are just uni level classes you take in high school and eventually become a part of your uni degree). Also if you have a bachelor's you don't need to put that you have an Associates. (especially if you only "have" it from an evaluation agency). Have you had a professional evaluation service look at your resume? Are you looking to work in Architecture? You need a license for that, have you looked into taking the licensing exam? What field is your bachelor's in?

My cover letter states I am a permanent resident and have an english education. My resume is tweaked now to conform to american standards and i've been meeting with a career advisor to assist me. I added the additional information to my cover letter as due to relocating to america I have a large gap in my employment history and therefore felt the need to provide the supporting information. Also to ensure they understand that I do not require sponsorship to work for them.

As far as the field I'm looking in; it's business mainly and that's why I added it to my resume. As an architectural technologist I developed specialised skills but also generic skills that are transferable to any industry; most definitely business. I'd have to re-train for a year to be involved in architecture and that is something i'm not wanting to do.

We can vouch for Linkedin. A month after my wife received her EAD, she got interview for a management position via Monster.com from a global manufacturing company. The HR manager actually looked at her resume posted on Linkedin, in addition to more than 200 of endorsements on her network. I myself from time to time receive offers from headhunters nationwide in addition to weekly job listings on Linkedin. You need to make sure your resume is up to date. As far as Monster.com, there are too many of job listings posted by temp agencies. You will have to read between the lines on the lists.

Hey Dandk,

I will definitely take a look at Linkedin so thanks alot.

Hi there

Hope you don't mind me pitching in here, but I noticed that your profile states that you live in Lancaster, Ohio, and I'm here too, so wondered if I could provide you with some local information about groups that might be useful for networking in and around the Lancaster area.

Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce, Lancaster: http://www.lancoc.org/

Young Professionals of Lancaster: https://www.facebook.com/YoungProfessionalsofLancaster

Young Professionals of Columbus: http://www.ypcolumbus.org/

There are also some professional meetup groups on meetup.com that might be worth looking into, although I haven't looked at these in any great detail: http://professional-networking.meetup.com/cities/us/oh/columbus/

Other posts have mentioned architecture, so I didn't know if you would have tried the American Institute of Architects, Columbus chapter.

I've not checked out their websites, but there are other groups that may be help too: Kiwanis, the Rotary Club or getting involved in volunteering to, again, make those connections.

Would also like to add that, on a personal note, I found networking in Lancaster pretty tough (and still do), but hang in there! If you need any further information, then let me know.

Good luck!

L

Hey Ellesse,

Thanks for the information it'll definitely help. I met your husband today by chance as well and you have a great guy.

The networking groups are something that I will definitely be looking at; just to get my foot in the door with anyone with any business contacts or contacts looking for engineering/architectural assistance. My degree is transferable but my skill set with relation to the industry isn't. We learnt everything with regards to british standards and british building regs and therefore i'd need to spend a year at school re-training. That's something i'm not willing to do even though I know it'll exponentially increase my earnings and job potential. I just hope I can find something and I'm happy to re-train (in-house) with regards to any role.

Thanks for the input/assistance

-------------

Thanks all, the responses are greatly appreciated and I will check out the suggestions.

Edited April 24, 2013 by Chris&Lin