How long did it take you to get a job?

[AmyWrites 593]

Nobody wants to hire my husband because he has no US experience. He's in an IT field and will lose if he works in another field. We're very pessimistic about our future (in terms of his career) at this moment.

[pluis 2]

Hm. I arrived precisely a month ago (on CR-1, so I was authorized to work immediately). While I've not received an SSN yet, I've been applying every day and have managed to land a few days of freelance work that is close to my area of expertise. No 'real' job yet, but I'd happily work as a freelancer if I can make enough money that way.

For the record:

I'm in north California, have a Master's degree, five years of relevant experience as an employee and a list of freelance projects outside of those five uears. My field is writing / editing for educational and general texts and translation of non-technical material.

[BekkyBoo 2]

I was a little worried about the job situation and the time it normally takes for the work authorization, but I'm relieved to hear most of you were able to find a job within 1-3 months! That's a beautiful thing!

[Aya_P 17]

Nobody wants to hire my husband because he has no US experience. He's in an IT field and will lose if he works in another field. We're very pessimistic about our future (in terms of his career) at this moment.

im in the same field, in my opinion he can voluteer or intern while he looks for a job, that's what i intend to do

[JnJ13 13]

It took me about 2 months once I got my EAD. But I am not doing exactly what I would like so I am still looking around. I have joined a professional group in my field where I live which has made me MANY contacts and I have a had a few interviews recently. So meeting people and networking is key when you are new to the area/ country. I also don't have a lot of experience it has been difficult. But depending on your field try and meet some other professionals! Hope that helps.

[markonline1 11]

I was offered the position for the first job I applied for. I actually had to wait for my EAad before I could take the post.

[carton025 38]

It is relative to where you live, in a major city, etc.... For part-time, it will probably take about 2-3 months in retail. Primarily filling out online apps. Go to job fairs, etc... Dont limit yourself to full-time only. Try like home depot, five below, lowes, target, hotels, Holiday Inn express tends to have positions. Also, most employers want proof of education, so hopefully you have transcripts from college, or a copy of high school diploma.

The above listed advice is very good.

You may or may not want to consider listing your extended post secondary education on any applications that do not ask for or require it. For me, depending on the qualifications for the job I may be trying to get I may or may not list my college education. You are definitely going to need an SSN since most job applications do ask for an SSN. Get this first.

Best of luck!

Sid

[JP and Tee 13]

hi, did any of you had to get an american equivalent transcript or something for your foreign university academic qualifications? I've been looking at going back to school and found out that might be the requirement for most universities. What about jobs?

[Dan and Judy 614]

My wife didn't try very hard to get a job, her english is still poor, after about 6 months here we started just watching the local newspaper. There was a job advertised in a commercial laundrey, she applied and they called a couple of days later and asked if she could start on monday. There was no interview.

We live in Texas and job market is ok here. There is no Air Conditioning at this job and I wouldn't want to do it, but she is used to the heat in PI and she is happy.

For more perspective my 18 year old

nephew who lived in Ohio and had never worked came to live with me on July 10th. I had him apply just about every place in our relatively small town. maybe

40 places. Today is his first day, he got hired by walmart.

[Cathi 5,771]

It took my husband 5 months to land his first job, and it was a crappy one at Wal-mart. He finally just found a job in his field after 10 months, it's a 6 month contract internship position at less than half the pay than he should be making, but he is very happy that he is getting his foot in the door. He has a BS in computer science with experience in his country and he is VERY fluent in English(better than most born and raised here), but he couldn't find anyone who was willing to hire him with no experience in the US. We live in a part of the country(35 minutes from Boston) where there are literally thousands upon thousands of high tech companies, but it didn't matter. It is difficult for unemployed Americans to find work let alone new immigrants, the economy still hasn't snapped back yet, so be prepared for it to take awhile before you land a job. But I agree with other who have said to not limit yourself to full time. My husband applied for any and all openings, not just in his field, he just wanted to work and contribute. He loves his new job, we are praying that at the end of the contract they hire him permanently.

Edited August 12, 2013 by mimolicious

[Morningmist 76]

Nobody wants to hire my husband because he has no US experience. He's in an IT field and will lose if he works in another field. We're very pessimistic about our future (in terms of his career) at this moment.

Did he mention that he has a GC on his resume? Usually with the H1B cap reached, they might just see a foreign name and think "he needs sponsership". Mention the fact that he has a GC and see if that helps?

[JasMi 1]

I have been looking for a job since end of May 2013 and still have not been successful. I live in San Antonio, TX. My main fields of experience are in marketing and PR /market research and business development. I am educated to master's, and have nearly 10 years of work experience. I apply for full and part time jobs, making sure I meet the position's requirements. However, I feel that having no work experience on the US market is what is hindering me and I am also not a Spanish speaker. I could be wrong but it is hard to determine the real reasons of not being able to secure a job yet in the field I want. I try to stay positive and will keep on looking..Good luck to everyone looking for a job!!

[Jacque67 7,328]

Sobering tales . I have yet to search for work. Good luck everyone.

[Morningmist 76]

Those of you who have degrees, post on LinkedIn your resume. There are quite a few recruiters looking for IT workers. No one on my team is looking for work but we get interview calls without asking every few months. And our company KNOWS that people are trying to poach us. Also remember that having a job makes it easier to get another job, so try not being picky.

Try meetup.com in your area. There are many amateur groups that teach new programming languages, IT skills, business networking and other job skills. Rub shoulders and network. Many of the people there own their companies and are looking for workers. Granted many are looking for someone "cheap" but better to have SOME US work experience than nothing.

[BLAKCAJUN 25]

I'm ideally looking for a position in the marketing/public relations field, but I'm also applying for minimum wage jobs in retail as I'd like to just get out of the house and do something. So I'm not asking for input from people who are in the same field as I am, I'm looking for people to share their varied experiences.

I would suggest trying temporary agencies as well to get you work shortly after you receive your GC. Also, I am not sure where you live but my area has a huge Jamaica/Caribbean network and they are pretty good at helping each other locate employment. I have already started looking around for construction work for my fiance for when he makes it to here.

In my experience, if you are looking for something temporary in retail until you land your dream job, don't put all of your educationas they typically look for people that will be there for several years with no hopes of advancement.

Good Luck you will find something!!!