Having trouble finding my first job :(

[bamarolltide 4]

So, I honestly didn't expect this, this is not how it is in the country I am from which is Mexico, I am from Mexico city and honestly there are jobs everywhere. They don't pay well of course and I know there is a difference here but I just feel like I am doing things wrong? I got my EAD like a week ago and since then I started applying to almost every job I see fits since then but I've done it online, I get the impression people here in Alabama don't do it online and they go in person maybe? It's just every job I got in Mexico I applied through online!

I only got called for a bilingual customer service position the next day after I applied and did the tests online and passed them with great scores but they haven't called me since then; this was like 4 days ago.

Do any of you have tips? do people here in USA or Alabama if you're around just go to places and apply?
Also, most places don't have a "We are hiring" sign or anything but then you see the postings online, I mean it's just confusing. In Mexico city if they are hiring they have signs everywhere and online. I'm just getting really stressed out because I would really really want a job and I have experience, I'm pretty smart and tech-savvy.

What do y'all think?
God bless!

[r9dblanco 1]

You can always start at McD's o MACDONAL in Spanish. I am not sure about Alabama, thats in the deep south. Technology maybe out dated. You may want to try othe states, like Texas, California, Georgia, Florida. Yes people, FLORIDA. Wish you the best.

[Demmy 6]

It is not easy trying to get a job in a new country, it takes alot of patience and resilience. Why do you feel the need to compare the Mexican job market to the American one? First you need to stop doing that and just try and learn/understand the new country that you intend to work in. I am from Kenya, got my EAD 4 weeks ago. Been applying for jobs as well and so far i have had two interviews with two different companies....hoping the third time is a charm. Considering I am in Texas and I do not speak spanish.

Maybe you can try and do a walk in, some employers like that. Most jobs here, however, require an online application. After application, wait a few days and make a call to do follow up.

Like you said, you just got your EAD a week ago so it's way too early to complain don't you think? All the best as you look for work!

Hope i do not sound too harsh....lol! Nothing but the best.

Edited October 25, 2013 by Demmy

[bamarolltide 4]

I don't know, I just feel like I have way more education and work experience than to start at a McDonald's. I am not trying to be depreciative of the people who work there but not even when I was in Mexico I worked at a fast food place. With that being said, I've already applied to some fast food restaurants but they just don't contact me.

Also, I am not complaining or trying to but comparing to Mexico is my only point of reference and the only thing I know so I believe it's normal to just use that as a point of reference.

I thank you any tips or anything

[rylforever 18]

what about a staffing agency?

[TBoneTX 45,572]

Any job is a good job. Be the hardest, most industrious, most capable worker that they've ever seen, and someone -- inside or outside the company -- will take notice. Fast-food customers include businessmen and executives with hiring authority, so let them see what you can do!

If you're literately bilingual in English & Spanish, the world here can be yours, si man.

*** Thread moved from "Moving Here" forum to "Finding Work in America" forum, as a better fit for this topic. ***

Edited October 26, 2013 by TBoneTX

[jenyadenise 4]

Hi bamarolltide,

My husband, who is Mexican, and I lived and worked in Mexico for two years before moving here to the States. From our experience, it was much quicker finding a job in Mexico. In Mexico, both of us found jobs quickly, but it's taken much longer here to go through the process. Don't know if that's true everywhere in the US, but that has been our experience. I'd say just keep applying and follow up on the applications you have submitted (as Demmy suggested). Hopefully, you'll get some response soon! And, like rylforever mentioned, starting with a staffing or temp agency might be a good idea as well! Good luck!!

[janet&adonis 57]

Have you thought about looking into jobs at colleges? Sometimes they have jobs posted there. Also check banks they are always needing bilingual tellers. Do you have chemical plants in alabama? Maybe you can apply for an entry level job, sometimes they start out at $11-13 an hour. What about tire shops, mechanic shops, plumbing helpers, construction work.

[janet&adonis 57]

How about looking online? Here is a list of jobs for your area

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[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Applying in person is always best. Many online jobs aren't actually real, but are recruiters who post old jobs to get resumes to keep for later.

It seems to me like you are not targeting a specific line of work, but are just grasping at any job. I don't think that approach will work too well.

Do you have a resume or are you just filling out applications? If you have a resume, tailor the resume for the job. So, if you want to be a bi-lingual phone service person, make a resume that highlights your experience in customer service. If you want a retail job, make a resume that highlights your retail experience. It all depends on what your experience has been and how to best show that experience for each job.

Don't panic that you don't get a job in a week. A good job will not hire people so spastically. They will spend a little time to interview various candidates and then pick the best one. A good job will be a long-time investment in a person, so the people doing the hiring want to take a little time to get it right.

[bamarolltide 4]

I thank you all so much! and thank you for being so nice. I've been looking on indeed.com and careerbuilder.com for jobs and been applying to any and every one I fill the requirements for. There are a lot of bank teller jobs here where I live as janet&adonis mentioned but I just don't get why they just don't contact me!

I will try applying IN PERSON now, and see how it goes. Also, about following up with them... doesn't that make me sound desperate? I am asking because again... in Mexico if you apply for a job and then call to follow up or whatever then they pretty much just tell you to wait or act like you're being suffocating, I am not trying to "compare" but I just don't know how it works here.

I have applied at ATnT, Bestbuy, Call centers, Retail, Fast food restaurants, Office jobs. I do have a resume and it's not just a Word document, it's a nice well done PDF file. I just don't get it I never thought it'd be this complicated, every job I had in Mexico I excelled at so I know I can do it here as well.

If by the end of this year I still find nothing then we will pretty much do everything to move to Atlanta GA, I've seen tons and tons of jobs posted on there but honestly I am having a tiny freak out moment, I am trying to be understanding and patient but I just don't know how people get hired here to be honest. I am also 23 and not even bad looking (if that has anything to do with it).
I will take all of your advice and work on making things happen, thank you all

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

A .pdf is usually made from word and looks exactly the same, so I am not sure why that would be better?

Following up isn't desperate if you do it right. It can show you are serious, and the worst they can say is no. I would ask them something like "Have you had a chance to look at my resume yet?" and see what they say.

Also check craigslist for jobs. Study a little there, to be able to recognize scams and avoid them. Real jobs do advertise there though, because it is free.

[jaycali 415]

True story:

For those of us with difficult foreign names, taking on an English sounding alias as first name on my resume worked wonders.

[agnesb 47]

I do have a resume and it's not just a Word document, it's a nice well done PDF file.

This may be the problem when applying online. Many systems employers do scan resumes for matching words. Some if not all may be unable to do so from PDF.

[Julie O 5]

I have used the website linkup.com to find a job after reading good reviews about it online, they don't have any spam listing on there. I successfully found a job with a health insurance company thanks to Linkup, the company called me this morning to offer me the position.

As agnesb mentioned, companies scan resumes for matching words so select key words from the job ad and make sure to use them in your resume. I used a lot of the ad's key words in my cover letter/resume. I was lucky the get the first job I applied for and the salary is very close to what I was earning in Australia.