back to work again

[celine-h 0]

I recently got my EAD card and had the interview with a verbal approval for two years GC.

All `s well and good but I m facing right now the job hunting issue. I surely am a lil scared of not being fit for an interesting and good job here since I still have an accent( I know I should consider it as an asset) and sometimes I might not find the most appropriate verbiage when needed, especially when great communication skills are a " must have" requirement in a certain field like teaching or administrative ( worked before in my country).

I feel a bit vulnerable now and i d really like to learn from VJ people`s experiences in this regard. Especially from foreign spouses like me who have to adjust to an environment definetely different of all we had known before.I want to start working the soonest and some shared experiences would help for sure.

[KarenCee 3]

My husband is Canadian and he's had a devil of a time finding work. Apparently we live in the back of nowhere and no one here seems to know how to use the internet to research the facts. My husband has his EAD and we're waiting for his GC. He's placed upwards to 55 applications and only one job...and it was temporary (ended two weeks ago...christmas rush you know) so we're back to him looking for a job. *sigh*

Depending on the area you live in might make a difference too, as to the job availability. We might end up having to move to a more "lucrative" area. Fortunately I have the kind of job that makes it easier for me to move, since I am licensed by the state I can work anywhere providing a job is open. For some on here it's been fairly easy, for some not so easy. I do wish you the best of luck looking for work.

[luv2teach77 41]

t took me about 10 months from the time I arrived in the US on my K-1 until I started work. My EAD took from May - November 2005 to be approved and then I didn't secure a job until the end of January 2006. I applied for dozens of jobs, both online and in newspapers etc. and had very little in the way of feedback or responses from many of them. In the end I got in contact with a very good recruitment agency and within about a month I landed a very good job with a good company.

I feel that for me it helped to actually meet with a recruiter so I could explain my situation and clear up any confusion that might arise from my immigrant status (at the time I was applying I didn't have my GC yet). Once the recruiter was aware of my situation and could present my resume to prospective employers in a way that didn't make it look like they were taking a gamble with me, I had a job within a few short weeks.

Don't get dispondant if you don't hear anything back from jobs you have applied for. It seems the exception and not the rule that unsuccessful applicants will get any feedback on why they were unsuccessful. That was the most frustrating thing for me... sending in applications and having no idea what had ruled me out.

Also... don't hedge your bets. I was guilty of getting my hopes up on a couple of occasions which caused me to stop applying. On one occasions I waited 2 or 3 weeks only be told that I didn't get the job. I didn't apply for anything during that time and could have missed out something better. I would advise that you keep applying for anything you think might be suitable, even if you are expecting an offer from somewhere else. You never know how things might pan out and the law of averages says that the more jobs you apply for, the better your chances of getting an offer. Better to have to weigh up 2 offers at the same time than not have any offers at all !!

Best of luck with the job search !!

Mark

[celine-h 0]

Thank you my friends , appreciate this. I live in Baltimore County and my husband works in the City. He suggested that i might start off as a Substitute teacher but I probably lost my self confidence lately-) Despite my previous education and professional experience in my country, I still have some reservations.

After all, it is a sensitive kind of work and it is like part time.

I m really in the beggining of this endeavour of mine but I hope to find something appropriate for me.

After reading your postings I understand that it might be a more than I could ever expected lengthy process to find a suitable position. But I do hope to find something ASAP . The idea of contacting a professional recruiter is great. I ll follow it up.

[happyimmigrant 0]

My husband is Canadian and he's had a devil of a time finding work. Apparently we live in the back of nowhere and no one here seems to know how to use the internet to research the facts. My husband has his EAD and we're waiting for his GC. He's placed upwards to 55 applications and only one job...and it was temporary (ended two weeks ago...christmas rush you know) so we're back to him looking for a job. *sigh*

Depending on the area you live in might make a difference too, as to the job availability. We might end up having to move to a more "lucrative" area. Fortunately I have the kind of job that makes it easier for me to move, since I am licensed by the state I can work anywhere providing a job is open. For some on here it's been fairly easy, for some not so easy. I do wish you the best of luck looking for work.

I feel bad hearing about this Karen, knowing what my experience has been.

Being that I have been burned once before, when I went through a series of interviews and accepted a position, only to have to later turn it down because immigration didn't come through when I expected them to, this time I waited until I had my green card in hand before starting to look for a job. No more trusting the USCIS with ANYTHING!!!

Fortunately for me, it turns out that experienced IT people are in extremely short supply in Cleveland. I put my resume on Monster and immediately had recruiters calling me. I went and talked to a couple of them, talked to a few companies that the recruiters set me up with, and ended up being in the middle of a bidding war between two of them. I picked one of them and started work there two weeks to the day after I first posted my resume online.

So I have been very fortunate in that regard. I have been less fortunate in being able to GET to my job...with a credit score of 530 (essentially "NO CREDIT HISTORY") I'm unable to get a reasonable car loan - they'll all give me credit, given my income level, however they want to charge me interest rates of 22% or more!! I refuse to pay that kind of interest, so I have been driving a rental car for a month to and from work, and it looks like I'll be keeping this rental for a couple months more until I have enough cash in the bank to buy a reasonably reliable car with.

In any case, here's hoping things change for you two in the VERY near future, and you can put this continuing struggle behind you.

[BadBabe113 0]

I live near Detroit and its a complete nightmare trying to get a job here, people tell me its bad here for work right now

I have applied for, i'd say around 50+ jobs online and at my nearest stores, and nothing!! I am getting despondant with the whole situation now. Have been job hunting since around end of sept..... I have over 8 years experience as an office administrator and in sales and finance too, but that doesnt seem to make a blind bit of difference here, I could just as well have no skills at all. But...... i just keep on sending those applications in, hoping that someone will contact me, i'm also pregnant which makes me in kind of a hurry to find something, not that employers can discriminate against that so i've been told, but still it makes me that much more panicky of the whole thing.

I too had lost all my confidence about working over here and all, but believe me after 1 1/2 years of no worky, i cant wait to get my butt out there and work until the baby is due.

Here's to all us job seekers, Good Luck for 07!

Rachel

[Miss_USA 0]

Hi everybody,

I just started to write my resume I got my Greencard in November and it is time for me as well to find a job. I'm so affraid to apply for one, it will be so different from working in my home country Germany. I used to work in an office for 3 years and had a pretty good job. My english is pretty good, but it is still not perfect and the business english is different to the english we use everyday. so that makes it even more complicated.

Oh well somehow it will work out!

I wish you all good look on finding a job. Keep updatet on if you found one and let us know about your experiences on finding a job.

Nina

[KarenCee 3]

My husband is Canadian and he's had a devil of a time finding work. Apparently we live in the back of nowhere and no one here seems to know how to use the internet to research the facts. My husband has his EAD and we're waiting for his GC. He's placed upwards to 55 applications and only one job...and it was temporary (ended two weeks ago...christmas rush you know) so we're back to him looking for a job. *sigh*

Depending on the area you live in might make a difference too, as to the job availability. We might end up having to move to a more "lucrative" area. Fortunately I have the kind of job that makes it easier for me to move, since I am licensed by the state I can work anywhere providing a job is open. For some on here it's been fairly easy, for some not so easy. I do wish you the best of luck looking for work.

I feel bad hearing about this Karen, knowing what my experience has been.

Being that I have been burned once before, when I went through a series of interviews and accepted a position, only to have to later turn it down because immigration didn't come through when I expected them to, this time I waited until I had my green card in hand before starting to look for a job. No more trusting the USCIS with ANYTHING!!!

Fortunately for me, it turns out that experienced IT people are in extremely short supply in Cleveland. I put my resume on Monster and immediately had recruiters calling me. I went and talked to a couple of them, talked to a few companies that the recruiters set me up with, and ended up being in the middle of a bidding war between two of them. I picked one of them and started work there two weeks to the day after I first posted my resume online.

So I have been very fortunate in that regard. I have been less fortunate in being able to GET to my job...with a credit score of 530 (essentially "NO CREDIT HISTORY") I'm unable to get a reasonable car loan - they'll all give me credit, given my income level, however they want to charge me interest rates of 22% or more!! I refuse to pay that kind of interest, so I have been driving a rental car for a month to and from work, and it looks like I'll be keeping this rental for a couple months more until I have enough cash in the bank to buy a reasonably reliable car with.

In any case, here's hoping things change for you two in the VERY near future, and you can put this continuing struggle behind you.

Congratulations Scott! I really am glad to hear about your job. LOL, we live in Cleveland GA. How's that for a laugh! IT positions here are for the most part sewn up by "locals". Joel has a degree in Network Admin and we felt sure he'd find something easily enough. We've been fortunate that someone in our church loaned Joel a car (a 1988 Olds 98 - reminds me of a 70's pimpmobile - hehe) but it works and it gets him to and from. He has a placement test/interview with the Georgia Bureau of Investigations next week. I have my fingers and toes crossed. If I thought it would help I'd cross my eyes too. He's posted on Monster and Career Builder. The recruitment agency is one we haven't tried...will definately mention this to Joel.

I sincerely hope the transportation issue changes for you...it's not easy being with one car. Good luck with finding something reliable!

[happyimmigrant 0]

Congratulations Scott! I really am glad to hear about your job. LOL, we live in Cleveland GA. How's that for a laugh! IT positions here are for the most part sewn up by "locals". Joel has a degree in Network Admin and we felt sure he'd find something easily enough. We've been fortunate that someone in our church loaned Joel a car (a 1988 Olds 98 - reminds me of a 70's pimpmobile - hehe) but it works and it gets him to and from. He has a placement test/interview with the Georgia Bureau of Investigations next week. I have my fingers and toes crossed. If I thought it would help I'd cross my eyes too. He's posted on Monster and Career Builder. The recruitment agency is one we haven't tried...will definately mention this to Joel.

I sincerely hope the transportation issue changes for you...it's not easy being with one car. Good luck with finding something reliable!

BTW...I lived (and went to school) in Macon for a year, so I've spent some time up your way. Has Joel experienced summer there yet?

When it comes to IT positions, my experience is that applying outright for advertised positions is nearly worthless. A lot of large companies have to post jobs publicly by law, even if they have already selected someone (usually internally) for the position. Other companies simply don't post positions at all, because weeding through the hundreds and hundreds of unqualified applicants for every advertised position is a waste of their time - and it's a ####### shoot whether or not they will get beyond the first paragraph of your resume. I have had a lot of IT positions, both full-time and contract, and not ONE of them was from an advertised position. They were all either through agencies, or recommended from people I knew - networking is very important.

Not knowing anyone down there, recruiting agencies will DEFINITELY be the way to go for IT for Joel. There are lots of them, especially in Atlanta, which is a huge IT hotspot. I've used Robert Half Technology, and I know Sapphire is another good one. I've also gone through DMR, which is now Fujitsu Consulting. They will interview you, test you, and submit you to the employers. A lot of employers won't hire anyone except through an agency, who do the initial checkouts of the potential hires. The agencies make money only when the employers hire someone from them, so it's in their best interest to send qualified applicants who they think will get hired. The companies know that the only people they will be sent are qualified applicants for the position. The talent know they will only be submitted for positions they are qualified for.

Tell Joel to give Robert Half, Sapphire, Fujitsu, and any other big ones that might be down your way a call - call before sending a resume, you want to actually talk to someone there. They'll have him fill out his qualifications and submit his resume online, then call him in for an interview, then see what they have that might fit his talents and experience.

[groomit 0]

Hi all,

I've been living in Chicago for more than 4 months now, moved from France Paris to live with my wife.

I've been looking for a job since last october 2006, mainly used websites like Careerbuilder or Monster, sent more than 50 applications...even if I mainly focused on opportunities that required the use of French, I haven't received any positive answer, almost none feedback!

I did not think it would be that difficult to find a job in Chicago since I had 9 years experience, spoken French/lao, fluently in English + wide knowledge in Spanish...It's like the american dream is turning to american depression.

I'm gonna give a try to these recruiting agencies + immigrant association around here...

Good luck all

Groomit

[KarenCee 3]

Congratulations Scott! I really am glad to hear about your job. LOL, we live in Cleveland GA. How's that for a laugh! IT positions here are for the most part sewn up by "locals". Joel has a degree in Network Admin and we felt sure he'd find something easily enough. We've been fortunate that someone in our church loaned Joel a car (a 1988 Olds 98 - reminds me of a 70's pimpmobile - hehe) but it works and it gets him to and from. He has a placement test/interview with the Georgia Bureau of Investigations next week. I have my fingers and toes crossed. If I thought it would help I'd cross my eyes too. He's posted on Monster and Career Builder. The recruitment agency is one we haven't tried...will definately mention this to Joel.

I sincerely hope the transportation issue changes for you...it's not easy being with one car. Good luck with finding something reliable!

BTW...I lived (and went to school) in Macon for a year, so I've spent some time up your way. Has Joel experienced summer there yet?

When it comes to IT positions, my experience is that applying outright for advertised positions is nearly worthless. A lot of large companies have to post jobs publicly by law, even if they have already selected someone (usually internally) for the position. Other companies simply don't post positions at all, because weeding through the hundreds and hundreds of unqualified applicants for every advertised position is a waste of their time - and it's a ####### shoot whether or not they will get beyond the first paragraph of your resume. I have had a lot of IT positions, both full-time and contract, and not ONE of them was from an advertised position. They were all either through agencies, or recommended from people I knew - networking is very important.

Not knowing anyone down there, recruiting agencies will DEFINITELY be the way to go for IT for Joel. There are lots of them, especially in Atlanta, which is a huge IT hotspot. I've used Robert Half Technology, and I know Sapphire is another good one. I've also gone through DMR, which is now Fujitsu Consulting. They will interview you, test you, and submit you to the employers. A lot of employers won't hire anyone except through an agency, who do the initial checkouts of the potential hires. The agencies make money only when the employers hire someone from them, so it's in their best interest to send qualified applicants who they think will get hired. The companies know that the only people they will be sent are qualified applicants for the position. The talent know they will only be submitted for positions they are qualified for.

Tell Joel to give Robert Half, Sapphire, Fujitsu, and any other big ones that might be down your way a call - call before sending a resume, you want to actually talk to someone there. They'll have him fill out his qualifications and submit his resume online, then call him in for an interview, then see what they have that might fit his talents and experience.

Oh yeah...he's definately experienced the summers here in Georgia! We're about two hours northeast of Macon...it's worse down there in the summer than where we live.

I had Joel read your post...I just hope something breaks for him soon, he feels very discouraged right now. He does have a placement test/interview (interview depends on the test score) with the Georgia Bureau of Investigations but he's not getting his hopes up after being dashed so many times already. He's willing to take anything at this point.

Best of luck to you with the transportation issue.