Is this a bad idea?

[ZA_35 48]

Hi

I haven't even left the NVC yet but I am thinking ahead at jobs.

In South Africa I am quite qualified and have been working in the finance industry for over 5 years.

I'm a bit of realist - it took me around 6 months to find this job after graduating so I know how it can take some time to land a decent (i.e.well paying) job.

As I will (hopefully sometime this century) be entering the US with a spousal visa/greencard, I want to start working straight away.

Will future employers look down on me if I take ANY job (even minimum wage) I can find until I find something suitable?

Thanks

Greetings from South Africa

[apple21 953]

No. Why would they do that? As long as you have a clean record and you qualify to their requirements, you'll do fine.

[JDTXandShazTT 0]

I am in the same boat and actually thought I posted a similar question today!

I have over 14 years work experience in several countries. A bachelors degree from the United States and Advanced post-graduate diploma from my own country. I JUST received my EAD and have been applying for jobs I am qualified for an interested in.

While waiting for my EAD to come through, I updated my resume and did some certification courses in areas that I have worked in the past and to supplement my professional development. I had a social security number from University days was able to apply for jobs the day my EAD card arrived. That is the good news, but there is so much anxiety about the reality.

I have been told by many that I will need to start "from scratch" as no US employment history takes me back to the bottom of the ladder but this is hard to accept. My husband even thinks I should just get a minimum wage/ entry level job until something better comes along. Like you, I am concerned that doing this may "dilute" my experience as well as salary negotiations! Is it better to just concentrate on a full-time job search instead; I keep going back and forth on this. Looking forward to hearing the perspectives of others who have gone through this as well.

Edited March 15, 2015 by JDTXandShazTT

[VOL 425]

Hi

I haven't even left the NVC yet but I am thinking ahead at jobs.

In South Africa I am quite qualified and have been working in the finance industry for over 5 years.

I'm a bit of realist - it took me around 6 months to find this job after graduating so I know how it can take some time to land a decent (i.e.well paying) job.

As I will (hopefully sometime this century) be entering the US with a spousal visa/greencard, I want to start working straight away.

Will future employers look down on me if I take ANY job (even minimum wage) I can find until I find something suitable?

Thanks

Greetings from South Africa

It would be a Red Flag for sure.

[ZA_35 48]

It would be a Red Flag for sure.

My personal opinion - an immigrant who arrives "off the boat" and gets straight to work seems like a go-getter more than someone who wanders around looking for the perfect job. But you are probably right... I think we immigrants shouldn't undervalue ourselves and expect less. We've been through hell and back just to get there. Why aim low when you can aim high? It's America after all - the supposed "land of dreams". lol

[JohnR! 5,495]

On the contrary, any employment will bode well on your resume. It's not about how much you make, so much as the fact you're not willing to sit on your hands that counts.

Potential employers will look at your qualifications and gaps in your employment. It will become clear that a job outside your craft was a bridge job as you took your new life in America. You will be able to comment on your reasons during the interview.

Don't sit around.

Will future employers look down on me if I take ANY job (even minimum wage) I can find until I find something suitable?

What kind of red flag? For whom? Help us understand...

It would be a Red Flag for sure.

[Merrytooth 5,748]

Bottom line, do whatever you have to do to survive, pay your bills while waiting for the dream job to come by.

When I was a fresh graduate, I worked many different temp jobs (receptionist, customer services, distribute flyers .etc) until I found a permanent job in my field of degree.

Nothing to be ashamed about working menial jobs.

[CowBoE 429]

Hi

I haven't even left the NVC yet but I am thinking ahead at jobs.

In South Africa I am quite qualified and have been working in the finance industry for over 5 years.

I'm a bit of realist - it took me around 6 months to find this job after graduating so I know how it can take some time to land a decent (i.e.well paying) job.

As I will (hopefully sometime this century) be entering the US with a spousal visa/greencard, I want to start working straight away.

Will future employers look down on me if I take ANY job (even minimum wage) I can find until I find something suitable?

Thanks

Greetings from South Africa

Yeah...US companies often tend not to honor foreign education and experience fully...

Finance is such a broad field and can require specific local regular knowledge and experience,

but you may be able to increase your chance to continue your level of job with additional training/certificates/license...

For example, if you are an accountant, passing CPA would be a huge plus.

So I think you should first look into what industry certifications/license you can study for now...

while you you are waiting...

I do think taking non-related or much lower position would hurt your chance

to get similar level job/pay later, but then again, I think any money earned is better than not.

Just be flexible in job situation the first few years, and eventually, if you work at it,

you should be able to resume your career at a similar or even better level in the future.

[VOL 425]

What kind of red flag? For whom? Help us understand...

It would indicate that the employee does not have the skils or background to be able to work in their field and had to take a job below their education or payrate.

[JohnR! 5,495]

Not under the circumstances described by the OP. It would just indicate the applicant had a keen interest in eating and having a roof over his head, even if it meant taking any job available at the time...

It would indicate that the employee does not have the skils or background to be able to work in their field and had to take a job below their education or payrate.

[VOL 425]

Not under the circumstances described by the OP. It would just indicate the applicant had a keen interest in eating and having a roof over his head, even if it meant taking any job available at the time...

All future employer will see is a Resume and it would be a snapshot in his job history.

If I did take a job like entry level, I wouldn't even put it on my resume.....

[ZA_35 48]

All future employer will see is a Resume and it would be a snapshot in his job history.

If I did take a job like entry level, I wouldn't even put it on my resume.....

I don't think there is any shame in working an "entry level" job to put food on the table. So I must disagree, nothing is "beneath" me but I do have valuable skills that the US would be lucky to utilize.

[JohnR! 5,495]

There isn't any shame in working and making money honestly.

I don't think there is any shame in working an "entry level" job to put food on the table. So I must disagree, nothing is "beneath" me but I do have valuable skills that the US would be lucky to utilize.

[Pennycat 880]

Hi

I haven't even left the NVC yet but I am thinking ahead at jobs.

In South Africa I am quite qualified and have been working in the finance industry for over 5 years.

I'm a bit of realist - it took me around 6 months to find this job after graduating so I know how it can take some time to land a decent (i.e.well paying) job.

As I will (hopefully sometime this century) be entering the US with a spousal visa/greencard, I want to start working straight away.

Will future employers look down on me if I take ANY job (even minimum wage) I can find until I find something suitable?

Thanks

Greetings from South Africa

You can take a job and leave it off your resume if you're worried about it. I don't think it would count against you, but it may confuse Human Resources, who tend to be more by-the-book people. If it goes straight into the hands of the potential employer instead of through HR, I don't think it would matter at all as long as it's explained in your cover letter. This is where networking could come into play. If the gap on your resume gets much longer than, say 4 months, then I'd add it, or something, to it. Make sure in your cover letter to address the fact that you have just recently moved to the United States--any reasonable person would overlook a few months' gap on the resume for someone who has just moved clear across the world.

For me, if I saw that on a cover letter, and saw something like Wal-Mart on the resume, I'd know what was going on and I'd look *more* favorably on the applicant for doing what needs to be done to earn money, avoid debt, etc. But I'd also keep in mind that they may be working elsewhere to pay the bills (or could have a different financial situation that is none of my business) and not hold a short gap against them. Long gaps, to me, need explaining, if not on the resume itself, than in an interview.

If I were in your position, I'd start a profile on LinkedIn, change my location to wherever it is in the US you're going to be living, start researching potential employers now (which you may already be doing). If you get the ball rolling, you may wind up with a conditional offer of employment (large firms can do this), the condition being you are physically present with a green card within X months.

[Cathi 5,771]

My sister works in HR and when my husband arrived she told him to take any job he could get at first, even if it wasn't in his field of computer engineering, as employers would be more willing to hire someone with US job experience, even if it were a minimum wage job. It took him 5 months to find his first job, it was loading trucks at Walmart. He was happy to get a job and was glad to be working, even though it was a sucky job. In the meantime he continued to apply for jobs in his field. After working at Walmart for about 5 months he was hired as a paid 6 month intern position in his field with the good chance of being hired at the end of the contract(yes he started from the bottom). His boss said he wouldn't have hired him at all if he had not had any US job experience because it gave my husband the chance to see how companies worked here. Four months into his internship he was hired permanently with good pay and benefits. That was a year and a half ago. Two weeks ago he was promoted to management, he is in charge of the computer engineering department with several engineers below him. He was hired over others who had been working in the company longer than he has been working there. He worked very long hours in that year in a half(an average of 60-70 hours per week), never saying no to when they asked him to stay late to work on projects and traveling back and forth to Hong Kong several times to help out in their China operations, when others refused to go. His initiative and work ethic, in my opinion, is why he was promoted over the others, hard work and perseverance paid off big time. My husband has been in the US for almost two and a half years, in that time he went from being unemployed to working loading trucks, to an internship to permanent and now management. We also bought a home last year and we have traveled back to his home country of Jordan twice. We have removed conditions on his green card and in July he will apply for citizenship. So along with my sister's advice I recommend taking any job you can get at first and continue to apply for jobs in your field. US job experience will look very good on your resume, even if it isn't in your filed of expertise. Good luck!!!

Edited March 16, 2015 by mimolicious