Kind of losing hope, any advice is appreciated.

[IcezMan_IcezLady 582]

Apply to Macy's and other retail jobs... I would suggest doing a walk in. Go to any store or business that is hiring, ask to take to the manager and inquire about how you can apply for the job. Some restaurants will just hire you right away when they really need help.

But if you are told to apply online, ask for the managers name. Go and apply online, then call the manager back to inform him/her that you have applied. Keep following up.That is a sure way to get you a job quicker.

Your volunteer work in your country is also an experience. Put it all together on a resume. Have several copies with you when you walk in to inquire about jobs.

That's how I got my first job when I moved here years ago. I had no paid job experience and I was just sitting behind computer and applying for jobs thinking I would get one. It changed when i walked in and followed up.

Unfortunately you have to start from the bottom of the payscale but don't worry too much. You need the experience or/and the references for future jobs.

If you would post your city name and maybe add your zipcode (don't add your address), folks might be able to send you leads.

Try snagajob.com (for retail jobs, you can search by your zipcode), when you find couple of jobs, you go to the store and follow the advice I gave above.

Good luck

[Shiobhan 235]

With just a foreign high school Diploma you should get out and look for jobs,

take 2 days of the week to do so, then do follow up calls, insurance companies

hire clerical workers, there's some telecommunication companies, try the

local mall for jobs Macys, NM, try your supermarket food chain, or personal

care assistant. with an additional language skill you will get a job. After you

can look into local community colleges and pay as you go even part-time it

is affordable. Don't e scared

[barbara360 6]

My husband is from Italy too and he also worked with kids in Italy but not with a college degree.It was difficult to find work but he started volunteering with a few organizations to make contacts and also applied to language schools for teaching assistant. What city are you in? Another thing that helped was going to places and asking if they were hiring. If you get your drivers license you can also drive Uber or Lyft-my husband does that as well for extra money.

[ExPatty 502]

You can absolutely get a job with a high school diploma. The obvious ones that come to mind would be low wage, but if you get a position in a company with a lot of upside potential (e.g. I think working at walmart would be better than mcdonalds because there are more and better paying managerial positions you could rise to) it's possible to work toward a decent salary in time. You could also apply for various blue collar labor jobs at different companies because if you're competent this will be noticed fairly quickly and you can start taking on more responsibilities, better title, better pay.

High school diploma is going to make it harder than a degree, but it is still possible to work into a good living with it.

[FROWNcat 24]

And they're generally cheaper too.

To be completely honest, I haven't looked into college too much. It was enough for me to hear about people owing huge sums of cash to which ever school they went to, and I definitely don't want to start out being in debt.

[FROWNcat 24]

Here's a shocking statistic... 80% of all available job vacancies are NOT advertised online. I spent days and weeks applied for dozens of jobs online when I got my green card with zero response or success. Like you, I wanted office/front desk reception/admin work. In the end I went very old school. I got the addresses and contact names for all attorney firms, schools, hospitals, medical clinics, vet clinics and mailed my resume with a cover letter to EVERY single company introducing myself and outlining the work opportunities I was seeking. It was a little expensive ($35 in postage stamps), but 2 weeks later it paid off - I had 3 job offers. One for a full time receptionist at a vet clinic, one as a receptionist at a chiropractic, and one as an administrator in a HR department. Sometimes going old school pays off.

I can definitely do this. I was also thinking that maybe just walking into a store, or when ever there seems to be a job opportunity, could help if I present myself the right way. They may, or may not like me, but it's worth a try. There's a mall pretty close to here and starting out in some shop there wouldn't be terrible, I'd actually be happy to be doing something and that I'd be building up my resume and experience. Hell, I'd even consider a part time job, that way if I don't like it I can still work and look for something else I can do.

[Harmonia 211]

Look into a "functional resume". This is a resume that lists your skills, not necessarily paid experience. So if you have experience caring for kids through your family or community, you can list it.

Here's an example:

http://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/Sample-of-a-Functional-Resume

My husband found success looking on Craigslist and applying for various human service type jobs. Look for jobs like caring for someone with autism or developmental disabilities, elders, substance abuse, homeless people. These jobs may be called "caregiver" or "habilitation tech" and often involve integrating a disabled person into the community, taking them shopping, to the library, etc. And you generally need a HS diploma, nothing more.

He volunteered at a local food bank and with a community organization doing outreach to families of children with autism, and he put that on his resume. He got several offers!

He has the equivalent of an Associate's degree from his country, and he's never been asked to produce a diploma or verify his credentials, and no employer has ever checked his previous employment in his country.

I suggest you also check out any local community college or nonprofit that may have assistance with writing a resume or other workforce development opportunities, like basic adult education classes for free or low cost. In my state, there are "Career Centers" where people can register to receive job opportunities, attend career fairs, get help with a resume, tips on how to do a job search, and information on what type of jobs there are. There are many immigrants in my area, and these centers have a good reputation for helping adults integrate into the work force.

Edited March 9, 2016 by Harmonia

[Pennycat 880]

To be completely honest, I haven't looked into college too much. It was enough for me to hear about people owing huge sums of cash to which ever school they went to, and I definitely don't want to start out being in debt.

Never just go by "what you hear". Do your own research, seriously. A lot of these doom and gloom stories you see about student debt are from people who made very bad life decisions and are only just now realizing exactly what the consequences are (this, by the way, is the same as a lot of the immigration doom and gloom stories from people here, by the way). This is not to say that the system (or lack thereof) that we have is good, and I'm not defending the cost of higher education in this country, but I *am* saying that there are options available, many of which have been spelled out to you here, and often you find that the people with $100K in student debt failed to use the options available, for whatever reason.

[Cathi 5,745]

Indeed.com has literally millions of jobs openings, for all kinds of jobs levels and educations. I recommend it. Good luck!

[NMKhalsa 1]

HI Dear,

I can understand your situation, it is hard to get started.

Find an administrative resume online, plug in your details to get started... Name Address, Email (choose something professional with your name in it, not like kittkycat7@yahoo haha) Phone Number.

Under Education you can put your high school name and address and what specialty courses you took.

If you find an administrative assistant resume online that lists skills, decide which ones you also have, you can do an online typing speed test and get your speed up, if you have used word excel and certain email programs (gmail, google docs, outlook) include those as well!

There are websites online where you can take free courses, one that comes to mind is khanacademy.org so many free courses! You can add these to your resume as skills as you become familiar with different programs.

I also suggest going to a temp agency and let them know your goals and see if they are willing to help you get in somewhere.

A great way to get experience is to volunteer! I started as an architectural drafter and took free training on solar installation and volunteered with a place that installs solar for low-income homeowners, I kept applying and eventually got a job as a solar designer/drafter Also, the more you volunteer and network let people know you are looking for work! You can meet really good people and good connections this way.

Best of luck to you!

[FROWNcat 24]

Look into a "functional resume". This is a resume that lists your skills, not necessarily paid experience. So if you have experience caring for kids through your family or community, you can list it.

Here's an example:

http://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/Sample-of-a-Functional-Resume

My husband found success looking on Craigslist and applying for various human service type jobs. Look for jobs like caring for someone with autism or developmental disabilities, elders, substance abuse, homeless people. These jobs may be called "caregiver" or "habilitation tech" and often involve integrating a disabled person into the community, taking them shopping, to the library, etc. And you generally need a HS diploma, nothing more.

He volunteered at a local food bank and with a community organization doing outreach to families of children with autism, and he put that on his resume. He got several offers!

He has the equivalent of an Associate's degree from his country, and he's never been asked to produce a diploma or verify his credentials, and no employer has ever checked his previous employment in his country.

I suggest you also check out any local community college or nonprofit that may have assistance with writing a resume or other workforce development opportunities, like basic adult education classes for free or low cost. In my state, there are "Career Centers" where people can register to receive job opportunities, attend career fairs, get help with a resume, tips on how to do a job search, and information on what type of jobs there are. There are many immigrants in my area, and these centers have a good reputation for helping adults integrate into the work force.

Thanks for the link! I figured I could write my own resume, but I guess I really have to look into how to make it look professional or find more samples.

[SunflowerSweet 1,321]

Try applying at a bank/credit union. I've worked at both without any sort of degree at that point. Good pay and nice hours (no Sundays!) and usually a lot of room for upward mobility to an "office job".

That or if you are at all proficient with computers, many places hire helpdesk workers with just a high school degree and a way to prove proficiency with technology.

It's highly possible you may get stuck with a retail or other low-paying service position in order to make money and get experience. But such is life for most Americans unfortunately.

[Ortolan 381]

Don't worry at this point about not having a college degree. The main thing is to get a resume together and just go out and try. Bookstore, Starbucks, Target, all sorts of places won't require a college degree. And I agree with the volunteering suggestion; you've got experience with kids, and if you like doing that, maybe that's a path for you. Figure out what you'd LIKE to do, and point yourself in that direction. And never give up, never surrender! Good luck and (even though it's been 2 years) welcome

[tomyka81 95]

Substitute teaching... Silvan tutoring.... While you may not have corporate experience, your other experience is just as valuable. There are work at home jobs as well that are legitimate. Go to your local job recruitment office like jobsplus or something to that nature

[FROWNcat 24]

Try applying at a bank/credit union. I've worked at both without any sort of degree at that point. Good pay and nice hours (no Sundays!) and usually a lot of room for upward mobility to an "office job".

That or if you are at all proficient with computers, many places hire helpdesk workers with just a high school degree and a way to prove proficiency with technology.

It's highly possible you may get stuck with a retail or other low-paying service position in order to make money and get experience. But such is life for most Americans unfortunately.

I wouldn't mind working for a bank, but I thought most of them required people to have some kind of background with handling money.

I do love working with computers, so I guess that's also a plus.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions this far!