Frustrating Job Hunt with EAD in SF

[ceeq 53]

Hi there!

 

My husband got his EAD card back in Nov 2017 and til now, Feb 2018, he wasn't offered a job yet. It's so frustrating especially being in the Silicon Valley and knowing that he has had an awesome experience in tech back in Manila. However, he has received denials on denials of emails. I know they say start back to basic but not even the basics are getting him anywhere because he's too "overqualified"

 

We're currently pending an I-485 from K1 in San Francisco as our Field Office. Still waiting for the interview schedule.

 

Please share experiences on how your partner was able to overcome this. I would appreciate your responses.

[Ben&Zian 4,398]

It can be frustrating. As you said, sometimes even "starting over" and working back up doesn't work because people find you over qualified; but it's about persistance.

 

While  you being obviously in the tech area there in Cali,  there's a lot of other candidates as well out there I'm sure who vary from intro type levels all the way up.

 

Does he have any sort of degree in the technology fields?

 

My husband had same thing overall, different field of work but he applied and applied and looked a bit hopeless for a month or so because he has a bachelors degree, so most thought he was way over qualified... but he kept looking until he got something, then moved to a better job after 4-5 months.

 

[JoJoJoJo 170]

3 minutes ago, ceeq said:

Hi there!

 

My husband got his EAD card back in Nov 2017 and til now, Feb 2018, he wasn't offered a job yet. It's so frustrating especially being in the Silicon Valley and knowing that he has had an awesome experience in tech back in Manila. However, he has received denials on denials of emails. I know they say start back to basic but not even the basics are getting him anywhere because he's too "overqualified"

 

We're currently pending an I-485 from K1 in San Francisco as our Field Office. Still waiting for the interview schedule.

 

Please share experiences on how your partner was able to overcome this. I would appreciate your responses.

Hi. I submitted like 100 resumes and only got one job offer in LA. I feel that I just got very lucky. So maybe just keep trying!

 

We filed AOS in early October and I am still waiting for EAD! Requested expedition on Jan 2 when I got the job offer in writing, and still  no EAD now. Not sure how long the employer is willing to wait.

[Russ&Caro 1,549]

You say he has great tech experience. Does he have certifications? There are certifications available in just about every sub-area of information technology. If he doesn't have any, he should start there.

[ceeq 53]

1 minute ago, JoJoJoJo said:

Hi. I submitted like 100 resumes and only got one job offer in LA. I feel that I just got very lucky. So maybe just keep trying!

 

We filed AOS in early October and I am still waiting for EAD! Requested expedition on Jan 2 when I got the job offer in writing, and still  no EAD now. Not sure how long the employer is willing to wait.

He literally has an excel file of the companies he has submitted his resumes to (to avoid double submissions )  and it was literally more than 100. I am also in the August 2017 feed so we are keeping a close eye on everyone's experience. We are trying super hard!  Thanks for your insights! It's great reding about other experiences as we don't feel so isolated.

[ceeq 53]

6 minutes ago, Ben&Zian said:

It can be frustrating. As you said, sometimes even "starting over" and working back up doesn't work because people find you over qualified; but it's about persistance.

 

While  you being obviously in the tech area there in Cali,  there's a lot of other candidates as well out there I'm sure who vary from intro type levels all the way up.

 

Does he have any sort of degree in the technology fields?

 

My husband had same thing overall, different field of work but he applied and applied and looked a bit hopeless for a month or so because he has a bachelors degree, so most thought he was way over qualified... but he kept looking until he got something, then moved to a better job after 4-5 months.

 

That is great to hear! Yes he's got a few certs up his sleeve and about 10 years IT exp. in PH but I totally understand how it's super different and starting over is the way to go. He's even open to a career change at this point as we are hoping to start our family soon! I appreciate your inputs! Keep them coming!

[ceeq 53]

6 minutes ago, Russ&Caro said:

You say he has great tech experience. Does he have certifications? There are certifications available in just about every sub-area of information technology. If he doesn't have any, he should start there.

Thanks for the feedback! He has a few actually! Maybe its time to look for some classes locally! You have any ideas where he can start? Maybe online or in the city rather so that he can commute in with me!  You guys are awesome!

[Russ&Caro 1,549]

If he's going to pursue more certifications you probably need to think strategically. For example if he has a Microsoft Systems Admin cert (there are many flavors), he could supplement that with a VMware or Cloud certification. Google searches for certification classes is probably a good place to start. In California there should be no shortage of classes available. He can also network with the teacher and other students if he takes a certification class.

 

Since he does have cert's, you might try to search for a local head hunter. Also look at contract companies that place people in term positions. You're going to find many of those posting existing positions on Indeed.com or Linkedin.com.

[yuna628 9,676]

My husband had much the same problem. Things didn't turn around until he received his green card.. it really was almost like no one was interested until he had it. I would say on a good day it's hard for anyone to stand out in a job application... and it's double hard for immigrants. You need to check his resume and see what changes could be made to make it stand out better. He may also have to acknowledge that he will have to start out small. Think of other unique ways his skills in IT could be applied to other fields. Try colleges and universities. Community colleges are also usually looking for IT staff for help desks. That may not be what he specializes in, but it will help him get a foot in the door. Once he has American experience, things start looking up.

 

A lot of places these days are looking for certifications (even if you may have a degree and know how to do all that stuff anyway it won't matter..)

[Russ&Caro 1,549]

By the way, as the USC you might need to adjust your expectations too. My wife and I discussed her landing a job soon after she arrived. Instead it was difficult to find a job and after about 6 months I encouraged her to take classes to improve her English and re-take nursing assistant classes she'd previously taken in South America. Once she was a US certified nursing assistant, she had 2 job offers within 1 month. Over all it took 2 years.

[Boiler 45,516]

Networking especially in IT would be the way to go.

[lms 50]

Networking networking networking. Build personal relationships with people in the field. As always in life, this makes it much easier ;): 

[ceeq 53]

You guys are awesome! You're inputs are super uplifting and im sure this thread can be helpful for others. There has definitely been something new to take from this! <3 We really appreciate it! Keep them coming!

[karice 29]

I can't really speak to the tech aspect of his search, but I do have a bit of job search experience as an immigrant. Honestly, the thing I found the most helpful, was making a note on my resume to explain the gap in employment (gap: relocation is what I put). I noticed an immediate improvement in responses. 

[Amit&Julie 180]

A few possibly obvious tips, in case he isn't doing these already:

• Focus on quality over quantity. Tailor each application, cover letter, and resume to the specific job he's applying for rather than taking a "one size fits all" approach.
•  On the resume, use "action" statements with hard results. For example, "Streamlined database structure to reduce query times by 20%" or some other IT thing (I'm not in IT by the way )

I always highly recommend the blog AskAManager.org for ALL things work related. It's run by an experienced hiring manager who has seen it all and offers great advice.