Effective Ways to Land a Job in US

[gladys 0]

For me at least..

• I had my wife Americanize my CV/Resume as much as possible, printed it made into PDF's for emailing.. etc
• Signed up to Monster, Career Builder and anything else related
• Checked local papers, online and in print
• Stalked City, County and State websites for jobs.. (sometimes good pay, good benefits and holidays!)
• I aimed for jobs I really wanted, would happily do, would do, could do, would do if I had to and would do because I needed the money/benefits in that sort of order lol

Good luck and expect your first job to be shite, mine was most others was as well but you might get lucky!!

Thanks for the tips. I wanted to get a job that I also wanted and will likely enjoy doing and of course with the needed benefits that comes with it.

For me at least..

• I had my wife Americanize my CV/Resume as much as possible, printed it made into PDF's for emailing.. etc
• Signed up to Monster, Career Builder and anything else related
• Checked local papers, online and in print
• Stalked City, County and State websites for jobs.. (sometimes good pay, good benefits and holidays!)
• I aimed for jobs I really wanted, would happily do, would do, could do, would do if I had to and would do because I needed the money/benefits in that sort of order lol

Good luck and expect your first job to be shite, mine was most others was as well but you might get lucky!!

Thanks for the tips. I wanted to get a job that I also wanted and will likely enjoy doing and of course with the needed benefits that comes with it.

[Bassi and Zainab 1]

I know this isn't part of the question, but, you CAN work without a SS#. You just need to request a Tax Identification Number to pay your taxes through the IRS. Then you can change it to your SS# when that arrives.

[gladys 0]

I know this isn't part of the question, but, you CAN work without a SS#. You just need to request a Tax Identification Number to pay your taxes through the IRS. Then you can change it to your SS# when that arrives.

Thanks for sharing us this information. I have to figure out now how to get that Tax Identification Number.

Allen, you might be also interested in getting TIN since there is already a job waiting for you.

[Old Dominion 26]

It would be helpful if you mentioned here the kind of work you would like to find. Perhaps there are those who can help you focus your search. Others have told me that posting on www.craigslist.com is effective, and it costs nothing. As you probably already know, a lot of "job openings" are posted only to comply with equal employment opportunity regulations, but someone has already been picked for the job. Temp agencies are also a good place to start, depending on what skills and training you already have. Temp agencies will place you as a temporary employee with one of their clients, take a percentage of your pay, and send you the rest. It is a good way to get in the front door for many companies.

This is very informative. Thank you for that insight.

I would love to have Customer Service job. I worked for an online shopping site before and I love my job there. Prior to that, I was also a Collections Specialist for a mobile company for our US clients. I'm trying to land a job similar to those too.

I already saw those temp agencies online but I haven't sent my resume's yet.

So its also alright to drop off resume to company's here? I was just wondering if people here do that. That is also the way we look for a job back home. I will surely do that as soon as I can.

Thanks "Old Dominion'!

With that kind of experience, I think it will be useful to take your resume to selected companies, and also directly to the temp agencies in your city. The unfortunate thing is that so much of American customer service/call center work has been transferred to Canada, India and the Phils, and also to rural areas of the U.S. where jobs are scarce. Good luck and keep us up to date. You seem really intelligent and self-assured, so it won't be long before you land a good job. Just don't get talked into selling cemetery lots...lol

[gladys 0]

It would be helpful if you mentioned here the kind of work you would like to find. Perhaps there are those who can help you focus your search. Others have told me that posting on www.craigslist.com is effective, and it costs nothing. As you probably already know, a lot of "job openings" are posted only to comply with equal employment opportunity regulations, but someone has already been picked for the job. Temp agencies are also a good place to start, depending on what skills and training you already have. Temp agencies will place you as a temporary employee with one of their clients, take a percentage of your pay, and send you the rest. It is a good way to get in the front door for many companies.

This is very informative. Thank you for that insight.

I would love to have Customer Service job. I worked for an online shopping site before and I love my job there. Prior to that, I was also a Collections Specialist for a mobile company for our US clients. I'm trying to land a job similar to those too.

I already saw those temp agencies online but I haven't sent my resume's yet.

So its also alright to drop off resume to company's here? I was just wondering if people here do that. That is also the way we look for a job back home. I will surely do that as soon as I can.

Thanks "Old Dominion'!

With that kind of experience, I think it will be useful to take your resume to selected companies, and also directly to the temp agencies in your city. The unfortunate thing is that so much of American customer service/call center work has been transferred to Canada, India and the Phils, and also to rural areas of the U.S. where jobs are scarce. Good luck and keep us up to date. You seem really intelligent and self-assured, so it won't be long before you land a good job. Just don't get talked into selling cemetery lots...lol

Thank you! I promise I won't sell anything because I'm not good with that!!

[MrsCat 6]

Best advice I can give is to remeber the interview is yours too. Not only is the employer looking to see if you will fit the position, but you should look to make sure the position/place fits you as well. Ask questions!

And double check your spelling! Remember the spell check button!

keep a sense of humor, people like that and are drawn to that.

[hawaiiandreams 0]

I have also been looking for a job for two months.. it's seriously tough out there!

The job sites I frequently visit are:

-Monster.com

-Careerbuilder.com

-Indeed.com

-Hotjobs.com

Make sure you "Americanize" your CV. I looked at the examples of resumes and cover letters on Monster.com. When I met with a recruiter last week he actually complimented me on how clean and polished it was so I guess Monster.com gives good examples. And they also list examples by job type so it's really helpful. The general feeling I get about American CV's is that they need to be brief - no more than 2 pages. Instead of being "task" focused, try to focus on your biggest achievements during your time in each role.

You can also look up recruitment agencies in your area. Call them and try to set up an appointment with a recruiter so you can discuss what you are looking for.

Monster.com also lists 'career fairs' that are being held in each city throughout the year. I've not been to one yet but I hear they are a great place to network. Definitely worth looking into.

I think the final ingredient is patience! The climate of the economy is everything but thriving so don't expect things to move too quickly. Although you may just get lucky!

Good luck to you!

HD.

Edited February 12, 2009 by hawaiiandreams

[alienlovechild 75]

Make sure you "Americanize" your CV. I looked at the examples of resumes and cover letters on Monster.com. When I met with a recruiter last week he actually complimented me on how clean and polished it was so I guess Monster.com gives good examples. And they also list examples by job type so it's really helpful. The general feeling I get about American CV's is that they need to be brief - no more than 2 pages. Instead of being "task" focused, try to focus on your biggest achievements during your time in each role.

My wife is working on her resume and cover letter. I told she needs to qualify and quantify her achievements more specfically so it means something to whomever reads her resume. Instead of saying, "I'm a hard worker", it's "I was promoted due to increasing business by 20%". I read somewhere that the average person looking at your resume spends about 30 seconds deciding whether to throw it out or consider you for an interview.