Canadian looking for employment

[JustBreathe 22]

Curious if any other Canadians had issues securing employment in the states? I am post secondary educated/graduate. With 10 years of professional experience in my field. I have applied and applied for many jobs, I do not seem to get even an interview. Has anyone else experienced this? I refuse to think that me not being a US citizen is impacting my chances. Could it be? 

[HoosierEh 21]

Hi, 

 

I've been there and yes that can be it, our canadian universities and many companies / corporations do the same. 

 

I was once told I had to loose the accent!

 

What kind of jobs if you don't mind my asking. 

[mushroomspore 3,043]

9 minutes ago, JustBreathe said:

Curious if any other Canadians had issues securing employment in the states? I am post secondary educated/graduate. With 10 years of professional experience in my field. I have applied and applied for many jobs, I do not seem to get even an interview. Has anyone else experienced this? I refuse to think that me not being a US citizen is impacting my chances. Could it be? 

Of course the fact you're not American is a factor. They can't hire non-Americans who are not legally authorized to work in the US. Currently, work visas are also experiencing a major crackdown on fraud and policy enforcement. Many companies do not sponsor non-Americans as it can be too much of a liability for them. A lot of companies now are dropping visa sponsorship due to changing government policies and political atmosphere. So everyone is fighting and competing for the diminishing number of employers who still want to offer visa sponsorship.

[JDP91 118]

45 minutes ago, mushroomspore said:

Of course the fact you're not American is a factor. They can't hire non-Americans who are not legally authorized to work in the US. Currently, work visas are also experiencing a major crackdown on fraud and policy enforcement. Many companies do not sponsor non-Americans as it can be too much of a liability for them. A lot of companies now are dropping visa sponsorship due to changing government policies and political atmosphere. So everyone is fighting and competing for the diminishing number of employers who still want to offer visa sponsorship.

 

OP appears to be a US green card holder, so this wouldn't be relevant to the situation. 

[mushroomspore 3,043]

6 minutes ago, JDP91 said:

 

OP appears to be a US green card holder, so this wouldn't be relevant to the situation. 

Oh my bad. I've got a summer cold so my cognitive functioning hasn't been 100%. Hmm, maybe it has more to do with the industry OP is in???

[Highmystic 234]

1 hour ago, JustBreathe said:

Curious if any other Canadians had issues securing employment in the states? I am post secondary educated/graduate. With 10 years of professional experience in my field. I have applied and applied for many jobs, I do not seem to get even an interview. Has anyone else experienced this? I refuse to think that me not being a US citizen is impacting my chances. Could it be? 

Perhaps some companies view you as "over qualified" and would not stay on that job but only until something better comes along.  I don't know what your 10 yrs of exp is for, but you may want to think about scaling back the resume to fit each job you apply for.  I've been there, done that in jobs.

[JustBreathe 22]

8 hours ago, mushroomspore said:

Of course the fact you're not American is a factor. They can't hire non-Americans who are not legally authorized to work in the US. Currently, work visas are also experiencing a major crackdown on fraud and policy enforcement. Many companies do not sponsor non-Americans as it can be too much of a liability for them. A lot of companies now are dropping visa sponsorship due to changing government policies and political atmosphere. So everyone is fighting and competing for the diminishing number of employers who still want to offer visa sponsorship.

I’m a permanent resident

[JustBreathe 22]

6 hours ago, Highmystic said:

Perhaps some companies view you as "over qualified" and would not stay on that job but only until something better comes along.  I don't know what your 10 yrs of exp is for, but you may want to think about scaling back the resume to fit each job you apply for.  I've been there, done that in jobs.

You might be right. Good tip. I will do some resume work today.Thank you! 

[JustBreathe 22]

8 hours ago, HoosierEh said:

Hi, 

 

I've been there and yes that can be it, our canadian universities and many companies / corporations do the same. 

 

I was once told I had to loose the accent!

 

What kind of jobs if you don't mind my asking. 

Health Care -management

[NikLR 13,220]

Even if you have the experience to start in management, IMHO, starting lower and working your way up seems to be an easier route.  I haven't had any issues getting promoted within companies in the USA but have always had to take a pay cut and start lower. 

[JustBreathe 22]

4 hours ago, NikLR said:

Even if you have the experience to start in management, IMHO, starting lower and working your way up seems to be an easier route.  I haven't had any issues getting promoted within companies in the USA but have always had to take a pay cut and start lower. 

Thank you, I will try that

[databit 328]

17 hours ago, JustBreathe said:

 I am post secondary educated/graduate.

 

Is this a bachelor's degree? Or a master's degree?

[acidrain 325]

My spouse applied at the higher end companies in his field. He landed a couple of interviews and was short listed. I'm not sure if this applies in your case but I know his gap in his resume was likely why he lost a few jobs. He had relocated and had an explanation. I think some hiring managers wondered if his gap had something to do with not being a desirable candidate. Sort of like when a house sits on the market for a long time people assume there is something wrong with it. The reason I say this is the job he initially wanted called him back for an interview as soon as he got something else.

 

I know it can be very discouraging as my spouse's self esteem took a blow when he kept applying. However, I pushed him into applying for a job on Craiglist (it looked hokey). Having worked 10 years in his field he felt discouraged. He applied for it as we needed to get something going. It's been by far the best job he's ever had. Ads can be very deceiving so don't rule out other opportunities. My spouse started out with a modest wage but within 4 months he got a big raise after he proved himself. The irony in the whole situation is the companies he thought he'd be the most happy with passed him over. But he wound up getting a job with more long term opportunity and growth. This company is constantly sending him out of town for training. He couldn't be more happier.

 

There might be a few people who pull their face over the Canadian part. But I think most people like Canadians.

 

One thing I did in the past is completely redo my resume and have someone else look it over. If you have a lot of experience and with the current economy you should eventually find something.

Edited August 12, 2018 by acidrain

[AshMarty 359]

My husband landed a job through networking. He had to take a pay cut at first but within 6 months he recieved two promotions and significant pay increases with each promotion.

 

My suggestion is network and build connections as much as you can with people connected to your field. 

[CanadianGrrl 8]

I had a decent amount of trouble too. I started volunteering almost immediately after moving to the US on a K1 fiancee visa. I volunteered at a couple places, the last of which was very relevant to my educational background (academic lab). After almost a whole year (so grateful to my wonderful SO for supporting me), they converted me to staff and I later used my direct lab supervisor as a reference for a job at the same company that he moved on to. A lot of elbow grease and a serious helping of luck.