IR1 - Difficulty finding work

[Pat2021 43]

I immigrated at the beginning of the year to the US on IR1 and have since been looking for work. However, so far, after 2 months of trying, I have not had a single call-back, job interview, or even invite. Just a few rejections and mostly radio silence.

 

I've finished an MEng degree, which doesn't seem to be known here, so wondering if that's an issue? I also have 3.5 years of work experience, but with nearly a year gap due to COVID lay-offs in 2020/21 and then I quit my job in Dec. 2022 to move to the US and no work since - is that an issue?

 

Furthermore, the jobs I had, I was being rotated through various departments on an as-needed basis, so I don't have technical skills in a specific area but rather a wide variety of skills in lots of areas.

 

I did look at how to tailor resumes for the US market, how to apply, and had my resume looked at by multiple people that said it's strong, but even so, nothing as of yet.

 

I am wondering if either the MEng or the gaps are red flags and if so how can I overcome them?

From what I've seen MEng is pretty much equivalent to MS, just more engineering focused, so when the online portal only lets me choose between BS, MS and PhD, I choose MS.

 

I've seen it's now a numbers game, and I'm applying to a big number of jobs, so that should not be it. Could it also be that recruiters think my resume is fake, as the companies on it are based in the UK?

[powerpuff 5,905]

What I suggest doing is at the top of the resume write a short sentence stating “authorized to work in the US - Lawful Permanent Resident”

 

I put that on my resume because I read that employers or recruiters might think you’re looking for visa sponsorship since all of the companies in the resume are foreign and skip you 

[TBoneTX 43,059]

16 minutes ago, Pat2021 said:

Could it also be that recruiters think my resume is fake, as the companies on it are based in the UK?

Nope.  There's a chance that they're intimidated, or too lazy to want to contact overseas references.

18 minutes ago, Pat2021 said:

I am wondering if either the MEng or the gaps are red flags and if so how can I overcome them?

Human Resources departments here in the Colonies can contain the dregs of the company, and hiring managers may not understand what an MEng is.  Confront this through a strong cover-letter that explains what you've told us here.

Gaps aren't as big a killer as in past years, and you can also explain them in the cover-letter.

21 minutes ago, Pat2021 said:

I don't have technical skills in a specific area but rather a wide variety of skills in lots of areas.

Turn this into a benefit by listing your capabilities in a 2-column bulleted list, in your resumé, cover-letter, or both.

23 minutes ago, Pat2021 said:

I've seen it's now a numbers game, and I'm applying to a big number of jobs

Yes, and good.

23 minutes ago, Pat2021 said:

so that should not be it

Actually, the numbers game might be your biggest obstacle.  Are you relying on job ads in LinkedIn and similar portals?  Listings can attract many dozens of applicants within just a few hours of posting.  You have to be lucky in timing.

 

In job-hunting, as in life, sometimes it's not so much what you know, but who you know.

 

Suggestion #1:  Identify some area companies where you'd like to work.  Learn who the appropriate department head is.  Call (don't e-mail) and ask for a 20-minute in-person appointment (call it an informational interview) to gain his/her advice on your best opportunity and how you should proceed.  Even if no opening currently exists, the manager will now know you.  Repeat this process.  You might even volunteer to work in a unit for free for a week or two.

 

Suggestion #2:  Try this idea, previously posted by the member Darnell:
---
Each city has a chamber of commerce. Find it.

Once you find it - talk with the secretary - tell her you want a schedule of events and let her know you'd like to attend.

Then - go in person to the Chamber of Commerce Office - talk with the President of the Chamber, tell him/her you want to volunteer at several of their events.

Attendees at chamber events are business owners and sales geeks, all looking for new business.  It usually is an informal-enough gathering where you can approach people and talk with them.

Now, the cool thing about being a volunteer there - is that you will be talking to everyone at least once - you might be at the reception table, you might be at the greeters table, you might help to run the audio/video system - whatever - but - the point is that you can meet everyone there, face to face.

Attend 2 or 3 of these, and folk remember you. When folk remember you, they will remember you are seeking employment and will consider you, because you're just not some name on a piece of paper - they met you at a chamber event and know that you were volunteering, helping out the chamber.

Go Get Em, and Good Luck!

PS - live in a really small town? go to the biggest town that's within 15 miles of your house.

---

In short, networking is probably your best bet right now.  Let us know how you choose to proceed.  Rooting for you here.

 

[Pat2021 43]

Thank you both for the good advice. The ideas, especially #2 sounds very good. For #1 I've noticed for the big companies it's usually "faceless" and difficult to find out who department head / hiring manager is.

For city, I live near LA, so looking for jobs in LA, there's no shortage of postings thankfully.

 

20 minutes ago, powerpuff said:

What I suggest doing is at the top of the resume write a short sentence stating “authorized to work in the US - Lawful Permanent Resident”

Most companies I've applied for ask for that during the automatic profile creation thing, but I can double-down on the resume if that's helpful.

[JeanneAdil 6,202]

have u thought about going back to college

California has some great offers for honing in your skills 

 

Who qualifies for free college tuition in California?

 

California residents or nonresidents under the California Dream Act may be eligible for the California College Promise Grant if they: Demonstrate financial need. Complete a FAFSA or California Dream Act application. Maintain at least a 2.0 GPA.

 

And this:

 

Do California residents get free college tuition

my add from resources online  (i believe this one requires 366 days residency the state)

 

Free college isn't a new idea in California: The state's Promise program gives full-time students at some colleges scholarships to cover tuition, and students with a low-enough income can also apply to have their fees waived.Sep 8, 2022

[Pat2021 43]

39 minutes ago, JeanneAdil said:

have u thought about going back to college

California has some great offers for honing in your skills 

 

Who qualifies for free college tuition in California?

 

California residents or nonresidents under the California Dream Act may be eligible for the California College Promise Grant if they: Demonstrate financial need. Complete a FAFSA or California Dream Act application. Maintain at least a 2.0 GPA.

 

And this:

 

Do California residents get free college tuition

my add from resources online  (i believe this one requires 366 days residency the state)

 

Free college isn't a new idea in California: The state's Promise program gives full-time students at some colleges scholarships to cover tuition, and students with a low-enough income can also apply to have their fees waived.Sep 8, 2022

Hmm fair enough but the only degrees above what I have would be MBA or PhD, both of which I don't believe would qualify for this?

[Timona 3,941]

You're looking for BIG companies? Good luck. They bleed you to death. I will not entertain any calls from FB, Apple, Tesla. As soon as I hear one of them, I tell them flat NO..

 

Some people,  however, get tickled by big companies and only want to work for such. Having worked a few years of my career, I only do small or medium companies. Better pay, flexible hours and I do whatever I want, as long as you get the job done. 

Edited March 1, 2023 by Timona

[Pat2021 43]

17 minutes ago, Timona said:

You're looking for BIG companies? Good luck. They bleed you to death. I will not entertain any calls from FB, Apple, Tesla. As soon as I hear one of them, I tell them flat NO..

 

Some people,  however, get tickled by big companies and only want to work for such. Having worked a few years of my career, I only do small or medium companies. Better pay, flexible hours and I do whatever I want, as long as you get the job done. 

I do agree with that, however I am applying across the spectrum, from tiny companies all the way to giants like Boeing. Just to get in somewhere, after that I'll have more leverage (and at least income).

[Daphne . 1,679]

When I came to the US, I pretty much had to start my career from scratch again. Not ideal, but I found that the harsh reality is that a career in a different country doesn't seem to count and you'll have to prove yourself all over again in the US.

[TBoneTX 43,059]

Another idea is to search for American engineering societies, such as

asce.org

aiche.org

and others.

 

They will have discussion forums.  Read and perhaps join them.

Their officers will be prominent academicians and industrialists.  Reach out to them.

The sites may have archived articles that apply to your situation.  Read them.

 

I honestly think that you're swimming upstream by trying to do everything solo.  Reach out.  Make folks aware of you.

[Mike E 11,723]

Master of Engineering degrees have been around decades if not centuries in this country:

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_of_Engineering

 

https://eecs.berkeley.edu/academics/graduate/industry-programs/meng
 

I’d be hard pressed to find a state university that doesn’t offer a master of engineering degree. 
 

Applying for jobs online is rarely effective. You need to have someone inside present your resume to a hiring manager. 
 

Are there people on your UK LinkedIn network who work for companies that have engineering operations in both countries? Contact them and ask them to make a referral for a job posted externally and then ask them to send a your resume directly to the hiring manager. When I did this on behalf of former coworkers, this generated a phone screen call over 50 percent of time. Literally orders of magnitude more effective than applying for 100s of jobs online each day. 
 

 

Edited March 1, 2023 by Mike E

[TBoneTX 43,059]

2 minutes ago, Mike E said:

ask them to make a referral for a job posted externally and then ask them to send a your resume directly to the hiring manager.

Yes... and, often, these employees will get a "referral bonus" for having referred someone who's subsequently hired, so there's incentive there.

[Mike E 11,723]

1 minute ago, TBoneTX said:

Yes... and, often, these employees will get a "referral bonus" for having referred someone who's subsequently hired, so there's incentive there.

Indeed. I had years earning over $5K in referrals alone. 

[TBoneTX 43,059]

1 minute ago, Mike E said:

Indeed. I had years earning over $5K in referrals alone. 

Then Pat the OP should pursue this avenue in order to find highly motivated help!

[Mike E 11,723]

Also, some people have negative reactions to this, but I would put this somewhere on your resume:

 

”Authorized to work in the U.S.”

 

or even:

 

”Lawful Permanent Resident of the U.S.”