Jump to content

GandK

Members
  • Posts

    502
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Reputation Activity

  1. Like
    GandK got a reaction from N-o-l-a in Harsh Question   
    Why don't we bump up the minimum income requirement to 1000% and while we are at it, the beneficiary needs to be able to demonstrate a college degree and speak at least 5 languages as well.
    /sigh
  2. Like
    GandK got a reaction from GBCW in Congratulations Mr President   
    Move to Ukraine then?
    Bye
  3. Like
    GandK got a reaction from didopage in Finding work in US is so different and difficult! with uni degree!   
    A lots of good advices given here already but here is my experience and what I learned during my job hunting process.
    A little background:
    I graduated April 2012 from Technical University of Denmark (A school that 99% of the US has never heard of and a lot of people can't even find Denmark on the map...) I have ZERO industrial experience except some internship and research experience here and there.
    I moved to the US on K-1 visa August last year, got my Greencard in November, started job hunting seriously after new year. I just accepted a job offer as electrical engineer with PG&E two weeks ago.
    Although it only took me two months to find a professional job, it has been a rich learning experience and frustrating at the same time (Also becI have been in the immigration limbo since April).
    I just took a look at the early versions of my resume and cover letter and I just shook my head. THEY WERE SO BAD, obviously it has got a lot better with revisions.
    Here are the lessons I learned
    1. Put an effort in your resume
    Includes professional format, be concise and informative, ask people to look at it and give you feedback. Revise and revise.
    2. Think about the job you are applying for and TAILOR your resume to it
    In the beginning, I just had one "cookie-cutter" resume. I just sent it out "Fire and Forget" no wonder I never heard back.
    3 .Know the buzzwords for your professional
    Put these buzzwords in your resume. a lot of companies use computer systems to screen for these buzzwords.
    4. Use local address to apply for the job
    Most companies don't like out of state or out of city address. Period. Use friend's address, heck I even googled a random address and used it in my resume
    5. Clearly state in your resume that you are legally authorized to work for any employer in the US on a continuous and permanent basic
    6. Practice telephone interview
    My first phone interview was a disaster as I never had one before and I was so busy "hunting" for jobs that I wasn't prepared at all of what to do when I actually get an interview.
    7. Get to know yourself! Know your strengths and weaknesses and sell it to the company
    It's funny but you have to practice this. It's not just knowing who you are, how you work, you also have to be able to verbally express yourself and your qualifications in a concise and professional manner.
    I remember I didn't include language proficiency in my resume because I didn't think that was important for an engineer. Then someone told me when I was struggling to find a job "You are an engineer who speaks five languages, if you can't find a job I'd be damned."
    Then I realized as a new grad with no experience to show off. Those languages are probably my greatest strength and assets. I started to believe in it and "sell it" to companies.
    8. Large corporate values diversity more than small company
    In my experience, large companies tend to appreciate my international background and global awareness more than small local companies who rather hire a local.
    9. Salary discussion don't come in until an offer has been extended. if they ask and you must answer, then state a range. do your research so you know what the salary range is for the position
    10. Finally, don't rely on job websites like indeed/linkedIn etc
    Thousands of people have probably seen the same job ads and hundreds of people probably applied for that position. I had much better luck doing research on companies in my industry and I found a lot of positions that are not even listed any where else.
    Good luck hunting!
  4. Like
    GandK got a reaction from robhaa in Scandinavians   
    I was like you. I came here in 2012 out of college with a master in engineering degree from Denmark. I had zero work experience prior and with almost no saving and my wife was going back to school, so we had almost no income. I just kept putting charges on my danish credit card, my debt was growing more and more and it was very stressful and frustrating at that time.
    But my in-law are the kindest people in the world. They took us in and let us stay with them for months while I was looking for a job. I don't think we would have made it without their support.
    Fortunately, I found a good job relatively quickly (4-5 months after I got greencard). It's a scary thought but you just have to believe in yourself and your qualification. The economy seems to be relatively better now with more hiring. But when it comes to job hunting, all I can say is it's all about luck. Looking back, I have no idea how I got hired. In engineering, most company prefers to hire college graduates from "ABET" accredited schools but my supervisor and I just clicked during the interview
    So, the key here is family, family and family support :-)
  5. Like
    GandK got a reaction from Jon York in Calling USCIS for an Expedite - denied!   
    I think you must present why that humanitarian crisis and danger applies specifically to YOU and YOUR case.
    Mentioning that a country is in turmoil and relatively more dangerous than others is not really a ground for expedition. Millions of people are living in war zone around the world.
    Many countries have more dangerous living conditions than other but people have learned to live there in fear (Unfortunately). Otherwise, everyone who live in that country would be eligible for an expedition.
    It is too general if you see my point.
    Let me illustrate an example to you.
    1. I live in Tijuana, Mexico which is notoriously one of the most dangerous city in the world. Literally, people are shot in the street, decapitated head are found on the sidewalk. I want to USCIS to expedite my case, so I can get out of here as soon as possible
    Doesn't work as expedition ground because it is too generalized and impersonal.
    2. I live in Pakistan, and I am politically active. I have a good reason to believe that my life is in danger. Some government agent is after me or I have received several threats from unknown person ( documented by a police report). My wife is also pregnant and the stress and living condition potentially put our baby health in danger (documented by a doctor evaluation and statement)
    Now this case is much more likely to be expedited. The case and ground for expedition is personal.
    The important thing is also how you formulate your expedite request because that gives USCIS the first impression of your situation.
    I don't know how you did it but it has to appear like an emergency situation where the denial would most likely lead into greatly increased risk of humanitarian disaster.
    Refer to my example 1, Tijuana is a dangerous place to live but an expedition deny doesn't make it even more dangerous to live for the applicant.
    In example 2, a deny would significantly increase the risk of some bad thing happening because of the existing threats. The keyword here is time because expedite case is meant to reduce the waiting time right?
    So you have to be able to clearly state that the humanitarian threat is getting higher the longer you wait for your petition application
  6. Like
    GandK got a reaction from angeldaemon13 in Congratulations Mr President   
    Move to Ukraine then?
    Bye
  7. Like
    GandK got a reaction from jaycali in Finding work in US is so different and difficult! with uni degree!   
    A lots of good advices given here already but here is my experience and what I learned during my job hunting process.
    A little background:
    I graduated April 2012 from Technical University of Denmark (A school that 99% of the US has never heard of and a lot of people can't even find Denmark on the map...) I have ZERO industrial experience except some internship and research experience here and there.
    I moved to the US on K-1 visa August last year, got my Greencard in November, started job hunting seriously after new year. I just accepted a job offer as electrical engineer with PG&E two weeks ago.
    Although it only took me two months to find a professional job, it has been a rich learning experience and frustrating at the same time (Also becI have been in the immigration limbo since April).
    I just took a look at the early versions of my resume and cover letter and I just shook my head. THEY WERE SO BAD, obviously it has got a lot better with revisions.
    Here are the lessons I learned
    1. Put an effort in your resume
    Includes professional format, be concise and informative, ask people to look at it and give you feedback. Revise and revise.
    2. Think about the job you are applying for and TAILOR your resume to it
    In the beginning, I just had one "cookie-cutter" resume. I just sent it out "Fire and Forget" no wonder I never heard back.
    3 .Know the buzzwords for your professional
    Put these buzzwords in your resume. a lot of companies use computer systems to screen for these buzzwords.
    4. Use local address to apply for the job
    Most companies don't like out of state or out of city address. Period. Use friend's address, heck I even googled a random address and used it in my resume
    5. Clearly state in your resume that you are legally authorized to work for any employer in the US on a continuous and permanent basic
    6. Practice telephone interview
    My first phone interview was a disaster as I never had one before and I was so busy "hunting" for jobs that I wasn't prepared at all of what to do when I actually get an interview.
    7. Get to know yourself! Know your strengths and weaknesses and sell it to the company
    It's funny but you have to practice this. It's not just knowing who you are, how you work, you also have to be able to verbally express yourself and your qualifications in a concise and professional manner.
    I remember I didn't include language proficiency in my resume because I didn't think that was important for an engineer. Then someone told me when I was struggling to find a job "You are an engineer who speaks five languages, if you can't find a job I'd be damned."
    Then I realized as a new grad with no experience to show off. Those languages are probably my greatest strength and assets. I started to believe in it and "sell it" to companies.
    8. Large corporate values diversity more than small company
    In my experience, large companies tend to appreciate my international background and global awareness more than small local companies who rather hire a local.
    9. Salary discussion don't come in until an offer has been extended. if they ask and you must answer, then state a range. do your research so you know what the salary range is for the position
    10. Finally, don't rely on job websites like indeed/linkedIn etc
    Thousands of people have probably seen the same job ads and hundreds of people probably applied for that position. I had much better luck doing research on companies in my industry and I found a lot of positions that are not even listed any where else.
    Good luck hunting!
  8. Like
    GandK got a reaction from jaycali in Finding work in US is so different and difficult! with uni degree!   
    In academia, a resume is short and concise, it includes educations and experience (usually one page). On the hand, a CV includes all your publications and papers published and this can be like 4-5 pages.
  9. Like
    GandK got a reaction from jaycali in Finding a job is easy in America!!   
    Ok. Anything else?
  10. Like
    GandK got a reaction from Ms C in First job in USA   
    I completely agree with this. I'm getting a lot better feedback from large multi-national companies than smaller local companies.
  11. Like
    GandK got a reaction from Mr&Mrs.Boo in Building credit   
    Capital one secured mastercard is the best hand down. I inherited my wife's rather poor credit in september last year. It was about 550ish. Now we are up at 690ish.
    Also, see if you can get a credit card from credit union.
  12. Like
    GandK got a reaction from SunnySanDiego in Congratulations Mr President   
    Move to Ukraine then?
    Bye
  13. Like
    GandK got a reaction from HappyDeux :-) in Finding a job is easy in America!!   
    Ok. Anything else?
  14. Like
    GandK got a reaction from VanessaTony in Finding a job is easy in America!!   
    Ok. Anything else?
  15. Like
    GandK got a reaction from catie-b in So how long is reasonable for getting a job in the US   
    Just to give you my numbers. I am probably one of the lucky case.
    I submitted about 25-30 applications since new year, heard back from about 6-7, got 2 phone interviews, 1 face-to-face interview and one job offer.
    I don't have any experience and I was applying for mostly entry level engineer positions which is few and far in between.
    I spent half of my time job hunting and the other half studying, learning new softwares and keep my technical knowledge updated which helped me greatly during my technical interviews.
    It's just a matter of the right fit and the right job to come along, it can take times. Don't give up!
    Sometimes, I kept looking and looking for over a week and couldn't find any position that I was qualified to apply.
    My best advice is to practice interview A LOT. After my first phone interview which I ###### up royally, I realized that I was spending too much time applying for jobs and was totally unprepared for interviews.
    My next phone interview performance was like day and night which led to a face-to-face interview and I NAILED it with confidence ( A result of countless of hours talking to the mirror lol )
  16. Like
    GandK got a reaction from chaine1 in Finding work in US is so different and difficult! with uni degree!   
    In academia, a resume is short and concise, it includes educations and experience (usually one page). On the hand, a CV includes all your publications and papers published and this can be like 4-5 pages.
  17. Like
    GandK got a reaction from Harpa Timsah in Finding work in US is so different and difficult! with uni degree!   
    In academia, a resume is short and concise, it includes educations and experience (usually one page). On the hand, a CV includes all your publications and papers published and this can be like 4-5 pages.
  18. Like
    GandK got a reaction from Bayareaguy in Finding work in US is so different and difficult! with uni degree!   
    In academia, a resume is short and concise, it includes educations and experience (usually one page). On the hand, a CV includes all your publications and papers published and this can be like 4-5 pages.
  19. Like
    GandK got a reaction from Calypso in Finding work in US is so different and difficult! with uni degree!   
    A lots of good advices given here already but here is my experience and what I learned during my job hunting process.
    A little background:
    I graduated April 2012 from Technical University of Denmark (A school that 99% of the US has never heard of and a lot of people can't even find Denmark on the map...) I have ZERO industrial experience except some internship and research experience here and there.
    I moved to the US on K-1 visa August last year, got my Greencard in November, started job hunting seriously after new year. I just accepted a job offer as electrical engineer with PG&E two weeks ago.
    Although it only took me two months to find a professional job, it has been a rich learning experience and frustrating at the same time (Also becI have been in the immigration limbo since April).
    I just took a look at the early versions of my resume and cover letter and I just shook my head. THEY WERE SO BAD, obviously it has got a lot better with revisions.
    Here are the lessons I learned
    1. Put an effort in your resume
    Includes professional format, be concise and informative, ask people to look at it and give you feedback. Revise and revise.
    2. Think about the job you are applying for and TAILOR your resume to it
    In the beginning, I just had one "cookie-cutter" resume. I just sent it out "Fire and Forget" no wonder I never heard back.
    3 .Know the buzzwords for your professional
    Put these buzzwords in your resume. a lot of companies use computer systems to screen for these buzzwords.
    4. Use local address to apply for the job
    Most companies don't like out of state or out of city address. Period. Use friend's address, heck I even googled a random address and used it in my resume
    5. Clearly state in your resume that you are legally authorized to work for any employer in the US on a continuous and permanent basic
    6. Practice telephone interview
    My first phone interview was a disaster as I never had one before and I was so busy "hunting" for jobs that I wasn't prepared at all of what to do when I actually get an interview.
    7. Get to know yourself! Know your strengths and weaknesses and sell it to the company
    It's funny but you have to practice this. It's not just knowing who you are, how you work, you also have to be able to verbally express yourself and your qualifications in a concise and professional manner.
    I remember I didn't include language proficiency in my resume because I didn't think that was important for an engineer. Then someone told me when I was struggling to find a job "You are an engineer who speaks five languages, if you can't find a job I'd be damned."
    Then I realized as a new grad with no experience to show off. Those languages are probably my greatest strength and assets. I started to believe in it and "sell it" to companies.
    8. Large corporate values diversity more than small company
    In my experience, large companies tend to appreciate my international background and global awareness more than small local companies who rather hire a local.
    9. Salary discussion don't come in until an offer has been extended. if they ask and you must answer, then state a range. do your research so you know what the salary range is for the position
    10. Finally, don't rely on job websites like indeed/linkedIn etc
    Thousands of people have probably seen the same job ads and hundreds of people probably applied for that position. I had much better luck doing research on companies in my industry and I found a lot of positions that are not even listed any where else.
    Good luck hunting!
  20. Like
    GandK got a reaction from Harpa Timsah in Finding work in US is so different and difficult! with uni degree!   
    A lots of good advices given here already but here is my experience and what I learned during my job hunting process.
    A little background:
    I graduated April 2012 from Technical University of Denmark (A school that 99% of the US has never heard of and a lot of people can't even find Denmark on the map...) I have ZERO industrial experience except some internship and research experience here and there.
    I moved to the US on K-1 visa August last year, got my Greencard in November, started job hunting seriously after new year. I just accepted a job offer as electrical engineer with PG&E two weeks ago.
    Although it only took me two months to find a professional job, it has been a rich learning experience and frustrating at the same time (Also becI have been in the immigration limbo since April).
    I just took a look at the early versions of my resume and cover letter and I just shook my head. THEY WERE SO BAD, obviously it has got a lot better with revisions.
    Here are the lessons I learned
    1. Put an effort in your resume
    Includes professional format, be concise and informative, ask people to look at it and give you feedback. Revise and revise.
    2. Think about the job you are applying for and TAILOR your resume to it
    In the beginning, I just had one "cookie-cutter" resume. I just sent it out "Fire and Forget" no wonder I never heard back.
    3 .Know the buzzwords for your professional
    Put these buzzwords in your resume. a lot of companies use computer systems to screen for these buzzwords.
    4. Use local address to apply for the job
    Most companies don't like out of state or out of city address. Period. Use friend's address, heck I even googled a random address and used it in my resume
    5. Clearly state in your resume that you are legally authorized to work for any employer in the US on a continuous and permanent basic
    6. Practice telephone interview
    My first phone interview was a disaster as I never had one before and I was so busy "hunting" for jobs that I wasn't prepared at all of what to do when I actually get an interview.
    7. Get to know yourself! Know your strengths and weaknesses and sell it to the company
    It's funny but you have to practice this. It's not just knowing who you are, how you work, you also have to be able to verbally express yourself and your qualifications in a concise and professional manner.
    I remember I didn't include language proficiency in my resume because I didn't think that was important for an engineer. Then someone told me when I was struggling to find a job "You are an engineer who speaks five languages, if you can't find a job I'd be damned."
    Then I realized as a new grad with no experience to show off. Those languages are probably my greatest strength and assets. I started to believe in it and "sell it" to companies.
    8. Large corporate values diversity more than small company
    In my experience, large companies tend to appreciate my international background and global awareness more than small local companies who rather hire a local.
    9. Salary discussion don't come in until an offer has been extended. if they ask and you must answer, then state a range. do your research so you know what the salary range is for the position
    10. Finally, don't rely on job websites like indeed/linkedIn etc
    Thousands of people have probably seen the same job ads and hundreds of people probably applied for that position. I had much better luck doing research on companies in my industry and I found a lot of positions that are not even listed any where else.
    Good luck hunting!
  21. Like
    GandK got a reaction from Krikit in Another heartbreak   
    I am curious what you would do if one day you return home from work and find your wife in bed with another man and your children sleeping next door?
    I'm sure that is not on on your 10 best things list either.
  22. Like
    GandK got a reaction from N-o-l-a in Another heartbreak   
    I am curious what you would do if one day you return home from work and find your wife in bed with another man and your children sleeping next door?
    I'm sure that is not on on your 10 best things list either.
  23. Like
    GandK got a reaction from Asia in Another heartbreak   
    I am curious what you would do if one day you return home from work and find your wife in bed with another man and your children sleeping next door?
    I'm sure that is not on on your 10 best things list either.
  24. Like
    GandK got a reaction from jaycali in Now it all makes sense.   
  25. Like
    GandK got a reaction from JeanneVictoria in unfair embassy   
    Here is a good advice for you.
    If you have problem communicating in English, you may want to bring a translator with you whenever you deal with government officials in the future.
×
×
  • Create New...