Hotscot

That's not what I asked...if it was filled before you got there are there many opportunities for offset printers?
Would it still have been easy to find a job?

Andy_UK

Yes relatively, there are quite a few print shops in La Crosse

wrsley

I'm 28 and moving to New York City on a K1 this year hopefully... I have a degree and have worked 4 years experience in my current role. Does anyone have any experience of how easy it will be for me to get work? Should I start to send some enquiries before I move out there?

Thanks.

Hotscot

What's your current role?

Have a quick look here...do you see any interest in your skills?

Indeed.com

wrsley

I work in customer service for a big six energy firm. Thanks for the link will have a look.

Hotscot

Customer service jobs can be decent if you're not on the lowest rung where there is; High turnover, get treated like crap, monitored constantly, few benefits.

If you can get a relatively senior position, since you have a degree and relevant experience, you could do well.

Pulaski

My experience, consistent with almost everyone on BE who has shared their experience, is that US employers pay zero attention to applications from outside the US (exceptions being in highly specialist occupations or where their skills are in short supply.) Only when I flew over at my own expense was my interest converted into job interviews. So, in short, unless you have a US address you can "borrow" to put on your résumé, applications ahead of you moving are likely going to be a complete waste of time. Sorry.

Manjo

I used my time in America on the VWP to do some volunteer work at a local soup kitchen (I'm a chef by trade) as well as a small catering company run by a family friend. Volunteer work is a great way to get some references in the States (I imagine American employers being somewhat hesistant to contact british references by phone or post, and email isn't always the most reliable) and it made me feel a lot better about being forced to spend those 3 months unemployed, giving me something productive to do.

civilservant

I have 3 degrees, and I found it easy. The job I took was undoubtedly a step down, but within 6 months Id been promoted and am now earning roughly what I was before.

wrsley

My fiancé is living in the states so I can use Her address on my resume and hopefully land some interviews when I move out there!

ScottUK1990

Hijacking this a little -

How early would you suggest applying to jobs in the US prior to arrival on a K-1 visa?

I'm aware K-1 holders can't work (or prove they legally can) until EAD arrives after AOS which can be ~6months (from date of entry). Is there any point in applying for anything before entering the country? (I can use my fiancee's address).

FYI - my job area is strength and conditioning, personal training, and sports rehabilitation/athletic training (hold a BSc and soon an MSc).

Noorah101

I would start making contacts, connections and inquiries, but might not be worth actually applying until you have your EAD in hand.

If you apply before EAD and get called for an interview, it could put them off, since you wasted their time, and they might not want you next time around.

Rene

ScottUK1990

Thanks Rene, that's what I've been doing so far. Fortunately having studied and interned in the local area before I've got a fair few contacts, aside from that I'm using linkedin to create connections.

I won't apply for anything for the time being.

scottyvisa

I'd be interested to hear thoughts on how important having a degree is. I don't have one, but worked my way up instead and now manage a large team in I.T, my employers don't care about my qualifications as I've proven myself and I often get contacted by recruiters who also aren't bothered. However when we've hired for positions in our US Offices, our recruiters there only ever send me CVs with degrees, and I hear that it's much harder to get a foot in the door without one. That said it's obviously a large country and some of their biggest companies were founded by college drop-outs. I plan on using contacts to get interviews, not just applying on websites, but would like to know if anyone has experience on this?

md95065

Having a degree is pretty important because, while it may not actually be a hard requirement for a particular job, you will often be competing against many other applicants who do have degrees and that means that, unless there is something in your application that really stands out, you may never get past the initial resume screening process.

Honestly, by far your best bet would be to try to get a transfer to one of your employer's US offices if at all possible.

Failing that you need to take as much advantage as possible of whatever contacts you have in the U.S. to make sure that you have the best chance of getting past the initial screening process and actually getting an interview.