Michael McGuire

Hello everyone,

My wife came from Russia and has much international business experience(2-3 years).
Her education is a Bachelors and a Masters degree in managment. She has been replying
to every job positing on Monster, flip dog, etc.. We are talking with ppl, but are
having difficulty.

Any and all suggestions would be appreciated,

Michael

Robert

[email protected] (Michael McGuire) wrote in message
news:<[email protected] t>...
    > Hello everyone,
    >
    >
    > My wife came from Russia and has much international business experience(2-3 years).
    > Her education is a Bachelors and a Masters degree in managment. She has been
    > replying to every job positing on Monster, flip dog, etc.. We are talking with ppl,
    > but are having difficulty.
    >
    > Any and all suggestions would be appreciated,
    >
    > Michael

Michael,

What industry is her experience in? In what state and region do you guys reside? What
institute/university has she graduated from? How fluent is she in English; how about
her writing, spoken, etc skills?

Robert

Michael McGuire

Her english is really really good- written, understanding, and speaking. We are
currently in Alabama for a while, but I've got a job starting next month in Witchita.
Experience? She word with a US style medical clinic, a company that produces road
materials and a very very large electrical motor company. The motor company she did
international sales (think it was all of Africa/India). Her degree -I'll have to get
back to you on that one. They are from the Russian University in Vladimir, but
honestly I'm not 100% sure of the name.

Michael In article <[email protected] >,
[email protected] says...
    > [email protected] (Michael McGuire) wrote in message
    > news:<[email protected] t>...
    > > Hello everyone,
    > >
    > >
    > > My wife came from Russia and has much international business experience(2-3
    > > years). Her education is a Bachelors and a Masters degree in managment. She has
    > > been replying to every job positing on Monster, flip dog, etc.. We are talking
    > > with ppl, but are having difficulty.
    > >
    > > Any and all suggestions would be appreciated,
    > >
    > > Michael
    >
    > Michael,
    >
    > What industry is her experience in? In what state and region do you guys reside?
    > What institute/university has she graduated from? How fluent is she in English; how
    > about her writing, spoken, etc skills?
    >
    > Robert

Chris Parker

    > My wife came from Russia and has much international business experience(2-3 years).
    > Her education is a Bachelors and a Masters degree in managment. She has been
    > replying to every job positing on Monster, flip dog, etc.. We are talking with ppl,
    > but are having difficulty.
    >
    > Any and all suggestions would be appreciated,

I'm having similar problems, so this is not unusual.

Hints:
- A resume which gives no clue about national origin is preferable. This means even
foreign educational credentials and work experience may need to be masked or
excluded to prevent discrimination. In fact, I'm now taking off even the foreign
language ability, because clearly it is only inviting strange behavior and odd
questions from potential employers prior to interviewing and at the interview.
- Questions like "Where are you from?" and "How long have you been here?" really are,
"Are you allowed to work?" You'd be best include in your answer to the unrelated
question that you are allowed to work and that the employer should not be concerned
about that.
- English writing skills are a fair criticism in offerring employment. If they bring
this up, make sure she understands what writing they expect her to do that is
related to the job, and whether this is from dictaphone or entirely written on her
own. Adding a writing skill requirement as a job requirement when it isn't true is
employment discrimination.
- Employment requiring U.S. citizenship or a green card is illegal, except for
federal employment and some state employment and government contractors where
national security is involved. Furthermore, the employer is never required to
demand specific documents to show employment eligibility (such as, "do you have a
green card"); any acceptable combination from listed with Form I-9 must be accepted
if it appears genuine. Work permits for adjustment applicants are renewable each
year, so discrimination based on the future work expiration date is also illegal.
Documents also should not be asked for or examined prior to hiring, either.
Finally, it also is illegal to hire a less qualified worker solely because they
possess U.S. citizenship or a green card and you do not, or supplied different
acceptable documents proving work eligibility for I-9 than you did.

You can find full details about your rights and how to file charges against employers
discriminating based on national origin, citizenship, and document abuse at these web
addresses: http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/activity.html#osc
http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/osc/htm/outreach.htm
http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/osc/htm/facts.htm
http://commdocs.house.gov/committees...ju78340_0f.htm

Good luck, and don't give up if she actually is qualified for the job! CP

ms_bhon

Starting over in another country is never easy. Starting over in an economic climate that is far from robust is even worse.
My husband had been working in the IT and related fields for about 6 years, and holds a BS in computer engineering.
He's been here a year in the Baltimore-Washington area (hardly the middle of no where) and has yet to find a permanent job. He's had some very short contract work, but that's it. He works on it everyday, checking out the online sights and is registered with a couple of headhunters.
And still he's out of work.
A cyber friend of mine with many years webmistress expereince moved from NC to Sydney, Australia. Three months later and she's still out of work.
I'm not trying to be the voive of doom and gloom, just reality. Its a tough market out there- worldwide these days. She may have to start re-thinking what she could be doing to make a living abd adapt to the new climate.
Just a thought.
Tell her to hang in there,
Beth

Michael McGuire

Thanks guys,

We just got news... I've got a position in Dallas/FT worth. I made it really clear to
the ppl hiring me that "WE" would not be happy and stay unless my wife found
reasonable employment. She is very understanding and is going to actively start
hunting a job.

We'll try and mask job the other country a little bit. Her English and understanding
are excelent.

We're both very positive right now=)

Michael

tara

In many professiona/technical jobs if a candidate is basing eligibility on a degree from a foreign university outside of the United States or Canada, the official transcript or copy may need to first be evaluated by an evaluation agency.

My husband got his Masters translated by the the University of South Carolina. The cost was $90, as it was the degree translation. If he had chosen to translate his Phd. credits it would have been more, as that would have fallen under a "course by course" evaluation.

This list of evaluation translators is from the ASCP (American Society of Clinical Pathology) http://www.ascp.org/index.asp

i see your wife may have some experience in the Medical field, this field has job openings in most cities.

Foreign Transcript
Evaluation Agencies
Center for Applied Research,
Evaluation & Education, Inc.
P.O. Box 20348
Long Beach, CA 90801
562-430-1105
562-430-8215 Fax
e-mail: [email protected]

International Consultants
of Delaware, Inc.
625 Barksdale Road, Suite 109
Newark, DE 19711
302-737-8715
302-737-8756 Fax
e-mail: [email protected]

Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc.
P.O. Box 514070
Milwaukee, WI 53203-3470
414-289-3400
414-289-3411 Fax
e-mail: [email protected]

International Education Research
Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 3665
Culver City, CA 90231
310-258-9451
310-342-7086 Fax
e-mail: [email protected]

Foundation for International
Services, Inc.
21540 30th Drive SE, Suite 320
Bothell, WA 98021
425-487-2245
425-487-1989 Fax
e-mail: [email protected]
www.fis-web.com

Josef Silny & Associates, Inc.
International Education Consultants
P.O. Box 248233
Coral Gables, FL 33124
305-273-1616
305-273-1338 Fax
e-mail: [email protected]
www.jsilny.com

Globe Language Services
319 Broadway
New York, NY 10007
212-227-1994
212-693-1489 FAX
e-mail: [email protected]
www.globelanguage.com

World Education Services, Inc.
P.O. Box 745
Old Chelsea Station
New York, NY 10013-0745
212-966-6311
212-739-6100 Fax
e-mail: [email protected]

World Education Services, Inc. Midwest Office
P.O. Box 11623
Chicago, IL 60611-0623
312-222-0882
312-222-1217 Fax
e-mail: [email protected]

Foreign Academic Credentials Service, Inc.
P.O. Box 400
Glen Carbon, IL 62034
618-656-5291
618-656-5292 Fax
e-mail: [email protected]

International Education Evaluators, Inc.
5030 Flagstone Court
Harrisburg, NC 28075
704-455-6154
704-455-6155 Fax AACRAO
Office of International Education Services
1 DuPont Circle, NW; Suite # 370
Washington, DC 20036-1110
202-296-3359
202-872-8857 Fax

Education Evaluators International, Inc.
P.O. Box 5397
Los Alamitos, CA 90720
562-431-2187
562-493-5021 Fax

Michael McGuire

Thanks tara,

We've had her transcipted equivlenced by an offical consultant. Don't remember the
name, but he was through and did it course by course.

Michael

Mrtravel

Michael McGuire wrote:
    >
    > Thanks guys,
    >
    > We just got news... I've got a position in Dallas/FT worth. I made it really clear
    > to the ppl hiring me that "WE" would not be happy and stay unless my wife found
    > reasonable employment.

Interesting. I thought you were going to Witchita, Kansas. I think her chances for a
job are better in D/FW are better than they would be in Alabama or Kansas, so I
readlly don't understand why you need to make it "really clear" to your new employer,
that you wouldn't stay if your wife didn't find employment.

Ap

In article <[email protected] >,
[email protected] says... <snip>
    > Hints:
    > - A resume which gives no clue about national origin is preferable. This means even
    > foreign educational credentials and work experience may need to be masked or
    > excluded to prevent discrimination.

This is very good hint!!!

    > - Questions like "Where are you from?" and "How long have you been here?" really
    > are, "Are you allowed to work?"
<snip> This kind of questions are not allowed during interview

<snip>
    > - Employment requiring U.S. citizenship or a green card is illegal, except for
    > federal employment and some state employment and government contractors where
    > national security is involved. Furthermore, the
This is not true. It is illigal to discriminate against individual (other than alient
not authorize to work in the US) in hiring, discharging, or recruiting for a fee
because of individual's national origin or citizenship status BUT after interview
employer is obligated to verify employment eligibility (see employment eligibility
verification form I-9)

AP

Robert

[email protected] (Michael McGuire) wrote in message
news:<[email protected] t>...
    > Thanks tara,
    >
    > We've had her transcipted equivlenced by an offical consultant. Don't remember the
    > name, but he was through and did it course by course.
    >
    >
    > Michael

For many foreign graduates it's hard to land onto a job quite similiar to the one
they had at their former countries. And her first job here wouldn't be the one that
she'd build her future carrier on later. Please tell her to take it slow, and do not
rush. She needs to do the research on her own, and explore related fields too. An
entry level position at a field that interests her and has more prospects to grow
would probably be a better place to start off, than waiting a higher paying job
comparable to the one she had before in Russia. I do not think (and it's my personal
opinion) it's necessary to mask her education and experience from Russia on her
resume. On the contrary, since that's what she's done and she's good at, are the
things that she can empasize on her resume. But she can construct her resume in a way
to show her growth as a professional, improvements in her abilities and learning
skills at job, and her hard work and dedication, etc etc...

Good luck. Robert

Marlowe

AP <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected] bal.net>...
    > In article <[email protected] >,
    > [email protected] says... <snip>
    > > Hints:
    > > - A resume which gives no clue about national origin is preferable. This means
    > > even foreign educational credentials and work experience may need to be masked
    > > or excluded to prevent discrimination.
    >
    > This is very good hint!!!
    >
    > > - Questions like "Where are you from?" and "How long have you been here?" really
    > > are, "Are you allowed to work?"
    > <snip> This kind of questions are not allowed during interview
    >
    > <snip>
    > > - Employment requiring U.S. citizenship or a green card is illegal, except for
    > > federal employment and some state employment and government contractors where
    > > national security is involved. Furthermore, the
    > This is not true. It is illigal to discriminate against individual (other than
    > alient not authorize to work in the US) in hiring, discharging, or recruiting for a
    > fee because of individual's national origin or citizenship status BUT after
    > interview employer is obligated to verify employment eligibility (see employment
    > eligibility verification form I-9)
    >
    >
    > AP

I'm from the UK, and moved to the US to be with my wife. I've been down the path that
your wife is starting to tread. Naturally, I can only speak from my own experience
but,unfortunately,you will find a lot of ignorance amongst employers, and even
headhunters, regarding eligibility to work. Most of the people that I came across
thought that I could only work if I had a green card. Despite my explaining to them
that I held a work permit (EAD) and could work for anyone in the US, they continued
to believe that I had to have a green card. Of course, given a choice between myself
and a similarly qualified USC, the USC would get the job. Despite having twenty years
experience in my chosen field (computers), I also came across comments such as "If
only you had experience in the US", and "We can't employ you because your work permit
is only good for a year". Whether or not this is illegal is a moot point. You might
be able to take legal action, but you're not going to get that particular job. Even
if the company was forced to employ you, can you imagine how the other employees
would react? It is extremely frustrating, and all you can do is be patient.
Eventually, you will find a company that understands the situation, and doesn't have
any hangups about employing someone who isn't a USC. It took me, literally, a couple
of years but perseverance paid off in the end. I sincerely hope that it doesn't take
your wife anything like as long as that. It will test the strength of your
relationship but if you can come through that, you can ge through anything.

Good luck to you and your wife.

Chris Parker

    > > - Employment requiring U.S. citizenship or a green card is illegal, except for
    > > federal employment and some state employment and government contractors where
    > > national security is involved. Furthermore, the

    > This is not true. It is illigal to discriminate against individual (other than
    > alient not authorize to work in the US) in hiring, discharging, or recruiting for a
    > fee because of individual's national origin or citizenship status BUT after
    > interview employer is obligated to verify employment eligibility (see employment
    > eligibility verification form I-9)

This is precisely "citizenship status" discrimination. If the job opening description
says something like, "you must be a U.S. citizen or have a green card," or they turn
you away at the interview because they say you aren't a U.S. citizen or have a green
card (although otherwise authorized to work), they have committed citizenship status
discrimination. It is true, however, that because the law does not protect all aliens
from citizenship status discrimination, you personally will not be able to recover
anything from filing a charge; however, the employer probably will be independently
charged by the OSC for this illegal hiring policy as a result of your "complaint."

CP

CP

Chris Parker

    > Most of the people that I came across thought that I could only work if I had a
    > green card. Despite my explaining to them that I held a work permit (EAD) and could
    > work for anyone in the US, they continued to believe that I had to have a green
    > card. Of course, given a choice between myself and a similarly qualified USC, the
    > USC would get the job.

This is indeed the same thing I've been seeing.

I have decided to try calling the work permit (EAD) a "green card" for the next
employment interviews that the question comes up in. After all, there is no such
immigration document called a "green card," nor is the document that has been
commonly referred to as a green card ever actually been green. Lastly, I don't
believe it is illegal to falsely claim to have permanent resident status in the U.S.
In fact, possession of a state driver's license is supposed to be an indication of
permanent residence in the state.

Besides, every employer I've seen so far seems to know well enough that it is illegal
to examine work eligibility documents until after hiring. The temporary employment
agencies have been the only exception in that process. If at the time of I-9
verification an employer remarks that she said she had a green card yet did not check
off "Lawful Permanent Resident," there's a little message on the top of the Form I-9
which reads, "It is illegal to discriminate among work eligible employees." Regarding
work authorization expiration, there's an easy answer to that one: I just have to
renew it each year.

Driver's licenses expire every 4 years or so, also. Even green cards have expiration
dates now, and the conditional green cards actually expire the immigration status
also. Reversal of a job offer at the time of I-9 verification because the employer
requested a specific document or required more or different documents than those
required by the instructions also is a much stronger anti-discrimination case than
any other possible ("Document Abuse.").

The root cause of the employment problem, of course, is the fact Congress continues
to hold the employer entirely responsible to prevent illegal employment and holds no
sanctions against the aliens other than document fraud and possible ineligibility to
file for adjustment of status. It would be a more effective law if instead that
permitted imprisonment and deportation of aliens found working with authorization,
but then how many unskilled, inexpensive workers would this country suddenly lose?

CP