v8anglia

does anyone have any experience of U.S.employment agencies?
i sent my c.v. to one in texas and they want me to go out there to see if they can find something for me, normally i`d jump at the chance but we have a 2 week old baby so i need to be sure i`m not being strung along.

NC Penguin

Based on my experience with US employment agencies, they won't meet you until they have a specific vacancy in mind for you.

Where are you living now? I assume you're not in the state of Texas. The agency should not be charging you anything for their services. I think this is federal law. The employer pays a fee to the agency if you are hired through them.

Also, it is not unusual in some industries for agencies to have telephone interviews with their candidates in lieu of face-to-face meetings. what industry do you work in? Oil by any chance? Like you, I would hesitate about going out to Texas just to meet an agency. It'd be different if you were flying out for a job interview with one of their clients but that doesn't seem to be the case here.

Just my thoughts...





NC Penguin

v8anglia

the agency did have a specific job in mind but this seems to have gone quiet now, they deal with the plastics industry and place people all over the U.S.
not just in texas, the job they had in mind was in florida.....
they asked for a contact phone number but they haven`t contacted me yet.

Chopper-Chris

Usually as soon as they hear you're not a US citizen, Green card or visa holder they'll drop you like a rather slippery pig

do you have the right documents?

v8anglia

they didn`t seem bothered that i wasn`t a U.S. citizen and green cards and visas haven`t been mentioned yet..

nathan barley

I work for one of the biggest temp employment agencies in NYC. What do you want to know?

Their reasons for calling you in may not be that they have this job just for you - unless they're more of a headhunting firm. Rest assured, they will have a handful or more of other people they're considering also. Usually, an agency will call you in because they feel there could be a chance of placing you in general, and they want to get a look at you. Some call everyone whom they received a resume from, because it swells up their numbers.

Bob

That would be odd....visa's are a pain in the arse to get, so not being work authorised can be a major pain, especially if they want someone fast.

v8anglia

would an agency help someone like myself to sort visas and so on or would that be down to me?

warksgirl

Check out the US visa section on this forum. There's probably a lot of information there and people who are currently going through the process that could give you advice.

Also, I would suggest looking at the American Embassy in London's website. There's a whole section on visas and immigration and it would give you an accurate understanding of what's required. I'm sorry that I don't have that link; does anybody here know that website?

It's not easy to get a visa. We came over after applying for a spousal visa so I can't advise on the requirements for work visas.

You could ask the employment agency if they have any suggestions. However, my assumption will be that there's not much that they can do for you until you are authorised to work here.

What industry are you in?

Bob

Also, the H1B is filled, won't be able to apply for one of those till next April/May, and won't be able to get a visa till next Oct if you got accepted for it.
Not to mention the hassle and cost involved in getting one, the company would have to proove that they couldn't hire an American to do the job extra.

www.uscis.gov go and look at visa requirements in there for more info as well

v8anglia

i`m in the plastics extrusion industry (for the last 18 years) thats why they were keen to meet me as these sort of jobs are difficult to fill in the U.S.apparently.

Bob

Then it sounds like the best bet for a visa is the H1B, which you won't be able to get till next year, so it might not be worth going out yet...

Chopper-Chris

many agencies are blissfully unaware of the H1B application process, I recommend that you study www.uscis.gov and then tell them all they need to know about how to apply for the visa, the easier you make it for them, the more chance you have of getting them to help you.

Good Luck, its a long and expensive process

v8anglia

hopefully it will be worth it in the end, wish me luck!!!