ScyLarc

My hubby nearly didn't get his job because he was up front regarding the fact that he was on an L2 Visa (linked to my L1) and didn't have a Green Card. I would definately not include any visa related information on your resume, if asked it should be enough to say that you are legally able to work in the US. If they do use that as a reason they don't want to employ you it's worth challenging them on it, we did and it worked. Hubby sweet talked HR and informed them that legally they cannot discriminate on that basis. In the end you may still loose the job but it has to be worth a shot.

CitySimon

I was unemployed over here for about 18 months before I found the job. It can be very hard to find the right job. The rest of the guys are completely right that you have to pursue them for the job. If you sit back and wait, you won't even get an interview.

The job I finally got, I sent in my resume and phoned them about 4 days later asking when would be a good time for me to come in for an interview.

I registered with a Career Advisors and Management company, called Bernard Haldane Associates, and it definitely paid off.

They re-wrote my resume (it has been commented on several times), provided me with referal interview / job interview / job application seminars, are proving me with 3 years of ongoing career support (even after I find a job) with a personal career advisor and a full list of all of their other clients in the local area to setup a network. Best $4000 I ever spent!

looselips

Hi Chandlers wife.....I just sent you a PM .....hope what little I know helps!

NC Penguin

Just curious and I hope you don't mind sharing your experience of using the services of a careers advisor. How long was it from the time you first had contact with them to the point you were offered your job?




NC Penguin

Philgr

I worked with Bernard Haldane in the UK with pretty mixed results - I think your success with them depends greatly on the advisor you get to work with (you can change advisors if you want to) and whether you work in an industry they are familiar with. Certainly a lot of their advice and ideas are applicable and useful but I think results will vary widely. If you can afford the fee though it is very useful to have someone to regularly meet with to strategize, discuss new ideas and generally help you keep your chin up.

On LinkedIn I have had a number of useful contacts but I work in the IT industry (LinkedIn's biggest community) for one of the biggest players so the lazy headhunters will often pull my name up (and I allow unsolicited contact because I'm nosey as to how well the LinkedIn model works).

The basic message on any job hunting is personal interaction and referal is the way between 60-70% of all jobs are filled so get out, press the flesh and talk to anyone who'll listen

Good Luck!

CitySimon

Hi Guys,

I registered with BHA in December 2003. I accepted my final job Feb 2005.

I know it sounds like quite a while but I'll break it down for you...

- Spent first 2 months attending seminars, re-writing my resume, practice interviews..etc..
- I then put everything on hold until June 2004 while I got my drivers licence
- I then spent two months building a network
- Got my first job in August 2004 (first job interview in America)
- Jan 2005 I was contacted by one of the guys in my network asking me to come in for an interview.
- Feb 2005 started my new job.

I'm still having monthly calls with my advisor to keep him updated.


I do agree with Philgr, that a lot of it depends on your advisor. My main advisor was outstanding, every time I left his office I felt motivated. When he went off for an operation for a couple of weeks and I was dumped with a guy who was complete rubbish. It was this replacement who convinced me to put everything on hold until I got my drivers licence (four months).

IMHO... If you have the money and can afford to wait for a job while you build your network it is worth looking at as an option.

CalgaryAMC

Never ever ever ever put citizenship / visa status on a resume. Never. Never. Never. It puts your potential employer in a difficult position in several ways.

For one thing, by hiring you an employer would invite claims that they discriminated against US citizens/permanent residents, or people in other protected status'.

And on top of that, what possible value does it add to a resume?

CitySimon

Completely agree with that. When I first came over I had my citizenship on my Resume. I found I got better responces from people after I removed it.

Elvira

But how on earth do you get around the fact that ALL past experience (and education) has been in the UK?

Or, in my case, being an H4, explaining (or not...) the fact that I have not worked since coming to the US 4 years ago?

As my EAD is hopefully not too far off, these questions are beginning to worry me...

CitySimon

When my resume was rewritten, the only details about education I included was what course (or atleast the american equivalant), which school and when.

Obviously, if all of your past work experience was in England (as was the case with me), you can't get around the fact. I had a small section of my resume called "Other Information" (or something like that), within this section I included the fact that I was British. I found that when I took out the line "I am a British citizen" from the resume I got a better response.

I had an twenty month gap between jobs during my immigration process. No company I interviewed with even mentioned it. They probably excuse a gap in employment with regards to "immigrants".

Does an H4 visa allow you to work in the US?

Bob

Nope...which is why the L1 transfer has the advantage for the spouse, H1B doesn't allow the spouse to work.

CitySimon

Thanks Bob,

I do not think that a prospective employer is going to discriminte against an applicant who has been obeying the rules of the visa that they entered the country on.

If you had been legal to work and you still had not worked for four years, you should expect to be questioned about the career gap.

If I was questioned about this in a job interview I would have explained that my previous visa did not allow me to work in the USA. Just make sure that you have an answer ready for the possible follow-up question of "What have you been doing in the career gap to keep up-to-date with changes within the industry?" (obviously, this would depends on what your line of work is, ie. IT).

Bob

Problem is, most people don't understand the visa's in this country...so not having a greencard in hand is a big negative....not working for whatever reason, the same....but then you can always tart up a resume, which are a bit shite, and a sales pitch, over what you can put on a CV....I've got both depending on what the job I'm applying for is.

NC Penguin

This applies to many HR departments in the US too. They're not accustomed to having applicants who are not American/educated or with work experience from overseas and fail to appreciate candidates.




NC Penguin

CitySimon

I suppose so, I don't know the specifics of each of the different visas and I've been through the process. Saying that you have a Green Card is a definite bonus.


Agreed, but you can explain away some gaps easier than others. Immigration is, in my mind, a valid reason for a person having a period of unemployment.

Yeah, it's always worth having a number of different resumes thrown together. I think that I put a different resume in for every job I applied for some objective & accomplishments/results based and some more traditional depending on what job I was applying for.