Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

Hi,

For those expats who have already managed to find work in the US that is decently paid, do you have any tips for creating a really good resume? Are there any American-style issues I need to watch out for, formatting and such-like?

Also, in terms of job interviews, what are the main differences (if any) over there ... do they value a more confident approach, or are they more interested in competency kind of thing? I know a lot of it is who-you-know, but in the situation I don't know anyone at that company, how did you manage to overcome that barrier?

Hoffage

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

I found that interviews in the UK were almost like a test, asking things like how would you handle this, how about that. My interviews in the US have been more like a few mates at a pub chatting about the day.

Friend of mine who does interviews said "you won't get your foot in the door if you don't have competence and a track record, references, education, etc that indicates that. What the interview is more about is 'are you a good fit' for the kind of office they have. Will you be a pain in the ass or will you fit in nicely. Are you weird enough, or not too weird, etc." As such the interviews are more of a chance to chat and discuss life, the universe and everything in an attempt to get a view of what you'd be like to work with day in, day out.

Anyway, not sure how that squares with other experiences though.

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

Funnily enough, almost the mirror image of mine, UK v US.

Here in the US, and I should say I have given more interviews than I've attended, HR has approved standardized scenario based interviews, and even before that, when I interviewed for several positions with my current employer, they were mostly focused on skills, knowledge, and experience. Whereas in the UK, my CV was generally allowed to speak for itself, and the focus was on interpersonal skills and whether I'd fit in to the department.

FWIW Twenty minutes of one 30 minute interview I had in London was spent discussing "A Brief History of Time", which had absolutely nothing to do with the position I was interviewing for, though the manager who interviewed me was Canadian, if that makes any difference. :rolleyes:

Honestly, I think it is more dependant on the industry, the firm's own culture, how involved HR is in managing the process, and the personality of the interviewer, than a grand "UK v US difference" in interview style.

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

The usual basics apply.

Make sure you create in in a US paper size, not A4. Ensure all spelling is 'Americanized' and tweak the resume every time to reflect the job being applied for.

Absolutely what Pulaski says. Depends entirely on the company.

There's a few websites out there (google is your friend) that let people report on the interview styles and techniques they faced at companies. Not 100% reliable maybe but every bit of information you can scrape together on a specific company will help.

Good luck.

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

Some companies, if they invite you for a job interview, will tell you what to expect and how to prepare for the interview. If they don't, ask.

Regards, JEff

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

Have a generic resume as a base with all your stuff, then tailor it to the companies you're looking at with all that buzzword bingo crap that they have in their requirements to get past HR bin dropping.

Better yet, use LinkedIn to try and bypass HR as they're manly there to drop you out of the pool.

Try and be vague about the locations of places, HR don't want to see companies/education that is blatantly foreign, it scares them and they don't want to think about whether you are work authorised or not, if in doubt, binned.

It's basically a sales pitch, to blag your way into an interview and depending on industry/person could become a popularity contest or a competency test of sorts.

Do expect never to hear back from most places, same goes for after initial contact from them and in some cases even after a couple rounds of interviews. Some places are very reluctant to give feedback or say no, possibly in fear of a lawsuit.

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

This is my experience too. No trick questions or anything. Usually I've spoken to the potential employer multiple times on the phone beforehand, and they will have probably heard good things about me from someone else in the industry (networking is what gets you jobs here) so know I can do the job. So the interview is usually a chat at a local restaurant or bar with a couple of other people from the office, just to see if I'm a fairly normal human being that would fit in. Of course, there was the "interview" that lasted about 7 hours in the bar across the street that seemed mostly to check on whether I was a good beer drinker and tamale eater. This is probably all based on the type of industry though, and if you're applying to a State or Federal employer, that will be a very standardized interview with the same questions for each candidate, same time allotment etc.

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

... and probably not involve any consumption of alcohol. :rolleyes:

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

I've just finished doing @ 3 interviews a week for the past five months.
I'm in high tech sales. 100K+ salary.

Many employers are looking for top quality employees at bargain basement prices. Basically they wanted my experience and skills for @ 60K which is laughable,especially for California.

Employers market. They're looking for the "perfect" fit.

Some employers wanted me to relocate. To an at-will State? No chance.

Lots of psychometric testing, much more than I've experienced in previous years. One company I had to do 12 tests in the space of four hours.

It definitely helps to take a 30/60/90 day business plan to the interview.

References from previous employers as well as customers.

Fortunately I've accepted a position after initial interviews four months ago. They initially wanted me to work out of an office but I told them I wouldn't do the commute in Los Angeles. They came back and offered home office which is the only way I've worked. I've noticed that West Coast companies are more amenable to this whereas East Coast companies are very much being based in the office.

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

If it's clear you aren't a US citizen, make sure you write that you have a visa on your resume. I got so many more interviews once I did that. I had lots of phone interviews too, where they tended to go through technical stuff, before bringing me in for a face-to-face meeting.

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

Interestingly this is one of the questions that the interviewers aren't really allowed to ask (in California at least), but I agree if you look even remotely foreign it's probably best to let them know if are PR/citizen/etc and don't come with additional visa baggage.

On the interview itself, like others said it depends on the company and industry. My interview in the UK was about 45 minutes after which we headed to the local pub; here in the US I had a full working day of interviews with whiteboard coding and the whole nine yards. Of course I did know the people in the UK company a bit better beforehand. ;)

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

They are allowed to ask if you have the legal right to work.

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

And HR will generally just bin you if they think other wise anyway.

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

Wow - thanks for all the responses guys I really appreciate it - all the hints and tips you have given me will help as I haven't had an interview for a few years and so am a little bit rusty in general. Just want to make sure that I make the most of my job hunt when I get over there :)

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

I wonder if it might be because the schools, qualifications, and companies in each are more familiar to the interviewer in that country. For example, if I said I studied accounting at the University of Illinois, and American accountant would have an idea about the level of education whereas some in the UK might not have heard of them (UofI is one of the top accounting schools, btw). Same true in the converse, where most Americans know of "Ox-bridge" and really haven't much of a clue about Imperial or LSE or something. Maybe that brings out the "road test" a bit.

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

These things vary a lot, as you can tell from the previous posts. Most jobs require a résumé, but not all. It's worth it (if you can) for positions you care about to contact the HR department to ask how applications are processed. For example, my employer expects a full unlimited length CV (not résumé) and a cover letter. HR checks the cover letter (not the CV) to see that you meet the stated job requirements. If you do, they forward the application to the hiring organization who then use the CV and cover letter both. Point being, if you screw up the cover letter (usually by not addressing every individual job requirement), no dice. Admittedly, my employer is not a typical situation.

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

From what I've seen, educational and research positions here in the USA seem to require the long & more detailed CV rather than the shorter American-stye resume. Is this generally true?

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

We have done a load of interview training here. We have to look for concrete responses like
the issue was this,
I did this to solve it,
and the outcome was that.

Not I 'like to' ' usually' 'prefer to' ' normally' or I 'would' etc as they say that past action is a better indicator of future action.

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

Yep. Accomplishments are more important than activities.

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

There's some amount of truth to it. FWIW, I update a 2-page résumé, a 5-page CV and a 10-page CV on a frequent basis. Also, a half-page bio for internal matters. Never know which one I'll need when.

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

I found success with the British accent. The interviewer was often fascinated and then we got to yapping about 'have I seen the Queen' etc..good icebreaker. I let 'em run with that one as long as they wanted.

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

I just found a job after six long months since my last one ended. Been doing at least three interviews a week in that period.

Numerous interviews, Skype video calls, personality testing etc.
High tech sales. Work from home. Long sales cycles. High commission.

Now I'm mentally exhausted but taking a month to see some other parts of the U.S before I begin. First stop New Orleans!

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

I just found a job after six long months since my last one ended. Been doing at least three interviews a week in that period.

Numerous interviews, Skype video calls, personality testing etc.
High tech sales. Work from home. Long sales cycles. High commission.

Now I'm mentally exhausted but taking a month to see some other parts of the U.S before I begin. First stop New Orleans!

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

My goodness Hotscot - that sounds very involved.

Thank you for your perspective I appreciate that everyone - in terms of health insurance and whatnot, is that the kind of thing that is negotiated after an offer is made? I will be looking to cover myself, my missus and 4 year old son ...

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

Normally the HR person will discuss health benefits etc before they consider making an offer.

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

In my limited experience so far, the roles I've applied for tend to have a 'pre-screening' interview by HR, in which they ask you generic interview questions like 'tell me about a difficult colleague you've encountered and how you dealt with it'. I'm really bad at those type of questions... I'd love to know what they're looking to hear.

I also wondered whether my UK work experience was a factor in them questioning whether I might have visa issues - how would you drop the fact you have a green card into your resume or cover letter?

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

That's not something that is usually up for negotiation. It's either something that they offer or they don't and it'll cost you either x,y,z for plan options a,b,c etc.

Things you negotiate tend to be salary, holiday/PTO/sick leave, any relocation if necessary, that kind of stuff.

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

Stick it up top, below your name/contact details...

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

Yup. In my husband's resume, we have a line in his "profile" section that says that he has permanent residency ("green card") and a Social Security number and is fully authorized to work in the US. Technically it is OK to work if you have a green card, work permit, or appropriate visa even if you don't have a Social Security number; there's a special way they are supposed to withhold taxes. But it's a very rare HR person who knows this or who knows how to manage it, and they usually refuse to bother.

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

Thanks Bob and Speedwell, I will definitely slot that information in somewhere.

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

I'm pissed off with recruiters right now.

I've been trying to get a new job for a while and getting no where. A couple of times recently I have responded to a job ad by a recruiter and actually got to talk to them. Oh they are so excited by my resume they are sure their client will want to talk to me. A couple of days later, no their client has decided they don't want to interview me after all.

Grrr.

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

I think you may find that a lot of those vacancies don't actually exist and are just generic job specs put online by the agency to get people to send their resumes in.

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

I know what you are saying but I'm pretty sure the last two were real vacancies.

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

they want to hear what you actually did to get round the issue. Sit down with the person and broach the 'difficulty' without it becoming a problem? get to know them a bit better (social work event, to break the barriers)?, work around the difficulty by using other people or limiting contact with difficulty person to essential stuff? understand the other persons point of view and try and compromise? work with hr to get them training (if it was an employee struggling for example), get training yourself on asserting yourself/working with difficult people/negotiation/saying NO etc (clearly dependent on the issue you have)start a fistfight in the canteen? etc etc. what you might do would depend on the difficulty you are having and how often you need to work with them, if they were a peer, a manager or worked for you etc.

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

It's not the recruiters who decide who gets interviewed. Besides the recruiter is there to serve the company, that's who pays them. They're not there to find an individual a job.
But I feel your pain....I've been through about 80 or 90 interviews the past 6 months before I found a good job.

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

Its bloody typical of US hiring habits.
They put on a circus act and expect you to be in fits of enthusiasm, then sweet F.A!

Recruiters and Personnel staff are just salesmen who cannot sell.

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

Have an interview with Walmart this afternoon - I'll let you know how it goes :eek:

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

Good luck Civilservant! :)

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

I am going to try and see the job hunt as an opportunity to try and reframe my career, so definitely willing to start at the start (as long as I can make a living wage at least!) ...

As I have a lot of education admin experience and a fair bit of journalism experience, I have been trying to draw what my strengths are from this, to possibly create a value-added/skills based resume that I can use for positions that are related; so things like Marketing Assistant for example, or a Social Media assistant would be something that I think I could do well; or a press officer position for example. If I can get more regular media work, that would be my ideal, but I'm not counting my chickens too much on that, as I will have to build networks quite extensively first.

Re: Resume and Interview Tips? Anyone?
 

2nd interview with the Store Manager today. Guess that's a good sign :huh: