GeoffM

Agreed!

We used MagicJack - gives you a US number but is VoIP so the UK end is on the PC/iPad/whatever. Might be other ways, and certainly are other providers.

Very broad generalisation: HR don't know about the job they're recruiting for. They get scores of applications for each position and don't have time to read them all. Automated or not, any excuse to bin a resume - even an unfounded suspicion that is untrue, such as authorisation to work in the US - will be used to fast track it to the receptacle.

Two examples of my first comment: my wife is a critical care RN. She's worked for 18 years in the Philippines and the UK, mostly cardiac and ICU positions. Her first job almost didn't happen because HR failed to spot this, which was clearly on her 2-page resume, but fortunately the clinical staff reviewed the applications themselves and put her at the top of the pile. Her second job's salary was that of a new graduate until she reminded HR that she had 18 years of experience, which put her in the top salary bracket - again, information that was on her resume.

In my old job in the UK I reviewed the CVs myself. Originally we had outside recruiters who were absolutely useless. Completely ignored the criteria and sent us inappropriate candidates. Then our own HR were equally as incompetent. So I did it myself.

Anyway, I'm sure they're not all like that but that's what he's up against.

Hotscot

How to Get a US Local Phone Number

Pulaski

I have hired a number of staff myself, or been involved in the recruitment an interview process of probably around 50-60 people over the past five years, and I found myself in frequent conflict with HR, and sometimes even with my own managers, about who is a suitable candidate because the criteria laid down are ridiculously narrow and often lead to anyone who falls outside "the norm" being summilarly disregarded.

Certainly people who spoof a local address and phone number will get through the informal geographic filter - we don't pay relo and therefore those more than one state away are rarely considered, much less interviewed. One candidate, who wasn't suitable (arguably over qualified) for my role that he had applied for, eventually got a job with my employer but only after I lobbied intensively for him on two subsequent positions that he applied for. He was living and working the length of two states away, but his wife already had a job and apartment within commuting distance of my office, and far from looking to "relocate", he was actually looking to move back in with his wife! In deed networking can be essential at times!

Springy6

Thanks for the replies - will check out the phone line link.
Bit of a toughie when you know it's HR looking at the resume for a role that will be an arm of their department! Does ring true - he had a phone interview with an HR person who couldn't understand why he didn't do something in his role - she couldn't quite grasp that to do what she was asking is actually illegal when you work for a public company in either the UK or US.
Haven't even thought about what I'm going to do - I know the forum's responses to U.K trained primary teachers! Perhaps my opportunity to get out of a job where you spend most of your time banging your head against a wall whilst being paid less than the minimum wage for hours worked!

Steve_

So you're married to a computer then?



I think part of the problem is he could have lack of knowledge of HR law in the US, they're really hot on that. Got to know how the Civil Rights Act works, EEOC, OSHA and all the rest of it. Your job in HR is in part to make sure all those laws are followed, so your résumé better show you're an expert on them.

hungryhorace

I'd put this in my 'achievements' section potentially.

Yes, I would, so they know you're able to work.

Use Google Voice for a US based number. I wish I had chosen a Palo Alto code as they are quite sought after I hear.

Steve_

If he's that fantastic, why doesn't he just set up his own consultancy company? That way he could do some work while he gets familiar with the place and any qualifications he needs to get.

But I agree with Pulaski, what he didn't mention is sometimes the job requirements are written ridiculously narrowly expressly so no-one can apply, because really they want to promote someone but have to go through the motions first. I remember back in 2007 seeing a job that required five years experience with Exchange 2007 clustering. Not that I was interested but I applied just so I could point out that the requirement was barking mad. Also I remember seeing a job about ten years ago that wanted the applicant to have 20 years experience with Microsoft Word.

Whenever you see an experience requirement of more than 5 years, you know it's not likely to be a real job, what they're really saying is, we want a person of a certain age or we want to hire internally. Or, hire an immigrant so we have to offer the job publicly first.

Steve_

I would put down something simple, like "I have a green card" or avoid the issue altogether by using a PO Box in the US or a US address.

Also - get US references. Foreign references are useless. I've been in a situation myself where the reference I was trying to check was in a time zone that wasn't reachable during business hours, so that one went in the bin.

Pulaski

I lost out on one job a couple of years ago because I "didn't have sufficient experience" despite having worked in my specialty for as long as it has existed in the US, plus having significant prior experience in the UK in the same field. In other words I have more experience than it is possible for a life-long resident of the US to have, moreover I had experience of working to US standards back in the 90's that (I only discovered a couple of years ago) hadn't yet been implemented in the US and were being piloted in the UK by the team I was managing! Needless to say pointing this out to the recruitment agent tasked with explaining why I wasn't being interviewed was futile.

hungryhorace

Wouldn't the OP have to be careful to not claim to be something they're not? I wouldn't put down I had a green card unless I actually had one. On my CV I state I am a Permanent Resident and British citizen. For the OP, I would think something along the lines of '<insert visa> holder: authorized to work'.

Bob

-Google Voice

-Sure, you're selling yourself, but only if they're notable awards rather than local things

-Personal preference, depends on your resume, but if you've got it, might as well, certainly in cover letter...that you use to bypass HR and contact who you want....which unfortunately for you would be HR, but use your tricks to find the one that will do the hiring and not the minion doing the binning.

-Yes, they're generally a shower of cakes and that's being polite. Not all, obviously, but most.

-Yes, LinkedIn, find a person to contact, figure out their email. He's in HR, he should know how people do this shit to get around HR themselves and do the same.

MsElui

when we came here i was the trailing spouse on an L2. I didnt have immediate work authorization and we opted to extend the family so i was a stay at home mum for 3-4 years. When i was ready to return to work i punched off lots of online applications for roles in the huge bank that was ten mins from our home (huge as in 11k people worked in that building alone) and where my husband was employed. I had been a mainframe developer in the UK and a software team leader too - but didn't feel strong enough after the break to aim so high - so i applied for many different Analyst roles. i was quickly rejected for most of them - i assume for the lack of US experience and career break.

Eventually after about 3 months I got one call back - and that was a manager who had screen the applications themselves and saw ITIL on my resume. They asked me in for a interview which started all technical and i was just about to say ' im sorry - i dont have experience of these technologies' and get up and leave, when the snr manager said' but we dont care about that - it can be taught- we care about attitude. I figured i had a great attitude so stayed and answered the questions. I got that job on a very nice salary ty (better than i was on in the uk) and have jumped up a grade every 18 months since i started.

So it really does come down to luck and who actually sees the resume. HR i believe just binned most of mine in preference for 'known quantity' candidates until someone was prepared to think outside the box and recognize my broad and desirable skill set and grab me.

Peachbythebeach

My husband landed his first job here by attaching his British CV instead of updating it to a US style resume. Luckily an Anglophile worked at the company and just loved it. It got him noticed.

In more recent job hunting, the psychometric tests did him in each and every time. We wondered if there was a cultural bias because we couldn't understand how he could score a 1 out of 100 in 'empathy'. Don't serial killers do better than that?

Pulaski

Sounds like a scoring error or a lost/ corrupted record. In a multiple choice (4 choices) test you should get approximately 25% by random chance.

MsElui

good beeb article on resumes
BBC - Capital - The real reason you can’t get an interview