To find a job in the USA is becoming more and more difficult, especially for
people without a work Visa. American and French companies sponsor less and less
candidates. Few companies are ready to recruit foreigners
because administrative forms take a very long time to process (about 6 months)
and are very costly (from $3000 to $5000, including legal fees).
If you are looking at offers on generic websites, look for the one with " Visa
Sponsor " mentionned, dedicated to foreigners and offering visas.
Please consult our section Departure / Passport-Visa or the website http://www.usvisa.com.
The official US website for different types of available visas is: http://travel.state.gov/visa_services.html.
For more information on the main routes to employment, our partner, Expertise
in Labour Mobility, offers you a brief
abstract of the main focused point of the labour market (click here to display).
The Resume/CV
If you are seeking a job in the US, it's important that your resume is in accordance
with the American market norms.
- Your resume must no contain: photos, date of birth, marital status or nationality.
- You must choose a chronological or functional resume depending on what you
wish to highlight in your experience.
- It is important to develop the experience from your previous position(s)
with accurate examples: set up of a new service, results, turnover, increase
in percentage, benefits for the company…etc.
- You must use action verbs, such as: lead, plan, set, analyse, create,… showing
that your were part of the company's growth.
- Your resume must be on one page (but 2 are accepted if you have more than
10-15 years experience).
The Cover Letter
You have to write a cover letter that assures you an interview.
It's with your cover letter that you will give the first impression. It will
determine whether the manager or HR wants to read it.
Your cover letter must be brief and efficient. You must set out your goal regarding
the position you are candidate for. Insist on the fact that you are the ideal
candidate.
- Address the letter with a name. A letter starting with "To Whom It May Concern"
or "Dear Sir or Madam" will catch less attention.
- Be brief: your cover letter must have a maximum of one or two paragraphs.
- Clarify the position that you wich an interview for. Describe your goals
in 1 or 2 lines.
- Notify that you will contact the HR manager 2 or 3 days following your cover
letter in order to fix an interview date.
How to find a job?
In order to find a job in the city, you must check regularly the ads in newspapers
such as the New York Post, New York Daily News and New York Times, and specialised
website:
CV received from the Internet are more and more often scanned and sorted out
with keywords according to the position offered. Thus, it's important to personalize
each of your resumes according to the ad you are addressing. Use the words of
the ad to draw up your reply. Be accurate in the presentation of your goals,
highlight your qualifications that shows your experience and your skills for
the company. Your resume will have more chances to be selected by the computer.
In order to be read by the PC, also avoid italics and the use of white paper.
Networking is also very important in the US for your
search. The more you have people knowing you and knowing what you are looking
for, the more you have a chance to find what you are looking for. Americans
are used to say: "it is not what you know, but who you know!".
In order to help you, you will find centres: " Careers and Jobs Clubs " that
ask for an annual or quarterly subscription and offer:
- help to write your CV,
- list of ads,
- training,
- conferences.
How to manage your telephone interview?
More and more companies offer a telephone interview before meeting a candidate.
It's a first selection and allows interviewing candidates that are not immediately
available for a meeting.
- Prepare a telephone interview the same way as you would prepare a face-to-face
interview.
- Prepare a list of questions/answers and use a mirror to train.
- Prepare your resume and cover letter, with the list of your strong skills
you want to highlight.
- Let the interviewer asks the question before you start answering.
- Give examples to your answers
- Explain actions you have done and give examples. The aim is to show how
your attitude as been a key factor for previous companies, and that it will
be the same for the next one. The tone in your voice is very important for
that.
- Before the end of the interview, do not forget to ask what will be next
step: when will you get an answer? Where will happen the face-to-face interview.
If you do not have them already, take the details of your contact.
- Important: always let your contact hang up first,
- Send a "Thank you note" to your contact, in order to thank him for the
interest he had in your resume, and the time he took for the phone conversation.
It's a rule in the United States, and a lot of foreigners
ignore it.
The employment process
Once you found the company that wants to employ you and give you a Visa, the
process is simple: you must provide documents to set up your Visa demand. Most
of the time, this dossier will be completed by lawers working in partnership
with the company.
The file must be validated by the US Labour Minister, then it will go through
the INS process. This step takes at least 2 months, and the INS will indicate
whether the demand has been approved by sending the appropriate forms. Those
documents will have to be filled and showed at the US consulate to accept your
Visa application.
For practical information go to http://www.americasemployers.com
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