It did however give us an idea to document the 4 best tips we think will help you succeed in gaining employment with a US employer and then successfully applying for your US visa. Some of these ideas you might either be aware of before or have read them in earlier posts. Either way that is great b/c you already possess some of the best tools we believe for success in navigating the US Immigration system. So don’t think just because that some of these tips seem obvious that they may not be valuable. It is a culmination of our experiences and the experiences of the hundreds of people who comment and share their stories on here that allows us to document what we think is the best advice to getting your US visa (eg. H1B visa)

Additionally tips which should also both help you and save you money, which can be key in this expensive process, will be outlined and maybe save you unnecessary trips to an Immigration attorney, whom you would know if you have contacted one can be somewhat expensive to say the least.

OK here are our Top 4 Tips (in no particular order of importance) to finding work in the US and getting your US visa.

1. Come to the United States if you want to find a job – You may ask what does this mean but it literally means what it says. Unless there is something extremely unique and exceptional about your experience, almost no US employers will hire you sight unseen. Now for many people this means a significant risk and cost, leaving home to search for a job on the other side of the world with no guarantee of success but I can tell you that without this your chances of success (especially in the current climate) would be close to 0. Now some people they accomplish by coming here originally on another type of visa and then transfer from an F-1 visa as a student or via other types of US Visa transfers.

2. Apply for jobs in sectors that are growing, less well known and with an open mind to location - This tip in some ways is very controversial as I can even think of arguments to not support this piece of advice like if you scan the Top 100 Employers of the H-1B visa last year and see what sectors they are from. However this advice is for today’s climate and looking forward into the near future so as will explain is very relevant. Now the 5 sectors that I believe you should focus on are; IT, Health, Education, Online and New Energy. Each of these sectors have a lot of money being pumped into them are growing rapidly and require a wide range of skillsets from Engineering to Marketing to Computer Science to Medical to Business, etc. As for the location flexibility, many people focus on the big areas like New York, California and Chicago as they tend among the most desirable places to live. However currently these are the highest taxed places in the country, have the highest costs of living and the higher unemployment rates meaning you are competing with a lot of qualified locals for positions. Others parts of the country are more desperate for talent and not only could your take home salary be higher after expenses but you may also be able to gain a faster path to things like a Green Card.

3. Understand the US Job Interview - We actually wrote a specific post about how to best prepare for a US job interview but it is worth re-emphasizing due to its overall importance to your success and from hearing all the feedback we here from readers every day. The US job interview is a unique animal depending on where you apply and things that may be important back at home will never be mentioned here and other things that are rarely discussed openly at home like monetary issues are often initial points of conversation here. Often if you are applying in the more modern online sector the people interviewing may be just wearing regular street clothes and more interested in your answers to questions like “What is a good time for you?” and “What type of music do you like to listen to while you work”. These companies are much more interested in you fitting into their culture and enhancing a fun environment (assuming you have the basic competencies for the role) rather than all the awards you have won. This may be very different if you are applying at a large Fortune 500 Pharmaceutical company where they may test your skills in an interview to cope with pressure by asking very direct questions to assess your confidence in a competitive environment.

4. Be Over Prepared for your US Consulate Interview – The US Consulate interview depending on who you ask may seem to a simple process or like a criminal interrogation. More often than not the people who think it is tough are usually ones who are disorganized and do not have all their documents ready, fees paid and other things organized like paid return envelopes. Usually you have to pay a visa application fee at a nominated location PRIOR to going to your interview and have the confirmation receipt. Many visas like the H1B visa have visa issuance fees and these can also apply depending on which country you are from. US passport photos are also a different size to many other countries. Also if you have to prove things like maintaining a residence abroad that you use common sense and not cease all connections you have with your home country and bring evidence like bank statements, mortgages, business ownership documents, mention immediate family connections, etc. (more often than not you never have to show this but it never hurts to have it).

So this not some sort of magic recipe for success but it is the common wisdom of hundreds of successful foreigners who have found work in the US, successfully applied for their US visa and now live happily in America. Don’t ignore the obvious!!

CJ

©2012 E3 Visa. All Rights Reserved.

To be honest, in this global world, where labor is constantly travelling all over the place, differences between resumes (language aside) is becoming more and more homogenized the world over. So the advice I will share to help with your job applications to get your E3 Visa, H1B Visa or J1 Visa may be what you are already doing.

Additionally, the job sites I recommended like Monster.com and LinkedIn.com as well as others like Career Builder and Yahoo Hot Jobs all have extensive sections on this so it hardly a trade secret.

The truth is probably these days, that you have to go beyond your resume format to obtain a job offer and eventually get your E3 or H1B visa by really standing out from the pack. By this I mean it is the presentation, extra efforts, interview performance which is basically whole package you offer during all stages of the application process that will get you that job offer.

However the resume is an important pre-requisite so I will try and outline the major points of the US style resume in my opinion. Of course depending on the profession, some factors may vary but this will be the standard to cover most types of industries I believe.

Just in case you were wondering, my resume was very much in an Australian style and I actually had a sit down session over breakfast with a VP of a media company, who basically tore my whole things to shreds. Then he gave me section by section pointers to change it to a US Style Resume.

I can also confirm my initial response rate from prospective employers improved dramatically following this complete re-work.

General Points to Consider

• Keep the length to 2 pages or less
• Put it in the format of reverse chronological order (i.e. job experience then education then extra information)
• Try and put all your contact details in the header area as not to waste space
• Consider adding a business/personal objective of about 1-2 sentences just prior to work experience. Also if you do add this, try and tailor it to the position to which you are applying
• You can also either in this initial section or in a cover letter state when you are available to work
• In work experience put your most recent experience first by putting company name & location, job title, dates of service, the job description in bullet form (ensure this straight to the point like “managed $10 million marketing budget for clients across all channels”)
• In education state the institution and all relevant qualification achieved as well as year of graduation. If mini description is required to explain qualification then add here as well
• Consider putting the web address of institution if it is foreign to the US so they can research
• In next part you can spend a little bit of space on additional skills, achievements/awards and personal interests however this is definitely not the focus of the resume so should be kept brief
• The second last thing is to put reference check names and their relevant contact details. US companies have a tendency to check these during the job offer stage of the application process but of course that can vary.
• The last party you can put a brief note on your Visa Status, I will paste below exactly what I put there for the E3 visa but of course you can substitute for H1B or any other visa as well.

VISA STATUS:
As an Australian I am eligible for the E3 visa which is specifically for Australian professionals working for US employers. (This visa works similarly to the Canadian TN Visa and requires 1 form to be completed being the Labor Condition Application (LCA -US State Dept. Info)
I hope all this information has been of some help in your quest for an E3, J1 or H1B visa and that soon your plans and hard work applying for jobs in the US will get you many call backs, interviews and hopefully job offers to choose from!

CJ

©2012 E3 Visa. All Rights Reserved.

Millions of people are being laid off in the US at the moment across all industries, in companies large and small and in all part of the country. So this of course includes foreign workers just as much as US workers. The small difference being legally under the E3 or H1B visa you can’t be out of work for more than 10 days or technically your status is invalid. Also despite the fact you are paying Social Security taxes, you are not eligible for any benefits like for unemployment.

What does mean for a new person who wants to come to the US to work and is seeking employment?

Well without mincing words, a tough challenge is slightly tougher, with less jobs available period let alone ones where companies are willing and able to hire foreign talent. Companies are cutting on all extra expenses and sometimes that includes legal expenses often associated with employing foreign residents.

However the underlying reason remain why companies want to hire foreigners and while there may be fewer positions avaiable overall. relative to the amount of visa there are available, there would still be more openings. So basically when you apply you just have to state your case all the more as to why you would be invaluable at this time and why they must sponsor your US visa be it L1, J1, H1B, E3 or H2B!

I mentioned in a previous post; Monster, Craigslist and LinkedIn as great job resources and that still is true now, but I can’t stress enough to target one type of position in a sector for you best results (i.e. Investment Banking and not all Finance related jobs) You need to own your sector and this impossible if you are trying to understand all sectors and apply.

I think the imprtant thing is just that if you do secure or are trying, be aware of the market environment you are heading into in the US which is probably 6 months further advanced than Europe or the UK as far as Recession goes and probably a year ahead of Australia and the Asia Pacific region. This also means it is closer to the end than the other regions but it can be a tense environment as people are ensure what is happening in the macro market.

I hope this post helped you gain a little perspective on the mood in the US and I look forward to your comments and experiences as always….

CJ

©2012 E3 Visa. All Rights Reserved.

Now the general format of the job interview is no different to what you are probably used to in the Western World. Basically after completing an online application of some sort and/or sending in a cover letter and resume and possible other relevant accompanying documents, you first point of contact if you make the next stage is usually a phone interview.

This phone interview can often be either inpromptu or set at a particular date and time and you will cover most general stuff about your background and resume and then information pertaining to the company and position to which you are applying,

The only curve ball (as they say often in US speak) or questions you may not be used to is immediate questions relating to your compensation or how much you want to be paid. Often this is asked earlier in the application for you to specify but it becomes a lot more intense when you are stating amounts to a person at the company over the phone.

A lot of people either because of their cultural backgrounds or indeed that in most other Western countries, money and negotiating is not such an open and direct topic as it in the US. People are well versed in this early in life often with the general entrepreneurial spirit that is in US culture or at least by college when talk is open about the type people expect when they graduate.

My best advice is to research your position a little on the Internet. There are plenty of sites from a simple Google search that will tell you the average salary for your position in the area which you are applying (area is important too as sometimes the differences are huge as you will places like NYC have much higher salaries across the board because of the much higher cost of living and possibly prestige of the city). Then be confident and add $10K to what you think as always best to aim high when you do this as invariably you will never get more than you originally state. So why settle, be American and demand more

The face to face interviews are as you would expect and a more detailed analysis is done on you and more often than not you will have multiple people interview you, often separately so they can each get their unique take on you to discuss later. Obviously if you are applying in one of the traditional industries; law, high finance, etc. dress the part but wherever you go, it never hurts to over dress as you will rarely be penalized for it.

As I said in the previous post, if you feel like you are getting to the final stages of an interview and/or you are applying for what you feel to be an important or senior position, don’t be afraid to be asked to be reimbursed for travel and other costs. I have had plane tickets, taxis, car rentals, subway, etc. paid for in these situations. If you have got to this stage or going for such a position it is almost expected that this will be done for you. Of course in most cases that is not going to be a plane ticket from Aus to the US because as discussed most would expect you to be in the US already but I  would advise to always ask the question as the monetary costs can add up. If you don’t get a position it is at least some comfort to have some expenses offset given you can get your time and occasionally your sanity back

Always good to leave on a good note as if you were 2nd or 3rd in line, often 1st person might reject for whatever reason (usually b/c they got a better offer), so they will usually turn to you in that situation. Be prepared to discuss details of your contract which may be for a specified period but usually for most levels of workers is something like “employed at will” with 90 day probationary period.

Essentially that means in first 90 days if they are not satisfied at any time they can fire you with no compensation other than what you have worked thus far. After the initial 3 months they can still fire with you on the spot with no notice and you will have to leave at that moment, only that you will probably get a payout for unused leave etc. and maybe some other termination compensation depending on the circumstances.

The US system of hire and fire is brutal so don’t expect 2 weeks notice or even in many cases cordiality if it happens. Seeing it in front of my eyes this past year with all the layoffs in 2008 even with people who other than for the economy wouldn’t have lost their job being told randomly, they are fired and given barely 10 minutes to leave. Essentially from the momemt you are terminated you are seen as a security risk and they can’t get you out of their fast enough. Suddenly the friendliest people and atmosphere in the world become like your worst immigration and airport security nightmare….official and borderline scary. While it is obviously worse to have happen to you, it is certainly not fun to watch either like a sick car crash from close up as its happening!

Ok enough of the bad stuff but this why I implore you to demand a lot when you start, including ensuring things like your benefits are up to par like medical/dental/vision, life insurance, retirement, etc. which should all be musts in your overall package. Medical insurance is super expensive and annoying to deal with but make sure you have it so it becomes at least a tiny bit easier. I will go into more detail about this another time.

The final piece of advice is about when to drop the hint about the sponsorship part. I was reading many forums and there are a lot of different opinions on it. My mantra is to have this there from the beginning, it avoids so much heartache and if explained properly will not be an obstacle. Let’s face it an employer that is not open to sponsorship is unlikely to be convinced later on and may be annoyed that this secret was kept for them. I tried lot’s of different strategies and by far the most effective and best for my own piece of mind was the initial upfront approach.

Stay tuned in a future post and I WILL REVEAL exactly what I wrote and said for you to use yourself…..

CJ

©2012 E3 Visa. All Rights Reserved.

Today I will really focus on the H1B visa and E3 visas, as things vary slightly when you are talking about H2B visa, J1 visa and L1 visas and they need a different explanation and context which I promise I will talk about as well in the future.

The H1B and E3 visas are in many ways just like a job hunt you would do in your home countries with online and offline resources, referrals/word of mouth, head hunters/recruiters and internal transfers. The only fundamental difference being that unlike regular job hunting in your home country, you have to convince a company twice;

1. To Hire You
2. To Sponsor You

Often the more difficult part is part 2 as many companies will reject you from the outset based on the fact you are not a US Citizen or resident able to work without sponsorship. So it is my advice to be honest from the outset in your resumes and cover letters as there is nothing worse as getting far down a process only for them to discover they need to sponsor you and then exclude you crushing your hopes in the process. (I will talk about the best ways I think to do this in a future post)

By far internal transfer offers and word of mouth  are the best as chances are you have already achieved the second part of the convincing already as people in charge are aware that sponsoring you is part of the package. Also as with applying at home, it probably means you are coming highly recommended, and thus seen to be less risky therby increasing your generalhiring chances.
The only tips I have hear are to keep your eyes and ears open at the company you work at if they have a US office or the stakeholder companies you deal with and also talking constantly to your management, colleagues and HR people. Otherwise try and join as many networking and business groups that Americans are a part of in your area. Rotary groups usually attract expat US people as do religious and cultural organizations. Similarly tap every relative or friend you may have with any connection to the US as well. Online groups like LinkedIn can help to a limited degree as well but usually in conjunction with another suggestion above.

If you are at a certain level and/or you are of high ability in your field of expertise, head hunters and recruiters may come knocking. They are a big part of US work life in all industries and for almost all levels of career probably bar entry level positions. If you are in a position where you think you have these sort of abilities or even if you haven’t, it can’t hurt to contact head hunters and recruiters in the US directly describing your expertise and unique selling points. REMEMBER this is the US, Sell Sell Sell Yourself!!

There are many job sites all over the place and many good ones catering to specific fields but my favourite and I think by far the best ones covering all fields are;

1. Monster.com
2. LinkedIn.com
3. Craigslist.org

These sites are the easiest to use and apply from, have the least SPAM and crap to your email and have constant stream of positions every day. There is another site call TheLadders.com for positions only with salaries above $100K USD that you have to pay to see the jobs so would recommend if you are in this sphere.

The other sites Career Builder has so much spam that fill your email with and the jobs and site ease of use is very frustrating and limited I believe. Yahoo Hot Jobs and Google Jobs just don’t have the volume of roles although are fairly easy to use and then all the big newspapers in the country have their own offerings.

In general my advice is to stay focused on niche industry segment and apply like crazy with the 3 sites I mention. If you spread yourself across many industry segments like I initally did you get lost and you get little return. By focussing, you almost own and industry and know all about it and every position and company that may be in a hiring phase putting you at great advantag for every company you apply too. I only did this much later in my search and it was only then I started to get a flood of interview instead of just a trickle here and there and actually get some traction.

I hope this helps….and Happy Hunting

CJ

©2012 E3 Visa. All Rights Reserved.