Kick off your US Career Search the Right Way, Part 1: Reviewing the Basics

thumb_5cf99194f343736e86620ebd701daf50_adaptiveResize_430_322.jpg

Right now, New York City is home to well over 3 million immigrants at 37.2 percent of the city’s population. Ask any of the professionals among that 3 million, and they will likely tell you that job searching in the US is remarkably different from wherever they came from. Job search skills such as writing an effective resume and cover letter, networking, and answering interview questions can be surprisingly culturally specific. As to be expected, the hurdles are different for people without US work experience in hand.

"I work hard to eliminate the word “impossible” from the conversation."

As an advisor to immigrant professionals at Upwardly Global, a national nonprofit organization that helps new Americans rebuild their careers, I’ve had the opportunity to work with hundreds of people pursuing their first professional job in the US over the past four years, and supported many of them back to employment—a process that often has many highs and lows. I’ve heard every concern imaginable, and seen people overcome many obstacles, perceived and real, to secure a job in New York. While advising this population I work hard to eliminate the word “impossible” from the conversation.

Finding Your Way in a New Job Market

The saying, “if you can make it here, you’ll make it anywhere,” is popular because it’s true. New York is the toughest market to break into for a lot of reasons – but thousands of people do it every single day. Here are a few tips to help you navigate this weird, wild New York job market.It’s very important to understand what US employers want to see and be open to adapt in some ways. Here I’ll insert a subtle plug for Upwardly Global. We’ve been successfully helping immigrant professionals reenter the New York workforce since 2006 by helping people understand the intricacies of the New York and US job market. Pulling from the 20+ hours of free soft skills training that is included in our program, here are some quick and easy tips to get you started:Make sure your resume is up-to-date and written in US style

Avoid Key Errors

  • Don’t post your resume publicly to a large job board. You will get calls all day long – for jobs you don’t want. Also, you lose control over who sees your resume once it’s posted. It’s better to be the one sharing it with employers yourself.
  • Do your homework. Check online resources like OnetOnline.com to ensure that you’re highlighting the right skills and using the correct American terms for your industry.
  • Know your worth. When asked for a salary requirement, check payscale.com and offer a salary range that you can live with that matches the market rate – “I am open to a salary within the range of $45,000 to $55,000.” Never say, “I’ll work for anything!” or “Whatever you want to pay me!” You’d be undervaluing yourself.
  • Keep yourself to yourself. Privatize your Facebook and other social media accounts – a potential employer should never be able to find your beach photos or private opinions online by searching your name.

Network!

  • In New York, who you know is critical. New in town? Better to go out and meet people than expect them to find you! Connect with your local contacts on LinkedIn and don’t be shy - let people know what you’re looking for. This is expected and normal in the US.
  • Research professional associations online. You can also join general professional development groups like Toastmasters, or ones specific to your industry like the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network. Culturally aligned professional groups like Latpro or NAAAP are also great ways to meet people.
  • What are your hobbies? Chances are there are many others in this city who love opera, soccer, or cooking your favorite cuisine. Try MeetUp.com – you never know when you might meet someone who knows someone.

Do your research

  • Which companies are hiring for global knowledge of public health problems in Eastern Europe, or growing their markets in Latin America?
  • If you want to know more about a company’s reputation, use an industry site like Idealist.org orHigherEdJobs.com, or just Google the company name. Lists like CNN’s 100 Best Companies to Work Forare also helpful.
  • Look nationally. If jobs aren’t plentiful in your industry here, where ARE they? Are you open to relocation? If so, your options will broaden.

Be open to alternatives

  • Think big picture. Used to be the president of your company? Here, you’ll need some knowledge of local practices to get started. Start by searching for slightly lower level roles that will still rely on your expertise, like team manager positions, or look for consulting roles to get familiar and make some contacts in your field locally. Later, that knowledge will benefit you.
  • Be your own boss. You’ll still need to network, and it’s not easy - but why not use your online marketing knowledge or translation experience to your benefit now? Add a “Freelance Web Developer” or “Marketing Consultant” position to your LinkedIn profile, and search for jobs through sites likefreelancer.com. Be aware of local practices and rates in your field – don’t work for lower than your time is worth.

Study the landscape

  • First, do a little industry research. Some professionals, particularly from the finance and business sectors, IT, and nonprofit, can benefit from the distinctly global workforce that thrives in those sectors. Companies like Standard Chartered Bank, Google, and Microsoft have led the way in welcoming diversity to their teams and in developing hiring practices to seek out top global experience.
  • Don’t give up easily. Even with this research in hand, it may not necessarily be any easier to get your foot in the door. They still want the best, but the candidate pool is much, much bigger!

General Resources

New York is home to a broad range of agencies that can help minimize or eliminate common skill gaps and requirements. Here are just a few I highly recommend:

Make it HereSarah OlsonBusiness, Evergreen, Work