Looking for Work in the USA

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Neo
Major: International Business
Status: Light Keeper

A person with strange ideas in my head and strange feelings in my heart...

Looking for Work in the USA
Andy Neo

Looking for work in the United States of America

To work in the USA, you require a visa.
All visas have to be applied for at the American embassy in your home country.
Details can be obtained from the Bureau of Consular Affairs of the US Department of State.
If you are working and living in the USA and do not have a visa, you are considered an ‘illegal alien!

The application procedure in the USA

The Internet is the main source for vacancies and information concerning job applications.
The US application process is very commercial and you have to sell yourself.
The USA is a large country. Common practice in one region can be very different elsewhere, so be sure to find out about local formalities and customs.

Writing a resume in the United States of America

In the US the term resume is used instead of CV.
The key focus of your resume should be to persuade the employer to invite you for an interview.
Therefore your resume is a marketing tool, which should be adapted to the market in which you intend to use it.
It is advisable to write a short profile of yourself, using short and punchy sentences filled with action verbs and power words.
Resumes are often scanned by employers; so avoid using different font sizes or a bold or italic font.
Start with clearly mentioning the objective and/or goal of your career.

The application letter in the USA

The application letter should be typed in a short and professional style.
Start with ‘Dear Mr./Ms X,’ if you know the addressee’s name, and end your letter with ‘Yours sincerely’.
Start with ‘Dear Sir/Madam,’ if you do not know the name of the addressee and end with ‘Yours faithfully’.
It is not unusual to mention in your letter what salary you are expecting.
Mention your telephone number in the last paragraph of your letter.

Do’s & Don’ts in the USA

Do

•Use power word and action verbs in you letter and resume. Power words and action verbs
•Be prepared for psychological tests during the application process. Accomplished Improved
•Look interested – ask questions. Achieved Negotiated
•Provide examples to illustrate your achievements. Carried out Realized
•Ask if you don’t understand the question. Finalized Represented
•Send a short letter after the interview, to thank the interviewer. Guided Structured

Don’t

•Sit until invited to do so.
•Go over the top – stay calm and stick to the facts.
•Put anything besides the truth in your resume, even if there is an ocean in between, your future employer will find out the truth eventually.
•Criticize former employers.
•Smoke in offices in the US.

Management culture in the United States

The organizational culture within American companies is strongly result orientated.
Companies are focused on direct results and short-term gains.
Employees are motivated by their employers and there is little direct criticism in either direction.
An agenda is usually distributed before a meeting. The goal of most negotiations is to ‘close the deal’. The long-term relationship is unimportant at that time.
Americans are on a first-name basis with each other from the beginning.

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