Getting a Job in the US
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Leaving politics aside, my wife has decided to continue her doctorate studies in Penn-state University. Being her humble servant (as all men are, and don't tell me there are any exceptions!!!) I agreed, and therefore I'm about to start looking for a job around that area. As you can understand, I'm not a US resident, but have no problem getting a green card, as my wife is an American citizen. So, How do you look for a job in the US when you're leaving abroad? Are there any special issues I should be aware of? I guess some mentality differences exist, so can someone throw in a word? Thanks, Omer. P.S - I have 6 years of experience mainly in VC++, Oracle and DB applications programming. Been a SW lead, etc.
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Leaving politics aside, my wife has decided to continue her doctorate studies in Penn-state University. Being her humble servant (as all men are, and don't tell me there are any exceptions!!!) I agreed, and therefore I'm about to start looking for a job around that area. As you can understand, I'm not a US resident, but have no problem getting a green card, as my wife is an American citizen. So, How do you look for a job in the US when you're leaving abroad? Are there any special issues I should be aware of? I guess some mentality differences exist, so can someone throw in a word? Thanks, Omer. P.S - I have 6 years of experience mainly in VC++, Oracle and DB applications programming. Been a SW lead, etc.
Do a search for Penn. local websites. Should give you a better feel for the market than things like Monster. There've been rather a lot of ads recently encouraging people to move there, so i guess there must be some work...
- Shog9 -
Aaah... It's time to relax. You know what that means: a glass of beer, your favorite ergo chair... And of course, The Code Project loaded on your Personal Computer System. So go on, and indulge yourself, put your feet up. Lean back and just enjoy the articles. After all, CP sooths even the savage :bob:
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Leaving politics aside, my wife has decided to continue her doctorate studies in Penn-state University. Being her humble servant (as all men are, and don't tell me there are any exceptions!!!) I agreed, and therefore I'm about to start looking for a job around that area. As you can understand, I'm not a US resident, but have no problem getting a green card, as my wife is an American citizen. So, How do you look for a job in the US when you're leaving abroad? Are there any special issues I should be aware of? I guess some mentality differences exist, so can someone throw in a word? Thanks, Omer. P.S - I have 6 years of experience mainly in VC++, Oracle and DB applications programming. Been a SW lead, etc.
When you figure out the secret, let me know. I'm a US citizan and still haven't figured it out. -Jack To an optimist the glass is half full. To a pessimist the glass is half empty. To a programmer the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
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Leaving politics aside, my wife has decided to continue her doctorate studies in Penn-state University. Being her humble servant (as all men are, and don't tell me there are any exceptions!!!) I agreed, and therefore I'm about to start looking for a job around that area. As you can understand, I'm not a US resident, but have no problem getting a green card, as my wife is an American citizen. So, How do you look for a job in the US when you're leaving abroad? Are there any special issues I should be aware of? I guess some mentality differences exist, so can someone throw in a word? Thanks, Omer. P.S - I have 6 years of experience mainly in VC++, Oracle and DB applications programming. Been a SW lead, etc.
I can give you several advices based on my recent job search. I had two interviews over the phone so far but have now settled for another job in Switzerland, because no US company offered me six figures. Most important thing to remember is NOT to try to find an entry level position. That is no. 1 mistake that foreigners do. They think that they have no chances unless they lower their expectations. And they fail because they are trying to get in where crowd is. So when you have lead experience - go for the Sr. or lead position. Second difference is the attitude. I connected three major European banks with XML system and some of US companies did not even reply to my letters. This never happened to me in Europe. Peasants. That's all I can say. Hence, you have to very carefully separate opportunities that you feel comfortable with (i.e. you have enough experience and just the skills they are looking for to know that you can bring a lot of value to the company) from 2nd class opportunities. Write cover letters only for those in first class, mass mail the rest with standardized cover letters and CVs. Third difference (speaking from European standpoint) is the university degree. In US there is only a handful of universities on European level and the rest is really rubbish. Therefore the degree is often taken for granted, unless from one of prominent universities. In Germany, for example, there are several universities and they are all at the same level. So for employer it doesn't really matter which university you come from - Stuttgart or Munich - he knows he's getting good material. Thus when creating resume make sure to emphasize skills and experience. Not education. Fourth difference is the process of selection. Resumes in US get you interviews, not jobs. So sell yourself in short'n'cute way in your resume, don't make a CV out of it. Every professional career can fit to two pages, don't think you are a special case. And fifth - don't wait for your train too long. It's like with women. When there is no train coming in for some time, take another one. You can always send resumes while working in a fast food restaurant. Remember, any work offers more opportunities then unemployment. So no matter how many times you fall. Show them your (European?) heritage. Stand up. And fight. Tomaz
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I can give you several advices based on my recent job search. I had two interviews over the phone so far but have now settled for another job in Switzerland, because no US company offered me six figures. Most important thing to remember is NOT to try to find an entry level position. That is no. 1 mistake that foreigners do. They think that they have no chances unless they lower their expectations. And they fail because they are trying to get in where crowd is. So when you have lead experience - go for the Sr. or lead position. Second difference is the attitude. I connected three major European banks with XML system and some of US companies did not even reply to my letters. This never happened to me in Europe. Peasants. That's all I can say. Hence, you have to very carefully separate opportunities that you feel comfortable with (i.e. you have enough experience and just the skills they are looking for to know that you can bring a lot of value to the company) from 2nd class opportunities. Write cover letters only for those in first class, mass mail the rest with standardized cover letters and CVs. Third difference (speaking from European standpoint) is the university degree. In US there is only a handful of universities on European level and the rest is really rubbish. Therefore the degree is often taken for granted, unless from one of prominent universities. In Germany, for example, there are several universities and they are all at the same level. So for employer it doesn't really matter which university you come from - Stuttgart or Munich - he knows he's getting good material. Thus when creating resume make sure to emphasize skills and experience. Not education. Fourth difference is the process of selection. Resumes in US get you interviews, not jobs. So sell yourself in short'n'cute way in your resume, don't make a CV out of it. Every professional career can fit to two pages, don't think you are a special case. And fifth - don't wait for your train too long. It's like with women. When there is no train coming in for some time, take another one. You can always send resumes while working in a fast food restaurant. Remember, any work offers more opportunities then unemployment. So no matter how many times you fall. Show them your (European?) heritage. Stand up. And fight. Tomaz
I can see why you are still in Switzerland. In US there is only a handful of universities on European level That is correct. We usually get rid of most of them but some do crop up that don't come up to US standards. All kidding aside just what major US schools are you referring to? And don't come back with something like Apple Valley Jr. College or something. Where would Penn State fall in for example, or MIT, or Cal Tech or UT or Rice or well.... So no matter how many times you fall. Show them your (European?) heritage. Stand up. And fight. And get knocked down. Richard Monarchies, aristocracies, and religions....there was never a country where the majority of the people were in their secret hearts loyal to any of these institutions. Mark Twain - The Mysterious Stranger
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I can see why you are still in Switzerland. In US there is only a handful of universities on European level That is correct. We usually get rid of most of them but some do crop up that don't come up to US standards. All kidding aside just what major US schools are you referring to? And don't come back with something like Apple Valley Jr. College or something. Where would Penn State fall in for example, or MIT, or Cal Tech or UT or Rice or well.... So no matter how many times you fall. Show them your (European?) heritage. Stand up. And fight. And get knocked down. Richard Monarchies, aristocracies, and religions....there was never a country where the majority of the people were in their secret hearts loyal to any of these institutions. Mark Twain - The Mysterious Stranger
> I can see why you are still in Switzerland. MIT, Harvard, Yale, etc. are the prominent universities that can compare to Europe's best, such as Cambridge or Oxford (there are excellent national universities across Europe, but you probably never heard of them). But "Apple Valley Jr. Colleges" simply are no match to most European universities. In the US universities heavily suffer from negative selection. That means that everything with some worth is going to one of the prominent universities and the gap between the best and the worst is quite large. In Europe it is not and overall one has much better chance of getting a decent education. You see in US just about "anything" can get through university and that is the reason degrees are devaluated. In Europe there are no easy workarounds. The voucher reform will probably increase the quality of US education and I do hope the old world will soon have similar system in place. > So no matter how many times you fall. Show them your (European?) > heritage. Stand up. And fight. > And get knocked down. :-) Oh, well. Don't go swimming unless you are prepared to get wet. But seriously, things are going pretty well for the old world now. Don't you agree? The economy is strong, the euro is rising, EU probe will reach Mars nine days before the US probe (...and if I am a bit evil no one really belives US probe will survive the entry, NASA just doesn't have it anymore). Germany produces best cars in the world and is world leader in machinery industry. In a year 100 million new people will voluntarily join the union. And at present EU is not at war with anyone and defense budgets are low. The one and only thing that still makes us vice leaders of free world is our lack of liberty and social welfare, blown over every reasonable proportion. But things are changing. Kind Regards, Tomaz
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> I can see why you are still in Switzerland. MIT, Harvard, Yale, etc. are the prominent universities that can compare to Europe's best, such as Cambridge or Oxford (there are excellent national universities across Europe, but you probably never heard of them). But "Apple Valley Jr. Colleges" simply are no match to most European universities. In the US universities heavily suffer from negative selection. That means that everything with some worth is going to one of the prominent universities and the gap between the best and the worst is quite large. In Europe it is not and overall one has much better chance of getting a decent education. You see in US just about "anything" can get through university and that is the reason degrees are devaluated. In Europe there are no easy workarounds. The voucher reform will probably increase the quality of US education and I do hope the old world will soon have similar system in place. > So no matter how many times you fall. Show them your (European?) > heritage. Stand up. And fight. > And get knocked down. :-) Oh, well. Don't go swimming unless you are prepared to get wet. But seriously, things are going pretty well for the old world now. Don't you agree? The economy is strong, the euro is rising, EU probe will reach Mars nine days before the US probe (...and if I am a bit evil no one really belives US probe will survive the entry, NASA just doesn't have it anymore). Germany produces best cars in the world and is world leader in machinery industry. In a year 100 million new people will voluntarily join the union. And at present EU is not at war with anyone and defense budgets are low. The one and only thing that still makes us vice leaders of free world is our lack of liberty and social welfare, blown over every reasonable proportion. But things are changing. Kind Regards, Tomaz
MIT, Harvard, Yale, etc. are the prominent universities that can compare to Europe's best, such as Cambridge or Oxford (there are excellent national universities across Europe, but you probably never heard of them). Can compare! I don't care what crietera you use they not only compare - rhey exceed. There is very little cutting edge research being done in Europe at the present with the exception of current political restrictions on stem cell research and some high energy physics work being done ar CERN -and much of that is done by american's using american funds. Politics again stopped us from building the premiere HE lab in Texas a few years ago. Other than that while there may be a few isolated bastions of cutting edge science done in Europe it is generally not done on a college level. In the US universities heavily suffer from negative selection. That means that everything with some worth is going to one of the prominent universities and the gap between the best and the worst is quite large. This is because there is so many more schools in the US. There simply is not enough talent to go around. However the best and the brightest do usually end up at a quality institution and the rest , at least, get something. But seriously, things are going pretty well for the old world now. Don't you agree? The economy is strong, the euro is rising, EU probe will reach Mars nine days before the US probe (...and if I am a bit evil no one really belives US probe will survive the entry, NASA just doesn't have it anymore). Germany produces best cars in the world and is world leader in machinery industry. In a year 100 million new people will voluntarily join the union. And at present EU is not at war with anyone and defense budgets are low. We ( the US ) have been to Mars before - remember. The Euro has still got problems. NASA does have it. Hell Europe is using NASA castoff technology. Germany does NOT make, nor have they ever made, the best cars in the world. Even in terms of high end luxury sedans they suck hind tit to Lexus. On the very high level Rolls is still the benchmark. In racing cicles the CR-5 is kicking Porshes ass. And the European defense budget is low because the US totes most of the load thru NATO. Europe could not defend themselves against Cuba, let alone a major power in their present state. The one and only thing that still makes us vice leaders of free world is our lack of liberty and social welfare Class systems, archaic forms of Government, la
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> I can see why you are still in Switzerland. MIT, Harvard, Yale, etc. are the prominent universities that can compare to Europe's best, such as Cambridge or Oxford (there are excellent national universities across Europe, but you probably never heard of them). But "Apple Valley Jr. Colleges" simply are no match to most European universities. In the US universities heavily suffer from negative selection. That means that everything with some worth is going to one of the prominent universities and the gap between the best and the worst is quite large. In Europe it is not and overall one has much better chance of getting a decent education. You see in US just about "anything" can get through university and that is the reason degrees are devaluated. In Europe there are no easy workarounds. The voucher reform will probably increase the quality of US education and I do hope the old world will soon have similar system in place. > So no matter how many times you fall. Show them your (European?) > heritage. Stand up. And fight. > And get knocked down. :-) Oh, well. Don't go swimming unless you are prepared to get wet. But seriously, things are going pretty well for the old world now. Don't you agree? The economy is strong, the euro is rising, EU probe will reach Mars nine days before the US probe (...and if I am a bit evil no one really belives US probe will survive the entry, NASA just doesn't have it anymore). Germany produces best cars in the world and is world leader in machinery industry. In a year 100 million new people will voluntarily join the union. And at present EU is not at war with anyone and defense budgets are low. The one and only thing that still makes us vice leaders of free world is our lack of liberty and social welfare, blown over every reasonable proportion. But things are changing. Kind Regards, Tomaz
tstih wrote: Germany produces best cars in the world and is world leader in machinery industry. Ummmm.... huh? I work for a German family owned, American based machine tool company and calling Germany the "world leader in machinery industry" is flat wrong. Of the few remaining German machine companies, most have moved production out of Germany, many have even moved design to US, Canada or Japan.
Mike Mullikin - People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use. Soren Kierkegaard
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I can give you several advices based on my recent job search. I had two interviews over the phone so far but have now settled for another job in Switzerland, because no US company offered me six figures. Most important thing to remember is NOT to try to find an entry level position. That is no. 1 mistake that foreigners do. They think that they have no chances unless they lower their expectations. And they fail because they are trying to get in where crowd is. So when you have lead experience - go for the Sr. or lead position. Second difference is the attitude. I connected three major European banks with XML system and some of US companies did not even reply to my letters. This never happened to me in Europe. Peasants. That's all I can say. Hence, you have to very carefully separate opportunities that you feel comfortable with (i.e. you have enough experience and just the skills they are looking for to know that you can bring a lot of value to the company) from 2nd class opportunities. Write cover letters only for those in first class, mass mail the rest with standardized cover letters and CVs. Third difference (speaking from European standpoint) is the university degree. In US there is only a handful of universities on European level and the rest is really rubbish. Therefore the degree is often taken for granted, unless from one of prominent universities. In Germany, for example, there are several universities and they are all at the same level. So for employer it doesn't really matter which university you come from - Stuttgart or Munich - he knows he's getting good material. Thus when creating resume make sure to emphasize skills and experience. Not education. Fourth difference is the process of selection. Resumes in US get you interviews, not jobs. So sell yourself in short'n'cute way in your resume, don't make a CV out of it. Every professional career can fit to two pages, don't think you are a special case. And fifth - don't wait for your train too long. It's like with women. When there is no train coming in for some time, take another one. You can always send resumes while working in a fast food restaurant. Remember, any work offers more opportunities then unemployment. So no matter how many times you fall. Show them your (European?) heritage. Stand up. And fight. Tomaz
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MIT, Harvard, Yale, etc. are the prominent universities that can compare to Europe's best, such as Cambridge or Oxford (there are excellent national universities across Europe, but you probably never heard of them). Can compare! I don't care what crietera you use they not only compare - rhey exceed. There is very little cutting edge research being done in Europe at the present with the exception of current political restrictions on stem cell research and some high energy physics work being done ar CERN -and much of that is done by american's using american funds. Politics again stopped us from building the premiere HE lab in Texas a few years ago. Other than that while there may be a few isolated bastions of cutting edge science done in Europe it is generally not done on a college level. In the US universities heavily suffer from negative selection. That means that everything with some worth is going to one of the prominent universities and the gap between the best and the worst is quite large. This is because there is so many more schools in the US. There simply is not enough talent to go around. However the best and the brightest do usually end up at a quality institution and the rest , at least, get something. But seriously, things are going pretty well for the old world now. Don't you agree? The economy is strong, the euro is rising, EU probe will reach Mars nine days before the US probe (...and if I am a bit evil no one really belives US probe will survive the entry, NASA just doesn't have it anymore). Germany produces best cars in the world and is world leader in machinery industry. In a year 100 million new people will voluntarily join the union. And at present EU is not at war with anyone and defense budgets are low. We ( the US ) have been to Mars before - remember. The Euro has still got problems. NASA does have it. Hell Europe is using NASA castoff technology. Germany does NOT make, nor have they ever made, the best cars in the world. Even in terms of high end luxury sedans they suck hind tit to Lexus. On the very high level Rolls is still the benchmark. In racing cicles the CR-5 is kicking Porshes ass. And the European defense budget is low because the US totes most of the load thru NATO. Europe could not defend themselves against Cuba, let alone a major power in their present state. The one and only thing that still makes us vice leaders of free world is our lack of liberty and social welfare Class systems, archaic forms of Government, la
: at the present with the exception of current political restrictions on : stem cell research and some high energy physics work being done ar CERN Hmm... CERN, Cambridge (MS Research Lab), etc. You must admit that we do have our fair pick of the litter. And who cares who finances our labs? Don't we invest into your markets? Does that mean that we take the credits for their performance (...hmm, actually sometimes it does seem so)? : We ( the US ) have been to Mars before - remember. Good ol' days, eh. : The Euro has still got problems. Comparing to which currency would that be? : Hell Europe is using NASA castoff technology. Don't be silly. The lost of both Mars probes effectively returned your Mars program to its incubator. At its present state your space equipment is as reliable as Microsoft Windows. : Germany does NOT make, nor have they ever made, the best cars in the world. Three words. VW, BMW, AUDI. : And the European defense budget is low because the US totes most of : the load thru NATO. I must change my original statement. EU defense budgets are not low. US budgets are irrational. Its not our fault that you spend ten million dollars on single offensive fighting Afghan guerillas from the middle ages to minimize your casualties at all costs or two billion on a single bomber. That is *your* problem. I suppose it comes with "leader of the free world" title, ability to control gas prices, investor confidence and related booming stock exchange and the lead in worlds' IT industry... Why would someone finance your priviledges when it became all too obvious that you're living over your productive abilities? It is much easier just to enjoy the fruits of your work... : Europe could not defend themselves against : Cuba, let alone a major power in their present state We don't need to, Richard. Nobody's attacking. And if they would you'd come to protect your crown jewels - you need us as a market to maintain your growth. You did it twice already, remember? : Class systems, archaic forms of Government, lack of natural resources, : and a general apathy among the populance. Brain drain, silly : tax systems, outmoded infrastructure, its really a long list of : things including those mentioned by yourself. I agree with all of it except a general apathy among the populance. That apathy that you call produced some of the most energetic world art. Just with what can you compete against The Beatles or Abba? Or if we return to present, what is it that you have on the
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: at the present with the exception of current political restrictions on : stem cell research and some high energy physics work being done ar CERN Hmm... CERN, Cambridge (MS Research Lab), etc. You must admit that we do have our fair pick of the litter. And who cares who finances our labs? Don't we invest into your markets? Does that mean that we take the credits for their performance (...hmm, actually sometimes it does seem so)? : We ( the US ) have been to Mars before - remember. Good ol' days, eh. : The Euro has still got problems. Comparing to which currency would that be? : Hell Europe is using NASA castoff technology. Don't be silly. The lost of both Mars probes effectively returned your Mars program to its incubator. At its present state your space equipment is as reliable as Microsoft Windows. : Germany does NOT make, nor have they ever made, the best cars in the world. Three words. VW, BMW, AUDI. : And the European defense budget is low because the US totes most of : the load thru NATO. I must change my original statement. EU defense budgets are not low. US budgets are irrational. Its not our fault that you spend ten million dollars on single offensive fighting Afghan guerillas from the middle ages to minimize your casualties at all costs or two billion on a single bomber. That is *your* problem. I suppose it comes with "leader of the free world" title, ability to control gas prices, investor confidence and related booming stock exchange and the lead in worlds' IT industry... Why would someone finance your priviledges when it became all too obvious that you're living over your productive abilities? It is much easier just to enjoy the fruits of your work... : Europe could not defend themselves against : Cuba, let alone a major power in their present state We don't need to, Richard. Nobody's attacking. And if they would you'd come to protect your crown jewels - you need us as a market to maintain your growth. You did it twice already, remember? : Class systems, archaic forms of Government, lack of natural resources, : and a general apathy among the populance. Brain drain, silly : tax systems, outmoded infrastructure, its really a long list of : things including those mentioned by yourself. I agree with all of it except a general apathy among the populance. That apathy that you call produced some of the most energetic world art. Just with what can you compete against The Beatles or Abba? Or if we return to present, what is it that you have on the
Don't be silly. The lost of both Mars probes effectively returned your Mars program to its incubator. At its present state your space equipment is as reliable as Microsoft Windows. Don't know how cognizant you are in this area but this is simply not so. Europe's contribution , other than the USSR, to space exploration is more along the lines of "me too". We lost one probe on entry because of what is called "human resource problems" which really meant that one bunch of people were doing calculations in metric and the other was not. There was nothing wrong with the hardware. We have a vehicle orbiting Mars, landing on Mars, and soon landing and returning from Mars. Of course since Europe has NEVER did any of this they have a 100% success ratio - 0/0. Live and learn I guess. It is much easier just to enjoy the fruits of your work... This may soon end. I read several articles in recent months where the powers that be are looking at the current situation and finding it rather disagreeable. As to the gas prices - can you read TAXES. Thats where most of your cost is - not in the actual price of the product. It is laughable to most Americans to see the cost that you pay for gas. Three words. VW, BMW, AUDI. At one time I could see VW. The others are jokes (BMW makes a decent motorcycle however ). The only thing they have is snob appeal. Not performance, not value for the buck, not in reliability, not in safety, and to be real honest not even in styling anymore. Just with what can you compete against The Beatles or Abba? Or if we return to present, what is it that you have on the level of Robbie Williams or U2? Eminem and hordes of other rappers and plastic fantastic Augilleras and artificial Spears? In that whole paragraph the only thing worth mentioning was "The Beatles". And more for their compsitions than their performances. But hey - thats a matter of taste. Almost any jazz afficianado would look at that and laugh. ABBA for goodness sake. Try Joe Pass, Lionel Hampton, Charlie Christian, Herb Ellis, Byrd, Stan Getz... the list goes on and on. Don't hold up those glitter and flash "entertainers" as ART. About the only thing of enduring nature to be produced over the water in the lasy hald century in real music is the Gypsy Jazz boys - Django-et al... Richard Monarchies, aristocracies, and religions....there was never a country where the majority of the people were in their secret hearts loyal to any of these institutions. Mark Twain - The