I coach a lot of couples who are going to the US for an assignment of more or less three years. I know the life experiences these couple can expect will be amazing: truly enjoying American life, exploring the great country, developing strong English language skills, just to name a few.
But I sometimes also see some sadness from the accompanying spouse who is giving up a good job at home only to worry that they may have a big gap in their employment record upon their return home which can be quite bad for career development. Some of these spouses focus on the special needs of their family in a new environment while others use the opportunity to take professional development courses which will improve their employability when they return to their home country. A good place to start down that route is to get in touch with your local community college. Community colleges are primarily two-year public institutions of tertiary (college level) education. Many community colleges also offer technical degrees and certificates, and a limited number of 4-year degrees.
But for those who are ready and willing to work, here are my suggestions for landing a job that will let you use your skills.
Learning about companies and organizations in your area that do business or would like to do business in your home country. They will value your multilingual skills and knowledge of the culture and business practices where you came from. These employers should be top prospects for you.
Consider whether you have special skills that are hard to find in the area where you reside. Knowing that you have skills which are in high demand is a door-opener.
Build and expand your network. This can mean widening your reach on LinkedIn and Xing but also talking to people who might know something that would help you get an appointment. The greatest payoff is when a local person says “I have a friend who should be talking to you. I’ll give him/her a call.”
Before you contact anyone, make sure you are ready. In the first three months after moving, you will be challenged enough by the logistics of getting your family settled. Then you need to get your CV or Resumé polished in the American style. The Internet is rich with advice and help. You can learn everything you need to know online without paying for assistance. Here are some useful sites:
You will notice that there is not one standard style. That is because you want your resumé to stand out and catch attention. There are several generalizations we can make for a good resume in the US.
It should be to the point – one to two pages
It is a sales brochure for your talents. Use every opportunity to present major accomplishments and the positive consequences of your work for your employer.
Work experience should show how you have put your education to use. So list your work before your education, both in reverse chronological order (most recent work first).
Unless you are looking for a modeling job, don’t include a photo. Also please no date of birth, age, marital or family status or religion. Stick to the things that directly affect the work you will be doing.
Certificates of employment (Zeugnisse) and names of references should not be included. If the prospective employer wants them, they will ask.
Landing a job is a game of percentages. If you send out 300 copies of your CV, you might get 30 responses and perhaps only three of them will turn into a real lead. Do your research to insure that you have the best prospects in your list, but don’t stop there. Dark horses sometimes win the race. In other words, sometimes the best opportunities come from the company you least expect.
Online services (www.monster.com is the oldest, www.stepstone.com is also well known) can also be worth listing with. But remember that some of the best jobs are those when the employer isn’t even looking, but is so impressed with your special skills that they create a job for you.
And finally, be a little early for your interview and SMILE. Good luck.