Job hunting in the USA.
To start, I recommend creating an email account on one of these providers: Google, Yahoo, or Hotmail. This ensures that your emails reach recipients in the USA successfully and that you receive their replies without issues. I chose Google.
Next, you need to draft a Cover Letter and a Curriculum Vitae (resume). I created mine using examples from the website www.amerricana.ru. For my resume, I included a scan of the photo used for my embassy application. It is definitely better to come up with your own original touch for your resume and Cover Letter.
My next step was registering on the website j1jobs.com. Note that there is a character limit in the Cover Letter field, so it will only fit a few sentences. For example, this text will fit: “Dear Sir or Madam. My name is Vasily, I'm from Russia. I want to work for you during the summer of 2010. I have all the necessary documents for legal employment in the USA from Month Date until Month Date, Year. I worked as a builder, I've been a housekeeper in a hotel, and I've done website development. I am a hardworking, neat, and capable person. Sincerely, Vasily Pupkin.” Then, I sent my resume and Cover Letter to all vacancies in the states I was interested in.
This mass mailing took only a few minutes, and then I searched for work using the standard method:
- I chose the state and city where I wanted to work.
- I entered the following into a search engine (I used maps.google.ru, and later found yellowpages.com very useful): City, State, and, for example, Hotel. (For example: Myrtle beach, NJ hotel).
- I visited the websites of the companies I found and searched for their email addresses.
- Then, I sent my CL to the found email address and attached my resume (in the subject line, I wrote: Looking for a job).
After a while, I gathered the courage to start calling employers =) (after the first two or three calls, I was no longer afraid). That is, I looked for not only emails on their websites but also phone numbers. I called from Skype to toll-free numbers starting with 8-800. I also called regular numbers using my local network's website because calls were free there (only for krs-ix.ru members), though the connection quality was below average =) I recommend starting to call as early as possible.
After a long search, one fine day I received a message from j1jobs.com. It was a message from an employer in the city of Somerdale, New Jersey. After answering some questions and obtaining an IDP (International Driving Permit), I sent the employer the job offer form, and on January 29, 2010, I was hired as an ice cream seller and truck driver responsible for selling ice cream from a truck in cities. After signing the offer, I took it for verification.
Next, the embassy interview awaited me...
http://www.amerricana.ru/docs/CL.gif
