Finding a job in the states

[EvolutionI]

So basically I have decided that somewhere in the future, I will move to the states. Its always been a dream of mine, and was reinforced by my recent trip down to Las Vegas. It could be soon, or it could be many years down the road. I did some basic research, but had no idea what any of the terminology meant. Right now all I have is a diploma in marketing from NAIT, but would be looking at going back to school if I felt I had to.

For those that have done it already, have plans to, or know someone who has, what short of things should I be planning to do before I leave, when I get there, and how should I go about applying for jobs that are thousands of miles away?

[autosm]

You need a green card first.

[HeavyD111]

Or sign up for school in LV. It would probably be alot more expensive than up here but would allow you to interact in the area and hopefully find a job after your education is finished. My nephew did that and he is quite happy living first in Salt Lake City, now Houston. Look into schools and check out the fees..you only live once.

PS maybe I am wrong, but if it was me I would book another flight (return type package) down there with a stack of resumes and start pounding the pavement rather than pounding Coronas. Show up at the places you might like to work and ask them what you have to do to get a job there...at least if you are face to face they should take you more seriously than communicating over the phone/email/text/smoke signals.

[davidI]

If you're not already able to work in the US, it's going to be tough as unemployment rates hover around 10%. If you have a skill that's in demand, you'll be a lot better off.

I had a couple aunts / uncles move to California to be teachers as they were in demand. Of course now it looks like California may cut a large number of teachers, but at the time it was a job they couldn't fill locally.

I don't think you'll have much luck getting a low-skill job given the number of people who are currently out of work.

[derpderp]

david is correct, if you have a skill that is in demand in the USA you'll be able to get a working visa (or whatever they are in the USA) without much issue. Also if you work for a company that has offices in the USA, you might be able to get yourself into the USA through them.

[TimG]

http://www.amazon.ca/Canadian-America-Real-Life-Financial-Insights/dp/1550227572/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1279297474&sr=8-1

some of the tax advice might be out of date, but it's a good starting point.

[sexualbanana]

Originally posted by davidI
If you're not already able to work in the US, it's going to be tough as unemployment rates hover around 10%. If you have a skill that's in demand, you'll be a lot better off.

I had a couple aunts / uncles move to California to be teachers as they were in demand. Of course now it looks like California may cut a large number of teachers, but at the time it was a job they couldn't fill locally.

I don't think you'll have much luck getting a low-skill job given the number of people who are currently out of work.

If you can convince a company to sponsor/hire you, the company would have to explain why they would hire a foreigner over a citizen, in which case some kind of specialized skill or certification would be necessary. Given the current unemployment rate in the US right now though, it'd be pretty tough.

I had a similar situation when I was offered to hold onto a position when I worked in the USA but because of the way the position I was offered was hired, it wasn't feasible or justified to keep me rather than a resident.