How to get a Job in the Usa

Is your goal to get a job in America? If yes, then you’re not alone. Many people from all over the world share the same dream.

Competition for US jobs is fierce, but there are also a lot of opportunities. This means that if you’re able to stand out among other candidates, you’ll have a great chance of succeeding.

Although there are relatively complicated immigration policies in the USA, as soon as you have a job offer, your employer can file a petition to sponsor your visa application, and the rest of the process is fairly straightforward.

To help you achieve your dreams, we’ve compiled this guide to show you all the necessary steps to grab the attention of recruiters and get a job in America.

If you’re already confident on how to get a job in the USA, you can head straight over to our CV builder. There you’ll find dozens of professional templates which you can easily complete with step-by-step instructions and expert guidance.

What to do to get a job in America

Select a limited number of target jobs

If you try to apply to every single job you meet the criteria for, the success of each application will suffer. We recommend choosing quality over quantity and focusing on a few jobs for which you’re the perfect fit. This will give you the opportunity to prepare each application to the best of your ability and your passion for the job will be evident to recruiters.

Extensively research each company you apply for

Another benefit of selecting a few target jobs is that you’ll have more time to research each company you’re applying to. This is crucial so that you can effectively personalize your application and prepare for interviews accordingly.

The internet is a great place to research companies, but don’t just look at the company website. Check out related recent news, their social media accounts and any other places where information is posted about them.

Create a professional CV for each application

One of the most crucial parts of any job-search process, whether it’s in America or somewhere else in the world, is to create a professional CV that meets all recommended guidelines. This document should be aesthetically designed, effectively present your professional and educational history, include relevant skills and be engaging for recruiters.

When making a CV for a job in America, specific requirements apply. For example, it’s not allowed to include a photo, your gender, nationality, date of birth or marital status in the interest of non-discrimination laws.

For more specific recommendations on CV’s for the US check out our article explaining the country-by-country differences of what recruiters expect you to include on this document.

Write a unique cover letter and CV for each job

Spamming the same CV and cover letter for each job is a surefire way to land zero interviews. This is because each job will have specific qualifications that the hiring manager will be looking for.

It’s also important to note that an increasing amount of US employers have implemented applicant tracking systems (ATS) to more quickly scan applicants. In fact, Jobscan discovered that 98% of Fortune 500 companies use ATS.

These automatically sort applications on the basis of whether they include the correct keywords to identify top candidates. Therefore, it’s essential that you include keywords from the job description of whichever company you’re applying for.

Practise interview questions

Once you’ve landed your first interview, it’s crucial to practise the questions you might be asked. In the USA, interview styles are can differ significantly from company to company, so we recommend that you research your prospective employer to learn what approach they might take.

It’s also an excellent idea to find out what kind of interview questions are typically asked when hiring for your desired role. Additionally, it’s important to consider that because you’ll be applying from abroad, your interview will most likely be on video.

In this case, it’s important to take it just as seriously as an in-person interview, dressing appropriately, acting professionally and connecting with your interviewer as much as possible.

Use your network or find a connection at the company

It’s well known that referrals can go a long way in helping you obtain a new job. However, apart from exhausting their own network, many people don’t go the extra mile of finding their own connection at a company.

By doing online research, you can find out who the hiring managers are and send them a personalized email. You can also try to connect with them on a professional social networking site. One of these websites is LinkedIn, where you can easily find out who works in HR at a company, and see if you have any mutual connections.

In some instances, finding a recruiters phone number and giving them a call might also work, but it may create a bad impression depending on who you’re calling. We recommend messaging or emailing them instead to avoid this risk.

Just keep in mind that being intrusive will only count against you, so do not pester the recruiter with more than one, or a maximum of two, outreach attempts. The same goes for how often you follow up after your first interview.

Take advantage of social media

As mentioned in the previous section, social media can be used to create new connections at a company. However, it can also boost your application in other ways.

With most US companies now having a digital presence, recruiters will usually look up the social media accounts of the candidates they are considering. This means that you shouldn’t have any content posted that might hurt your application.

However, having a well-worked social media profile on a site such as LinkedIn can help show your qualifications and expertise. For positions directly involved with social media or related fields, having a popular account on sites such as Instagram or Twitter can also give a good impression.

You’re already on your way to your US dream

Now that you’ve learnt about all the important steps to follow when applying for a US job, it’s time to get started on your applications by creating a CV.

Using our professional CV maker, you can personalize the best possible CV for whichever industry you want to work in while following all recommended guidelines on how to get a job in the USA. Using this tool, you’ll be able to take advantage of professional templates and expert guidance to ensure you start getting interviews as soon as possible!

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