Immigration Blues - Finding A Job In Another Country

Immigrating to another country entails a lot of adjustment – settling your family, finding a job, putting the kids to school and assimilation to the new culture. Work-wise, not everyone are as lucky to land jobs that fits their skills and experiences. More often, employers look for “local experience”. But being the new immigrant, how in the world would you get local experience if no employer is willing to take a chance to hire you?

First, don’t lose hope. Despite the bleak economy, there are ways to get around this problem. Plus, if your skills are in demand, you’ll find employment in due course.

1. Take volunteer work related to the job you are targeting. Say, if you’re an accountant, you may want to offer bookkeeping services to no-profits. The important thing is to earn the local experience employers are looking for.

2. Network. If you have friends, families or acquaintances in the area, ask for referrals. They may help you get a job using their connections.

3. Don’t quit. It’s frustrating not to have any job leads even after sending out 50 or more applications. But your frustration shouldn’t stop you from looking for a job. You can’t give up just like that.

The time involved in looking for a job varies. If you're lucky to get a job within a month, good for you. Otherwise, be prepared to wait it out, months even.

Other than the industry, you also have to look into the unemployment rate in your area. While you may have the right skills and acquired the requisite local experience, but if your state or the city you are in are laying off people then be prepared to double your efforts.

Leaving your homeland for good and starting anew in another country is a self-effacing experience. If you're an executive back home, it's not going to be the same (not counting the lucky ones, of course). Most start from the bottom of the ladder just to get their foot in the door. It's going to be tough out there and failure is not an option.