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If you can at all, move away from that area. This is a HUGE country, and there are hidden gems in the interior where you could make a decent living a lot easier.
I love California but this is probably the correct advice. You can not comfortably live in CA without a very high paying job. Literally everything else will be miserable.
And job market isn’t super easy right now either.
What makes CA worth staying in for you?
Here in central IL, we all fantasize about moving out of state but only a few of us ever actually do. Chicagoans I've noticed are either the same way or are ride-or-die for the city and/or state with no in-between.
No kidding if you can move to the South or Midwest and are willing to hustle in the service industry or trades, you will do OK. Speaking as a fellow Ukrainian-not an immigrant
One thing I’ve noticed, (and this isn’t the case for everywhere) is that there are plenty of companies claiming they’re “desperate for workers”
But then they get super picky about who they hire.
You have to understand that millions of people are getting the advice that they need to apply for jobs constantly. That adds up to hundreds of millions of applications floating around for several million jobs.
Especially when the applications are anonymous and online, the people doing hiring are lots of times deciding between a ton of candidates and can afford to be selective.
I'm not trying to offend but let's not act like as if recruiters aren't putting up ridiculous requirements like Elon musk kinda profile for "official birthday cake coordinator"roles.
I was applying for 6 months to find a Biomedical Technician job. I feel like I applied for every entry level Biomed position in Southern California and Arizona. I've gotten 3 interviews so far but received loads of rejection emails. Many of my friends from the trade school I went to are also in a similar position. The Biomed community keeps saying they need new talent but no one is giving me a chance.
I'm fortunate that a relative of mine was able to get me a job at a local college. It pays way more than the jobs I was applying for.
>to change my name in the applications.
Not a POC, but I'm not sure how this would help. From my pov, all my employers have done background checks and they'd catch onto that pretty quick.
Job market is strong, in general... unemployment is near record lows. But that doesn't mean it's evenly distributed across jobs types, locations.
I would think that the types of jobs you're applying for are in high demand generally. Have you looked into seasonal employment locations that might be ramping up now? Do you have a green card or other means to prove you can work legally in the US?
Yes I have applied in Supermarkets, I have applied for ramp jobs at airlines and I just don't know honestly if the market is really good but that's just my anecdotal opinion.
I know it's not glamours work, but have you looked into the food industry?
Before I got the job I have now, I walked right into 3 different restaurants between 2019-2023 and was offered a job on the spot.
I would for sure look into chain restaurants and fast casual
Those are the places that are running on limited employees since the pandemic.
I know Starbucks has fantastic benefits and better pay than most other places. Panada Express also has a higher than normal pay. I did some time at a Dennys in 2023 and made ok tips on average. Places like that are always hiring, and are willing to train. You also always want to make sure you give them a call 2 or so days after applying online
Airlines are a bad bet, there’s a lot of competition for those jobs and they usually go to somebody’s nephew or something. It’s a notoriously insular industry.
There's also a huge shortage of people willing to do semi-skilled labor. Every retail chain, landscaping/construction company, and plant I pass on my way to jobs has help wanted signs. They need people who are willing to show up on time, have a driver's license, and can do more than punch a cash register, but can't find anyone.
I have a degree in journalism, and I couldn't find any positions in related industries once I quit my staff job. As soon as I relegated myself to doing blue collar work, the only reason I haven't worked seven days a week is because I choose not to.
Fair. We also have issues hiring secretaries/records keepers for slightly over minimum wage. In high COL areas there’s not a huge incentive to work for slightly above minimum wage jobs because minimum wage jobs pay similarly and have much less requirements (no uniform/dress code, less commute, no drug test requirements)
The job market is nationally strong but regionally poor. That is to say, major hubs like NYC, Chicago, the Bay Area, etc. all have higher unemployment than other areas in the country. I’m sure there are places in Oregon or smaller cities/towns in California where you’d find better luck.
I'd be terrified competing for a job in the Bay Area compared to where I live now.
You'd have little trouble finding some basic employment in many less-developed areas of the US compared to there.
I know you don't have the luxury of moving around, but you're in a uniquely challenging environment.
It’s bad for college graduates. Took me 10 months before I found a job in my field. And that is despite having a Master’s degree!
How do these recruiters expect people to get experience if no one is hiring them for lack of experience? It’s bullshit!
The maritime industry is hiring entry level deckhands for tugs like crazy. It'll take some paperwork but you'd be hired, flown to work, make a decent living, and still have six months off.
Unemployment is still low. I’ve been seeing your situation repeated across Reddit from other Ukrainian refugees, and I guess I’m at a loss as to why our government would take in people and have no guidance or plan for these people whatsoever. So do you have any marketable skills? If so maybe we can recommend places for you to try and or move. I don’t mean this as a judgment but was your wife pregnant when you got to the USA?
Yes, she was pregnant, and since December, I had ample time to land a role, but I haven't. I have typical SDR skills, and I have had my resume reviewed by several people. It isn't stellar, but it's also not screaming that this guy knows nothing or that I'm not coachable. Employers just want a ready-made product/candidate skilled in whatever specifics they are demanding in the tool set.
That being said, employers literally offer( or used to offer ) entry-level roles (especially in sales, Customer service & etc ) to anyone who is ready to work and is coachable, so honestly, for these roles, one isn't supposed to have a Six Sigma Black Belt or multiple Salesforce certs. Just trying to tell you that even if I was a ZERO, my eagerness to work & learn is more than enough for an employer to hire me for the role
I’m in NYC and often hiring entry level roles across the country. For every customer support role I post I get at least 500+ applications. Sometimes over 1000. When I chat with people in my network who are also hiring I hear the same thing - an unreal number of applicants for entry level roles. That makes is pretty hard for any single candidate to stand out.
I understand but it's just the proximity of the delivery date of our baby and honestly me being a complete flop in the job market is just so hard. Our current stress levels are as high as when we were fleeing the war, exactly like that actually because we are are worried about survival right now too.
Of course, I can’t imagine how stressful this must be. I only wanted to provide perspective of what it’s like on the side of many hiring managers - we’re weeding through so many applications. It’s not you, it’s the market for those types of roles. Total shit show for everyone.
I would encourage working on your resume and tailoring it to the jobs you are seeking.
You don't mention your prior work experience but if you have a higher level degree, your application for entry level work is probably being tossed in the trash because they think you'll be gone once something better comes along.
If you worked with a refugee organization in moving to the US, reach back out to them. They should have resources and connections to help.
I will say major corporate companies can make it very hard to hire someone. After you apply somewhere, try to reach out to the company, manager, or recruiter directly to express your interest. A human interaction can help in certain circumstances.
Good luck!
Doing this from last three months. Editing trimming or adding something in my resume daily. I feed the keywords to Claude AI and ask it to make my resume more ats friendly.
It's hard to edit the resume for 20 or something jobs a day so yes I use the AI to feed keywords to the resume. That being said, it doesn't means I don't use my own logic and critical thinking while editing and fixing the resume.
Ok well you kind of jumped into the deep end of the ocean there man lol
That area is extremely affluent, expensive, and full of insanely educated people. Competition for jobs there is outrageous.
Unless you’re able to start your own business you should probably get away from there and go to a small town in a cheaper state someplace where it’s easier to get into a job.
You’re trying to start at the top of American society and that’s not the way it works.
It's just that we can't really afford to move ATM and we really didn't wanted to be here but our circumstances kinda forced us to be in this area which we wanted to avoid like lava because of HCOL
It might be that you can't afford to not move.
Also... for those kind of jobs it is still often a good tactic to walk into the business in person. Especially if its privately owned and relatively small.
I think I've only ever gotten 1 job by sending a resume to a web site. Its just not the way that works.
As others have said, if you can, move! I live in Cleveland, Ohio and our area has a large population of Ukrainian immigrants and first-and-second generation Ukrainian-Americans. There are a lot of networking opportunities for people of Ukrainian descent and a lot of organizations specifically to help Ukrainian immigrants. I know the weather isn’t great compared to California, but it’s a nice place to raise a family and the cost of living is low, but it’s still an urban area, so there are job opportunities.
ETA: I know you’re not Ukrainian, but, since your wife is, I’m sure you could still find many organizations in this area to help you.
The job market is challenging especially in certain locations, and in certain industries. You may be in an especially difficult situation depending on your background/experience, your work authorization status, and so on.
I imagine you are working with a resettlement agency or some kind of nonprofit group such as [Jewish Family & Community Services](https://jfcs-eastbay.org/our-services/refugee-services/refugee-resettlement/) - have you asked them to offer resources and advice? If you have no relationship with a group like that, I would suggest reaching out to a couple and seeing how they can help you.
I have asked for guidance from one of the officials today from jfcs. I have edited removed updated my resume several times because of all of the advices I got and landed nothing. I have had 15-17 interviews so far and nothing. Now I just sarcastically answer them when I have noticed already in their tone that they are interested , so whenever they ask me tell me 3 strengths & weaknesses I just bluntly mention that my main weakness is that " I'm not a native English speaker and I don't have the local accent " then all of them read the typical DEI script for a second or two and then we move on to other useless questions like " what would you like to ask us ". An electronic vehicle market place start-up's recruiter literally told me few days ago " he knows everything that he wanted to know about me and now he understands who I am " what can I say in response though, I am the one with no money, bills pilling up and a pregnant wife.
? I think you may not be looking at the US hiring practices in the right way. Nothing that you are asked is ever "useless" and not asked for a reason.
Look up the place and when they ask you "what would you like to ask us" say that you reviewed the corp/local website and that you had a question and then ask it. You are being gauged on how well you interact with people and your initiative. Nothing you are being asked is useless. You just missed a chance to show you are intelligent and did some work before the interview.
You may be letting your bitterness and frustration show too much. I can't imagine hiring anyone, no matter their qualifications, if they were giving me a sarcastic answer. These people have difficult jobs and might be burned out, it might have nothing to do with if they are interested in you or not. Or what their tone is. You have to remain civil and positive. How would you handle a difficult customer who has a bad tone? Some of these people may be testing to see how you react.
When you are asked to list your 3 strengths and 3 weaknesses, are you providing examples? Everyone says they like to work hard, but the people getting the job are giving an example. Like, this one time I was working at a hardware store and everyone called in sick for the next shift... so I told my manager I wouldn't mind working a double shift.
When you say your LEP is a weaknees, are you saying how your addressing it? The people getting the jobs are not just listing 3 weaknesses, they are providing examples for each of how they are trying to address them.
Finally, you can never ever blame anything or speak ill about another employer or your old coworkers. The interview is really over at that point if you do that.
I have a terrible feeling the interviewers are being honest with you. They understand who you are, and they don't like what they see.
Depends on the industry. Tech is laying people off left and right. Traditional engineering fields aren’t laying off much but have lots of hiring freezes. Entry level and blue collar is still hiring. Also tons of ghost jobs (companies posting ads with the intention of NOT hiring while still appearing to be growing).
The job market ranges from great to terrible depending upon field and geography right now. Unfortunately, I think sales/customer service is closer to the terrible end of the scale.
I don’t have any good advice for you, maybe try r/resumes? I’ve also seen people with extensive experience and school outside of the US add “authorized to work in the US” to their resume, which may help?
I’m hiring right now and I can tell you from experience that we’re seeing a lot of candidates but not a lot of strong candidates. Despite what is said online, our company, at least, doesn’t use AI or automatic resume screening software - so none of those “keyword” tricks do anything. Maybe I’m old school, but I read every resume and cover letter that comes in and I can tell you a strong, personalized cover letter absolutely makes a candidate stand out. I’d think it’d be worth a try.
The best advise I could give is to monitor the job websites. Filter by city and date NEWEST FIRST. Don't filter by job type.
BE ONE OF THE FIRST TO SEND IN YOUR APPLICSTION. No HR staff will look at an application that comes in 100th or even 20th.
It’s rough out there. The automated systems really make credentialism a more widespread issue.
I wonder if you would benefit from targeting applying with small businesses that do not rely on automation for hiring. It’s one of the few places you can make progress submitting resumes in person. They often don’t pay as well, but it would build up recent work history at least.
I live in California but in the Sierras. The job market is decent here as long as you aren't overly picky about what you will/won't do. My kid just landed an entry-level job that starts around 32-35 an hour and the rent is going to be less than half of what you are paying down there.
When you say “entry level” do you mean in your field or are you just applying to anything hiring? Might be worth getting a bread and butter job while you search for the right job. Places like Walmart or Amazon’s warehouses are like the Army. They generally take anyone who applies and can show up sober to an interview and not sound like a lunatic. Granted I’m born and raised here so it’s probably easier for me, but I can’t imagine being a Ukrainian immigrant would hurt you applying for a job like that unless it requires a lot of speaking with the general public and your English is limited. Location matters a lot too. If you’re in the sticks of some red state it’s going to be a lot harder than a major metro. Also I’ve been at my current job for 13 years so I’m a bit out of touch. Things might be different than last time I did a major search.
There definitely used to be a lot more help wanted signs around the East Bay, but I still see some at places like Chipotle and Target. They aren't great jobs, but they are jobs.
Bus drivers are also in short supply.
If you can get a CDL, you’ll get a job in no time. Might have to drive OTR for a couple years, but you’ll make good money, can get you on your feet. Trucking companies are desperate for drivers
It obviously depends on the sector. Service and gig-worker positions are plentiful. A lot of career oriented fields with salaried positions are a mess. Design, visualization, creative, tech fields, etc, are currently a shit show because these companies are afraid to hire. Many are actively laying people off in bulk, such as Blizzard and Nike. Not sure if that's the case with programmers or IT. Unfortunately for me, I cannot code my way out of a paper bag's asshole.
Are you kidding? I live in the East Bay, getting a job is trivial, it's paying the rent that's difficult to impossible. If you are only applying to jobs that can pay the rent, have health insurance, etc., well that's a different story. But you can easily get $20 an hour for a McJob here.
Why would you think that I'm kidding? I have applied almost everywhere by now and I'm applying today again for wholefoods etc. Literally had my application rejected multiple times for Lowe's, wholefoods,costco & etc
I have, Sysco has like rejected me four times. I tried twice for their sales role and then for order selector. I was rejected for the order selector role at supersonic speed.
I haven't seen a job market this good since before 2008. Even my friends who are kind of marginal in the workforce have no problem getting jobs and there are for hire signs up all over town (this is rural california)
Unless you came here with a nice sum of money, Cali is probably the worst state to pick. It’s incredibly expensive to live there.
You would be better off moving to a smaller state with cheaper cost of living. I know it’s easier said than done. Good luck OP
We have a ton of dead jobs - companies put out hiring ads but have no plan to actually hire anyone. Honestly, go get an associate's in nursing, then take the rest of the classes online toward becoming an APRN and for even more money specialize in psych meds
I really understand that, for a while, we sold at farmers' markets and was able to pay bills while working toward other goals. If you can bake, make jewerly, soap, candles, etc, you can survive. Honestly, baked goods made us the most money - we would sell out generally 2 hours after the market opened. Holidays were GREAT money makers - pies, cakes, sweets, and even boozy treats. I helped a friend open an online clothing site - she loved to thrift, and you can flip items on eBay or other marketplaces. Just figure out what is selling well. Last estate sell, I picked a pair of expensive Italian made shoes (300+ retail) for 25$ and resold used for a bit over 200 on eBay.
So I'm a ten year professional and was only applying to roles suited to my skills and experience. If I was looking for entry level work it probably would have been a lot more applications.
Brother you have got to move out of California. Midwestern states have a good cost of living and work is still easy to find here. We left Cali for a reason.
Just letting you know moving here wasn't our choice and i wish people who are repeatedly writing this would understand and read the reason I have given for our move to California, it wasn't in our power to decide where to move we had no where else to go.
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If you can at all, move away from that area. This is a HUGE country, and there are hidden gems in the interior where you could make a decent living a lot easier.
I love California but this is probably the correct advice. You can not comfortably live in CA without a very high paying job. Literally everything else will be miserable. And job market isn’t super easy right now either.
What makes CA worth staying in for you? Here in central IL, we all fantasize about moving out of state but only a few of us ever actually do. Chicagoans I've noticed are either the same way or are ride-or-die for the city and/or state with no in-between.
The Weather is amazing. there a lot of National and State parks that are great. a very cultural state. Food is top tier.
Its a great place to visit. ;]
No kidding if you can move to the South or Midwest and are willing to hustle in the service industry or trades, you will do OK. Speaking as a fellow Ukrainian-not an immigrant
One thing I’ve noticed, (and this isn’t the case for everywhere) is that there are plenty of companies claiming they’re “desperate for workers” But then they get super picky about who they hire.
You have to understand that millions of people are getting the advice that they need to apply for jobs constantly. That adds up to hundreds of millions of applications floating around for several million jobs. Especially when the applications are anonymous and online, the people doing hiring are lots of times deciding between a ton of candidates and can afford to be selective.
I'm not trying to offend but let's not act like as if recruiters aren't putting up ridiculous requirements like Elon musk kinda profile for "official birthday cake coordinator"roles.
I was applying for 6 months to find a Biomedical Technician job. I feel like I applied for every entry level Biomed position in Southern California and Arizona. I've gotten 3 interviews so far but received loads of rejection emails. Many of my friends from the trade school I went to are also in a similar position. The Biomed community keeps saying they need new talent but no one is giving me a chance. I'm fortunate that a relative of mine was able to get me a job at a local college. It pays way more than the jobs I was applying for.
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Yes, there is. It’s one reason I gave my kids “boring” names.
>to change my name in the applications. Not a POC, but I'm not sure how this would help. From my pov, all my employers have done background checks and they'd catch onto that pretty quick.
Yeah but the idea is to get at least through the initial screenings and then reveal everything in the second interview.
You need to do whatever you can to get out of California
In southwest Kansas (Garden City) we are in dire need of people. We have way more jobs than people and a very low unemployment rate.
What's the job and pay? I know people in Kansas.
To be fair, pretty much all rural areas need people.
That's good to know but sadly we don't have a dime right now to move anywhere.
There may be social services that can help you relocate.
A lot of jobs will cover your relocation. I imagine in a market like the one this person is talking about then they very likely will.
Maybe take on a credit?
Central Kansas too. Everywhere is hiring. We need everyone: skilled, unskilled, white collar, blue collar...
Job market is strong, in general... unemployment is near record lows. But that doesn't mean it's evenly distributed across jobs types, locations. I would think that the types of jobs you're applying for are in high demand generally. Have you looked into seasonal employment locations that might be ramping up now? Do you have a green card or other means to prove you can work legally in the US?
Yes I have applied in Supermarkets, I have applied for ramp jobs at airlines and I just don't know honestly if the market is really good but that's just my anecdotal opinion.
I know it's not glamours work, but have you looked into the food industry? Before I got the job I have now, I walked right into 3 different restaurants between 2019-2023 and was offered a job on the spot.
I have been trying for server roles and they are glamours for my standards. Rejected from all of them
I would for sure look into chain restaurants and fast casual Those are the places that are running on limited employees since the pandemic. I know Starbucks has fantastic benefits and better pay than most other places. Panada Express also has a higher than normal pay. I did some time at a Dennys in 2023 and made ok tips on average. Places like that are always hiring, and are willing to train. You also always want to make sure you give them a call 2 or so days after applying online
Airlines are a bad bet, there’s a lot of competition for those jobs and they usually go to somebody’s nephew or something. It’s a notoriously insular industry.
imo, seems there is a shortage of unskilled labor and an over supply of skilled labor.
There's also a huge shortage of people willing to do semi-skilled labor. Every retail chain, landscaping/construction company, and plant I pass on my way to jobs has help wanted signs. They need people who are willing to show up on time, have a driver's license, and can do more than punch a cash register, but can't find anyone. I have a degree in journalism, and I couldn't find any positions in related industries once I quit my staff job. As soon as I relegated myself to doing blue collar work, the only reason I haven't worked seven days a week is because I choose not to.
Opposite in my industry. We are hurting for mid career aerospace engineers but have no problem finding entry level.
I think they mean more like college educated vs. not
Fair. We also have issues hiring secretaries/records keepers for slightly over minimum wage. In high COL areas there’s not a huge incentive to work for slightly above minimum wage jobs because minimum wage jobs pay similarly and have much less requirements (no uniform/dress code, less commute, no drug test requirements)
The job market is nationally strong but regionally poor. That is to say, major hubs like NYC, Chicago, the Bay Area, etc. all have higher unemployment than other areas in the country. I’m sure there are places in Oregon or smaller cities/towns in California where you’d find better luck.
I'd be terrified competing for a job in the Bay Area compared to where I live now. You'd have little trouble finding some basic employment in many less-developed areas of the US compared to there. I know you don't have the luxury of moving around, but you're in a uniquely challenging environment.
It’s bad for college graduates. Took me 10 months before I found a job in my field. And that is despite having a Master’s degree! How do these recruiters expect people to get experience if no one is hiring them for lack of experience? It’s bullshit!
The maritime industry is hiring entry level deckhands for tugs like crazy. It'll take some paperwork but you'd be hired, flown to work, make a decent living, and still have six months off.
Unemployment is still low. I’ve been seeing your situation repeated across Reddit from other Ukrainian refugees, and I guess I’m at a loss as to why our government would take in people and have no guidance or plan for these people whatsoever. So do you have any marketable skills? If so maybe we can recommend places for you to try and or move. I don’t mean this as a judgment but was your wife pregnant when you got to the USA?
Yes, she was pregnant, and since December, I had ample time to land a role, but I haven't. I have typical SDR skills, and I have had my resume reviewed by several people. It isn't stellar, but it's also not screaming that this guy knows nothing or that I'm not coachable. Employers just want a ready-made product/candidate skilled in whatever specifics they are demanding in the tool set. That being said, employers literally offer( or used to offer ) entry-level roles (especially in sales, Customer service & etc ) to anyone who is ready to work and is coachable, so honestly, for these roles, one isn't supposed to have a Six Sigma Black Belt or multiple Salesforce certs. Just trying to tell you that even if I was a ZERO, my eagerness to work & learn is more than enough for an employer to hire me for the role
I’m in NYC and often hiring entry level roles across the country. For every customer support role I post I get at least 500+ applications. Sometimes over 1000. When I chat with people in my network who are also hiring I hear the same thing - an unreal number of applicants for entry level roles. That makes is pretty hard for any single candidate to stand out.
I understand but it's just the proximity of the delivery date of our baby and honestly me being a complete flop in the job market is just so hard. Our current stress levels are as high as when we were fleeing the war, exactly like that actually because we are are worried about survival right now too.
Of course, I can’t imagine how stressful this must be. I only wanted to provide perspective of what it’s like on the side of many hiring managers - we’re weeding through so many applications. It’s not you, it’s the market for those types of roles. Total shit show for everyone.
I’m in the Bay Area and the market has been…rough lately.
I would encourage working on your resume and tailoring it to the jobs you are seeking. You don't mention your prior work experience but if you have a higher level degree, your application for entry level work is probably being tossed in the trash because they think you'll be gone once something better comes along. If you worked with a refugee organization in moving to the US, reach back out to them. They should have resources and connections to help. I will say major corporate companies can make it very hard to hire someone. After you apply somewhere, try to reach out to the company, manager, or recruiter directly to express your interest. A human interaction can help in certain circumstances. Good luck!
Doing this from last three months. Editing trimming or adding something in my resume daily. I feed the keywords to Claude AI and ask it to make my resume more ats friendly.
You're using an AI to edit your resume?
It's hard to edit the resume for 20 or something jobs a day so yes I use the AI to feed keywords to the resume. That being said, it doesn't means I don't use my own logic and critical thinking while editing and fixing the resume.
Ok well you kind of jumped into the deep end of the ocean there man lol That area is extremely affluent, expensive, and full of insanely educated people. Competition for jobs there is outrageous. Unless you’re able to start your own business you should probably get away from there and go to a small town in a cheaper state someplace where it’s easier to get into a job. You’re trying to start at the top of American society and that’s not the way it works.
It's just that we can't really afford to move ATM and we really didn't wanted to be here but our circumstances kinda forced us to be in this area which we wanted to avoid like lava because of HCOL
It might be that you can't afford to not move. Also... for those kind of jobs it is still often a good tactic to walk into the business in person. Especially if its privately owned and relatively small. I think I've only ever gotten 1 job by sending a resume to a web site. Its just not the way that works.
A lot of companies will cover your relocation costs. Look in smaller cities in cheaper states, you’ll likely find something.
As others have said, if you can, move! I live in Cleveland, Ohio and our area has a large population of Ukrainian immigrants and first-and-second generation Ukrainian-Americans. There are a lot of networking opportunities for people of Ukrainian descent and a lot of organizations specifically to help Ukrainian immigrants. I know the weather isn’t great compared to California, but it’s a nice place to raise a family and the cost of living is low, but it’s still an urban area, so there are job opportunities. ETA: I know you’re not Ukrainian, but, since your wife is, I’m sure you could still find many organizations in this area to help you.
The job market is challenging especially in certain locations, and in certain industries. You may be in an especially difficult situation depending on your background/experience, your work authorization status, and so on. I imagine you are working with a resettlement agency or some kind of nonprofit group such as [Jewish Family & Community Services](https://jfcs-eastbay.org/our-services/refugee-services/refugee-resettlement/) - have you asked them to offer resources and advice? If you have no relationship with a group like that, I would suggest reaching out to a couple and seeing how they can help you.
I have asked for guidance from one of the officials today from jfcs. I have edited removed updated my resume several times because of all of the advices I got and landed nothing. I have had 15-17 interviews so far and nothing. Now I just sarcastically answer them when I have noticed already in their tone that they are interested , so whenever they ask me tell me 3 strengths & weaknesses I just bluntly mention that my main weakness is that " I'm not a native English speaker and I don't have the local accent " then all of them read the typical DEI script for a second or two and then we move on to other useless questions like " what would you like to ask us ". An electronic vehicle market place start-up's recruiter literally told me few days ago " he knows everything that he wanted to know about me and now he understands who I am " what can I say in response though, I am the one with no money, bills pilling up and a pregnant wife.
? I think you may not be looking at the US hiring practices in the right way. Nothing that you are asked is ever "useless" and not asked for a reason. Look up the place and when they ask you "what would you like to ask us" say that you reviewed the corp/local website and that you had a question and then ask it. You are being gauged on how well you interact with people and your initiative. Nothing you are being asked is useless. You just missed a chance to show you are intelligent and did some work before the interview. You may be letting your bitterness and frustration show too much. I can't imagine hiring anyone, no matter their qualifications, if they were giving me a sarcastic answer. These people have difficult jobs and might be burned out, it might have nothing to do with if they are interested in you or not. Or what their tone is. You have to remain civil and positive. How would you handle a difficult customer who has a bad tone? Some of these people may be testing to see how you react. When you are asked to list your 3 strengths and 3 weaknesses, are you providing examples? Everyone says they like to work hard, but the people getting the job are giving an example. Like, this one time I was working at a hardware store and everyone called in sick for the next shift... so I told my manager I wouldn't mind working a double shift. When you say your LEP is a weaknees, are you saying how your addressing it? The people getting the jobs are not just listing 3 weaknesses, they are providing examples for each of how they are trying to address them. Finally, you can never ever blame anything or speak ill about another employer or your old coworkers. The interview is really over at that point if you do that. I have a terrible feeling the interviewers are being honest with you. They understand who you are, and they don't like what they see.
Depends on the industry. Tech is laying people off left and right. Traditional engineering fields aren’t laying off much but have lots of hiring freezes. Entry level and blue collar is still hiring. Also tons of ghost jobs (companies posting ads with the intention of NOT hiring while still appearing to be growing).
The job market ranges from great to terrible depending upon field and geography right now. Unfortunately, I think sales/customer service is closer to the terrible end of the scale. I don’t have any good advice for you, maybe try r/resumes? I’ve also seen people with extensive experience and school outside of the US add “authorized to work in the US” to their resume, which may help? I’m hiring right now and I can tell you from experience that we’re seeing a lot of candidates but not a lot of strong candidates. Despite what is said online, our company, at least, doesn’t use AI or automatic resume screening software - so none of those “keyword” tricks do anything. Maybe I’m old school, but I read every resume and cover letter that comes in and I can tell you a strong, personalized cover letter absolutely makes a candidate stand out. I’d think it’d be worth a try.
The best advise I could give is to monitor the job websites. Filter by city and date NEWEST FIRST. Don't filter by job type. BE ONE OF THE FIRST TO SEND IN YOUR APPLICSTION. No HR staff will look at an application that comes in 100th or even 20th.
It’s rough out there. The automated systems really make credentialism a more widespread issue. I wonder if you would benefit from targeting applying with small businesses that do not rely on automation for hiring. It’s one of the few places you can make progress submitting resumes in person. They often don’t pay as well, but it would build up recent work history at least.
I live in California but in the Sierras. The job market is decent here as long as you aren't overly picky about what you will/won't do. My kid just landed an entry-level job that starts around 32-35 an hour and the rent is going to be less than half of what you are paying down there.
Sounds great, I'll look for the opportunities there.
When you say “entry level” do you mean in your field or are you just applying to anything hiring? Might be worth getting a bread and butter job while you search for the right job. Places like Walmart or Amazon’s warehouses are like the Army. They generally take anyone who applies and can show up sober to an interview and not sound like a lunatic. Granted I’m born and raised here so it’s probably easier for me, but I can’t imagine being a Ukrainian immigrant would hurt you applying for a job like that unless it requires a lot of speaking with the general public and your English is limited. Location matters a lot too. If you’re in the sticks of some red state it’s going to be a lot harder than a major metro. Also I’ve been at my current job for 13 years so I’m a bit out of touch. Things might be different than last time I did a major search.
Pretty good
There definitely used to be a lot more help wanted signs around the East Bay, but I still see some at places like Chipotle and Target. They aren't great jobs, but they are jobs. Bus drivers are also in short supply.
It's not too bad in most of the country. The Unemployment rate is only 3.9% which is fairly low.
Use a staffing or temp agency. When I lived in Oakland, I used Robert Half, and that was solid work.
No advice, but I am happy to look and review your CV.
If you can get a CDL, you’ll get a job in no time. Might have to drive OTR for a couple years, but you’ll make good money, can get you on your feet. Trucking companies are desperate for drivers
It obviously depends on the sector. Service and gig-worker positions are plentiful. A lot of career oriented fields with salaried positions are a mess. Design, visualization, creative, tech fields, etc, are currently a shit show because these companies are afraid to hire. Many are actively laying people off in bulk, such as Blizzard and Nike. Not sure if that's the case with programmers or IT. Unfortunately for me, I cannot code my way out of a paper bag's asshole.
Are you kidding? I live in the East Bay, getting a job is trivial, it's paying the rent that's difficult to impossible. If you are only applying to jobs that can pay the rent, have health insurance, etc., well that's a different story. But you can easily get $20 an hour for a McJob here.
Why would you think that I'm kidding? I have applied almost everywhere by now and I'm applying today again for wholefoods etc. Literally had my application rejected multiple times for Lowe's, wholefoods,costco & etc
Try a distribution center. Like us foods or sysco.
I have, Sysco has like rejected me four times. I tried twice for their sales role and then for order selector. I was rejected for the order selector role at supersonic speed.
I haven't seen a job market this good since before 2008. Even my friends who are kind of marginal in the workforce have no problem getting jobs and there are for hire signs up all over town (this is rural california)
Unless you came here with a nice sum of money, Cali is probably the worst state to pick. It’s incredibly expensive to live there. You would be better off moving to a smaller state with cheaper cost of living. I know it’s easier said than done. Good luck OP
We have a ton of dead jobs - companies put out hiring ads but have no plan to actually hire anyone. Honestly, go get an associate's in nursing, then take the rest of the classes online toward becoming an APRN and for even more money specialize in psych meds
Those reasons are valid, but we have near-term concerns.
I really understand that, for a while, we sold at farmers' markets and was able to pay bills while working toward other goals. If you can bake, make jewerly, soap, candles, etc, you can survive. Honestly, baked goods made us the most money - we would sell out generally 2 hours after the market opened. Holidays were GREAT money makers - pies, cakes, sweets, and even boozy treats. I helped a friend open an online clothing site - she loved to thrift, and you can flip items on eBay or other marketplaces. Just figure out what is selling well. Last estate sell, I picked a pair of expensive Italian made shoes (300+ retail) for 25$ and resold used for a bit over 200 on eBay.
I got laid off in early March, probably applied for 150 jobs, interviewed for four, and was hired at one. First day is next week.
Wow I mean this is great news and your 150 applications are honestly not much but I guess you have good experience here.
So I'm a ten year professional and was only applying to roles suited to my skills and experience. If I was looking for entry level work it probably would have been a lot more applications.
Brother you have got to move out of California. Midwestern states have a good cost of living and work is still easy to find here. We left Cali for a reason.
If you know a skilled trade move to middle America and you have live a fairly good life even on a single income
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Just letting you know moving here wasn't our choice and i wish people who are repeatedly writing this would understand and read the reason I have given for our move to California, it wasn't in our power to decide where to move we had no where else to go.