On H4-Searching for a Job

Getting a job on H4 is as hard as it can get . But , I feel it is not impossible. As they say, nothing is impossible as long as you want it bad and you are ready to work hard for it.

I am not new to swtiching jobs. In my 6 year career in software industry, I have worked for 3 companies , given at least 10 interviews . My last company had 7 rounds of interview which I cleared without much problem. But, I have never searched for a job while I was unemployed. My job search effort was as esay as sending my resume to a friend who will forward it to his/her HR and I would get a call.

However, when you are on H4 it is not only your work experience that matters. You need to search for the job in an organized way. I am not sure if I am following the right way, but at least I have succeeded in getting few interview calls which I feel is not a bad start considering I am on job hunt from only few months.

So, before getting into my job hunt experience , I would like to share how H4 people can work in US. You have different options like

-Do your MS and then get a H1 through company which for campus selection( Most preferred by people on H4)
- Find a company for full time job who will sponsor for your H1b
-Find a consultancy who will hire you on contract with companies and sponsor your H1

For me, option 1 was not much appealing as I dint want to study for 2 years in technical line. I would like to go for MBA at some point in my career. However, I would go for this option if I end up failing at option 2 and 3

Option 2 , I think is the hardest. Most of the companies wont hire someone who needs visa sponsorship. That too if it is new H1 (If you are already on H1 , quota system does not apply so companies will just have to transfer your H1)

But, if you find a company who agrees with hiring an H4, it is the best option. When you go to any company career site and search for a job you will see an additional disclaimer saying "No visa sponsor ship". Basically means you can not apply for that job.

So , your job hunt gets restricted by it. Also, you need to find out which companies have sponsored for H1 in the past. So this is what I do.

1. Go to site "http://www.myvisajobs.com/", here you get all the details about companies who have sponsored for H1 in the past
2. Go to each company career site(minus the Indian based companies who will not hire candidates from US unless they have green card. This makes sense, because they will have many h1 b s in India ready to travel if required)
3. Go to their career site and search for your expertise
4. See if they have additional disclaimer which I have mentioned before
5. If not,apply for the job
(Make sure you have a well documented Resume,Cover letter before applying)

I know there are thousands of companies listed there. But, I never said job hunt was easy. did I? I have been applying for these jobs from last 2 months. Each day filling up at least 30-40 forms. Believe me, filling up these forms can test anyone's patience. But , never give up.

Next best thing is searching through "LinkedIn". Here, recruiters post the jobs directly . So you can search for the Jobs and contact the recruiter directly if you match the Job criteria.

There are other sources like popular job search sites which did not work for me. I have tried it there too. I have never been contacted by any company seeing my visa status. I remember getting many calls when I was in India through these sites.

Coming to option 3- Finding a reliable consultancy is a challenge. I have tried my luck at these agencies. But when I spoke to them, I always felt like I deserved better . May be I was not lucky enough to come across professional consultancies. There are many "desi" consultancies who help in getting a visa. I am not comfortable going to them after reading all the reviews and also talking to few desi agents who have American names :) . Refer to site:http://www.desicrunch.com/ before approaching any desi consultancies.

Few things I always remember

- Not to lose hope. When you have enough experience, you will find a job one or the other day.
-Keep working towards it.
- Never get desperate and seek ways which is not legal.
- Take break whenever you feel stressed.