How to prepare a Resume to Work in USA

This is a short guide to help you. How to prepare a resume to work in USA.

The key focus of your USA resume should be to persuade the employer to invite you for an interview. Therefore, your USA Resume / CV is a marketing tool, which should be adapted to the market in which you intend to use it.

Your USA Resume / CV should use lots of that show accomplishment and action.

Much of what you would put in an UK CV is illegal in the US.

You must exclude anything that might give future employers a chance to discriminate against you for example, personal details such as age, sex, marital status, whether you hold a current driving license.

Never include a photograph.

You can include personal interests That’s up to you.

When looking for a job in the US is much like selling a product you must sell yourself.

You must present your qualifications, experience and achievements in a manner that is sharp and focused.

The aim of a USA Resume / CV is to show you can get the job.

If your Resume / CV is successful then you may get a phone call from the company as part of the screening process.

It is advisable to write a short profile of yourself, using short and punchy sentences filled with action verbs and power words.

Resumes are often scanned by employers; so avoid using different font sizes or a bold or italic font.

Start with clearly mentioning the objective and/or goal of your career.

One plus with American companies is that in general they do not use psychometric testing.

Work permits in the USA

• To work in the USA, you require a visa.
• All visas have to be applied for at the American embassy in your home country.
• Details can be obtained from the Bureau of Consular Affairs of the US Department of State.
• If you are working and living in the USA and do not have a visa, you are considered an ‘illegal alien’!

The application procedure in the USA

• The Internet is the main source for vacancies and information concerning job applications.
• The US application process is very commercial and you truly have to sell yourself.
• The USA is a large country. Common practice in one region can be very different elsewhere, so be sure to find out about local formalities and customs.

The application letter in the USA

• The application letter should be typed in a short and professional style.
• Start with ‘Dear Mr./Ms X,’ if you know the addressee’s name, and end your letter with ‘yours sincerely’.
• Start with ‘Dear Sir/Madam,’ if you do not know the name of the addressee and end with ‘yours faithfully’.
• It is not unusual to mention in your letter what salary you are expecting.
• Mention your telephone number in the last paragraph of your letter.

Dos

• Use power words and action verbs in your letter and resume. Power words and action verbs
• Look interested – ask questions.
• Provide examples to illustrate your achievements.
• Ask if you don’t understand the question.
• Send a short letter after the interview, to thank the interviewer.

Don’ts

• Sit until invited to do so.
• Go over the top – stay calm and stick to the facts.
• Put anything besides the truth in your resume, even if there is an ocean in between, your future employer will find out the truth eventually.

Management culture in the United States

• The organisational culture within American companies is strongly result oriented.
• Companies are focussed on direct results and short-term gains.
• Employers motivate their employees and there is little direct criticism in either direction.
• An agenda is usually distributed before a meeting.
• The goal of most negotiations is to ‘close the deal’. The long-term relationship is unimportant at that time of the negotiation process.
• Americans are on a first-name basis with each other from the very beginning.