Tips for applicants outside the USA

The following suggestions apply to candidates outside of the USA, whether or not US citizen or green card holder.

Background:You live outside the USA, and you want to apply for a job stateside. The HR (human resources) person inside the company will receive several if not dozens of resumes. Practically speaking, if two candidates have the same qualifications, the HR person typically picks the local candidate, say, living within the same county. Here's why. To get a non-local candidate, the HR person has to have the company pay for at least a plane ticket and a hotel room; maybe also meals, maybe even a rental car. As you can imagine, when the HR person thinks of flying you in from London, let's say, then in the HR person's mind the costs skyrocket. This doesn't begin to address the costs of moving you, pets, family, household, and so on, from abroad. Therefore, practically speaking, resumes from applicants living abroad (whether US citizen or not) are simply set aside.

My recommendation: You first of all have to do even more homework than stateside candidates. Find out exactly what your target companies are looking for.

One candidate living in Europe had the clever idea to obtain a US phone number, so people in the USA could call him without the international pricing.

Then plan a trip to the United States, and let your target companies know when you'll be here. Yes, pay for it yourself. If at all possible, come to the United States during an appropriate trade show: Audio Engineering Society, NAMM, Cedia, CES, for example. Everyone is scrambling to get to the trade show, so plan to stay after the trade show for perhaps a week or two.

Plan your ticket so that you'll visit at least two major geographic areas. For example, you might fly yourself to New York and San Francisco. Then if a Los Angeles company is really interested, it's not so hard to get them to fly you to and from San Francisco for a day. Or the Boston company can get you there from New York.

At the trade show, get onto the exhibit floor and work the floor. It's grueling: but go booth to booth. Post your resume if there is a job board. If you have any contacts of any kind inside a target company, then send your resume to the contacts and ask for their help. Perhaps your contacts will be coming to the trade show.

I personally know of several people living abroad who have succeeded in landing a US position in this fashion over the last 5 years, one as recently as AES 2003 New York. At least if you're bodily inside the USA, then the threshold for getting the company's attention is significantly reduced.

You need to consider your alternatives. One idea is to come or return to the USA and go to graduate school for a year or so. Another is to take a position in the USA, even if it's not your ideal position, just to get here (but stay at that position at least two years, or you'll be pegged as a "job-jumper"). If you can afford it, in your cover letter you can say "I can relocate myself to the USA."

If you are living abroad you are welcome to send me your resume and I will help you if I can, but please understand that especially in this economy it's very difficult, so you'll need to take some extra steps like what I've outlined here, and I make no guarantees.

I've put together some other recommendations for job candidates. There is also a list of currently available job descriptions.