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 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.

Writing a resume in the United States of America

• In the US the term resume is used instead of CV.

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

• 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 a bold or italic font.

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

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.

Work and Study Program

While many international students who come to the United States have to wait a year before they can work,HTIR offers students a unique opportunity to earn their degree and work at the same time. This unique CPT program gives students the ability to gain valuable work experience, earn money to help cover their costs, and obtain a recognized master degree from an accredited school upon completion of the program.
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Do's & Don'ts in the USA

Do:

• Use power word and action verbs in you letter and resume.

• Be prepared for psychological tests during the application process.

• 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't

• 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.

• Criticize former employers.

• Smoke in offices in the US.
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Management culture in the United States

• The organizational culture within American companies is strongly result orientated.

• Companies are focused on direct results and short-term gains.

• Employees are motivated by their employers 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.

• Americans are on a first-name basis with each other from the beginning.