Job Hunting in USA on H-1B–Dice Profile, Recruiter’s Response, Mobile Carrier, Billing and Package, Voice Mail Settings, Leaving Messages

 

Although there are a number of job portals and services available online free of charge, but as per my personal experience, Dice.com alone would suffice. There are hundreds of posting on this website on daily basis, so much that you would exhaust all your energy and won’t be able to just review all of the posting – and I’m talking about filtered posting that matches your area of expertise, say for example Java or Dot Net.

So, my recommendation for you is to create a profile on Dice.com and upload your both versions of Resume/CV – brief one and detailed one. Make sure your profile is searchable and you have mentioned valid cell/mobile number. If possible provide an alternative number as well.

After creating your profile, even if you don’t “apply” to any of the job postings on Dice.com, you’ll still receive plenty of calls from recruiters/employers. The response from recruiters/employers will be so overwhelming that you might lose the ground under your feet . So try not raise your expectations so high that would hurt in the end . Be reasonable!

Make sure you have mobile carrier that works best in your area. My personal experience with Verizon is that its coverage is good and quality of signals are great. Whether you are inside a building or on the go, it connects very well. It is important in this phase of your job hunting because you will be receiving lots of calls on daily basis.

For those of you who are from Pakistan, there’s a significant change the way mobile service providers bill in USA. In Pakistan, we only pay for the outgoing calls and not for incoming calls. In USA, you will have to pay for both incoming and outgoing calls. For example, if your incoming and outgoing calls are 20 minutes and 28 minutes. Then in Pakistan you will only pay for 28 minutes of outgoing call, while in USA you will have to pay 48 minutes of incoming and outgoing calls altogether.

I would recommend you to select Unlimited Package from your carrier’s Package offerings. You need that because, you will be receiving a huge number of calls daily. Plus, your initial screening will be done via phone by the recruiter/employer. And may be, your first interview might also be done on phone. So you will be engaged in calls of longer duration.

Make sure the Package you choose have a Voice Mail option. Although it’s very common and is almost available in all Packages.

Make sure you setup your personal Voice Mail greeting/message in your own voice. Do mention your full name and make sure you are loud enough to be heard easily over phone.

If your Voice Mail have a limit on number messages to archive, keep deleting old and unwanted Voice Mail Messages to have space for incoming messages.

Whether you are calling a recruiter/employer or returning a call and if the person is not available, record a brief message with your full name and your primary phone number. If you also mention the current time, that would also help the receiver.

In USA on H-1B–First Thing First–Start Building Your Credit History or Credit Score

 

You need to open a Checking Account in a Bank. For those of you who are coming from Pakistan, what you call Current Account in Pakistan is called Checking Account in USA. To open a Checking Account you need your Original Passport and I-94. You will receive a Photo Debit Card, which you can use in ATMs, POS machines, Online Purchasing etc.

! Interest Alert ! Banks also have Saving Accounts which works on interest.

Similarly, you’ll have to apply for a Secure Credit Card. The only difference between a Secure Credit Card and a regular Credit Card is that you pay for your Credit Line in advance to safe the Bank from risk of defaulted payments. While in case regular Credit Card, Bank offers you a certain amount of Credit Line depending upon your Credit History or Credit Score. But, because you are new to USA and you don’t have any Credit History or Credit Score yet, so you have an option to “buy” your Credit Line for your “Secure” Credit Card. If you pay $2000, your Credit Line will be $2000, so on and so forth. Other than that, there’s no difference in a Secure and a regular Credit Card, both works exactly the same.

If you are short on money, than a minimum recommended Credit Line for a Secure Credit Card is $2000. Although, you can go for less than that too.

! Interest Alert ! In order to build your Credit History or Credit Score, you will have to do your purchases via Credit Card. So it is recommended to always synchronize your purchases with the amount you have in your Debit Card or Checking Account. Always, clear your Credit at the end of every month. Finally, if you are going through tough times and are short on money, stop using Credit Cards altogether, or you will be lost in the maze of interest with no outlet.

So what Credit Reporting/History/Score is?

Credit reporting is a system lenders use to decide whether or not to give you credit or a loan and how much interest they can charge you for it. Your credit report is based on the bills payments you have missed or been late paying, loans that you have paid off, plus your current amount of debt. A credit report contains information on where you work and live, how you pay your bills, and whether you've been sued, arrested, or filed for bankruptcy. Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRAs) gather this information and sell it to creditors, employers, insurers, and others.

Based on the information in your credit report, lenders calculate your credit score so they can assess the risk you pose to them before they decide whether they will give you credit. The higher your score, the less risk you pose to creditors. Your score can range anywhere from 300-850.. Aiming for a score in the 700s will put you in good standing. A high score, for example, makes it easier for you to obtain a loan, rent an apartment, or lower your insurance rate.[Source – USA.GOV]

How to improve your Credit Score?

Make sure you get your apartment, car, utilities, telephone and services in your name and make sure you pay all your bills and rent on time.

How to Purchase or Buy an H-1B Work Visa?

 

You can not. It’s ILLEGAL!

If any company or individual lure you into selling or arranging an H-1B Work Visa “deal” – STAY AWAY FROM THEM. Never, ever engage in these illegal activities and inform USCIS about any such scams.

Let me share with one such scam that I came to know and which was also mentioned by one of our readers. Following is the actual extract from FBI website (see actual link at the end)

Clinton Men Sentenced to Prison for Visa Fraud, Forfeit Illicit Proceeds

U.S. Attorney’s Office April 20, 2011

• Southern District of Iowa (515) 473-9300

DAVENPORT, IA—On April 20, 2011, Fazal Mehmood, also known as Fazal Mehmood Awan, 51, and Vineet Maheshwari, 37, were sentenced today in federal court in Davenport for conspiracy to commit visa fraud and making false statements to the United States and for engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property. The sentencing hearing was held before the Honorable John A. Jarvey, Judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. Judge Jarvey imposed a sentence of 40 months in federal prison on each count as to both defendants to run concurrently to be followed by three years of supervised release should the defendant be allowed to remain in the United States. During the sentencing hearing, Defendant Fazal Mehmood agreed to be deported to Pakistan.

The defendants, originally from Pakistan and India, respectively, pled guilty in April of 2010 to charges that they conspired, through Worldwide Software Services, Inc., headquartered in Clinton, to provide numerous false documents to the Department of Labor and the Department of Homeland Security, sponsoring foreign workers under the H-1B visa program. They also plead guilty to engaging in a monetary transaction of more than $10,000 and which money was criminally derived from the fraud. In a separate agreement with the United States Attorney’s Office, the defendants conceded the conspiracy involved more than 100 false documents and that each had an aggravated role in the offenses.

In addition to the prison sentences the judge ordered the defendants to forfeit more than $1 million in proceeds of the visa fraud. Judge Jarvey found that the fraud was “long-standing” and “sophisticated” and he commended the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security - Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Office of Inspector General - Department of Labor, the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigations, and the Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector General, for their thorough investigation.

This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa. The case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security - Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Office of Inspector General - Department of Labor, the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigations, and the Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector General and the Clinton Police Department.

FBI Website Link of the Story - http://www.fbi.gov/omaha/press-releases/2011/clinton-men-sentenced-to-prison-for-visa-fraud-forfeit-illicit-proceeds

News reported by Clinton’s Local Newspaper - http://clintonherald.com/local/x211861615/FBI-arrests-2-Clinton-men?keyword=leadpicturestory