Are You Eligible to Work in the United States?

June 18, 2022 startworknow

Are You Eligible to Work in the United States?

When it comes to working in the United States, it can be tricky to know whether you’re legally authorized to work in the U.S. and determine your work eligibility.

To help clarify the matter, StartWorkNow has compiled some top-line advice from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) so that you can better determine whether you’re authorized to work in the United States. There are four main classifications that, if you match their eligibility criteria, may suggest that you can legally work in the U.S.

U.S. Work Eligibility Classifications for Non-U.S. Citizens-

Temporary (Nonimmigrant) Worker

If you don’t plan to permanently immigrate to the United States and apply for U.S. citizenship, but instead want to maintain your current citizenship while working for a specific employer, then you may be able to work on a temporary basis in the country as what USCIS defines as a “temporary (nonimmigrant) worker.” Achieving this status first requires having a prospective U.S. employer file a petition with USCIS on your behalf.

There are 22 different nonimmigrant classifications for temporary workers listed on the USCIS website, which you can review here. The site also provides details on spouses and children who are seeking dependent nonimmigrant classification.

Permanent (Immigrant) Worker

If your long-term goal involves living and working permanently in the United States and immigrating to the country based on your job skills, then you’ll want to learn about how to seek “permanent (immigrant) worker” status, which involves obtaining an immigrant visa based on your employment.

According to USCIS, around 140,000 immigrant visas are made available annually for non-U.S. citizens, their spouses, and their children. Qualifying for this classification requires you to be equipped with the right blend of work experience, education, and skills.

There are five distinct categories of employment-based immigrant visa preferences, which you can see here. Two of these categories—Second Preference EB-2 and Third Preference EB-3—require labor certification, which means you will already need to have a job offer from a U.S. employer, who will be considered your sponsor for the visa.

Students/Exchange Visitors

Another possibility to gain eligibility to work in the United States is if you are a student or exchange visitor who wants to pursue full-time academic or vocational studies in the country. There are two nonimmigrant student categories—the “F” category for academic students and the “M” category for vocational students—listed on the USCIS website, which you can learn more about here.

Exchange visitors may be eligible for a different category, designated as the “J” category. This visa program is specifically for people who are participating in an educational or cultural exchange program.

Temporary Visitors for Business

Finally, if your plan is simply to visit the United States for business purposes, you can explore the option of obtaining a “temporary visitor for business” visa. The eligibility and application process for this classification is less involved than seeking permanent immigrant worker status, and you may be able to qualify with no visa under the Visa Waiver Program.

If you do need a visa, then you can apply as a B-1 Temporary Business Visitor. This would help you be able to, for example, attend a business conference, negotiate a contract, or consult with business associates in the U.S.

Know Your Status

Any of the four main classifications above can, if you meet their criteria, allow you the ability to work legally in the United States.

That said, it’s important to remember that according to the USCIS, how long you are authorized to work in the country depends on what type of immigration status you’re granted and your ability to comply with the conditions of the employment authorization you’ve received. Any violation of the terms or conditions of your authorization to work in the U.S. could jeopardize your ability to work or stay in the country.

Whether or not you’re eligible for work in the United States, StartWorkNow can help you land a job that meets your needs! Take the tour to learn more about all of the benefits of a StartWorkNow membership.

How to Find a Job After Graduation

June 13, 2022 startworknow

How to Find a Job After Graduation

Congratulations on your shiny new degree! You’re onto the next phase of your life!

It’s equal parts thrilling and intimidating to leave behind four years of extracurricular activities, studying, and homework to venture into the world of job interviews, office schedules, and adulting. But you can land your first post-graduation job quickly and efficiently with the right amount of dedication and planning.

Tips for Your Post-Graduation Job Search:

Define Your Job Goals

Not everyone knows what they want to be when they grow up, and that’s OK. It’s common for new grads to have multiple, if slightly vague, career ideas. But the more you narrow your career ideas down, the more targeted and ultimately successful your job search will be.

As you search for jobs, also conduct career research. Job descriptions can give you an idea of what different roles in different fields entail. For even more information, the Occupational Outlook Handbook by the Bureau of Labor Statistics is probably one of the most comprehensive databases of detailed job information.

How Do You Want to Work?

There’s more to a job than what you do. You also need to know how you want to do it.

Do you want to work in an office every day with set hours? Or, would you rather have a flexible schedule and work from anywhere? Do you possess an entrepreneurial spirit and want to choose your own clients and workload as a freelancer?

These days, you’ve got a lot of options, so make sure you understand the pros and cons of each, then connect with the career path that has whatever you’re looking for.

Focus on Companies, Not Jobs

Once you have a solid idea of what you want to do and how you want to do it, shift your focus from searching for jobs to researching companies you might want to work for.

While having a job you like is essential, the company you work for plays a considerable role in how you feel about the job. Understanding the company’s culture before you apply ensures you’re not wasting your time interviewing someplace you won’t be happy.

And while you’ll learn more about the company during the interview process, eliminating companies you have zero interest in working for makes your search more efficient, saving you precious time in the long run.

Customize Your Resume

Your resume is a way to tell your professional life story. It summarizes your skills and experience in one or two pages. As a new grad, you may not think you have much to offer an employer. But as you think about summer jobs you had or volunteer work you performed, you may find you have a lot of transferable and soft skills that employers are looking for.

However, using the same resume for every job is a rookie mistake. Many employers use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to screen candidates quickly and efficiently. These bots look for keywords throughout your resume to see how well you match the position.

While you don’t want to stuff your resume full of meaningless keywords, you do want to tailor your resume for the position. So, start with your resume, then make sure you rewrite using keywords from the job posting to help demonstrate that you’re a good fit for the position.

Get Social

Connect with the company you’re interested in working with on social media. Follow its profiles and “like” recent updates. It can be a great way to network and get your foot in the door.

Plus, more companies are leaning into social media for recruiting and hiring, so having a professional profile and using it is likely to help your chances of landing a job!

The Next Big Step

The post-graduation job hunt can easily seem like an intimidating task. But you’ll learn valuable experience and gain new job searching skills with each passing day. This is the most exciting moment of your career because the entire journey is laid out in front of you.

No matter how long ago you graduated, START WORK NOW can help you connect with a flexible, remote, or hybrid job.

How to Avoid Work-from-Home Job Scams

May 30, 2022 startworknow

How to Avoid Work-from-Home Job Scams

When it comes to finding a remote job, many people are concerned about being scammed. And for good reason, from re-shipping scams to asking job seekers to pay for a federal job, scammers are getting craftier. It’s for this reason that avoiding remote job scams can seem like a tall task.

One of the reasons StartWorkNow was created was to provide a safe, trusted way for people to find legitimate remote and flexible jobs, without having to worry about the junk and scams.

If you use StartWorkNow for your job search, you can be assured that all the opportunities on our site have been screened by a real person and are completely scam-free.

Our recent annual survey found that more than 80% of job seekers report being on guard or very concerned about scams on other job boards. According to the same survey, almost 20% of job seekers have been a victim of a job scam (up from 13% in 2016), with 22% of job seekers knowing somebody who has been victim of a job scam.

Listings can be rife with scams and savvy scammers know how much people want to make money from home. They impersonate recruiters, potential bosses, and hiring managers in order to scam job seekers out of personal financial information—and in the worst-case scenario, their life savings.

That said, 15% of survey respondents have avoided being scammed because they knew the warning signs. Knowing the warning signs of online job scams is important, but remember that StartWorkNows’ in-house team of experts carefully vets through openings so you don’t have to.

Trust Your Gut If a Job Feels Scammy

As with most situations in life, one of the single best ways to avoid a job scam is to listen to your instincts.

That can be hard if you’ve been out of work for a while and a plum position seems to fall smack dab into your lap. But think about the job and how you were approached in an objective light.

The ability to work from home would be a dream come true for many people and because of the value people place on this way of working, scammers are able to take advantage of folks who want to find this type of job.

If something just feels off, or you feel uncomfortable for any reason (e.g., the job recruiter is pushy or demanding, or you don’t have a clear understanding of the job responsibilities), don’t think twice about walking away from it.

More than likely, your instincts are right. And remember, there are plenty of real online jobs out there to choose from. This won’t be your one and only opportunity to work remotely, so don’t feel intimidated or pressured into doing something you don’t feel comfortable with.

Know the Signs of an Online Job Scam

While job scammers have adapted their tactics over time, there are still some hard-and-fast warnings that a job is a scam. Here are some basic signs of a work-from-home job scam:

You’re asked for personal financial information—such as your social security number, your bank account, your home address and phone number, your date of birth, etc.—early on in the job interview process.
The job pays a lot of money for little work. After all, if it sounds too good to be true, it almost always is.
The company boasts several rags-to-riches stories that showcase high-flying lifestyles.
The job posting mentions quick money, drastic income changes overnight, etc.
The job posting has glaring grammatical or spelling errors.
The product is supposedly endorsed by countless celebrities or public figures.
The job requires several up-front expenses from candidates.
Compensation is based on how many people you recruit.
A recruiter offers you the job immediately without verifying your work experience or doesn’t ask for references.

In one of the latest remote work scams, the FTC reports that the operators of a work-from-home scheme used “misleading spam emails to lure consumers into buying work-from-home services.” These emails used fake news stories and fake celebrity endorsements to convince consumers to purchase. In total, the settlements with the operators of this scheme imposed an $11.3 million judgment.

“Unfortunately, online job scams remain a troubling component of the work-from-home job market, even as the number of legitimate remote job opportunities continues to grow. It’s encouraging to see this settlement, but job seekers should not let their guard down—many, many more scams still exist,” said Reynolds.

Consider the Keywords

In general, be careful of certain keywords in posts. The following options (and variations) can be indicative of a work-from-home job scam:

Free work from home jobs
Quick money
Unlimited earning potential
Multi-level marketing
Envelope stuffing
Investment opportunities and seminars
Part-time jobs with full-time pay

Research the Companies

Let’s say a “recruiter” contacts you and wants you to apply for a job. They say that based on your skills and work experience, you’d be perfect for an open position.

That doesn’t mean the job is legitimate (or the recruiter is who they claim to be). You should always do your due diligence on both the recruiter and the job. Conduct research to see if you can find out any info on the recruiter/hiring manager to determine if they are indeed a real person.

The Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission can be great resources to find and report online job scams. For instance, you can use the Better Business Bureau’s scam tracker to review (and report!) job scams. You should be able to find a trail verifying the person and company and, if not, you may want to reconsider moving forward with the job process.

Connect with the Company Directly

A hiring manager might reach out to you with a potential job. They might offer all the details about the job but not the biggest one of all—the company hiring for the job. Although they might say they can’t disclose the company or they’ll lose the potential commission associated with placing you in the position, you should know for certain the name of the company you’re interviewing for.

If the hiring manager won’t tell you, it could be a sign that you’re in the middle of a scam. So contact the company that you might be working for to verify that a) the job recruiter is working for them, and b) the job you’re applying for exists.

Question the Communication

The job interview process has evolved quite a bit over the years to keep up with changes in technology.

Almost everything is done online, from job applications to interviews, which are happening more frequently via video conferencing, particularly for remote positions.

That being said, there are still a few red flags when it comes to using technology for hire, and those are email or instant messaging. Any hiring manager or boss worth their salt is not going to conduct a job interview via instant message or email. Most often, you might be initially contacted by email, but after that, you should still have a phone or video interview—or both.

Dodging Work-from-Home Job Scams

It’s unlikely that job scammers will ever go away, but there are ways to protect yourself and avoid job scams. Using a reputable job search service like StartWorkNow can help you find a real online job faster, easier, and, most importantly, safer.

We pre-screen every job and company before posting them to our site. Our trained research team weeds out both the obvious scams and the more sophisticated ones, along with commission-only jobs, low-quality positions, “business opportunities,” and other junk so our members are guaranteed a quality job search experience.

Wherever else you might be searching, use caution and always consider the signs of a work-from-home job scam and stay safe and find legitimate, real online jobs!

How to Build Your Freelance Career

May 29, 2022 startworknow

How to Build Your Freelance Career

If being your own boss sounds appealing, a freelance career might be the right move for you. Before diving in, though, it’s essential to understand that when you’re building a freelance career, you’re building a business!

It takes planning, determination, and a lot of grit. But if you stick with it, freelancing can be a rewarding career that puts you in the driver’s seat.

How to Build Your Freelance Career

Start With Research

Before you quit your job and update your LinkedIn profile, conduct some research to see if you have a viable idea and to learn more about the nitty-gritty of being a freelancer.

Do some market research to see if you have a viable service that people are willing to pay for. Talk to freelancers who do what you want to do to determine if there are enough people out there to pay for your services.

Then, talk to freelancers inside and outside of your area to better understand what it takes to be a full-time freelancer. How do they keep track of income and expenses, so they’re ready to go come tax time? And how do they calculate and pay their taxes? How do they find and keep clients? Consider also talking to an accountant or lawyer to ensure you don’t make any costly or legal mistakes.

Take It for a Test-Drive

Before plunging headfirst into full-time freelancing, consider starting part-time. If nothing else, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to replace your full-time income right off the bat. Keeping a steady job while you launch your freelance career can help you maintain a stable income and save up while building a client base.

The other advantage to starting part-time is that you may discover you don’t like full-time freelancing! Being the boss and setting your hours sounds glamorous. But filing quarterly taxes and figuring out depreciation? Not so much, and you may decide that the freelancer life is not for you after all.

Get a Freelance Mentor

As you test the freelance waters, consider getting a freelance mentor. This is is a successful freelancer who can help guide you on your journey. They know what it takes to make freelance life work and can provide you with guidance and advice when you get stuck along the way. And a freelance mentor can give you the encouragement and pep talk you might need when you’re ready to throw in the towel.

Get Organized

If you’ve never been particularly organized, now is the perfect time to change that. Whatever system or systems you use to manage things, find what works and stick with it. Spreadsheets, binders, file folders, whatever it is, make sure you have a way to keep track of everything from invoices to upcoming networking events to leads you need to follow up with.

This helps you stay on top of what’s outstanding and what you need to follow up on, as well as help you track your progress and be ready come tax time.

Create Your Personal Brand

While you’re building your client base, you’ll need to provide proof that you’ve got the skills to get the job done. Even after you have a steady client stream, you’ll likely still need examples of your abilities. One of the best ways to do this is by building your personal brand and creating a portfolio of your accomplishments.

Depending on your field, you may need to set up a personal website. This is a great place to include links or samples of your work and have former clients share testimonials about you.

But a personal website may not be the best choice for everyone. In that case, consider using LinkedIn as your base of operations. You can also feature client recommendations and endorsements while adding links to outside media to give examples of your abilities. And because LinkedIn is a social networking platform, you can also write posts that help demonstrate that you’re an expert in your field.

Network

No matter what you do or the field you do it in, freelancer life includes a lot of networking. To make your transition to freelancing a little easier, start building a network of contacts before you make the leap.

Make a list of all the people who might have work for you or know someone who needs your services. Set a goal of meeting with at least one or two people each week for coffee or other informal meetings. Even if you don’t discuss business, you’ll keep yourself top-of-mind when projects come up, and these meetings may result in introductions that can help you find work.

Prepare Your Finances

A big part of freelancing is setting your rate. You don’t want to go so high that you price yourself out of the market, but you also don’t want to undersell yourself.

Talk to other freelancers in your field and ask what their rates are and how they came to that decision. Was it based on experience? The market? Likewise, talk to people who’ve hired freelancers and ask what they felt a fair pay rate was. From there, you can start setting a rate that takes your experience into account while also letting you earn a profit.

In addition to setting your rate, though, you need to protect yourself. Set up some boilerplate contracts so you’re ready to go when you start landing clients. Make sure the contract outlines the specifics, like when milestone payments are due and what happens if the client doesn’t pay (or you are unable to deliver).

Be Patient

Patience is perhaps the most important virtue a freelancer can possess, especially in the first year. If you can, it’s a good idea to build up your emergency savings in the year or two leading up to the launch of your business. This way, you’ll have some cash to fall back on in your first couple of months or even years, in case things aren’t as profitable as you’d hoped.

Set Goals to Measure Progress

Without goals, you can’t gauge how your freelance business is growing. Having one great month or year is fantastic, but the goal of any good business should be to grow year after year.

While setting a profit goal is one way to measure growth, it’s not the only way. Consider other metrics to measure how you’re doing in addition to revenue, like how many clients you want to add or how many new projects you want to take on every month or even year.

Tracking other metrics in addition to profit can help motivate you and give you insight into what parts of your business are working and what might need to change.

Take the Plunge

To learn more about freelancer life, check out our Guide to Freelancing. And when you’re ready to start your freelance career, StartWorkNow has your back! Our database of job openings also includes an extensive selection of freelance jobs!

Take the tour and learn how StartWorkNow can level up your freelance career!

How to Use Facebook to Network and Land Your Next Job Opportunity

May 25, 2022 startworknow

How to Use Facebook to Network and Land Your Next Job Opportunity

Are you strategizing your job search? Do you think, “I need to devote some time to Facebook this week”? Probably not. Facebook isn’t generally the first or even second platform that comes to mind when thinking about finding a job. And why would it? It’s not like job postings regularly bubble through your newsfeed between that cute cat video and that TMI post about an acquaintance’s recent battle with the flu.

But when it comes to an effective and organized job search, you should invest some time in social media platforms for multiple reasons. First, you absolutely need to ensure your profiles enhance your job search, rather than derail it. And second, you can interact with companies online in ways that weren’t accessible to job seekers even a few years ago. While the main focus of social media isn’t career-focused, that might actually be what gives you an advantage over other applicants.

How to Leverage Facebook Effectively

Many studies show that most recruiters research applicants through social media. Your Facebook presence is one way to support your personal brand and grab a recruiter’s attention.

Ensure Your Profile Has Professional Polish

Make an excellent first impression when you use Facebook for a job search. Adjust your Facebook profile and view it using the “View As” tool, so you know what appears from the viewer’s perspective. This step will alert you to any potential issues that could deem you an undesirable candidate.

Remove any content that a potential employer could misconstrue. You want to ensure your private photos and your religious and political views are set to “private.” Use the “Lists” function to keep your personal life confidential.

Consider your Facebook profile photo and update it to a more professional one. Use the same headshot throughout your online branding, such as your LinkedIn profile, personal website, Slack communities, etc. Ensure you’re paying extra attention to the photo background and your attire in the photo. Mirror the professional image of the company or field you’re interested in.

For best results, update your “Work and Education,” “Professional Skills,” and other profile sections so they support your resume. Do your research, and find the most relevant keywords for you. And if you are looking for a job in a specific locale, make sure you’ve added your city and state as well.

Take the time to develop a brand statement that briefly describes what you do and how you do it, sprinkling in a few interesting and unique details to make it pop. This will help recruiters get a broad perspective of who you are and what you do.

2.Do More Than “Like” a Company’s Page

Research various professional organizations, groups, and companies that align with your job search interests and follow those pages. Associating yourself with these organizations online will build your network, boost your job search potential, and impress future employers with your commitment. Try to get a feel for their culture to ensure an excellent job fit and take a deep dive into their online presence.

You can see the most recently posted jobs on your target company’s profile under the “More” menu drop-down. Also, many companies will regularly publish posts with job openings. You can connect with them by adding meaningful comments on their general posts and engaging with company team members.

Go a step further if they’re your dream company and explore relevant details about them for use in prospective interviews.

Update Your Status

In the pre-Facebook days, lighting up your network meant announcing to everyone you know that you were on the hunt for a job. That might mean you spent time on the phone, texted, or had a friendly chat in the grocery store. While those methods still work just fine, it’s much easier—and perhaps more effective—to broadcast the specifics of your hunt via status updates on Facebook.

Don’t go overboard, of course, but the more you provide information or even humorous updates about your job search, the more likely you will come to the top of a contact’s mind when something at their workplace opens up. Ensure that you’ve clearly defined what you’re looking for so that if your information does get passed along to a recruiter, they’ll see you’re a perfect match for their opening.

4.Network Through Facebook Groups

From alumni groups to professional interest groups, take advantage of every remotely relevant network to your hunt. In alumni groups, reach out directly to any alumni who work at companies that interest you and nurture that relationship. In professional groups, exchange insider tips, share your advice, and monitor the feeds for jobs posted by community members.

Remember to think beyond your immediate industry to complementary industries too.

Use Targeted Keyword Searches

Job seekers aren’t the only ones enjoying the ease that social media has brought to job searchers. Employers post jobs on almost every social media platform, including Facebook, to ensure they’re getting their openings in front of as many eyes as possible.

Utilize keywords in the Facebook search feature to find relevant openings. For example, if you’re looking for a hybrid role as a project manager in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, you might search for “Ft. Lauderdale project manager jobs” and then narrow it down based on the responses.

An important note here is that social media job postings can be rife with scams. Do your due diligence and research to ensure that the company and posting are legitimate and you’re not participating in any risky internet behavior that might compromise your personal information.

Getting a Job Search Boost From Your Profile

The great thing about Facebook is that it can get you one step closer to in-person relationship-building that most often brings people jobs. And it can do this on a grander scale than you could ever get using only face-to-face routes or relying solely on LinkedIn.

One of the best ways to ensure you have a safe and scam-free job search is with StartWorkNow. We have a team of real people who hand-vet each posting to ensure our members are only seeing legitimate and verified job opportunities. Take the tour to discover all of the ways that a StartWorkNow membership can support your remote job search.

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