Employment

Finding employment in America is really not much different than finding it in Australia. However, the following points may help you with clarification.

• It's probably easier to find a job in America than in Australia for two reasons:
  • America has a lower unemployment rate than Australia.
  • America does not discriminate on "age" in the workplace. It is not uncommon to see people in their 60's hired for a job - their experience is considered very valuable.
• Employment is found in several ways, as in Australia:
  • Newspapers
  • Networking
  • The Internet
  • Employment Agencies
• Applying for jobs usually requires that you submit your resume' with a cover letter, and if the company is interested in you, you will get an interview - sometimes several. It is common practice that before a company hires you, they will do a check on things like police records and credit history.
• There are many resources on the internet that you can use to assist you in applying for jobs - resume' writing, etc.
• Some profession, such as teaching, medical, law, accounting, etc. may require that you have your qualifications evaluated and compared to the American standards. Without getting into the discussion about Australian versus American education, in some cases it may be necessary that you take on some American studies to fill in any "gaps".
• If a company is interested in hiring you, they will give you a written or verbal "offer". You are free at this time to negotiate any areas that you find unsatisfactory, such as salary, benefits, etc. Employers are used to this and many will work with you to come to an agreement that suits you both.
• Most companies have a set of policies in place and will require that you sign an "employment contract". Make sure that you read the contract thoroughly before you sign it. Some of the items you might see in the contract are:
  • Benefits such as Health Insurance, Dental Insurance, Life Insurance, and Retirement benefits.
  • Company policies on holidays, vacation, sick days, personal days, and maternity/paternity leave.
  • Policies on issues such as discrimination and harassment.
  • Policies on health and safety issues.
  • Disciplinary procedures.
  • Non-disclosure and non-competing agreements.
• You will also be required to fill out some forms to indicate how much tax should be withheld from your pay for income tax. Be sure to research this or get some advice from the Human Resources department - otherwise you may find yourself paying tax at the end of the financial year.

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