Landing a job in the US VS. Singapore

[putnam]

After doing job hunting in Singapore for 3 months, I felt Singapore might not be the best place to search for a job especially for fresh graduates. How hard is it to obtain a work visa in the US in the current climate? I can get a tourist visa for 90 days, but I must then return to my country after 90 days. I graduated from university in the US, so I think I will be evaluated properly in the US than in Singapore.

[nakatago]

After doing job hunting in Singapore for 3 months, I felt Singapore might not be the best place to search for a job especially for fresh graduates. How hard is it to obtain a work visa in the US in the current climate? I can get a tourist visa for 90 days, but I must then return to my country after 90 days. I graduated from university in the US, so I think I will be evaluated properly in the US than in Singapore.

But aren't the Dems and the GOP quarreling over the economy, unemployment, immigration and the budget deficit?!?

[taxico]

...How hard is it to obtain a work visa in the US in the current climate? I can get a tourist visa for 90 days, but I must then return to my country after 90 days. I graduated from university in the US, so I think I will be evaluated properly in the US than in Singapore.

if you're in the medical field (including allied health professionals) or an academic, this isn't a problem.

otherwise, good luck!

having said that, if you're singaporean, you stand a higher chance of obtaining some sort of visa/permit to work in the US albeit (probably) not permanently...

[putnam]

The economy is good in Singapore, but employers here have a tendency of not considering foreign talents without appropriate experience. That makes it almost impossible for foreign fresh graduates to land a job in Singapore. I want to find an entry-level job.

[nakatago]

The economy is good in Singapore, but employers here have a tendency of not considering foreign talents without appropriate experience. That makes it almost impossible for foreign fresh graduates to land a job in Singapore. I want to find an entry-level job.

Well, there's the problem. Most companies are not willing to risk or put valuable resources into bringing in a new guy with no known track record, unless you're some brilliant whiz kid like George Hotz or something.

If Singapore isn't willing, I doubt the US would be too. I think most people will tell you to try to gain some experience locally first. You could still try job hunting abroad--you may get lucky--but chances are not in your favor. The basic idea of someone working in a different country is what can this someone bring into the country that the locals can't.

[JR8]

^^^ +1

Stating the obvious, but it was needed.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Yeah, but the people that read & need it are crippled by selective amnesia!

[andrew22]

[quote="putnam"][/quote]


As you mentioned, the economy is much better in SG. Opportunities are plentiful for those with PR/Citzenship status and a decent education...indeed, there are more job openings than applicants. Some of the people 'on the ground' in SG seem to either not understand how bad things are in so many other developed countries around the world right now, or fancy themselves the next CEO of DBS with N-level qualifications. If I read one more diatribe (not on this board of course ) in which the poster first complains about FT driving wages down, then prescribes the cutting of FT's in white-collar positions as the solution, my head might explode.

The US job market, of course, remains "frustratingly depressed," as Bernanke might opine. That being said, it's not impossible to find a job in the US right now as a fresh grad, especially if you have solid academic credentials. Hard to say without knowing which country you're from, but I do have a couple friends from the PRC who found jobs in the US while on student visa (can't say if their subsequent visa applications were successful, though). Also a friend from the UK who goes to a small, relatively unknown Liberal Arts college, who got a position with Morgan Stanley. So it's worth a shot...at least you should be able to land of a couple of interviews, which seems relatively impossible here right now. Unfortunately, beyond this purely anecdotal evidence, I have to admit I know very little about immigrating to the US, as all of my research has been done in the opposite direction.

At least in the US, you have a much more diverse set of options...especially if you're not limiting yourself to a few select cities. Cheers.

[JR8]

Yeah, but the people that read & need it are crippled by selective amnesia!

There seems to be some kind of belief of entitlement (a curious 21st century thing), coupled with denial of reality.

So 'No you can't come in' translates as = 'Cannot compute '

[syamsulstar]

I think you have a better chance getting a job locally (depending on where you are from).

After you finished college in the US, did you look into OPT? this will at least give you work authorization for a year/more I think. That s how I landed my first job a few years ago in the US.