I graduated from college in 1999, then worked with a telecom firm in D.C. for three years, where I grew up, until the bubble exploded and I was sent packing. I've been self- employed since as a reseller on eBay. Now in L.A., I've:
- networked galore;
- scoured employment sites;
- hunted for pro bono work;
- registered with dozens of temp agencies and a headhunter;
- researched and visited the 160-or so PR/Marketing agencies in L.A.; and
- dropped out of my professional association.
A: GOLD STAR for you, Rocks, for thoroughness. Call 911, glue your cell to your ear and ask for a stretcher to transport you to the ICU for surgery after head-knocking! When you've recovered, you'll see that place is more important to you than anything, and that it can inspire you to work it.
Put your hard-charging D.C.-style to work. What about the employment field, at which you've become expert? You could recruit temporaries and full-time, permanent workers in PR. Recruiting jobs are almost mills, less because of the hard work and more because companies entice recruiters into joining them. Meanwhile, each placement will give you an "in" in a firm or company in L.A. or elsewhere. Make this your best personal PR opportunity ever! -- mlc
Q: HOW DO I FIND WORK IN THE U.S. IN MY FIELD?
I am a veterinarian in the Philippines and want to come to the United States to work. What can I do to realize my dreams? -- Critter Doc
A: Don't hop onto the nearest whale, Doc! You have to prove that you're willing to do something no American citizen wants to do.
Using the Internet, research the key livestock states in this country, including California, Texas, Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin and North Carolina. What about shepherding? Some Peruvians are earning $1,200US per month (plus "room" and board) herding sheep and sleeping on the ground, under the sky, in Oregon. What about working on a dairy farm? Are you willing to be a farm- or ranch-hand, feeding, grooming and exercising animals, and cleaning stalls for an occasional opportunity to care for an animal's health? How will you feel when people treat you as just another farmhand? Terrorism and the tight job market have made immigrating here extremely difficult.
Research professional and trade associations. Host an American student interested in veterinary science for a summer or a year to gain access to a parent, preferably in veterinary medicine, employment law or a multinational agribusiness firm. Visit this country for a month to meet veterinarians and people in related fields. Check out farms and ranches. Contact the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., and make friends in the consulate offices around the country. -- mlc
**blogTip**
PUTTING YOUR TATTOO TO WORK
Are you familiar with your target, the employer? If you're looking for a job in a creative field -- ad agencies, playful dot-coms and PR firms -- don't leave your tattoo behind, advises Hamilton Beazley of Austin, Tex., a former executive and the author of business books (www.noregrets.org). . "People there understand that play is a part of creativity and that creativity produces the new knowledge critical in the workplace today." In your case, creativity helps you land a job.
It's risky, just like creativity, but "a company logo tattooed on your arm can score," he says. When it's time to close the sale, whip out the tattoo and say, "Hire me or pay for the laser."
With a close like that, you'll go places. With your tattoo.
(E-mail your job-hunting questions to syndicated columnist Dr. Mildred Culp at culp@workwise.net. Copyright 2004 Passage Media.)
