
Ask HN: I have won the Green Card but need some help? - merber
Hello,<p>I have recently graduated as an Electronics Engineer. My Green Card visa appointment is on the second week of December.<p>I need to find a job before my interview or probably I am going to lose my chance to get a Green Card because of financial problems.<p>Here is some of my experiences:<p>- FPGA, Verilog, PicoBlaze, MicroBlaze, OpenRISC<p>- Python, C (intermediate)<p>- UNIX System Admisitration , Bash (intermediate)<p>- HTML, PHP (beginner - intermediate)<p>If you want I can send you my CV.<p>Thank you
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ddon
Nothing to worry about, you will just do fine at the interview.

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merber
I hope so, thank you :)

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dakna
If you can't show enough money in your bank account at the time of interview
(we had bank statements for the last 3 days only), you have to talk about your
straightforward plan about how to get a job ASAP. In my experience your plan
has to answer the following questions:

What is your marketable skillset?

Where is this skillset needed (name at least 5 different metropolitan areas
and their job market outlook)?

What are potential employers in this area?

What are your next steps to reach out and do some networking in your field?

What will you do to cover your cost of living before you get a full-time job?
(part-time retailer jobs etc, or maybe something you had work experience while
still in college)

How will you get the first references from US employers so you can hunt for
your next job?

You might not be able to talk about all that, because your interview partner
decides what to ask. It is a good idea to have those answers, and to try to
get these topics into the interview when it is your time to speak. Be
confident about your future as a highly skilled immigrant.

But talk about that very politely and friendly, even if you know more about
your potential job. Treat your interview partner (the US consul) as an
employer. You have to convince him you are a good catch for the country.

There will be a difference once you have your greencard and a SSN, because now
a company can hire you without visa sponsorship. But you will need US
references, because HR wants to call people you worked with. So get to know
local people, maybe start as an intern, maybe work in retail, work in a non-
profit, do whatever it takes to get a reference by your supervisor. You can do
short term apartment leases in each metro area to go to meetups and have
interviews with local companies. And you can do interview training and work on
your resume with this non profit company:
[https://www.upwardlyglobal.org/](https://www.upwardlyglobal.org/) (You need
some work experience in your local country to be eligible)

Please do not make things up and lie. You will get caught. Your interview
partner is trained to find out if there is something wrong with your story.
But you should show up prepared, have a plan, maybe back it up with some
printouts, for example your action steps, the websites of Upwardlyglobal, temp
staffing agencies in your desired areas, job listings in your field etc.

The more your prepare and rehearse what you are going to say, the less stress
you will have at the interview. In the end it might be easier than you think ,
but if you don't have enough money to start in the US, you don't meet all the
requirements for the DV greencard. Simple as that. So do your best to look
like a professional and a goal getter.

All the best. It's a great country and worth the effort.

