July 27, 2011

Searching for a Seattle job from across the pond

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Q: was born in Miami and am an American citizen, but I have not lived in the U.S. since I was 3 years old. I have worked on military bases in the U.K. and paid U.S. taxes. I have worked in real estate for the past four years; unlike in the States, the U.K. doesn’t require exams, but I am open to a career change and have good customer-service skills. I fear that obtaining employment will be my largest struggle. What is the best way to find a job from the U.K.?
— L.W., United Kingdom

Kristen says: Fortunately, Seattle has been bouncing back from the recession better than many other areas. It will be very important to indicate on your résumé that you are a U.S. citizen, and that you are relocating here at your own expense. Since you have a social security number, potential employers will at least be able to check your U.S. employment record. I’d also recommend getting transcripts of your education to submit with your applications.

It may be a bit difficult finding a job from overseas, as most companies prefer in-person interviews. You might need to convince them to use Skype or another video-chat utility. Another option is to sign up with an employment agency, either ahead of your move or after you arrive, just to get your foot in the door with different companies. Kelly Services, for example, has offices all over the world.

I assume from your question that you are a real estate agent, but there are other opportunities in realty. Consider commercial property management, or look into jobs with the city/state housing authorities to leverage some of your military base experience.

The King County and Seattle housing authorities could be good places to start. The Puget Sound area has every branch of the military represented; check usajobs.gov for civilian positions available. You might also want to look at apartment-management opportunities; positions such as this are often listed on NWjobs.com and Craigslist.

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1 Comments

Kristen Fife on August 1, 2011 4:23 PM | Reply

Thomas, "across the pond" generally means western Europe; the "pond" refers to the Atlantic Ocean. It is an idiom of the English language, on both sides. You can run a Google search to find various usages of the phrase. Thanks!

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