Job offers in the US

WAR has begun. Will US visa issuance stop?

As the bombs and missiles rain on Iraq, will the jobs in America sprout this spring ö and present continuing opportunities for job hunters around the world, the Philippines included?

A significant number of people believe that America's declaration of war in Iraq is also a declaration of war against the stalled US economy and a hemorrhaging of jobs in the past three years. To critics, war has brought -- and this time will bring -- prosperity to America. The assumption seems logical.

Whether it is a short or long-drawn out war, the US would have to use its arsenal of weapons, ammunition, maybe spare parts for the Chinook or Apache helicopters, B1 bombers, among others. What goes out of a tank cannon or a jet wing must be replaced, right? And replacement should induce demand. Industries related to war materiel get a shot in the arm, no pun intended. The spillover effect to other industries is widely expected to bring prosperity to ancillary industries.

America then gets out of its economic doldrums ö which critics say ö is the reason why the US went to war anyway. The unemployment rate goes down and the economy gets a lift from a war halfway round the earth.

Last month US firms axed 308,000 jobs (according to government reports in the second week of March), a 15-month record that stunned financial markets and reawakened recession fears. Last year the high-tech industry shed 236,000 jobs, continuing a two-year purge that shows few signs of easing, according to another March industry report.

And unemployment rate rose to 5.8 percent from 5.7 percent in January.

"It is a struggling economy. It is flat at best," said Sal Guatieri, senior economist at BMO Financial Group.

So, will visa issuance stop?

First, the jobs.

Jobs in the US are still aplenty.

Maybe not in the high-tech or information technology field, but surely healthcare workers are still in demand such as nurses and therapists. The demand for teachers would have to be met later on as states face their individual state budget deficits. Without allocations from the State governments, school districts in each state would be hard-pressed to hire new teachers.

Private sector is seen to pick up the slack, but hiring would be less than the expected two million teachers over the next ten years. The demand still is there. Hiring would have to wait until the states reduce their red ink. Or until the war in Iran is won -- soon. A long, drawn out war would force people to be selective in their spending priorities.

Your job connection. You need to dig a little deep in Philippine history to get help. You need Katipunan connection in the US to reduce, if not eliminate competition. I am referring to KKK. No, not the hooded, hanging-hungry bunch of rednecks but the initials of the revolutionary movement that ousted the Spanish conquistadors.

You need either a K-amaganak, K-aibigan, or K-akilala [relative, friend, or personal connection] in the United States as your first line of offense in the job war. Of course, you can use the Internet. It is easy and jobs are at your click and call. But remember the Internet is not called World Wide Web for nothing. Jobs posted on the Internet are also available to millions of job hunters worldwide.

To win this battle, you need to choose the battlefield where your chance of winning would be better. This is where the Katipunan comes in. If you have a Kamaganak, Kaibigan or Kakilala, each or all of them would have their own Katipunan circle through which you could be referred to for job availability. Referrals are still better than just good-looking resumes sent electronically, no matter how fancy or good looking the fonts.

And if your Katipunan connection is active in the Filipino immigrant community, chances are he/she would have Kababayan entrepreneur with his/her own business through which you could be sponsored.

Sunday editions of newspapers. Your Katipunan circle could also provide you with the complete Classified section of the most popular or widely read newspaper in their area of residence. In southern California, the newspaper is Los Angeles Times. In northern California, there are three: San Jose Mercury News, San Francisco Chronicle and the Sacramento Bee. For the East Coast, they have the New York Times, the Washington Post. Further south to Florida, there is the Atlanta Journal & Constitution and Miami Herald. In Texas there is the Dallas Morning News.

The classified ads are a treasure trove of jobs available for professionals, skilled and unskilled occupations. You can then check out which jobs your Katipunan connection should further check out. Based on your selection, you should then provide him/her with the appropriate set of resumes: one for each occupation you believe you could qualify.

In the US, resumes are checked for appropriateness to the job being advertised. You need not include your birth date (that could trigger age-discrimination), your gender-preference (sex-discrimination), or marital status. Emphasize on the experience you have had for jobs related to the position you are seeking. So if you have selected three occupations that you believe you could qualify, you need three sets of resumes. In the job war, single shot rifles are better than shotguns.

Aliens versus Natives. Another good reason why your Katipunan connection could get you a job faster than the modern electronic medium is this: Assuming you and the US-based applicant have the same qualifications, why would the employer hire you instead of the native? Why would an employer pay up to 2,130 dollars in filing fees alone and wait anywhere up to eight months for your working visa, if the domestic applicant does not even need a passport but only his/or her presence?

Your Katipunan connection could use the Filipino charm, "pakikisama," "utang na loob," "hiya" and other traits that work both ways in the asset and liability column of socio-economic factors for development. But hey, you need all the help you can get. Especially if the Philippine government cannot provide the jobs and opportunities at home.

Then you have the agency option. This means using a temporary or staffing agency to look for jobs on your behalf.

Crispin R. Aranda is a US-based immigration specialist and executive director of the Immigrant Visa Center. You may contact him at usvisasnow@yahoo.com or legal@visacenter.org . In the Philippines his Quezon City numbers are +632 411-0806; +632 414-2655 and +632 373-6799. In San Francisco, California, the number is +415 834-1052.