“American CV: Tips and tricks to land your dream job in the USA”

Good news: I feel in a good mood today and I decided to give you a green card (but don’t tell it to the Department of Homeland Security, the dreaded US Department of the Interior). Welcome to the United States.

And now you have to get to work. Didn’t you think you were going to spend your days sipping cocktails by the pool of your Malibu villa? I’ve always told you that you watch far too many American series. And since I really feel very nice today, I decided for the occasion to convert myself into a Pôle Emploi adviser (American version, frozen smile and motivational quotes supporting).

It’s time to find you a job. And above all, never forget: you are the absolute best.

Atelier CV

Welcome to my Pôle emploi agency in New Orleans – and welcome to my CV workshop, designed especially for you. Do you tell yourself that we are in the United States and that you will have to do a ton on form by offering a neon pink CV decorated with glitter to stand out? Absolutely not. One watchword: sobriety.

We will therefore start with a white background and a black font. Same thing for formatting. We will avoid endless columns and we will stay on a linear format. Boring, I know. And on top of that, you’ll have to throw away your favorite passport photo on which you display a slightly anxiety-provoking expression. American CVs never include a photo – unless you want to be a model, of course.

Exit the formatting, let’s focus on the substance. As a good student, you will of course have to review your training and your professional experience. And get ready to add new sections titled “Awards” or “Leadership”. We are in a (slightly) competitive country and you have to show that you are absolutely amazing. So if you won first prize in a ninth-grade spelling bee (as I did – impressive, I know), feel free to put it on your resume. After all, the number of pages does not matter and we love to make tons of them to prove our leadership.

Hours and holidays

Your CV was also amazing that you and you gave your all on your interviews. After all, you followed my wise advice and you told your story according to a story worthy of a medieval epic: you were not made to be a winner but you are anyway – and that the Americans love (and so much for modesty). And good news: you got a job. Let’s just say you’re going to work in an office and I’ll let you figure out the rest (I can’t chew all the work on you either).

You have arrived in your new office, vase of coffee in hand, just to play it local. You sit down behind your computer and your colleagues begin to tell you about their lives, supporting personal details (might as well tell you directly that the boundary between personal and professional life does not always exist – you will first of all have to be friendly).

That’s not all, but what are your hours? You work in an office and can therefore bet on a nine to five. In short, you will work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., or forty hours a week. Yes, contrary to what you might imagine, Americans do not necessarily work more than the French. And on top of that, as a general rule (I specify for New Yorkers workaholic who would point the finger at me), the Americans leave work much earlier than us (after all we have dinner at 6 p.m. here).

The only downside: holidays. These vary greatly from company to company – but don’t expect to have more than ten days of paid vacation per year. And I imagine you will have understood that the RTTs are not part of the program either. RTT who? Exit the pool in Malibu.

And the salary in all this?

The time has come to address the sacrosanct question: your salary. First point: you will in principle be paid twice a month (and not monthly) and you will always express your salary as a gross annual amount. Do you think you are in the United States and you are going to fill your swimming pool with hundred dollar bills? Not so fast. You will first have to pay your income tax, which is often deducted at source. Let’s say you earn $36,000 per year, or $3,000 gross per month. Your take-home pay will then be around $2,600 net per month (and this amount will vary depending on your state of residence, as income taxes are paid at both federal and state levels).

Ok, the levy rate is lower than in France (I saw you coming). On the other hand, you will also have to pay for your health insurance (unless your employer is nice and pays for it), which can easily add up to several hundred dollars a month. And you will also in principle have to open an account (responding to the sweet name of 401 (k) – to pronounce four o one k, which will allow you to finance your retirement. This account benefits from preferential rates and your employer will be able to match the deposits you make to this account (again, if they are nice). Everything can be unlocked the day you celebrate your sixtieth birthday (but let’s be honest, Americans rarely retire before the age of 70).

So, are you signing this contract or are you going back to France? Pôle emploi adviser at your service.