Need some advice

Ri Sol

Ri Sol

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Last three years are very tough for me. I need some advice, how to build my future life.

I'm a new immigrant, we moved to USA, three years ago. English is my second language. I'm married and have two kids.
My husband didn't get opportunity to learn English language quickly, because he had to sit at home with our kids, while I had to make some money for living. Of course he is trying hard, he takes ESL classes and makes a good progress, his help with kids and house stuff is enormous.

The problem is not about him. The problem is about me.
I used to be HoH in early childhood, with a big hearing loss, but now, I got almost deaf, I can hear noise with hearing aids, but without them I won't even hear a bomb.
I can speak English(not very well, speech therapist is needed), my first language is Russian(though I'm not Russian and not from Russia), which is fluent.

I have a university(not USA) degree in computer science and skilled in software testing, the problem is that I haven't been working in my field for a very long time.
I believe, I keep my skills and able to work with excellence, recently I took software QA courses to refresh my mind and skills.

When we came to USA, I had and still have difficulty in finding a job in Software QA. I'm not very familiar with hiring system in US.
I had only about 3-4 face to face job and internship interviews, which were organized by QA courses.
However these interviews are not often, and I couldn't afford myself sitting at home, sending resumes and waiting for interviews.

I work everywhere where I get paid, my last job is full-time nanny, I've been working for 1.5 years already, next month the baby is going to preschool and I'm going to stay without job.
Though I'm paid well being nanny, and have a lot of grateful recommendations, I don't want to be nanny again.
I don't think that I should get nanny job when I don't have any choice, and then leave family after couple months of work, if I find better job.
Nanny job requires long term commitment.

Here is the problem:
1. I want to work in IT field(quality assurance, software testing)
2. I have no idea, how to deal with phone calls from recruiters.
I can't talk by phone, but can talk face to face(lip reading+notes on the paper).
I bought TTY recently, and had to return it, because it was not working with my cell phones(Samsung Galaxy 3s and LG Optimus F3).
So I have no idea how TTY works.
3. It is hard to set face to face interviews, almost all of interviews start from phone calls.
4. My speech is not good. Though most of people tell me, that my speech is very very good, and they can understand everything I say, even my current employer(parents of the baby).
But I believe it is because they want to listen and understand me.
Recruiters and employers are not interested.
4. I don't know ASL, I start to learn it on couple free ASL web sites.

I discovered this whole deaf community only today! I had no idea, why didn't I look for it before.
So this forum is my last hope and light in the tunnel.

Please, share your stories, how do you find jobs? How do you deal with phone interviews?
When I post my resume everywhere on dice, monster, careerbuilder etc, I start to get phone calls and totally unable to respond :(
I get emails, respond on them, then they ask me for phone interview. If I explain them about my hearing problem and ask for the face to face interview, the don't come back to me.

Also, I'm very interested in internship positions, but it is not easier to get them. The same difficulty as in finding a job.

I believe, there should be solution, but I don't know about it.
I don't have any HoH/deaf friends, who would help me and explain me.
I hope to find such friends here. Thanks everyone in advance!:wave:
 
How did you get visa to come here if with no employment guarantee ?

If you are a legal resident, look for the closest office of vocational rehabilitation and they can assist you.
 
Bottesini said:
How did you get visa to come here if with no employment guarantee ?

If you are a legal resident, look for the closest office of vocational rehabilitation and they can assist you.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the post!

There are plenty options to move, and employment guarantee is not always required, and it is not a visa, it is a green card.

Thanks for telling about vocational rehabilitation, I'm going to search in this direction.
If you are deaf or HoH, could you please, share your methods of finding the jobs(I mean job, that you are educated to do)?

I know that there should be plenty of opportunities and solutions, but I don't know about them yet...that's why I came here. Before I felt that I can control my life, but now, I feel depressed and losing the control :(
 
Ri Sol said:
Thanks for the post!

There are plenty options to move, and employment guarantee is not always required, and it is not a visa, it is a green card.

Thanks for telling about vocational rehabilitation, I'm going to search in this direction.
If you are deaf or HoH, could you please, share your methods of finding the jobs(I mean job, that you are educated to do)?

I know that there should be plenty of opportunities and solutions, but I don't know about them yet...that's why I came here. Before I felt that I can control my life, but now, I feel depressed and losing the control :(
Click to expand...
It may not be helpful to you. My method was to work for myself, and I did pet sitting until my health forced me to retire. So I was more successful with my own business than working for someone else.
 
Bottesini said:
How did you get visa to come here if with no employment guarantee ?

If you are a legal resident, look for the closest office of vocational rehabilitation and they can assist you.
Click to expand...

botti has excellent tips, try to check with voc reh and discuss with them, about fed gov job, and private company. don't give up.. Good luck.
 
Put a resume on a job/career site like Monster.com, employers will find you and call you or you can send it to which job you seek out. My buddy landed a $200K career on Monster.com in the IT field.
 
Sarfarigirl2011 said:
also best thing about vocational rehab? they can help you pay for new hearing aids!
Click to expand...

Now rules have changed and they will only pay for them if you "Are" working. If youre out of work, un-employed...ect... they wont even look at you...been there/done that recently.
 
Ri Sol said:
Last three years are very tough for me. I need some advice, how to build my future life.

I'm a new immigrant, we moved to USA, three years ago. English is my second language. I'm married and have two kids.
My husband didn't get opportunity to learn English language quickly, because he had to sit at home with our kids, while I had to make some money for living. Of course he is trying hard, he takes ESL classes and makes a good progress, his help with kids and house stuff is enormous.

The problem is not about him. The problem is about me.
I used to be HoH in early childhood, with a big hearing loss, but now, I got almost deaf, I can hear noise with hearing aids, but without them I won't even hear a bomb.
I can speak English(not very well, speech therapist is needed), my first language is Russian(though I'm not Russian and not from Russia), which is fluent.

I have a university(not USA) degree in computer science and skilled in software testing, the problem is that I haven't been working in my field for a very long time.
I believe, I keep my skills and able to work with excellence, recently I took software QA courses to refresh my mind and skills.

When we came to USA, I had and still have difficulty in finding a job in Software QA. I'm not very familiar with hiring system in US.
I had only about 3-4 face to face job and internship interviews, which were organized by QA courses.
However these interviews are not often, and I couldn't afford myself sitting at home, sending resumes and waiting for interviews.

I work everywhere where I get paid, my last job is full-time nanny, I've been working for 1.5 years already, next month the baby is going to preschool and I'm going to stay without job.
Though I'm paid well being nanny, and have a lot of grateful recommendations, I don't want to be nanny again.
I don't think that I should get nanny job when I don't have any choice, and then leave family after couple months of work, if I find better job.
Nanny job requires long term commitment.

Here is the problem:
1. I want to work in IT field(quality assurance, software testing)
2. I have no idea, how to deal with phone calls from recruiters.
I can't talk by phone, but can talk face to face(lip reading+notes on the paper).
I bought TTY recently, and had to return it, because it was not working with my cell phones(Samsung Galaxy 3s and LG Optimus F3).
So I have no idea how TTY works.
3. It is hard to set face to face interviews, almost all of interviews start from phone calls.
4. My speech is not good. Though most of people tell me, that my speech is very very good, and they can understand everything I say, even my current employer(parents of the baby).
But I believe it is because they want to listen and understand me.
Recruiters and employers are not interested.
4. I don't know ASL, I start to learn it on couple free ASL web sites.

I discovered this whole deaf community only today! I had no idea, why didn't I look for it before.
So this forum is my last hope and light in the tunnel.

Please, share your stories, how do you find jobs? How do you deal with phone interviews?
When I post my resume everywhere on dice, monster, careerbuilder etc, I start to get phone calls and totally unable to respond :(
I get emails, respond on them, then they ask me for phone interview. If I explain them about my hearing problem and ask for the face to face interview, the don't come back to me.

Also, I'm very interested in internship positions, but it is not easier to get them. The same difficulty as in finding a job.

I believe, there should be solution, but I don't know about it.
I don't have any HoH/deaf friends, who would help me and explain me.
I hope to find such friends here. Thanks everyone in advance!:wave:
Click to expand...

For when you get your citizenship:

www.usajobs.gov

The federal government is obligated to accommodate disabilities. I'm excused from anything to do with the phone and I know there's another employee (probably a contractor) that's deaf. You may be able to find work at the contractor level for a federal agency and it would make it easier for you to land a federal job once you're a citizen. You don't have to be a citizen to register for the USA Jobs site and build your resume. It's good to get started and updated so you'll have it on hand, ready to go.

Ask the vocational folks about contractor work in the IT field. You have a specialized skill so you've got a big plus going for you there.

Laura
 
Another issue could be that on your resume it shows that you have been away from the field for a few years. In the past two years the scene has exploded with so many new things that would cause your prospective employers to shy from giving you an interview.
 
Dear Friends! Thank you very much for your attention to my thread!
You can't even imagine how important for me each of your posts, words, private messages!
I'm so happy to see such wonderful, kindhearted and helpful people in my thread!

Bottesini said:
It may not be helpful to you. My method was to work for myself, and I did pet sitting until my health forced me to retire. So I was more successful with my own business than working for someone else.
Click to expand...
I see,
I do pet sitting sometimes, too. I have three permanent families, which ask me to pet sit, when they go away for weekends or vacations.

Lavender said:
DCARA-EDD(Employment Development Department)
https://www.dcara.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16&Itemid=19
Click to expand...
Thank you very much!
I already visited DCARA, they said they cannot help me, since I don't know ASL.
They said I can go to EDD, and thank you for recalling it, I certainly going to go there close to my last day of work.

Frisky Feline said:
Hey, You can try to apply https://www.usajobs.gov/ if you do have us citzenship. look up for location and what kind of job.. Try to check this one. TRY since your experiences that may fits.
Click to expand...
I'm legal permanent resident, but not citizen yet. :(

Thank you for the link, never heard about it, I'm certainly going to see it!
Frisky Feline said:
don't give up.. Good luck.
Click to expand...
Thank you a lot! These words are really encouraging me!

sonocativo said:
Put a resume on a job/career site like Monster.com, employers will find you and call you or you can send it to which job you seek out. My buddy landed a $200K career on Monster.com in the IT field.
Click to expand...
Thank you!!!
One question:
-how to deal with phone call, if I can't hear by phone?

Tell me more about you buddy, is he Deaf/HoH?

Lau2046 said:
For when you get your citizenship:

www.usajobs.gov

The federal government is obligated to accommodate disabilities. I'm excused from anything to do with the phone and I know there's another employee (probably a contractor) that's deaf. You may be able to find work at the contractor level for a federal agency and it would make it easier for you to land a federal job once you're a citizen. You don't have to be a citizen to register for the USA Jobs site and build your resume. It's good to get started and updated so you'll have it on hand, ready to go.

Ask the vocational folks about contractor work in the IT field. You have a specialized skill so you've got a big plus going for you there.

Laura
Click to expand...
Thank you very much for the detailed post!

You all are giving me very essential information! I didn't know about it before!


a l i v e said:
Another issue could be that on your resume it shows that you have been away from the field for a few years. In the past two years the scene has exploded with so many new things that would cause your prospective employers to shy from giving you an interview.
Click to expand...
You are 100% right!
This is always scaring me, though I still take time and study everything at home... But employers won't like the absence of experience for the past two years.
 
Hi! I have a similar experience since I'm a Russian immigrant as well. However, I'm profoundly deaf since birth and cannot speak English at all (it is so hard to lip-read in English), but I can speak Russian. Therefore, I should say that your very important asset is that you still can speak English to some degree. Anyway, I will give you some suggestions.

You can solve the problem with phone interviews by using the text relay service in which an operator types down what the other caller says. For example, https://www.i711.com/, https://ip-relay.com/, https://www.sprintip.com/. Honestly speaking, the video relay service with an ASL interpreter is much faster, but since you do not know ASL yet, then you should use the text relay service when communicating with potential employers.

In my experience, private companies mostly avoid hiring deaf people, so it is better to apply to open positions at government agencies (federal, state, local), nonprofit agencies, colleges and universities. You can use the website Job Search | one search. all jobs. Indeed.com to explore jobs.

The major problem in your situation is that you lack a degree from an American college. Employers here don't even take a look at foreign education. In their eyes, you are like a high school graduate without a college degree. Therefore, you should consider getting an associate degree in the computer field. I know that most recently arrived green card holders can get some financial aid/grants for college education. I do not know how old you are, but you should not worry about your age at all -- I know several people who got a college degree at the age of 50-60.

You also should continue learning ASL. I do not live in California, but you can search if there are any free or low-cost ASL classes or ASL gatherings in your area or try to get an ASL buddy who would teach you ASL. Please remember that colleges provide ASL interpreters for classes and lectures. Also, government agencies usually provide ASL interpreters for meetings.

If you have any questions, please feel free to write to me.
 
Monarhistka, when I read your nickname, I understood that you are Russian speaking person, I was going to type you in Russian, but decided not to do it in the public thread, so everyone could understand us.

Thank you very much for the information! I haven't heard about text relay services, I registered there right now,there is a message that I should to wait until they check my identity. So I can't wait to try them!

I used to use https://portal.sprintcaptel.com/webcaptel.asp caption service, when I need to do important calls(to IRS, DMV and other government places which usually have too big live lines and I can't meet representative and ask couple questions).
But it is such a big pain to speak over it, there is always interference+my imperfect English pronunciation. I tried it with requiters and they didn't like it, too much interference, noise, and I get their speech captioned too slow.

Even though you don't speak, your English is so good!
It is very hard for Deaf/HoH people to learn any other, than native language. Molodets!!!
 
sonocativo said:
Now rules have changed and they will only pay for them if you "Are" working. If youre out of work, un-employed...ect... they wont even look at you...been there/done that recently.
Click to expand...
not true. This may depend upon state though. Both times I have had my hearing aids paid for in full (of course I get no say in what KIND but seems the kind I do have work for my needs) and I was out of work both times.

Ri Sol- Welcome to the forum. I am also an IT QA Tester (mainframe/manual mostly) and also feel the pain of problems finding a job and interviews. I totally understand the whole send an email "I prefer email or in person" only to get a email back saying "give me a call"/"please call"... argh. I'm also in the same boat- have been out of work for about 22 months now (not the first time either).

I used to be able to do fairly well with voice phone- pretty good hearing with hearing and good speech but the hearing bit or at least the speech discrimination part has gone downhill. I've started using VRS since i know ASL. Some success with that but not a whole lot (yet).

Because most of my jobs are contract based (which mostly are shorter- last one lasted 5 years though), it's harder to find a permanent job. Best I can say is keep at it. I don't have a Computer Science/Engineering/whatever degree or certification but I still have had good luck with good jobs.

Feel free to PM me or post back here if you have any questions. Best of luck to you.

I also noticed you are in the silicon valley area- that's one of the toughest locations to find any kind of job in IT.
 
Monarhistka said:
The major problem in your situation is that you lack a degree from an American college. Employers here don't even take a look at foreign education. In their eyes, you are like a high school graduate without a college degree.
Click to expand...

Not as big a deal as you may think; the agency I work at now, many have college degrees outside the U.S., and for myself, in all the years I've been in government, not one person asked me about my education level......ever. My M.Ed. hasn't earned me five cents more to my paycheck over a person with only high school.....so...don't let education stop you. If you stay busy, volunteer (which always looks great on a resume) and keep working on your resume, someone will allow you a foot in the door. Don't make a big deal about education...no one else I know does.
 
I just recalled that there is the Federal text service as well: https://www.federalip.us/. It can be used when calling to federal agencies only, but it can be quite useful when dealing with federal agencies (like IRS, SSA, etc.).

I think that the text relay service is the best option in your case, even though it can be slow. I myself used it in the past when looking for a job (now I prefer the video relay service).

Lau2046 said:
Not as big a deal as you may think; the agency I work at now, many have college degrees outside the U.S., and for myself, in all the years I've been in government, not one person asked me about my education level......ever. My M.Ed. hasn't earned me five cents more to my paycheck over a person with only high school.....so...don't let education stop you. If you stay busy, volunteer (which always looks great on a resume) and keep working on your resume, someone will allow you a foot in the door. Don't make a big deal about education...no one else I know does.
Click to expand...

It depends on the field. The problem is that I know some people hired in the computer field, and their employment and paycheck heavily depend on their degree level.
 
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