Landing A Job By Johanna Piazza Immigrant workers make up a large part of the city’s vibrant work force. They hold jobs in every field, from finance to academia, entertainment to athletics.
According to a report by the Labor Research Association, more than 47 percent of the working class in New York City is made up of immigrant workers. In Queens, where nearly 50 percent of the population is foreign-born, the numbers are even higher. Statistics aside, the question remains – how do you get a job in New York City?
City Career Centers A good place to start are City-operated worker career centers, located in all five boroughs to help provide dislocated workers, unemployed individuals, and displaced homemakers with job placement assistance and referrals to training programs. They also provide advice on adult basic education, general education degree (GED) instruction, English as a second language courses, resume preparation and job search assistance. Another big plus is that they offer free mailing and fax services to job applicants. The Queens career center is located in Jamaica at 168-46 91st Ave. It is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The center offers weekly workshops on resume writing and has career counselors that speak a number of different languages. The city-run career centers are also the place to obtain city-sponsored vouchers for job training. Applicants can receive up to $5,000 for job training purposes if they are deemed eligible by a career counselor at the local career center. The purpose of the program is to provide training in specific occupational areas. Training is selected by an individual with the guidance and assistance of a career counselor and can consist of one or more classes related to a given occupational area. This may include a series of classes needed for a certificate in a specific field.
In The Papers And Online In addition to City services, there are other alternative means of finding jobs in New York City. Many of the local borough and city papers print classified ads for job openings. They are generally listed in occupation order, from accountants on. The New York Times has a large "Help Wanted" section in its paper every Sunday, and has listings on the internet at www.nytimes.com. Some classified ads ask for resumes to be faxed, others ask you to call. In addition to classified ads, various internet sites also allow users, usually for free or for a low fee, to search different types of available jobs in their areas. Among these sites are www.monster.com and www.hotjobs.com. When you log onto those sites, you can search by typing in the type of job you want in any area of the United States and beyond. If you don’t have access to the internet at home, you can go to a local library branch or to a local internet café.
Applying For A Job After finding a job that you’re interested in, you will usually be asked to send a resume, or a piece of paper explaining your education, background, and skills. The resume should be typed, and have your name, contact information, educational background, skills, and objective. It should be one page. Some computer programs, like Microsoft Word, offer premade resumes that allow you to just fill in the blanks with your information. Once you send a resume, you may be called for an interview. When you go in for the interview, dress professionally and plan ahead. Do a little homework and research on the company, the position, and, if possible, the people you will meet with at the interview. Be positive during the interview and maintain eye contact. Show interest and curiosity – ask questions. After the first interview, you may be called for several more interviews.
Knowing The Law As a worker in New York City, it is important to know your rights. Under New York’s human rights law, it’s illegal for an employer to discriminate against job seekers based on what the employer thinks to be the applicant’s citizenship status or national origin. If you feel you were not hired for a job because you are of a certain race, you may have a legal case against that employer.
An employer also cannot discriminate in the hiring or firing of employees, in compensation or other terms or conditions or privileges of employment. Therefore, an employer cannot pay you less or withhold anything from you because of your ethnic background. Individuals who believe they have been discriminated against can file a complaint with the Human Rights Commission’s Law Enforcement Bureau, located at 40 Rector Street, 9th Floor, in lower Manhattan. The complaint must be filed within one year of the last alleged act of discrimination. It is illegal for an employer to knowingly hire a worker who is undocumented and unauthorized to work in the United States. Employers must verify the identity and employment eligibility of all employees hired after Nov. 6, 1986. To do this, all employees must fill out an "I-9 form" and provide some documentation proving their eligibility to work in the U.S. Once you are hired, you must be paid at least "minimum wage," which is currently set in New York at $5.15 an hour. You may also be given medical benefits, meaning the company has an insurance plan that you can join that will give you access to medical care. In addition, if you are hired you must be given the right to organize in a union to protect your rights.
Unemployment and Workers’ Compensation If you are fired from a job, unemployment insurance is temporary income for eligible workers who become unemployed through no fault of their own and who are ready, willing, and able to work and have sufficient work and wages in covered employment. To file your claim, an online application is available or you can call (888) 209-8124 toll-free. An automated voice will offer you the choice of filing your claim in English, Spanish, or "other languages" (translation services are provided). Listen to the choices carefully and enter the appropriate number on your telephone’s numeric keypad to indicate you want to file a claim. You will then be asked to select a personal identification number, or PIN. There are three State-run Employment Centers in Queens where people can pick up their unemployment checks, as well as receive job counseling and interview practice. The centers are located at 138-60 Barclay Ave. in Flushing, 168-46 91st Ave., second floor, in Jamaica, and 19-20 Mott Ave. in Far Rockaway. The Flushing office can be reached at (718) 321-6307, the Jamaica office can be reached at (718) 523-4055, and the Far Rockaway office can be reached at (718) 337-5201. If you are injured on the job, and cannot work as a result, you can apply for workers’ compensation, which is run by New York State and provides payment for workers while they recover. The way weekly benefits are calculated is by taking two-thirds of a person’s average weekly wage and multiplying it by the percentage of disability. You can be 100 percent disabled or partially disabled. Weekly benefits cannot exceed $400 in New York State. To file a claim, you need to fill out a Form C-3, Employee’s Claim for Compensation, at the nearest Compensation Board office. In Queens, an office is located at 168-46 91st Ave. in Jamaica. It can be reached at (800) 877-1373.
On And Off The Books So far, all of the situations discussed here involved legal jobs, or jobs "on the books." This means that the employee has provided a Social Security number to their employer and is having U.S. taxes deducted from their paychecks.
That’s not the only kind of work out there, however. Some people work "off-the books," meaning an employer has not declared the worker to the state or federal government and that the employee is not legally employed under United State employment law. No taxes are taken out of a worker’s paycheck, but the tradeoff is that the worker has to give up all of his or her employee rights – if the government isn’t aware of a worker’s employment, that worker is not eligible for unemployment insurance, worker’s compensation, minimum wage, or the right to unionize.
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