‘Entry Level’ Means Starting from Square One
Monday, October 15th, 2007What dreams may become
The USA has a definite perception among people in different parts of the world. Widely regarded as a land of infinite opportunity there are a lot of myths that are associated with it. Like the Great American Dream or the Go West adage. The first one means that any individual irrespective of his background can come to America and work hard to build his or her future. All one needs is dreams, passion and lots of hard work and you can make your fortune. The other one means that any person who has lost everything and sees a dark future can just pack up his bags and head west. Over the years millions of people in the world and in the Western world in particular have believed in these myths of the journey.
Reality bites
The reality is a lot harsher and not so pleasant. There are a lot of jobs available in the USA as compared to other countries but so is the number of job seekers. There are myriad jobs available in USA at all levels but the most are at entry level. This is obvious because these jobs form the base of the job pyramid. There are many ways to find these jobs. All across the USA there are recruitment agencies that help one find entry level jobs. There are job fairs, job meets and job exhibitions that are held regularly which give information about jobs. Individual firms have their own recruitment division while there are general recruitment firms that will also give out information on entry level jobs.
With the IT infrastructure very strong in the USA, there is a lot of information available on the internet. People from anywhere in the world can log on to the internet and find information on jobs. Entry level jobs in USA tend to pay lower than similar jobs in other countries. This is because job mobility is very high and with the high availability of such jobs people hop jobs. So employers do not want to pay too highly especially since in the beginning employees are in the learning phase and do not have the required productivity. The good thing is that USA has stringent labor laws that protect entry level workers. They ensure a certain minimum quality of work environment for workers. If the standards are lower one can report the employer to the concerned authorities. Dignity of labor is respected in US much more than in many other countries. The average employer in the US would try to make the work environment amenable for workers.
The law is a friend
There are also many laws regarding wages in the US. For every kind of legal job there is a certain minimum amount of wages that have to be paid. Employers paying less than this would be liable for punishment. The matter can be reported to the authorities. Wages are to be paid in legal documents and the documents are verified and checked for irregularities. Workers also need to be compensated for any medical problems or injuries suffered during work. The US is trying to improve its work environment for entry level workers because it makes good business sense.
