Hiring Foreign Labor

I am an American citizen (born and raised here) and recently, I opened a business. I am running my office practically alone... I really need at least 5 employees, especially writers of scientific abstracts. My problem is, I can't seem to hire anyone. This baffles me because I know that a lot of my fellow Americans need jobs. I am not offering really high salaries (I am just starting out), but they're not minimum wage either. I am starting to think that my color (I am black) has something to do with this. Perhaps nobody wants to work for a start-up company owned by a black (I do hope I'm wrong). So, now... I am contemplating on hiring foreign labor. Before, I embark on this and hire the services of an "expensive" attorney, can anyone give me a few ideas? I will really appreciate it if you can give me a few pointers. Will I be allowed to hire foreigners even if my company is just 2 months old? Thanks for the help.

I am an American citizen (born and raised here) and recently, I opened a business. I am running my office practically alone... I really need at least 5 employees, especially writers of scientific abstracts. My problem is, I can't seem to hire anyone. This baffles me because I know that a lot of my fellow Americans need jobs. I am not offering really high salaries (I am just starting out), but they're not minimum wage either. I am starting to think that my color (I am black) has something to do with this. Perhaps nobody wants to work for a start-up company owned by a black (I do hope I'm wrong). So, now... I am contemplating on hiring foreign labor. Before, I embark on this and hire the services of an "expensive" attorney, can anyone give me a few ideas? I will really appreciate it if you can give me a few pointers. Will I be allowed to hire foreigners even if my company is just 2 months old? Thanks for the help.

James:

I would suggest you consult a personnel management firm and/or an employment agency, as well as your state's Division/Dept of Unemployment Services. All will attempt to match candidates to your qualification requirements. They may also recommend other routes to follow. Another good source would be to advertise in newspapers of other cities, even those some distance away from you. Unemployment is rising from coast to coast and you may find your employee(s) desperately looking for employment in another state.

Prior to the steady flow of illegal immigrants, contractors, say, from the southern and southwestern states, would advertise regularly for workers from the east and northeast who were laid off in the winter months. It was enormously helpful to both employer and employees, as the contractors got skilled, experienced workers, and the workers were able to work all year round.

In other words, do not be afraid to advertise elsewhere in addition to your immediate locale.

Hope this helps.

Dear James.

I am an Engineer and will be really happy to work for you, writing scientific abstracts.

You will need to get back to me via my email address, which is:

yigo99od2@yahoo.com

Thabks and bye!

Cab.

Hi, James. First, keep a record of all advertisements for your company for employment. That way if/when you hire immigrant/non-USC workers, you can show that you did try to employ USCs first. Yes, it's a tunnel-visioned stance, but that's the way the government has us employers running in circles. We aren't supposed to discriminate, but we should try to employ Americans and USCs first - unwritten rule. Second, and most important, make sure that you do a background check on anyone you hire. You can do criminal background checks for very little money (maybe for free, I don't know), and you can check their social security number for free. I highly recommend this. Nothing would be worse for you than to hire someone who is illegal, whether or not you knew it at the time! This can cause an unholy amount of problems for an employer. I wish you the best of luck with your new business.

Thank you guys! You gave me fresh ideas!!! Good luck on your endeavors too.

James,

Are you by any chance located in Washington, DC?
I know lots of people here who would be happy to work for you. Sarah.

Very simple, hire illegal aliens.

Run background checks and social security checks. Verify all information and references. Make sure GC is valid. All will be ok if you do. Hire all immigrants you want but don't take chances. If the papers seem wrong they probably are.

Keep us posted on how things go. We have non-citizens working for us who do great work. Protect yourself and make sure you hire only those people who are here legally. I know a lot of people will jump down my throat for that one, but you have to not only do what is right, but make sure you do not jeopardize your business and your own freedom when hiring anyone. Do what these folks suggested - verify SSNs, do background checks, and do it on everyone - criminals come from all countries, here as well - and not every non-American is here illegally, and you may miss out on a great employee if you don't verify the ID and just hire citizens! Best of luck to you.