Resumes play an important role in the PERM process. They are, in the first place, the source from which the legitimacy of the foreign national is based. Resumes are also, in the second place, the means through with domestic applicants are reviewed and denied by employers looking to hire a foreign national.
Let’s take each of these components in turn.
The Foreign National’s Application
In the first place, from the perspective of a foreign national, the most important component of the 9089 Form is a thorough and exact detail of their work and educational history. This is not like the average work history questionnaire that employers put on job application forms. It is more like an application to the most important work position in the applicant’s life. This resume, if written the right way, will forge a path for the foreign national into America. If written slightly differently, the DOL has grounds to reject. Much like the authority wielded by Department of Homeland Security Officers at the border, DOL officials can literally find any little unknown or confusing aspect to an application and use it as justification for rejection.
What A Resume Application Should Look Like
The foreign national needs to give as much information about their relevant work and educational history to the employer as possible. Work experience needs to include name of company, wages, length of stay, and a list of roles held in that position. The prevailing wage will be set by the employer, which the foreign national has little role in determining. When it comes to showing educational history, any sort of official documentation will solidify an application.
If these two areas are completed with as much detail as possible, then there is little else that can be done by the foreign national. They must put their trust in their prospective employer that they will get paid, at minimum, the prevailing wage.
What About Recruitment Resumes
A much more complicated situation arises with domestic resumes for a job listing. Job listing in local newspapers and internet job sites is the main requirement of PERM recruitment advertising. Once an employer receives resumes for a job they must scrutinize them and be as honest as possible before rejecting.
Employers must be careful, for instance, in how they word their job application. Take software development, for instance. What kinds of software or skills must a prospective employee be familiar with? Will they offer on-the-job training? Why or why not? These are just two of the questions that an employer must make clear in their job description because in many cases they will receive resumes from qualified Americans. These resumes might not include all the skills listed, but if it’s a close call then the DOL is bound to side with the domestic worker.
If the employer really wants to hire a specific foreign national they need to make the job description so specific that no one will be able to meet the requirements. Otherwise a number of excellent domestic resumes will emerge and the PERM application will be cancelled.
