US Citizen - Mention on Resume?

[horseshoe]

I'm currently a PhD student, and some friends who have interned/worked in quant roles told me that it is easier for US citizens to find jobs in industry since firms don't have to sponsor them. Furthermore, they noticed most of their managers were US citizens, as well.

In light of this, I am wondering if it would be in good taste to mention I am a US citizen on my resume? I don't want to risk sounding pompous ('merica), but I also want to stand out of the crowd in as many ways as possible, and from the observations it seems this happens to be a desirable trait. Any thoughts/experiences suggesting either way?

 

[IntoDarkness]

its true in general. but big corporate employers dont really care. they hire whoever is good.

 

[Gavin L]

You could put it under

"Nationality: American" or "Nationality: USA"

which would come off less " 'murica " than: "US Citizen"

 

[bigbadwolf]

It's perfectly in order for you to mention you're a US citizen and it does matter, makes you easier to employ.

 

[okmijn]

What about Canadian citizen?

 

[Yike Lu]

You could put it under

"Nationality: American" or "Nationality: USA"

which would come off less " 'murica " than: "US Citizen"

I donno, I'm of the opposite opinion. Nationality <=> Nationalism. Citizenship is a legal status.

 

[Gavin L]

Maybe it's an Australian thing... since citizenship is so sought after it's become somewhat of a taboo word and people are quite judgmental about it? Maybe in the US it's different.

 

[Ken Abbott]

While employers in the US are unable to ask about citizenship in the interview process, they are allowed to ask if a candidate has permission to work in the U.S. Many face visa constraints. I have always found that having citizenship / green card / visa status available very useful.

 

[Sonny D]

I find it more useful NOT to have citizenship in some cases. Look at places like CS. From what I am told, EVERY single quant there (maybe it was just fixed income) is an H1. All of the citizens quit because of the low pay and working conditions, but the H1's stayed because they were "getting" their green cards (how many years can they hold that over people). So it might be easier to get a job without citizenship at some places, but those places are probably poor places to work

 

[Gavin L]

I find it more useful NOT to have citizenship in some cases. Look at places like CS. From what I am told, EVERY single quant there (maybe it was just fixed income) is an H1. All of the citizens quit because of the low pay and working conditions, but the H1's stayed because they were "getting" their green cards (how many years can they hold that over people). So it might be easier to get a job without citizenship at some places, but those places are probably poor places to work

Would you want to be treated differently to a citizen, though?

 

[bigbadwolf]

Would you want to be treated differently to a citizen, though?

I don't think anyone would. Who wants to be an H1B indentured servant, with the Damocles' sword of job termination over his or her head while their Green Card is being processed? And that Green Card takes years as it winds its way through a Byzantine bureaucracy.

 

[ShowMeTheLight]

I find it more useful NOT to have citizenship in some cases. Look at places like CS.

What does CS stand for?

 

[Varun Dubey]

What does CS stand for?

Credit Suisse

 

[Gavin L]

I don't think anyone would. Who wants to be an H1B indentured servant, with the Damocles' sword of job termination over his or her head while their Green Card is being processed? And that Green Card takes years as it winds its way through a Byzantine bureaucracy.

Well, that's the point.

 

[TraderJoe]

All of the citizens quit because of the low pay and working conditions, but the H1's stayed because they were "getting" their green cards (how many years can they hold that over people).

The waiting period depends on the country of origin. For people from European countries, they would normally get the Green Card within 2 - 3 years after the I-140 was approved. For people from India, the waiting period is currently 12 - 15 years after their I-140 gets approved (and it is getting longer and longer every year).

 

[ShowMeTheLight]

It seems that if your entire educational and work history is in the USA, and you have an "American sounding" name, you probably don't need to state citizenship.

If I look at a resume and see somebody names "Joseph Biachi" who went to undergrad, graduate school and worked for several years in the US, I'm probably going to assume he is either a citizen or can be legally employed here.

However, if your name is "Mustafa Bin Laden" or "Xing Bing Zing", and you did your undergrad in Europe, I'd probably assume you are not a US citizen (even if that is false). So in that case, you may want to put it on your resume.

 

[Daniel Duffy]

Joseph Biachi

Ah, Irish boy