Finding work in Amsterdam can be a challenge and at first the people and places in Amsterdam will seem unfamiliar, but making friends and finding a job through word-of-mouth is always an option. Thankfully, there are job recruitment agencies called uitzendbureaus, located all over the city. Many specialize in temporary positions and the chances of finding work quickly are good. Although learning to speak Dutch will definitely give you a leg up for finding a job in Amsterdam, there are agencies that recruit for people who do not speak the native language. Along with German and French, English is also very commonly spoken in most places in the city.
The Netherlands also has a national public employment service known as UWV WERKbedrijf that has offices located throughout the city offering advice and information to job seekers regardless of nationality. The UWV WERKbedrijf draws its job vacancy info from a network of partners and temporary employment agencies that can be accessed either online or in person at its branch offices. Several Dutch newspapers also publish English-language job advertisements, although the positions are usually high-level employment with international companies. Foreigners can access a variety of newspapers and other resources at the Openbare Bibliotheek (central library) and at the University of Amsterdam library, both are free of charge.
Although there are usually many job opportunities for Americans in the greater Amsterdam area, it can be a bit difficult to find them at first. If you can settle in for a while and give your job search some time to develop, good employment prospects will eventually come your way.