I decided to summarize my more than ten years of experience in finding a job in the US in the IT market. One way or another, the issue is quite topical and often discussed in the Russian diaspora.
To a person unprepared for the realities of competitive struggle in the US market, many of the considerations may seem rather exotic, but, nevertheless, it is better to know than to be in the dark.
Basic requirements
Before deciding to look for work in the US, it makes sense to familiarize yourself with the emigration requirements and the right to work in the US. It is also desirable to have a solid understanding of how a resume is compiled, to be a pro in your field and, as they say today in the youth environment, “fluent Albanian” aka English is a huge help in finding a job. In our particular case, we will leave the basic requirements outside the scope of discussion in this article.
Recruiters
The recruiter is the "front line" of any US job posting. The recruiter acts as the first contact from the employer's company.
You should distinguish between two types of recruiters - an internal company recruiter who is hired and works in the employer's company on a full-time basis. This is the best scenario if your ad posted on one of the sites in the US (for example ) are called by internal recruiters of companies. First of all, this suggests that the resume is written correctly and you are in the general technological trend that is currently in demand in the labor market.
The second type of recruiter is a recruiter from a recruiting company who makes money by reselling you to employer companies. In the current jargon, such companies are called "nipples." The main task when contacting the “pacifier” is to find out the existence of a real position and the existence of an exclusive agreement between the “pacifier” and the employer, the term is well-established in English - “primary vendor”.
For the sake of laughter, it is worth noting that many of our compatriots found themselves in a situation where, when they entered a new job, they found that they were working through two or three “nipples” with their new employer.
The Interview
Typically, an interview for a position in IT consists of several stages:
A call from a recruiter where, usually within 15-30 minutes, all the basic requirements for the position are clarified, both technical and payment, and, as I already mentioned, legal aspects with the right to work and, as mentioned above, the relationship between companies.
Technical interview by phone - pre-screen "prescreen". Usually lasts from 30 minutes to one hour. The purpose of the technical telephone interview is to find out whether the candidate's professional level is suitable for an open position in the company. Often the candidate is asked to write code during the interview so that it makes sense to see how it works in advance so as not to hesitate. I had to use Google Docs or collabedit.com for example.
Interview at the employer's company. Here you are usually expected to spend several hours getting to know the company itself, its product, the manager and the team in which you are supposed to work. In large companies, it is quite possible that interviews will be conducted by “specially trained” people with whom you will not have to work in the future.
Further, there may be various options. It is possible that you will be called back for an interview, or that for some reason the hiring team will reject you, but recommend you to another team as a good candidate.
Interview Format
Each interview usually follows the following format:
The introductory part begins with the introduction of the interviewees and a brief description of the position being discussed.
Candidate Questions. Here it is desirable to give a detailed answer to each question, unless otherwise stated, which can be short. It is welcome to state the question itself in your own words, ask leading questions and make sure that you correctly understand the essence of the question. It is highly discouraged in this section to ask yourself a question that is against the rules and format of the interview. You will be allowed time for your questions, as is usually expected.
Candidate Questions. Good manners assume that you are familiar with the company's product, so you should proceed when asking questions. Usually, questions are prepared in advance at home after studying the company's website and describing the position itself.
Your goals for each stage of the interview
At each stage of the interview, you must clearly understand what the sequence of your actions is.
I'll try to explain. In order of interview participants coming out of a conversation with a recruiter, you should clearly take out a few things:
- reward amount meets your expectations
- the recruiter has an exclusive contract to schedule you an interview with an employer
- if all the previous conditions suit you, get an appointment for an interview
At a technical telephone interview, you should understand how interesting the project is for you and, by the level of questions, understand what technologies are supposed to be used in the new workplace. It is also worth noting here that you can easily prepare for technical questions by reading reviews of interviews and technical questions on the Internet on sites such as Glassdoor, careercup and more.
At the main interview there, act according to the circumstances, the format may be different. In good manners, I would highly recommend asking for a list of interview participants with their positions and interview schedule. Sometimes, according to the cumulative factors of the list, it is enough to refuse further consideration of the position.
What to expect from technical questions on the example of a Java developer
Questions can be divided into three main blocks:
- Basic Java questions taken from Java certification books
- Technology and Framework Questions
- Algorithms
You also need to understand that often many interviewers try to put the candidate in an awkward position by conducting a kind of question pressure, finding out how the candidate behaves in conditions close to “combat”. This should be treated normally, you can laugh together ... in general, everyone can screw up.
Time to look for a new job
Based on practice, the situation is as follows:
The first week is spent on phone interviews with recruiters and technical “prescreens”. It may well turn out two / three every day. As a result of these efforts, in the second week you may be called to the employer's office for an interview. If you continue like this and work full time looking for a new job, by the end of the third week you may well have three to five interviews with employers.
We need to make a reservation that we are talking about the "Silicon Valley" in California during the "hot" market in IT. It is difficult to talk about other states, since the hiring process there is somewhat slower than in the Valley.
Oops! - flooded!
Well, here is finally the first job offer (in the future we will use tracing paper from the English “offer”).
Rule number one - don't rush. Try to evaluate all the important points in the "offer" except that the job should be interesting and you will have the opportunity to learn new technologies, you should also evaluate the entire compensation package which usually includes:
- health insurance
- vacation (usually three weeks in the US in IT)
- bonus for signing the "offer"
- annual performance bonus
- pension contributions 401K plan
- stock options
Try to collect as much information about the company as possible using completely legal methods, from comments and reviews about the company on GlassDoor to the US Securities Commission .
The main thing at this stage, if you're lucky, is to wait for the second "offer". Then you have a unique opportunity to dictate your requirements to the hiring company. You can put forward your considerations on what conditions you will sign the "offer".
It is clear that you can put forward your conditions if you have one "offer", but alas, this is usually counterproductive and the company most often withdraws its "offer" if you refuse to sign it in its original form.
Conclusion
I would like to share another important consideration about the passage of a telephone interview. Feel free to use the second computer or the clues posted on the walls. It is quite logical to invite as many people as possible, if something useful, then the people will immediately write it down on the board - you just have to read it. Actually, you can start drinking beer even before the interview, try to get as many positive emotions as possible from the job search.
Good luck on your job hunt everyone!
Source: habr.com