Chances Over Senior Opportunities

Question

As I have mentioned in my previous questions, I'm working in a very well-known company as a Cloud/DevOps engineer with 7 months of experience. I believe that my career progresses greatly from technical and resume value point of views.

Indeed, I've some career goals. One of them is moving to the United States which I would love to spend my life in. My next goal is to be a reputable Software Engineer/Architect who gives speeches and contributes to the field. I started this by launching my own website. I'm realizing that I'm getting sidetracked.

Cutting to the chase, coming to my question:

I'm seeing some opportunities for the United States but ~90% of them require seniority. I know I don't have the experience for these jobs and I totally understand this, but is there any way to stand out and get a chance to have an interview with those companies? Do I have any chances applying to these offers directly?

Edit: For clarification, I have a B.Sc degree on Computer Science.

Possible duplicate of How can I overcome "years of experience" requirements when applying to positions? — David K, Dec 14 '18 at 16:58
You don't mean "seniority" but "experience". Seniority means you are "more senior" or "less senior" when compared to another colleague in the same company. Experience is more of an absolute measure. I.e. you have x years of experience (doing y). — Brandin, Dec 15 '18 at 10:25

Kilisi · Answer 1 · 2018-12-14T17:28:08.700

but is there any way to stand out and get a chance to have an interview with those companies? Do I have any chances applying to these offers directly?

Realistically you have little to no chance at this stage.

At the moment you stand out as an easy filter to the bottom of the pile. You need to gain experience, qualifications or both and being overseas both the experience and qualifications are not as valued as local ones unless they're international. Nothing to stop you applying though, it might give you a feel for how things work.

Like any long range plans you explore as many avenues as possible. Make contact with peer groups in the target country, work on fluency in the language, target your skillset studies and work to what you want to achieve. Don't lose focus and you'll get wherever you want to eventually.

The fastest way which is widely used by non nationals is to leverage connections in the target country for a first job just to get them there, everything is a lot easier when you are actually in the country. You don't even have to be in the target industry to begin with.

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Dec 14 '18 at 16:55

You do not need to fulfill all the requirements listed in a job posting. Job postings are wish lists. The usual rule of thumb is that you should feel free to apply if you fulfill about 50% of the stated requirements.

One thing you need to make sure is that the company you apply to will sponsor an H-1B Visa which you will need in order to move to and work in the United States.

However, keep in mind that 7 month experience as a software developer are really not much. Work experience is usually measured in years. You didn't mention whether you have any academic qualifications, but if you have them you should focus on those when you apply.

score 1 · Answer 3 · answered Dec 14 '18 at 16:57

You may already be well on your way as it seems you've consciously begun to market yourself beyond most job seekers. This is not a sidetrack, it's a very effective strategy.

You next step would be getting involved in any local communities, user groups and such. They are often in constant search for speakers or presenters. Record the presentations, put them on your site. Anything to increase you online presence.

If you have any side-projects, put them in GitHub.

Anything you can do to increase your online presence. This doesn't necessarily convey 'seniority', it conveys 'experience'. Which is what 'seniority' often means in this context.

score 1 · Answer 4 · answered Dec 14 '18 at 17:10

You need to think of moving to the US as a multi-year project.

If you do not have at least a bachelor's degree, if not a master's, get more formal education. Later on, you are going to need to convince bureaucrats that you are well qualified.

There are two major work visa routes to the US. One is H-1B, already mentioned. The way I got to the US was L1. To go that route, you need to be working for a US employer, possibly indirectly through a local subsidiary, and either be an executive or have specialized knowledge. L-1B Intracompany Transferee Specialized Knowledge is the better match for your career goals. I suggest looking for a job with a company that does the type of work you like both locally and in the US.

Building the level of specialized knowledge that will both convince your employer that you will be useful enough in the US to justify the paperwork and also convince the US government may take several years, but you are at a very early stage in your career so you have time on your side.

Chances Over Senior Opportunities

4 Answers4