Is it better to have coding experience in the US or abroad?
Dear JobsBlog: I am a developer with 6 years of experience working outside of the US. American recruiters have been rejecting my application and I suspect that it is because of the international-nature of my coding experience. I thought that coding was not affected by place. Does the location of my coding experience really matter?
-International Dev
Dear International Dev: It is unlikely that they would pass on you based solely on the geography of where your coding experience is gained. That said, there are many factors at play when considering candidates with international experience – some of which, may inhibit our ability to consider you further.
Here are a few personal examples where I’ve rejected resumes with International experience. Perhaps one of these applies and will help shed some light?
The candidate requires a new visa, yet none are available. There really aren’t many options for overcoming this obstacle. No matter how strong a resume may be, there is a legal barrier here, which must be respected.
The candidate still lives abroad. This is a problem of time and money and – as painful as it might be to admit – it’s not about picking the absolute best candidate. Frankly, interviewing an international candidate takes longer and costs more money. For some positions, it might not make sense when a domestic and equally qualified candidate can be found faster.
The resume isn’t the best match for the role. The years of experience listed are just a number; other qualifications must also be considered, as well as the depth of that experience and the overall quality of the resume.
The important thing I’d want candidates to know here is that Resume Review is both a quantitative and comparative process. Recruiters are evaluating resumes based both on the requirements of the position and how that resume compares to the others in the stack.
The fine print/some critical reflection: with any generic question, it’s important to remember that each position is different in what it will and won’t consider. A personal frustration, which I’m sure many of our readers share, is that most job boards (and job descriptions) do not make it easy to search and filter positions based on the above type of criteria.
Our systems also do not currently provide automated updates to a candidate at the earliest stages of consideration. This is commonly perceived as the “Black hole effect,” and unfortunately, not going away soon. Just know that recruiters like myself are spending hours each week reading the resumes which are submitted to us, and there is *usually* a good reason if we aren’t moving forward.
-Kenji
6 Comments
Abinyui said:
Ok, we are coming to the US :D. To be frank, we cannot do without microsoft :P
Please create more jobs for the beginners
James Sutherland said:
I seem to recall a new MS office opened in Vancouver to help on the visa front, but haven't heard anything there recently - are there many openings there now? Are you able to get any visas at present for Redmond, or do you just get a burst of them each September when the next annual quota comes online?
I'm guessing the "W:WL EP:PM" at the bottom of the PM2 listing linked stands for "Windows:Windows Live / Engineering Platform:Program Manager"? Combining Windows and Windows Live seems odd from a technical perspective - they're both "Windows Division" now? At some point, a post about the structure and what mobility is like between projects might be nice. As would something about how searches work: does it help to apply for lots of specific jobs, or does having my resume in the system (assuming it still is?) mean it would show up when you search the database for those jobs anyway?
Mike Rice said:
Hi Sir,
I understand your point, but is there any way to apply to the right career which is sponsoring Visa? it because is a waste of time trying to apply to the positions if internally they are not available for foreign people. :) Any advice?
Regards
Mike.
Timothy K. Lawson said:
Since I do not have a web site that highlights my computerese-dom, I listed here above my Facebook Computer page instead. Holding a Computer Science degree, B. S., Otterbein University, 1988, in Computer Programming with business applications, I am also fully bilingual and proficiently speak, read & write in both English and Spanish. My customer service skills are superb being the natural people person that I am. Short of earning one or more Microsoft certifications, what if anything else might help me to qualify fully for employment with the "Greatest Company to Work for in America"? I actually live near Microsoft's facility on State Route 71 just north of Columbus, Ohio.
Kenji Yamaguchi said:
@James - We do have an office in Vancouver, though to the best of my knowledge few (if any) openings currently available there. Visa restrictions typically refer to "H-1B's," for which the application process for this year opens April 1st 2012. Those applications for new visas which are approved generally enable employment beginnging 10/2012.
You are correct in your interpretation of the codes on the bottom of a posting; They are intended as Easter Eggs for SEO & short-links rather than to serve an immediate purpose to the reader. Example: http://win8.ms/SkyDrivejobs. I'll chat with some of my peers about the potential for upcoming posts.
@Mike - Unfortunately, there is not a way to search based off of those criteria.
@Timothy - It's difficult for me to provide any specific guidance based on the information you've given me. There isn't a silver bullet to qualify for positions on the whole, as each is unique and has specific requirements which must be met. My advice would be to find the one closest to your skillset & interests - and then work to improve those areas which are not 100% until they are.
Abinyui said:
I guest Microsoft can decentralized most of task. Some of us are willing to
work full time with Microsoft even in the nock and cranny of the world.
Since it is difficult to obtain a US visa, maybe I will be very happy working
with Microsoft in Africa (in particular central Africa). :D. Great to know
that you can do this Microsoft :D.