New to the US but not to software engineering- help advise my husband.
March 8, 2013 5:04 PM Subscribe
My husband just moved to the US and so is not so familiar with the local software engineering scene (actually, not so familiar with the scene at all as he hadn't even visited the US before this). I'm American and can guide him a little, but not too much because I'm not in software or a related industry.
He doesn't need employer assistance to get a visa, he can already work in the US indefinitely with no issues (through marriage to me and the immigration procedures we went through).
I have to help him get the best job possible for his profile.
So please advise on EVERYTHING- what's unique about this issue, I feel, is that he has really very good working experience (three years, for the last couple of years he was the principal developer for software developed for major international companies with branches in his country, great experience at a young age because there are very few software developers in his country and he is good) but no familiarity with the industry in the US in terms of getting a job (he does follow news on latest technologies and stuff)
He knows a bunch of languages and technologies but considers himself expert in C#, and will probably seek a job in Philadelphia.
His spoken English is probably 95% (expresses himself perfectly, but sometimes you need a bit of patience). Written English is fine for short e-mails but not for long research reports. He speaks a couple of foreign languages.
Please advise on anything and everything he might need to know, including but not limited to:
1) suggested resume template
2) e-mail address best to have (he just set one up with live.com, should he have something else?)
3) suggested cover letter template
4) do people really all wear jeans to interviews? I'm from a very formal industry, so that skews me the other direction, but I would think he should at least wear a casual blazer on top?
5) how much you think he should try to get as a salary? previous salary isn't so relevant as payscale in his country is much lower. He's from Southern Europe
6) definitely the best way to look for a job, including best web-sites to search as a software developer
7) any and all other advice
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP IN ADVANCE :)
He doesn't need employer assistance to get a visa, he can already work in the US indefinitely with no issues (through marriage to me and the immigration procedures we went through).
I have to help him get the best job possible for his profile.
So please advise on EVERYTHING- what's unique about this issue, I feel, is that he has really very good working experience (three years, for the last couple of years he was the principal developer for software developed for major international companies with branches in his country, great experience at a young age because there are very few software developers in his country and he is good) but no familiarity with the industry in the US in terms of getting a job (he does follow news on latest technologies and stuff)
He knows a bunch of languages and technologies but considers himself expert in C#, and will probably seek a job in Philadelphia.
His spoken English is probably 95% (expresses himself perfectly, but sometimes you need a bit of patience). Written English is fine for short e-mails but not for long research reports. He speaks a couple of foreign languages.
Please advise on anything and everything he might need to know, including but not limited to:
1) suggested resume template
2) e-mail address best to have (he just set one up with live.com, should he have something else?)
3) suggested cover letter template
4) do people really all wear jeans to interviews? I'm from a very formal industry, so that skews me the other direction, but I would think he should at least wear a casual blazer on top?
5) how much you think he should try to get as a salary? previous salary isn't so relevant as payscale in his country is much lower. He's from Southern Europe
6) definitely the best way to look for a job, including best web-sites to search as a software developer
7) any and all other advice
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP IN ADVANCE :)
Does he have a LinkedIn profile? I am told that recruiters are almost to the point of only looking for prospects from LinkedIn now. That may be an exaggeration, but it is clearly important.
posted by thelonius at 5:20 PM on March 8, 2013
posted by thelonius at 5:20 PM on March 8, 2013
Also, the Manager Tools interviewing series may be a good investment. It covers all the details of effectively interviewing in the US. It's $150 which seems like a lot, but if you earn $1000 more a year because of it, that's a huge ROI in one year.
posted by bfranklin at 5:21 PM on March 8, 2013
posted by bfranklin at 5:21 PM on March 8, 2013
What you wear to a software developer interview is more dependent on the company you're interviewing at than the location. If you're interviewing at Google, for example, jeans are totally normal and fine, even in NYC. If you're interviewing at a bank, the standards are pretty different. The best thing to do is ask the recruiter you're working with for advice on this. They have no incentive to mislead you.
posted by primethyme at 6:18 PM on March 8, 2013
posted by primethyme at 6:18 PM on March 8, 2013
Best answer: I'm a software engineer and I'm the person who does the screening and recruiting for my company. I've also done mock interviewing and resume critiques for plenty of people through the local universities. I interviewed seven people today, and I've read probably 300 resumes in the last month.
I could talk at length about this. You are welcome to contact me through my profile if you want more personal interview and resume advice.
Here is the quick stuff:
1) The most important thing about a resume is that it has about 20 seconds to communicate the its most relevant pieces of information. It should be organized and easy to scan with clear headings.
Any resume should fit on two pages or less. All the programming languages he knows should be listed separately in an easy to find spot.
Proofread like mad because some nerds are very picky about grammar and spelling mistakes.
Order can be like this:
- Name/Contact info
- Objective is optional, but handy for big resume collection events like job fairs
- Job Experience with job titles, dates, concrete tasks performed (preferably with numbers), and Management experience. If a programming language was used for something it should be listed so the reader can see how recently you've worked with it. Most recent job should be listed first and get the most details. *This is the most important piece of the resume*
- Side projects if they are relevant to the position
- Education (This goes near the bottom if you are experienced, and close to the top if you are fresh out of college)
- Publications can be good, but only pick a few
- List of programming languages, software packages, etc. *This is the second most important piece of the resume*
- Miscellaneous certifications
- Awards, etc.
2) Email doesn't really matter just as long as it's checked frequently. This is probably not the case for you, but it should also not be a student email address that will disappear in a few months.
4) Don't do the jeans thing. Khakis are fine and a suit is fine. Shops that get offended by suits tend to be places with "mandatory fun".
posted by Alison at 6:20 PM on March 8, 2013 [5 favorites]
I could talk at length about this. You are welcome to contact me through my profile if you want more personal interview and resume advice.
Here is the quick stuff:
1) The most important thing about a resume is that it has about 20 seconds to communicate the its most relevant pieces of information. It should be organized and easy to scan with clear headings.
Any resume should fit on two pages or less. All the programming languages he knows should be listed separately in an easy to find spot.
Proofread like mad because some nerds are very picky about grammar and spelling mistakes.
Order can be like this:
- Name/Contact info
- Objective is optional, but handy for big resume collection events like job fairs
- Job Experience with job titles, dates, concrete tasks performed (preferably with numbers), and Management experience. If a programming language was used for something it should be listed so the reader can see how recently you've worked with it. Most recent job should be listed first and get the most details. *This is the most important piece of the resume*
- Side projects if they are relevant to the position
- Education (This goes near the bottom if you are experienced, and close to the top if you are fresh out of college)
- Publications can be good, but only pick a few
- List of programming languages, software packages, etc. *This is the second most important piece of the resume*
- Miscellaneous certifications
- Awards, etc.
2) Email doesn't really matter just as long as it's checked frequently. This is probably not the case for you, but it should also not be a student email address that will disappear in a few months.
4) Don't do the jeans thing. Khakis are fine and a suit is fine. Shops that get offended by suits tend to be places with "mandatory fun".
posted by Alison at 6:20 PM on March 8, 2013 [5 favorites]
Shops that get offended by suits tend to be places with "mandatory fun".
Obviously no smart company is "offended by suits" or reject a good candidate because of what they wore (within reason). But having worked in some of the biggest name tech companies in the world, and having interviewed and hired a ton of people (though maybe not as many as you), I can tell you that there are a LOT of people who do interviews at those companies who will immediately think "not a good culture fit" if someone comes in wearing a suit. Call it "mandatory fun" if you wish, but if you exclude companies where that might happen, you're cutting out the likes of Twitter, Facebook, Google, Dropbox, etc. I'm not endorsing it, or even saying I've seen people rejected over it. But these places interview a lot of people and hire few -- you want every factor in your favor. And if one of your interviewers thinks, however unfairly, that you won't fit in because you wore a suit, you're not doing yourself any favors. This is why it's worth just asking the recruiter what's appropriate. You have nothing to lose by asking. It's really a mistake to make a generalization about this.
posted by primethyme at 6:29 PM on March 8, 2013 [4 favorites]
Obviously no smart company is "offended by suits" or reject a good candidate because of what they wore (within reason). But having worked in some of the biggest name tech companies in the world, and having interviewed and hired a ton of people (though maybe not as many as you), I can tell you that there are a LOT of people who do interviews at those companies who will immediately think "not a good culture fit" if someone comes in wearing a suit. Call it "mandatory fun" if you wish, but if you exclude companies where that might happen, you're cutting out the likes of Twitter, Facebook, Google, Dropbox, etc. I'm not endorsing it, or even saying I've seen people rejected over it. But these places interview a lot of people and hire few -- you want every factor in your favor. And if one of your interviewers thinks, however unfairly, that you won't fit in because you wore a suit, you're not doing yourself any favors. This is why it's worth just asking the recruiter what's appropriate. You have nothing to lose by asking. It's really a mistake to make a generalization about this.
posted by primethyme at 6:29 PM on March 8, 2013 [4 favorites]
What you wear to a software developer interview is more dependent on the company you're interviewing at than the location. [...] The best thing to do is ask
Very much this. On the other hand, my impression is it's mostly west coast, not east coast, tech companies that might think a suit indicates a lack of passion or inflexibility or whatever. But really, just email your contact and ask.
posted by hattifattener at 6:44 PM on March 8, 2013
Very much this. On the other hand, my impression is it's mostly west coast, not east coast, tech companies that might think a suit indicates a lack of passion or inflexibility or whatever. But really, just email your contact and ask.
posted by hattifattener at 6:44 PM on March 8, 2013
This is why it's worth just asking the recruiter what's appropriate. You have nothing to lose by asking. It's really a mistake to make a generalization about this.
I take back what I said above. This is good advice.
posted by Alison at 6:47 PM on March 8, 2013
I take back what I said above. This is good advice.
posted by Alison at 6:47 PM on March 8, 2013
Shops that get offended by suits tend to be places with "mandatory fun".
My office is a mostly sober place but we take points off for suits in interviews. It kinda makes you look like you're trying too hard. People generally wear business casual when interviewing. On the other hand, we're a bunch of *nix neck beards doing systems development; C# tends to be used more in big corporate places doing application development so a suit would probably be OK.
But again, the HR contact who's scheduling the interview can tell you what the dress code (or non-code) is for the office.
posted by octothorpe at 7:29 PM on March 8, 2013
My office is a mostly sober place but we take points off for suits in interviews. It kinda makes you look like you're trying too hard. People generally wear business casual when interviewing. On the other hand, we're a bunch of *nix neck beards doing systems development; C# tends to be used more in big corporate places doing application development so a suit would probably be OK.
But again, the HR contact who's scheduling the interview can tell you what the dress code (or non-code) is for the office.
posted by octothorpe at 7:29 PM on March 8, 2013
Response by poster: Thanks for all the advice so far. I think we've figured out what to do about dress code, so please if you give advice on the other points it would be much appreciated. Keep in mind that he's just learning how to do an American style CV and how to do an interview IN GENERAL in the US, so what might seem obvious to you in regards to the software engineering jobscape is not necessarily obvious to us. Any advice on going about this in general- maybe more web-sites to look for jobs on- would be fantastic.
posted by cacao at 7:40 PM on March 8, 2013
posted by cacao at 7:40 PM on March 8, 2013
Definitely get on LinkedIn, and he should try and get interviews at places he doesn't care about first for practice.
posted by jacalata at 9:20 PM on March 8, 2013
posted by jacalata at 9:20 PM on March 8, 2013
Google is not keen on C# so don't put that as top language on the resume if applying there.
posted by w0mbat at 9:11 AM on March 9, 2013
posted by w0mbat at 9:11 AM on March 9, 2013
Best answer: I work in software and have experience in the SF Bay Area and the DC area. As others have said, everything about the interview varies widely, based mostly on industry and company type (e.g., startup vs. Big Established Company). Here are my tips that should apply pretty much everywhere:
1) Make the resume easy to scan for skills. If you have a lot, maybe a table of them. Unless you're a fairly new graduate or have an advanced degree, put work experience before education.
2) That's probably fine. I doubt it matters much if at all.
3) If possible, research the company and mention something about it that excites you. Also, state why you are the right person for this job.
4) Dress varies widely, among both current employees and interviewees. If in doubt, I tend to err toward more formal rather than less, but as others have said, try to find out what's typical for the specific company.
5) Sorry, I don't have anything to add. I wish I were better at this, myself.
6) I would definitely sign up for LinkedIn. dice.com and monster.com may be useful, too. Local newspapers sometimes also have good job sites. Of course, the best way is with personal connections, but it sounds like that's going to be hard for the first job. People do get jobs through postings all the time, though, so I think the various websites are good to use.
I'd also recommend considering what kind of company you want to work for. Big? Small? Any specific industry? Software-oriented, or one that has a non-software focus (e.g., financial industry)? Would you take a limited-term contract or only regular salaried job? Since you're new to the country, maybe it would be good to prefer contracts for a while to figure out what you like?
Anyway, hope this helps. Good luck!
posted by at home in my head at 9:54 PM on March 10, 2013
1) Make the resume easy to scan for skills. If you have a lot, maybe a table of them. Unless you're a fairly new graduate or have an advanced degree, put work experience before education.
2) That's probably fine. I doubt it matters much if at all.
3) If possible, research the company and mention something about it that excites you. Also, state why you are the right person for this job.
4) Dress varies widely, among both current employees and interviewees. If in doubt, I tend to err toward more formal rather than less, but as others have said, try to find out what's typical for the specific company.
5) Sorry, I don't have anything to add. I wish I were better at this, myself.
6) I would definitely sign up for LinkedIn. dice.com and monster.com may be useful, too. Local newspapers sometimes also have good job sites. Of course, the best way is with personal connections, but it sounds like that's going to be hard for the first job. People do get jobs through postings all the time, though, so I think the various websites are good to use.
I'd also recommend considering what kind of company you want to work for. Big? Small? Any specific industry? Software-oriented, or one that has a non-software focus (e.g., financial industry)? Would you take a limited-term contract or only regular salaried job? Since you're new to the country, maybe it would be good to prefer contracts for a while to figure out what you like?
Anyway, hope this helps. Good luck!
posted by at home in my head at 9:54 PM on March 10, 2013
Response by poster: Thank you SO MUCH for all of your help, askmetafilter! He got several job offers and I'm very proud of him. :)
posted by cacao at 1:54 PM on May 1, 2013
posted by cacao at 1:54 PM on May 1, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
2) live is fine, especially for a .net programmer
3) Don't template. Look at the posting, write why you're a good fit. You need to tailor this to the skills they list.
4) I can't speak to software engineering in Philadelphia, but on the other side of the state you wear a suit to an interview. The east coast tends to be a bit more old money and conservative compared with the west one.
5) Glassdoor. Do your research and look at other job postings to determine a market rate.
6) Best way to get a job is always networking. Get involved with local meetups, especially ones focused at technical folks, and meet people that can put the resume on a hiring manager's desk.
7) Look at multinationals with his language background. This is a valuable asset. I know Siemens has a big presence out there.
posted by bfranklin at 5:18 PM on March 8, 2013