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Ask Slashdot: Why So Hard Landing Interviews In Seattle Versus SoCal?
An anonymous reader writes "I have been trying to make the move to the Seattle, WA area. I liked the weather, the nature, the scenery and the tech environment. However, for whatever reason it seems like interviews are hard to come by. As a MS Stack software developer in LA, I barely had to do anything and recruiters always come knocking, either via LinkedIn or from past connections. Not to mention in general I got phone interviews for easily .8 of the positions I applied for. I wanted to finally make the move and fulfill a live long dream to live in Seattle. So I have been applying for positions in the greater Seattle, WA (King County) area. So far the ratio of positions applied to phone interviews is a dismal .1. Which is terrible considering the economy was much worse when I was actively looking for job in LA. Something isn't right because I am still getting offers for interviews here in SoCal, but not much from where I really wanted to be. What could I be doing wrong? Why such a contrast? Is the IT market in Seattle in poor shape? Or may be I just lack the proper connections in a new area? Am I just being screened out immediately for not being local? Or is it the prevalence of bigger corporations vs. smaller startups? And frankly as nice as the city is I can't move unless there's a healthy IT market to thrive by. I hope someone can point me in the right direction."
You seriously like the weather up here? Have you been here anytime other than July - September?
I know a LOT of people that moved here after visiting in the summer... they don't realize what the weather is like most of the time.
#DeleteChrome
MS Stack software developer
I am just taking a stab in the dark here as I don't really know, but maybe there are a lot of "MS Stack software" developers in the home of MS. If they got a ton of them already in town why import more?
I'm guessing using decimal notation is throwing them. Check your resume and make sure it doesn't say that you give an effort ratio of 1.2
We're all full-up on Californians. Stop applying here, stop moving here, and for the love of god, stop building Mexican-villa style buildings everywhere you go. It looks terrible next to an evergreen tree.
There is, in the city of Seattle, a certain company with a legendary history in the world of computing. It has been known as... The Microsoft.
Considering the turnover rate for Microsoft employment, Windows stack developers are probably as common there as waitresses with SAG cards are in LA.
Your problem is that your skills are a rare commodity in LA but common as dirt in Seattle
It's hard to imagine that a tech company would screen candidates based on area codes these days. I've been living in Seattle for over five years and still have a 415 (San Francisco) area code. I think people tend not to change their phone numbers when moving anymore.
That being said, I'm graduating soon with a PhD in bioinformatics, have an MS in computer science, and I'm not getting any interviews with large tech companies in the area. Maybe I do need a local phone number...
This! The technical part of most of the companies I've worked for in Seattle were run by Indians that would only hire Indians if they are able to. My last name is Lee so it sounds like it could be Asian even though it is British. I changed my resume to just my initials to hide my common American first and middle name, and I got many more phone interviews. What really helps in the phone screen is to add in a few archaic phrases like maths, do the needful, passing out (graduating), discuss about (can we discuss about the job?), years back (that project was two years back rather than two years ago), or say "do one thing" then mention several things. That will land you an interview in the Seattle area.
But seriously, the five of the last seven start-ups I worked for in Seattle required sixty or more hours per week. Most of them refused to hire white employees because so many refused to work past 7pm or every weekend. That's why it's so hard to even get a phone interview in Seattle if you have an American name.
If you are currently employed, you find a job before you move. Anything else just shows idiocy.
That's how I like it. The sun just causes cancer and makes you wrinkle. That said,
Three guys are camping, one from Washington, one from Kentucky, and one from California. They're sitting around chatting when the guy from Kentucky pulls out a bottle of whiskey, takes a big swig, corks it, throws it in the air, whips out a pistol, and shoots the bottle before it hits the ground.
He then turns to his slightly shocked companions and says "no worries -- we got lots of good whiskey where I'm from."
The Californian then does the same thing with a bottle of wine -- takes a swig of wine, corks the bottle, tosses it, and shoots it before it hits the ground, remarking "no worries -- where I'm from, we've got lots of good wine."
The guy from Washington pulls out a bottle of Hales, pops the top, drinks it all, carefully sets the bottle down so it doesn't break, and shoots the Californian dead. The guy from Kentucky is shocked, but the Washingtonian says "no worries, where I'm from we have lots of Californians, but I really do need to recycle this bottle."
What changed under Obama? Nothing Good