
Ask HN: How to get a job without even getting an interview? - enesunal
I&#x27;m constantly working on my CV and trying my best to write cover letters. 
I know I have ability to impress most interviewers with my own way of thinking, 
my technical skills, and 5-years professional experience.<p>The only problem right now is that I can&#x27;t even get an interview. I&#x27;m pretty
sure this is just about me being a Turkish Citizen. I&#x27;ve tried to apply with a 
reference, by online tests, etc. I currently have 130+ applied jobs in my list 
and only got 2 interviews after which they found excuses about not to offer 
because it&#x27;s hard to deal with visa issues I guess..<p>How can I get over it, what are the ways to get an interview for a job with
visa support?
======
bsvalley
I guess you’re applying for jobs in the US? If so, they can’t sponsor you...
it is that simple. Applications for a working visa in tech were sent on April
1st this year. Because of a limited number of visa allocated every year,
candidates got selected via a lottery mechanism. So this year, US tech
companies can’t hire you. It’s not about your skills, CV, etc. No more visa
available for 2018. They have to go with local candidates only until next
year.

You’ll become eligible early next year. Make sure to apply a few months prior
to April 1st. That’s how you’ll increase your odds.

~~~
enesunal
Thanks for explanations about visa for US. I also tried European and Canadian
companies, however there was no chance. I will try to apply for US companies
on January to increase the odds.

~~~
slededit
Canadian companies are very insular and don't compete globally for talent.
While some companies do recruit abroad its the rare exception.

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jakobegger
A lot of companies here in Austria will hire people from abroad. We just don't
have enough programmers, and if you have a computer science degree it is very
easy to get a visa, no matter where you are from.

That being said, companies might get a lot of applications from abroad. When I
advertised a programming job in Austria on Stack Overflow, I got more
applications from Egypt, India, etc than from local candidates. So you need to
be good. You need to be better than all the other good people from abroad that
apply for the job. Getting a Visa isn't difficult, but it still takes a few
weeks or months, so companies only do it for really good candidates.

You say you have the ability to impress people -- how do you know that? Most
junior developers I've met overestimate their own abilities, and don't
understand when companies looking for senior candidates don't hire them.

Also: make sure that your applications are relevant and on point. Some people
copy paste application letters and send almost identical applications to
dozens of companies. When I get a low effort application like that, I just
throw it out. If the candidate can't bother to explain in a few sentences why
their experience is a fit for this position, they aren't worth my time.

Make sure to focus on relevant experience. If I'm looking for someone to build
an online shop, I probably don't care about your robotics project in
undergrad.

Finally, consider looking for smaller companies. Big, popular companies in
major cities receive a lot of applications. Small companies in smaller cities
don't get any applications at all and pay recruiters 15000€ per hire because
noone replies to their ads.

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tmaly
In my company, only certain positions can get sponsorship for a work visa.

Aside from a CV, I like to pay attention to a persons github account if they
list one. Seeing their style of code, testing, naming, and documentation says
a lot about them as a programmer

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zhte415
I wrote a bunch about myself, then deleted it coz this is about you.

Get your foot in the door. It is extremely hard at the start. But it can
happen. Take a challenge and don't be a reckless self-promoted, but let others
know your achievements. That should put wind in your sails now you're on the
sea.

Don't have a fixed target. Another poster mentioned Singapore, which is an
excellent launching-ground for a lot of people from multiple nationalities.
Include Australia, even KL, Asia is full of English speaking places.

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phakding
How much experience do you have? Or are you fresh out of college? In the later
case it takes a while if you need a visa.

It is also possible that your resume is unreadable, or does not convey right
information easily. You might need to have someone look at yours.

I am willing to help you. I have been on my seventh job and it took me
frustratingly long time to find my first job. It hasnt been hard since then.

~~~
enesunal
Hey @phakding, thank you for your support! Could you please reach me by email?
Just add @outlook.com to my username.

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gruntled_enginr
Besides EU, Canadian and US companies you might want to consider Singapore and
Hong Kong. Especially in Singapore, people speak English well and both have (
to the best of my knowledge ) reasonable employment visa policies,
specifically to draw outside talent.

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cimmanom
Try finding a few good recruiters. (They're not all evil!) They'll be able to
put your resume in front of employers who are open to visa sponsorship.

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ApolloRising
Try amazon they deal with h1b all the time

