HN Explorer

Ask HN: Tips for a canadian getting a job down south

3 points by sirbetsalot ↗ HN
Hi American data scientists, after a failed startup (made it to series A) I wanted to get honest tips from my peers about applying for jobs down south. I have good experience (dwave, amazon) and education (Msc) and feel I can perform. It seems like the US only hires on referral and that submitting resumes are a waste of time. I have a good project portfolio. How do firms in the states go about hiring a data scientist? Is hiring a Canadian out of the question due to Visa concerns? How can I stand out against Stanford PhD's with my lowly MSc from UBC? Thanks my data brothers!

7 comments

[ 3.8 ms ] story [ 27.2 ms ] thread
gamechangr
I am not a data scientist and frankly think the term is used way too frequently to describe many different backgrounds, but that aside...Visa concerns are not a major obstacle.

Your network really matters. This cannot be emphasized enough. You can go with the standard answers like "go to Meetups". While you should do that for sure, you may have do something more radical. Consider visiting whichever city you would like to work at for 60 days and see what opens up. That's by far the fastest.

sirbetsalot
thanks for the reply, its really weird going from a board member in a startup to searching for meaningful work again. Maybe ill try to pack up and get down to the Bay Area and see who I can meet.
brudgers
One thing to keep in mind is that CV formats common in other countries, such as attaching photographs or explicit statements of age, marital status, etc. may lead to immediate exclusion as a candidate due to EEOC liability. This more common in corporate environments, but might also stand out as a bit of an oddity in smaller companies.

Good luck.

auxym
For what it's worth, photos, age and marital status are also a no-no in Canada.
victorhn
> Is hiring a Canadian out of the question due to Visa concerns?

You have it easier, same as Mexicans, you can apply to a TN1 visa and is relativately straightforward to get it.

fredophile
I'm a Canadian working in the US. Getting a job in the US is pretty straightforward. Find some companies that are hiring for your area of expertise and apply. Have you looked through the most recent who is hiring post? Your best bet initially will be bigger companies that can afford the expense of flying you in for an interview. Visas shouldn't be an issue even for very small companies since a TN visa is pretty cheap and the process to get it is simple and quick.
sirbetsalot
cool what about competing with Harvard and Stanford Grads. I have never been to the Bay area but I really want to work down there. It seems like all data scientist postings that are serious want PhD's from the Ivy league so I figured my Resume would just print out into a printer chute directly into a shredder lol. Any insight on how to stand out in the Bay Area?