In this earthmate talk, randy is talking to andy about changing jobs in the silicon valley.
- Randy: Hello Andy, how are you doing?
- Andy: : Great! Thanks.
- R: So what do you do currently in Silicon Valley, Andy?
- A: I'm a software engineer. I write software.
- R: Why are you looking at changing jobs?
- A: Well, you know, in Silicon valley, most engineers change jobs every couple of years, so it's always good to look to find a new job in a new company, to develop your skills.
- R: so what are some of the parameters you would use to find a new job to help you move ahead?
- A: well, some of the things I look for are interesting challenges, increase in pay, but the things that really help you find that new job are, you know, your connections with people that you've worked with before, especially (under number one) Also just getting out and networking with people.
- R: so you mentioned connecting with people that you've worked with before and networking. How would you go about contacting people, and once you've done that, what it the process you normally follow to make sure that you would have a good chance of finding that job?
- A: Well, people in the Silicon Valley move jobs very frequently, and they always keep in contact with their old co-workers through email, or you know, they call them occasionally. So, the first thing, the best thing to do is just to send out some emails and, you know, just let people know that you're looking for new challenges and a new job, and let things go from there.
- R: So, once you do get a call from a company; say you made some inroads and you get a call – how would you prepare yourself for an interview, what would you expect to be asked, what kind of people would you expect to face in the course of an interview, and how would you prepare for that?
- A: Well, that really depends on what type of job you're going for, my strengths are in writing software, so I would expect very technical interview, people asking me very technical-based questions. But for any job, you really have to prepare for an interview, you know, for the company that you expect to talk with, so depending on what that job is, you have to prepare specifically for that job.
- R: What would you recommend to somebody who's new to silicon valley, who's trying to find a first job or switching jobs, but is not from this area, or particularly from a foreign country like Japan, what would your primarily recommendation be?
- A: Networking is very big. So, if nobody knows you're here, you're not gonna find that job. So you really need to get out there, and meet people, and be very outgoing – in meeting new people and finding these placements. There's lots of online websites that help – craigslist being one of the most popular ones in this area.
- R: Thanks a lot, Andy, for your time, and we wish you the best in your search.
- A: Thank you.