Getting fed up of these recruiters.... (Seattle: contractor, salary, deal)

[lostsoul2015]

agaace: I am indeed a professional senior software developer
I also once thought that because I worked for Microsoft as an FTE and a vendor (and have strong contacts).... I would always get calls and interviews and positions and I did... until around 3-4 years ago when the UK market pretty much slumped because of (seriously) uneducated recruiters who don't even know who Microsoft is or what they do. Seriously. The status no longer matter to them even though I have a strong reputation and not a one hit wonder either.

here in the US (where I now reside... just moved to Seattle), I have been trying for 2 years and nothing. Not even a single interview. I keep being promised a "screening"... and it never happens then I hear a few weeks later "the position was put on hold" - again, from different indian agencies but these agencies seem to have more roles at Microsoft, which is weird.

Totally fine (and prefer) being a vendor to any company, even Microsoft. if an FTE role comes up - sign me up. I am also considering doing a restructure of my company so I can apply for the L1 and get a GC and see if that helps these people actually do a proper job.

Sorry, I'm just really frustrated. I have had an awful 1.5 years on personal issues (traumas) and now finally made it here... and losing money than it being stale.

Please do message me if you have anymore suggestions, recommendations or contacts whom I can forward on my Resume.

[agaace]

Half of those Indian agencies are frauds and they're the reason H1-B visas have such bad reputation.
Just hit up recruiters directly. Big companies hire their own in-house recruiters, no need to go through 3rd party agencies.

[lostsoul2015]

Agreed. It's just finding these companies (small-enterprise) and applying.
What recruiters do you recommend?

[CrazyDonkey]

The issue is, it seems to me, that high-tech companies, especially, can turn on, like a spigot, the supply of "technical labor" through the H1B pipeline from lower-cost economies (India, Pakistan, et al).

Why would they jump through hoops to contractually avail themselves of your expertise/experience at what can only be a higher cost (since you're already living here)?

You'd be better off, it seems to me, trying to offer your high-tech skills/services/expertise to non-tech companies in meeting/overcoming what are current/future technological/business challenges. Whether your visa would even allow that, I don't know.

[lostsoul2015]

CD - good point. Actually it wouldn't be a high cost to them since I am here (nor to many thousands of vendors/contractors) as it would be competitive and much less expense than applying for, and waiting, the H1B approach.

I'm also trying non-tech companies but it seems difficult to find such companies and to find leads.

[CrazyDonkey]

Originally Posted by lostsoul2015

CD - good point. Actually it wouldn't be a high cost to them since I am here (nor to many thousands of vendors/contractors) as it would be competitive and much less expense than applying for, and waiting, the H1B approach.

I'm also trying non-tech companies but it seems difficult to find such companies and to find leads.

The point is that H1B workers are willing to accept a lower-wage, shack up four to an apartment, etc., so they can send "strong" dollars back to their families in "weak" currency countries. If it actually cost employers more, they wouldn't be doing it. Also, a good part of H1B visa holders are already here, looking to transfer from one company, where their assignment is ending, to another.

Maybe what you need to do is find companies that contract their consulting/expertise/services to companies that don't have it in-house, to see if they'd be interested in subcontracting yours. A financial management/consulting firm (Moss Adams, for instance), might be interested in subcontracting your technical expertise to their clients, through consulting, seminars, etc. There are lots of nexuses between financial and technical services - converting legacy LAN/WAN-based business systems to Cloud-based services using off-the-shelf or customized products, for example.

[lostsoul2015]

That's what I'm trying to do - good observation
its just now finding them...

[lostsoul2015]

OK I'm totally done with the Indian recruiters. Had another one today. jeez.

What non indian recruiters exist? Anyone know?

[agaace]

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

The point is that H1B workers are willing to accept a lower-wage.

Sigh. Yet another stereotype. The point of H1B is that there are federal anti-fraud rules around it and the company needs to prove they are paying an H1B worker the same salary as a citizen. In fact, if anything, there is a minimum salary allowed (I think last time I applied, before I got my green card, the company had to provide at least $90k salary to even consider sponsorship). Plus the cost to the company is somewhere around $15k per H1B application. Not to mention it's a process that lasts several months, so they cannot fill in jobs they need RIGHT NOW with H1B workers, they need to plan months to a year ahead of time (not the case of most high tech companies, especially small ones). Plus a company can only fill up something like 30% (if I remember correctly) of their entire workforce with H1Bs, the remaining 70% workforce reserved for citizens. Plus they need to prove to USCIS and DOL that they attempted to hire a citizen in your place and they couldn't find any. Plus if they want to keep you for longer than 5 years (coz you know, they invested in you, trained you and are happy with you), then they need to shell out another $15k and wait another year to sponsor your green card, otherwise they lose you. So yea, this much for "cheap H1B labor".

Are there frauds? Sure, plenty. That's what those Indian agencies specialize in. But they don't last long. USCIS goes after them, slaps gigantic fines in their face, shuts them down.. Corps like Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Facebook etc play by the rules because the consequences of immigration fraud are WAY too severe to be worth the risk, and they're constantly audited by USCIS. Controlling legal immigration is a serious business here in the US, and USCIS is a bit "nazi police" about all the processes to be followed.

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

If it actually cost employers more, they wouldn't be doing it.

Wrong. US companies would LOVE to hire citizens instead of immigrants, if they only could FIND enough of them to fill in all their needs. My small company hired me after searching for a candidate for 3-4 months, and were hesitant to sponsor my visa (cost and wait time!) but just couldn't find anyone as qualified, so they gave in and sponsored me. Software development industry has thousands of jobs open, they'll welcome you with open arms if you only qualify and meet the expectations - the bar for the high salaried jobs is pretty high but nothing impossible. It's an employee's market, not employer's.

At the same time US colleges do not necessarily provide high level of STEM education - my poor socialistic developing home country ranks in the top 10 or top 15 in college education worldwide in STEM, while expensive fancy US colleges rank somewhere around 40th or 50th place worldwide. But in my country, 20 years ago, computer science was the hottest thing ever (despite most people being too poor to even have a computer at home) and when I applied for college there were 26 students for each spot. Less than half made it through the first year of math (they deliberately make math hardcore enough to naturally select the best of the best students, in my differential equations class I was one of only 5 students to pass the final exam.. out of 46 students). While USA is waking up in 2017 saying "hey, we need to somehow gently encourage our kids to like math and go study computer science, buy them robots and teach them to write games, make it somehow interesting for them, so they can, you know, quit bitching about all those immigrants stealing their jobs.". So there you go: not enough quality graduates => not enough quality workers => businesses reaching out to immigrants.

[Ruth4Truth]

@aagace We've had H1B workers posting here, after getting their job offer, and they tell us their salary. It is, indeed, below that of a starting salary for US techies. And it's not enough to support the family they're planning to bring over. Or it could be barely enough, if they live austerely until a few raises kick in. Industry wouldn't be hiring so many of them, if they weren't cheaper. Remember the Disney scandal? ALL their US techies were fired, and required to train a whole new crew of workers, all H1b.

The program was intended for industry to fill in with foreign workers where they couldn't find enough US talent. I have no problem with that. But the program is being abused, that's clear. And why would industry need to abuse the program if it weren't cost-saving?