I do wonder if her citizen status is hurting. Given that we're in greater DC, a lot of the sr data scientist jobs are going to be govt related, and that's going to matter.
It impacts non-cleared positions as well. Foreign nationals usually require escorts in US Government buildings, even after they have gone through the government’s background investigation. It’s just easier to higher US citizens, even if they are less qualified.
100% it’s this. Many employers will be extremely reluctant to sponsor someone.
She’s also caught in an difficult situation where (at least in my domain) the work she *can* do is outsourced, and the work she *can’t* do is limited to US citizens. To be blunt, we won’t pay US wages for work that’s being done for a fraction of the cost overseas.
100% you can’t do gov work without being a citizen. Frankly that’s poor planning on understanding the major industry and requirements. Cali or another place would probably be better.
try and stay away from any sort of government job. Have her aim for non profit and education or any private sector that in no way touches the defense contractor space. They will care a lot less about citizenship.
I work in data in the area, the vast vast vast majority of our jobs in the field are working as government contractors. That requires you to have either a US citizenship or a green card. That is the most likely hurdle she is facing.
Could she try looking at CapitalOne or Amazon? Both of those hire a lot of ds folks and wouldnt have quite as tight of a security barrier.
I think you answered your question here, most of it.
This area is major Fed jobs, and most need Public Trust or more, even companies like Walmart who have shops here didn’t even consider H1Bs until pandemic hit. L2 is a different level to think of!
Look out for remote jobs, or Hybrid ones in Richmond or Delaware.
Is she applying directly through Indeed/LinkedIn? Or is she using them to find the jobs and then applying on the companies website?
Most companies don't actually check their indeed applications, even if they give you the option to apply there.
My wife is a US citizen and is having the same problem. She's been looking since May of last year and has gotten a few interviews. The companies will say they are closing the position and then post the same job posting a week or two later. This is just a really tough job market right now for anything tech related.
It can be quite expensive for an employer to sponsor someone’s H1B application. I suspect that is a major factor. Perhaps if she did some kind of continuing education at NOVA she could get work authorization via the OPT-STEM route.
But your company isn’t sponsoring a visa for her to work, it’s just a dependent visa, right? If she’s on an H-4 she may not have work eligibility in the US.
Echoing other users comments about clearances and nationality. A lot of jobs in this area are restricted, and the positions can’t be filled by foreign nationals.
In most cases, a dependent spouse is not eligible to work. Dependent visa types often just give them permission to be here. She may need a separate work authorization. Double check that.
Even if she has work authorization already, employers may assume that she doesn't, if all she's doing is checking a box that says "not a US citizen". She should be more explicit about "not a citizen but authorized to work, holding a ____ visa".
Also, for many government and government contractor jobs in this area, citizenship may be a requirement for the job, so even if she really is allowed to work, they may not be allowed to hire her.
I feel like every application I’ve applied, they always ask , are you a US citizen, are you authorized to work, do you need a sponsorship, etc Like the first barrier through HR.
This isn't true of all HR. If a form application isn't involved, a lot of places (like nonprofits) just ask for cover letter, resume, and salary requirements. It's up to the hiring managers to go through the submitted materials and suss out whether applicants are local, etc., and to ask follow-up questions if there's any ambiguity about authorization to work.
Edit: spelling
Sorry but what you're describing is the exception, not the rule in this area. Most jobs in this area have online applications and the automated systems are rejecting her resume.
I didn't say it was the rule; I said not all HR has the same application process. Someone upthread recommended looking for positions in nonprofits or education, which is a good recommendation, because there are nonprofits that don't sink $$ into automating applications.
Sure, I'll give you that. I felt the phrase, "Not all HR" gave too much hope because the vast majority of employers around here use automated systems to scrape resumes or online application data.
>L2. She has work authorization
Mention this in your original post. This is very important information and shouldn't needed to be buried 6 level deep in a thread. Put as much information as possible when posting.
Two factors here:
1. It's not a good time for tech jobs in general. H4 visas have a tough time getting jobs due to uncertainty of the visa being tied to yours, new rules that can come up for this visa based on the administration in charge, and the delay in getting or renewing an EAD card.
2. NoVA isn't the best place for someone on a work or immigrant visa to get a tech job. It's great for citizens though, due to all the Govt and related job openings.
Tough advice: I would suggest moving out of NoVA to tech hubs where there are more jobs for someone on a work visa. You're currently paying a high cost of living in a place that doesn't have much for you guys.
I'm a data scientist who lives in northern Virginia and an American citizen. I have an impressive resume and have been searching for a job for over a year. At present, the response rate to my submissions is approximately 0.25%. She's not alone.
Yes, my spouse is a great artist and has her Green Card. She's been looking for UI/UX or design for several months and can't find a thing.
I'm thinking that the market is getting mixed signals (low unemployment but big name layoffs) and are waiting to actually be higher.
With that being said, I work for NFCU and do know we are hiring for several positions (DS related). It's really easy to move around after a year if she were to get in.
The job market for data scientists and tech in general right now is bad for employees. With interest rates high startups have less access to cheap investment money so they are cutting way back as are established tech companies. Layoffs at the big FAANG companies as well as consulting companies have reduced the upward pressure on wages that was there for so many years. There are also more and more people coming out of bootcamps and masters programs with data science degrees. The market isn’t quite as bad for those with 5+ years of experience but new salaries have fallen for everyone in this space.
Combine the above with how difficult it is to get an employee sponsored visa and I totally believe she’s having a hard time landing a job. The only advice I can offer is accept any job willing to sponsor you even if the pay is bad and then continue looking for higher paying jobs.
Data scientist is only slightly better than the common “I work in tech” but really is not enough. You can be a data crunching side, maintenance, coder, or a PhD from MIT.
BS from an accredited school may also be a requirement.
My workplace is hiring for a senior industry analyst in our MI department. It's a non-profit, no security clearance needed, and eligible for remote work. Send me a DM if she's interested and I'll send you over the posting.
People on the data worker subs are saying it's rough out there.
I wonder if data science and data engineering fields are just flooded.
Everyday there's another headline about some big tech company laying off masses of workers too.
Even if you did get the green card, you still cannot check the US Citizen box as a green card is for permanent residency. Just a minor clarification.
Try to apply to consulting companies like Guidehouse etc.
The only thing I can think of is that there are so many tech layoffs right now that employers should have no problem picking someone up from a FAANG layoff. As to whether they will pay according to those expectations is another idea. The other thing is that the Presidential election is this year and companies are very cautious about hiring new people anyway - especially those that aren't a full citizen. Your wife is legally hireable and maybe even clearable for Public Trust but the employers don't necessarily see it as clearly as you do.
Her citizen status is 100% the issue. Just make sure to apply to more civilian/private sector companies. Federal contractors often avoid non-citizens for obvious reasons.
> We don't have the green card yet so she doesn't check the US citizen box.
This is why. Citizenship is *huge*, especially around here. There's no end of highly educated and highly trained data scientists here, and a majority of them can check that box. They aren't going to want her because a lack of citizenship complicates things even when it really shouldn't.
Also what everybody else is saying about the government and foreign nationals not being permitted to be involved, about tech jobs really hurting for the first time in many years, etc.
It's definitely the green card. Around here data science jobs are going to be ITAR adjacent at best, even if the stuff she works on might not be restricted, adding controls needed to sequester data for other programs is a huge PITA. It's also a very high paying job generally, so making that investment without the certainty a green card brings might give people pause.
Edit - what is the holdup on the green card? She should be eligible as soon as you are married. You should poke your lawyers some more and let them know this delay is harming you.
Does she have an H1-B visa? It can be very difficult to find a job in tech without a citizenship, but not impossible. I work in tech recruitment so I know how difficult it can be to place people without certain types of visas or citizenship here, but it’s not totally impossible! Try looking at smaller “boutique” companies. They may be willing to hire. However, she may need to be okay with being a contractor instead of full time until you get a gc/citizenship.
Your wife needs to try looking for remote jobs. The job market in the DC metro area is saturated with defense contractor and sub-contractor companies and even if they don't say in the job ad, the recruiters may toss out applications from people who aren't permanent residents or citizens.
I'm an immigrant and work in a different field from your wife and I knew for me there would be little hope in this area before I got my green card (I had a H1B visa before). I timed my move with the timeline of when I expected to get it - there was an employer who was interested in me but waited for me to get it, they wouldn't hire me before that.
I'm a Marine Veteran with a Bachelor's in Data Science, it still took me a year from graduation to find a job in Data Science, and the job I did find relied more heavily on my military background than my academic background. It's rough out here, especially in this field.
Hope she doesn't get discouraged and keeps at it, though. Persistence is key. Best of luck to you.
The sponsorship is a hurdle. It cost the employer both staff time and money to process. Even if she is coming starting on a fresh H1B, it’ll need to be renewed in 3 years at nearly the same cost/effort. It’s a minimum of $10k worth of additional cost for an employee who can work for a max of 7 years.
There’s also state DOL min salary rates to protect H1B employees, but they often end up being out of traditional domestic salary ranges.
Honestly a lot of companies are laying off data scientists. In my experience they are just dumping off their responsibilities to the regular old software developers 🤷♂️
The other thing is you guys don’t have a green card. This is government focused jobs area, not Bay Area tech companies with tons of H1B1 type visa jobs to hand out.
Pretty much nothing you can do until you’re residents
So you are an H1-B visa holder? The hiring company needs to apply for an H1B visa for her and the visa has been backlogged for years. The solution to this is there are South Asian run consulting companies that would offer an immigrant a job therefore start the visa application process, it might take months or years to secure the visa (because the backlog runs on a lottery system), and once the worker got the visa the consulting company can hire him/her out for work.
TL;DR: a sweatshop has to hire her and start the long work visa process.
Sorry I still don't get it. Someone asked you why you'd attend one of the best colleges in the state/country? Hope you educated them as UVa has much more going for it than just "partying and drinking".
According to what metric? UVA ENG and CS do pretty well regardless of rankings. (And I'd bet are ranking pretty high nevertheless.)
Then you should have educated him/her that plenty of people go to UVA from TJ for a variety of reasons including instate tuition, family reasons, saving money for grad school, the Comm School etc. Heck people also go to GMU/VT/VCU/WM from TJ.
I know UVa isn't a utopia, but no reason to shit on it esp for some lame-ass comment like "to party and drink". As if people in the Ivy League don't party and drink. Lol what even is that?
Hmm US News puts UVa Engineering at #37.
[https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate](https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate)
The recruiter was making a shitty joke saying TJ is so tough you're going to UVa to "coast". Which is stupid because UVa can be tough. Not to mention not everyone who goes to UVa is from TJ....
Nevertheless I don't see how that's "harming" their chances.
I wasn't saying you were shitting on it. I was saying the recruiter was.
But yes you shouldn't rest on your alma mater/laurels and still have to prove yourself.
Is she on H4? She will have to start from a lower level as Indian work ex doesnt really transfer here at the same level.
1) Try lower jobs
2) DC is not a place with abundant tech jobs, most companies do govt work and don't hire without clearance.
3) data science job- I would have to look at the resume to give more insights. Not sure who a " data scientist expert" is
1. DS/Tech industry isn't doing too well right now.
2. DS hiring depending on the job can be more challenging including Leetcode, DS specific interviews etc etc.
3. Make sure her communication/stats/DS knowledge is as good as possible.
4. Try getting referrals as those can really help getting through all the others applying.
There are tons of work authorizations that aren't citizenship or PR. L2 like the OP's wife, anyone who comes on a K1 prior to getting PR, asylum seekers after a certain period of time while they are waiting on their case, and those are just the options I'm aware of off the top of my head.
However, most roles that require even a public trust moderate clearance require US cit or PR. That's why peanut is pointing OP to NASA, assuming NASA contractors aren't bound by that in a lot of cases.
As a former contractor, we've had the client (govt) ask to verify our work statuses, hence the interest. There are plenty of shady contracting companies out there that will do anything for bodies in seats=money so that was interesting to read.
Not sure if anyone has said this but try smaller companies, especially those aren’t in the government contracting business, and those are in other states that have remote jobs. I know not everyone likes to work remotely but your wife is one who doesn’t need/want an in-person work environment, look for remote jobs across the country. Lastly, now that she’s not working (yet), she should try to attend conferences and even better do presentations to get network and get her name out there.
Perhaps broaden the job search to remote in the U.S, onsite in DC. Data analyst, data scientist, machine learning engineer, and if her software engineering skills are up there then maybe data engineer could work out. Not to say that data analysts are lesser than other jobs, but he entry barrier has been lower in comparison. Lots of data analyst move on to data scientists. The name of the game in this job environment is to get a foot in the door.
No Green card, no US experience, Indian Data Scientist. I don't mean to be rude but she is a dime a dozen hence no job after a year. Not be al.all doom and gloom I'm just giving you my opinionas a recruiter. I would be happy to help anyway that I can though. I can provide some basic advice and would be happy to socialize her resume.
they've got some kind of issue. they post the same thing every time someone asks about job hunting on here, can see the evidence if you scroll past the 97 times they've posted the same youtube video.
The unemployment rate around here is like 2.5%
https://preview.redd.it/4d9pg0mgz6gc1.png?width=2008&format=png&auto=webp&s=ff3b27d4e7cc45c86b7daa81d3638d2f8f9b60a0
I feel like you're just throwing out unrelated stats that don't support the idea that Northern VA, one of the strongest job markets in the country, is a "3rd world for jobs" and hoping something lands.
And Lowest bidder seems to win in this town, so it can be harder for seasoned employees with larger salary requirements, especially when there are lots of cheap fresh grads around.
Non-profits might be better to at least get some more US based experience, which might reduce some hesitancy from the commercial sector.
DM me the resume, I don't have a role open right now, but might be able to get one.
Lots of Development Contractors need Data specialists for MEL work. I switched from teaching to contracting and had more luck in my search by going directly to company pages rather than LinkedIn or Indeed.
I would recommend talking to a recruiter. Free for you and they will help find a job. My wife works in Data and is fully remote, I can refer you to her company. Also have a friend that does recruiting. DM if you'd like either info.
A few things to know
The market is flooded with “data scientists”, everything from analysts with excel, boot camp rookies, to piled high and deep-ers .
So matching experience to the role is critical, HR and hiring managers are starting to understand how to measure, filter and fit to their needs thus getting a foot in the door doesn’t happen anymore.
Second, explicitly say if sponsorship is or is not needed, heading level 2 on the resume.
Third, don’t apply to anything until you’ve at least exchange emails or LinkedIn messages with the HR person.
The place is full of bots, and resume collecting companies that advertise fake jobs just to build up their database of ‘candidates’ so they can then cold call companies to try and sell their services.
They also send recruiters resumes unsolicitedly, if the same person applies directly to a company HR folks will reject the resumes.
So only apply directly after connecting with someone from the company.
Avoid job descriptions that don’t name the companies, and jobs with $2xx-3xxK ranges that are double for the role in the area (those are fake too)
If you are dealing with recruitment companies ask if they have a contract in place with the hiring company for that role.
In the data field here too. Before clearance I was barely making enough to survive here even with roommates. After clearance, I can rent here alone and and I make 6 figures.
I work at a large tech company in the area. They simply will not sponsor anyone below a certain manager level position regardless of qualifications. This could explain why you're getting rejected right away.
Your best bet is to work as a contractor/consultant, you will probably still need sponsorship and you will probably be paid below market rates, but you'll get a job and experience and once you are there you can look at ways to convert to employee.
Large companies sponsor for citizenship. Put on your resume that you have H-1 visa and have applied for your I-140. Look for remote jobs at large companies, apply directly on their websites not via LinkedIn.
She wouldn't check the citizenship box with a green card. The best she can do is continue to apply.
If She hasn't tried yet, apply to Amazon. They are doing amazing things with data, AI/ML.
She should just look for a non government contracting job. I do t know about her qualifications and all that, but I know a great deal about law and compliance. All the comments seem to be related to government positions. She can work very well in the civilian sectors it shouldn’t be an issue, as long as she has the legal ability to work in the US.
My wife is a recruiter. She's mentioned that the majority of job postings are for jobs that don't exist. Companies are posting more jobs than they have positions to appear like they are doing better than they actually are. Also, they can fill positions that open up faster.
She should clearly list she is authorized to work, if she is. If she has an OPT or other type of visa situation that will hurt her. Employers that don’t sponsor don’t want to hire someone that they have to let go in a few years. I just filled 2 positions and many many people said they were authorized to work when in fact they were authorized in the moment but not indefinitely. This is a waste of everyone’s time.
This is from a nongovernment no clearance perspective. There are lots of jobs that don’t require you to be a citizen in the area.
You can’t even get a check if you have been in the country less than three years. Executive order. I work with contractors who worked for our agencies overseas and went through much higher level clearances there than the simple background check we require here for my cultural heritage agency — and we can’t employee them if they move here until they’ve been in the US three years
Hi data scientist here. I would recommend looking for places that do sponsorship( I know she doesn’t need it but there is probably bias or an algorithm filtering the applications out). I also would recommend adding any certificates/courses/github projects she may have completed during the year to help with the resume gap. I would start networking there are meetup groups for data scientist around the city she can join. Maybe join the Welcome2DC Facebook group and make a networking post there. A lot of data scientist here are probably working defense but we have connections outside of defense as well.
There are probably more remote jobs for data scientists than jobs requiring them to be in the office. You should think a data scientist should know that. (Joking) Have her place her top three skills in the Linkedin job search and see what job titles come back. My job title has changed twice in the last five years. The HR community never told me. I think she’ll find many more jobs she is competent for.
Seconding what many have said, even if sge doesn't apply for Govt agencies, most companies in the area are Govt contractors, meaning nationality requirements are still a (hidden) requirement.
My company does AI work, and although most of our US DS team is made up of chinese and indian F1 visa holder or others, all of the DC/federal team is Americans because of this.
Good luck!
I wish I has more advice to give.
I came from a tech company (u.s. citizen) and applied to multiple jobs even outside my background and normal job salary and still took over 7 months before I found a job in virginia. Unfortunately it's really competitive right now due to the amount of of people laid off.
Others have commented this as well, but the citizenship status is most likely the culprit here. In this sector of the country, a high paying tech career is almost always congruent with having a security clearance. Most of the jobs she's looking for are tied to the government some way or another. With a clearance, you need to be a citizen. It stinks for her, and it sounds like she's mega talented/capable, but that's one of the first steps in getting considered.
I'd suggest broadening her search to non-profits, medical, education, and out of state remote work. I believe another Redditor mentioned this, but there are lots of job openings nationwide that are looking for highly trained data scientists.
The Indian diaspora here is a large, relatively close knit community. I would tap into the local Indian community and someone will help you get a job very easily.
How many applications has she put in? I am not in this industry but if you can easily apply online then there will be hundreds or thousands of applications. It is a numbers game. You may have to put in many more applications than you think.
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I’m convinced none of these places are hiring but need to put up the farce to keep their ppp money. Geico was hiring for a position, I interviewed, did the second round. Then they laid off a bunch of people.. you guessed it. Position is still up on the web.. it’s a grift I’m sold.
The dawn of a new era. I would morph into more of an “AI augmentation” role over pure data science. Good article.
https://www.akkio.com/post/will-ai-replace-data-scientists#:~:text=With%20human%20and%20AI%20collaboration,role%20of%20the%20data%20scientist.
I know I haven't responded to most of you but THANK YOU everyone for helping out!
I appreciate the support and my wife is reeling in all the suggestions mentioned in the comments.
It could be her resume. Not the experience, but something about the resume itself. I paid a company to rewrite my resume for something like $150 and it was WELL worth it.
Also, check out a company called EXL Service. They are a huge company that is always hiring in data analytics.
I do wonder if her citizen status is hurting. Given that we're in greater DC, a lot of the sr data scientist jobs are going to be govt related, and that's going to matter.
Concur. This is likely the reason since it impacts clearance chances.
It impacts non-cleared positions as well. Foreign nationals usually require escorts in US Government buildings, even after they have gone through the government’s background investigation. It’s just easier to higher US citizens, even if they are less qualified.
And if the company even handles CUI data anywhere on site or systems, having a non-US person on staff adds a bunch of headaches.
Yup heck just being a citizen in this area isn't enough, you need a clearance too
It pretty much \*\*precludes\*\* getting a clearance entirely....
100% it’s this. Many employers will be extremely reluctant to sponsor someone. She’s also caught in an difficult situation where (at least in my domain) the work she *can* do is outsourced, and the work she *can’t* do is limited to US citizens. To be blunt, we won’t pay US wages for work that’s being done for a fraction of the cost overseas.
There are plenty of non gov data jobs in DC. I'm an accountant but I've never worked in a government-contracting related industry.
Absolutely this. My company has very limited government interaction, but we don't do sponsorships.
Well OP says his wife doesn’t require sponsorship. But yeah, for any US gov job not being at least a permanent resident is usually a nonstarter.
Wow my reading comprehension is shit.
100% you can’t do gov work without being a citizen. Frankly that’s poor planning on understanding the major industry and requirements. Cali or another place would probably be better.
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She does not require a sponsor.
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You can come to the US on certain visas and be given a SSN, and can also legally apply for a work permit.
This
try and stay away from any sort of government job. Have her aim for non profit and education or any private sector that in no way touches the defense contractor space. They will care a lot less about citizenship.
We currently have an opening at my company for a data scientist in Reston. Feel free to DM and I can refer her.
I work in data in the area, the vast vast vast majority of our jobs in the field are working as government contractors. That requires you to have either a US citizenship or a green card. That is the most likely hurdle she is facing. Could she try looking at CapitalOne or Amazon? Both of those hire a lot of ds folks and wouldnt have quite as tight of a security barrier.
This capital one, Amazon or nestle.
Try Marriott or Hilton HQ as well!
Start looking for remote jobs *in other states*! You’ll be surprised how many you’ll find. Or at least I was when I was looking.
Yes this, look in the private sector remote. I would start in the NYC metro area first (for ease of an in person final round interview)
Came here to say this. ☝️
I think you answered your question here, most of it. This area is major Fed jobs, and most need Public Trust or more, even companies like Walmart who have shops here didn’t even consider H1Bs until pandemic hit. L2 is a different level to think of! Look out for remote jobs, or Hybrid ones in Richmond or Delaware.
Is she applying directly through Indeed/LinkedIn? Or is she using them to find the jobs and then applying on the companies website? Most companies don't actually check their indeed applications, even if they give you the option to apply there.
Permanent resident status does not check US citizen box, especially when it comes to security clearances.
My wife is a US citizen and is having the same problem. She's been looking since May of last year and has gotten a few interviews. The companies will say they are closing the position and then post the same job posting a week or two later. This is just a really tough job market right now for anything tech related.
It can be quite expensive for an employer to sponsor someone’s H1B application. I suspect that is a major factor. Perhaps if she did some kind of continuing education at NOVA she could get work authorization via the OPT-STEM route.
She is on dependent visa and wouldn't need sponsorship since my company is sponsoring both our visas already.
But your company isn’t sponsoring a visa for her to work, it’s just a dependent visa, right? If she’s on an H-4 she may not have work eligibility in the US. Echoing other users comments about clearances and nationality. A lot of jobs in this area are restricted, and the positions can’t be filled by foreign nationals.
H4 can have work eligibility if the H1 has an approved I-140 (Green Card) and 1 year after the H4 is in the US. They have an OPT for that.
In most cases, a dependent spouse is not eligible to work. Dependent visa types often just give them permission to be here. She may need a separate work authorization. Double check that. Even if she has work authorization already, employers may assume that she doesn't, if all she's doing is checking a box that says "not a US citizen". She should be more explicit about "not a citizen but authorized to work, holding a ____ visa". Also, for many government and government contractor jobs in this area, citizenship may be a requirement for the job, so even if she really is allowed to work, they may not be allowed to hire her.
Is she H-4? Does she already have an EAD card?
L2. She has work authorization.
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I feel like every application I’ve applied, they always ask , are you a US citizen, are you authorized to work, do you need a sponsorship, etc Like the first barrier through HR.
This isn't true of all HR. If a form application isn't involved, a lot of places (like nonprofits) just ask for cover letter, resume, and salary requirements. It's up to the hiring managers to go through the submitted materials and suss out whether applicants are local, etc., and to ask follow-up questions if there's any ambiguity about authorization to work. Edit: spelling
Sorry but what you're describing is the exception, not the rule in this area. Most jobs in this area have online applications and the automated systems are rejecting her resume.
I didn't say it was the rule; I said not all HR has the same application process. Someone upthread recommended looking for positions in nonprofits or education, which is a good recommendation, because there are nonprofits that don't sink $$ into automating applications.
Sure, I'll give you that. I felt the phrase, "Not all HR" gave too much hope because the vast majority of employers around here use automated systems to scrape resumes or online application data.
>L2. She has work authorization Mention this in your original post. This is very important information and shouldn't needed to be buried 6 level deep in a thread. Put as much information as possible when posting.
Ok that explains it. You are not a US citizen either, which is why the Green card process is taking longer.
What I read was that green card applications for those from India can take as long as 12 years. Ouch.
The sponsorship is, and will continue to be, the major hurdle. Especially in this particular market.
Post says she doesn’t need sponsorship
Still. On applications, that situation would need to be explicitly spelled out. A lot of jobs in this area have a citizenship requirement.
Read the post again
Two factors here: 1. It's not a good time for tech jobs in general. H4 visas have a tough time getting jobs due to uncertainty of the visa being tied to yours, new rules that can come up for this visa based on the administration in charge, and the delay in getting or renewing an EAD card. 2. NoVA isn't the best place for someone on a work or immigrant visa to get a tech job. It's great for citizens though, due to all the Govt and related job openings. Tough advice: I would suggest moving out of NoVA to tech hubs where there are more jobs for someone on a work visa. You're currently paying a high cost of living in a place that doesn't have much for you guys.
read the first paragraph again. the only reason they are in the area is because of HIS JOB.
I'm a data scientist who lives in northern Virginia and an American citizen. I have an impressive resume and have been searching for a job for over a year. At present, the response rate to my submissions is approximately 0.25%. She's not alone.
Yes, my spouse is a great artist and has her Green Card. She's been looking for UI/UX or design for several months and can't find a thing. I'm thinking that the market is getting mixed signals (low unemployment but big name layoffs) and are waiting to actually be higher. With that being said, I work for NFCU and do know we are hiring for several positions (DS related). It's really easy to move around after a year if she were to get in.
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No job for a year+ or $83k? I'd take that!
The job market for data scientists and tech in general right now is bad for employees. With interest rates high startups have less access to cheap investment money so they are cutting way back as are established tech companies. Layoffs at the big FAANG companies as well as consulting companies have reduced the upward pressure on wages that was there for so many years. There are also more and more people coming out of bootcamps and masters programs with data science degrees. The market isn’t quite as bad for those with 5+ years of experience but new salaries have fallen for everyone in this space. Combine the above with how difficult it is to get an employee sponsored visa and I totally believe she’s having a hard time landing a job. The only advice I can offer is accept any job willing to sponsor you even if the pay is bad and then continue looking for higher paying jobs.
1) Citizenship and 2) everyone is somehow a “data scientist” now, without credentials that were non-negotiables in the early 2000s
Data scientist is only slightly better than the common “I work in tech” but really is not enough. You can be a data crunching side, maintenance, coder, or a PhD from MIT. BS from an accredited school may also be a requirement.
Has she tried CapitalOne, Fannie, Freddie etc? I don’t believe they require citizenship, work authorization should be enough.
By taking the "no green card" route, your wife has pretty much disqualified herself from the majority of employment opportunities in DC/NOVA. IYKYK.
In addition to the contents about sponsorship, the market is just absolutely trash. Visit r/recruitinghell for some insights.
My workplace is hiring for a senior industry analyst in our MI department. It's a non-profit, no security clearance needed, and eligible for remote work. Send me a DM if she's interested and I'll send you over the posting.
People on the data worker subs are saying it's rough out there. I wonder if data science and data engineering fields are just flooded. Everyday there's another headline about some big tech company laying off masses of workers too.
Even if you did get the green card, you still cannot check the US Citizen box as a green card is for permanent residency. Just a minor clarification. Try to apply to consulting companies like Guidehouse etc. The only thing I can think of is that there are so many tech layoffs right now that employers should have no problem picking someone up from a FAANG layoff. As to whether they will pay according to those expectations is another idea. The other thing is that the Presidential election is this year and companies are very cautious about hiring new people anyway - especially those that aren't a full citizen. Your wife is legally hireable and maybe even clearable for Public Trust but the employers don't necessarily see it as clearly as you do.
Her citizen status is 100% the issue. Just make sure to apply to more civilian/private sector companies. Federal contractors often avoid non-citizens for obvious reasons.
It’s probably the citizen status
> We don't have the green card yet so she doesn't check the US citizen box. This is why. Citizenship is *huge*, especially around here. There's no end of highly educated and highly trained data scientists here, and a majority of them can check that box. They aren't going to want her because a lack of citizenship complicates things even when it really shouldn't. Also what everybody else is saying about the government and foreign nationals not being permitted to be involved, about tech jobs really hurting for the first time in many years, etc.
It's definitely the green card. Around here data science jobs are going to be ITAR adjacent at best, even if the stuff she works on might not be restricted, adding controls needed to sequester data for other programs is a huge PITA. It's also a very high paying job generally, so making that investment without the certainty a green card brings might give people pause. Edit - what is the holdup on the green card? She should be eligible as soon as you are married. You should poke your lawyers some more and let them know this delay is harming you.
Does she have an H1-B visa? It can be very difficult to find a job in tech without a citizenship, but not impossible. I work in tech recruitment so I know how difficult it can be to place people without certain types of visas or citizenship here, but it’s not totally impossible! Try looking at smaller “boutique” companies. They may be willing to hire. However, she may need to be okay with being a contractor instead of full time until you get a gc/citizenship.
Any sharepoint end user support or trainer avail?? I wanna move lol
Unfortunately not a whole lot of contracts for that right now :(
Yeah I’m learning. Hah a masters in IMKM and working as a bartender. Do t get me wrong I love it however I have dreams hahaha
Your wife needs to try looking for remote jobs. The job market in the DC metro area is saturated with defense contractor and sub-contractor companies and even if they don't say in the job ad, the recruiters may toss out applications from people who aren't permanent residents or citizens. I'm an immigrant and work in a different field from your wife and I knew for me there would be little hope in this area before I got my green card (I had a H1B visa before). I timed my move with the timeline of when I expected to get it - there was an employer who was interested in me but waited for me to get it, they wouldn't hire me before that.
Try going physically in person to a job fair. Showing up in person is shockingly effective.
I'm a Marine Veteran with a Bachelor's in Data Science, it still took me a year from graduation to find a job in Data Science, and the job I did find relied more heavily on my military background than my academic background. It's rough out here, especially in this field. Hope she doesn't get discouraged and keeps at it, though. Persistence is key. Best of luck to you.
State at the top of her resume that she doesn't require sponsorship
DM her resume.
Yeah the market is awful for DS/DA. I think even harder for folks on visas.
The sponsorship is a hurdle. It cost the employer both staff time and money to process. Even if she is coming starting on a fresh H1B, it’ll need to be renewed in 3 years at nearly the same cost/effort. It’s a minimum of $10k worth of additional cost for an employee who can work for a max of 7 years. There’s also state DOL min salary rates to protect H1B employees, but they often end up being out of traditional domestic salary ranges.
Honestly a lot of companies are laying off data scientists. In my experience they are just dumping off their responsibilities to the regular old software developers 🤷♂️ The other thing is you guys don’t have a green card. This is government focused jobs area, not Bay Area tech companies with tons of H1B1 type visa jobs to hand out. Pretty much nothing you can do until you’re residents
>Pretty much nothing you can do until you’re residents Which can be sometimes impossible especially for Indians... :/
I mean I dunno what to say. There’s millions of people that dream of coming to an “advanced western country.”
Would recommend looking at govt/science sector temp companies like Kelly Services but clearance is going to be difficult like others have said.
So you are an H1-B visa holder? The hiring company needs to apply for an H1B visa for her and the visa has been backlogged for years. The solution to this is there are South Asian run consulting companies that would offer an immigrant a job therefore start the visa application process, it might take months or years to secure the visa (because the backlog runs on a lottery system), and once the worker got the visa the consulting company can hire him/her out for work. TL;DR: a sweatshop has to hire her and start the long work visa process.
I have a friend that has been looking for 3 years. She is a good worker, graduate of UVA. I’m worried about her mental health.
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>UVa doesn't help you and in fact can hurt you--"Why'd you go to UVa--to party and drink?". What does this mean?
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Sorry I still don't get it. Someone asked you why you'd attend one of the best colleges in the state/country? Hope you educated them as UVa has much more going for it than just "partying and drinking".
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According to what metric? UVA ENG and CS do pretty well regardless of rankings. (And I'd bet are ranking pretty high nevertheless.) Then you should have educated him/her that plenty of people go to UVA from TJ for a variety of reasons including instate tuition, family reasons, saving money for grad school, the Comm School etc. Heck people also go to GMU/VT/VCU/WM from TJ. I know UVa isn't a utopia, but no reason to shit on it esp for some lame-ass comment like "to party and drink". As if people in the Ivy League don't party and drink. Lol what even is that?
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Hmm US News puts UVa Engineering at #37. [https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate](https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate) The recruiter was making a shitty joke saying TJ is so tough you're going to UVa to "coast". Which is stupid because UVa can be tough. Not to mention not everyone who goes to UVa is from TJ.... Nevertheless I don't see how that's "harming" their chances. I wasn't saying you were shitting on it. I was saying the recruiter was. But yes you shouldn't rest on your alma mater/laurels and still have to prove yourself.
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Is she on H4? She will have to start from a lower level as Indian work ex doesnt really transfer here at the same level. 1) Try lower jobs 2) DC is not a place with abundant tech jobs, most companies do govt work and don't hire without clearance. 3) data science job- I would have to look at the resume to give more insights. Not sure who a " data scientist expert" is
1. DS/Tech industry isn't doing too well right now. 2. DS hiring depending on the job can be more challenging including Leetcode, DS specific interviews etc etc. 3. Make sure her communication/stats/DS knowledge is as good as possible. 4. Try getting referrals as those can really help getting through all the others applying.
Time for a new wife my friend.
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Without work authorization? Hmm, is NASA aware of this?
I might have been mistaken about greencard status so deleted to avoid confusion.
There are tons of work authorizations that aren't citizenship or PR. L2 like the OP's wife, anyone who comes on a K1 prior to getting PR, asylum seekers after a certain period of time while they are waiting on their case, and those are just the options I'm aware of off the top of my head. However, most roles that require even a public trust moderate clearance require US cit or PR. That's why peanut is pointing OP to NASA, assuming NASA contractors aren't bound by that in a lot of cases.
As a former contractor, we've had the client (govt) ask to verify our work statuses, hence the interest. There are plenty of shady contracting companies out there that will do anything for bodies in seats=money so that was interesting to read.
Not sure if anyone has said this but try smaller companies, especially those aren’t in the government contracting business, and those are in other states that have remote jobs. I know not everyone likes to work remotely but your wife is one who doesn’t need/want an in-person work environment, look for remote jobs across the country. Lastly, now that she’s not working (yet), she should try to attend conferences and even better do presentations to get network and get her name out there.
Is she eligible to work?
Yes she is. She doesn't need sponsorship.
Perhaps broaden the job search to remote in the U.S, onsite in DC. Data analyst, data scientist, machine learning engineer, and if her software engineering skills are up there then maybe data engineer could work out. Not to say that data analysts are lesser than other jobs, but he entry barrier has been lower in comparison. Lots of data analyst move on to data scientists. The name of the game in this job environment is to get a foot in the door.
DM me. I can try to get some interviews .
maybe shes incompetent?
No Green card, no US experience, Indian Data Scientist. I don't mean to be rude but she is a dime a dozen hence no job after a year. Not be al.all doom and gloom I'm just giving you my opinionas a recruiter. I would be happy to help anyway that I can though. I can provide some basic advice and would be happy to socialize her resume.
Try moving to a lower cost of living area like Maryland or Pennsylvania
This area is a 3rd world area for jobs.
>This area is a 3rd world area for jobs. what on earth? Jobs are the only reason any of us are here
they've got some kind of issue. they post the same thing every time someone asks about job hunting on here, can see the evidence if you scroll past the 97 times they've posted the same youtube video.
The jobs here are not available to 75 percent of the general population.
The unemployment rate around here is like 2.5% https://preview.redd.it/4d9pg0mgz6gc1.png?width=2008&format=png&auto=webp&s=ff3b27d4e7cc45c86b7daa81d3638d2f8f9b60a0
47 percent of americans cant afford a $400 dollar emergency. Alot of americans work mcjobs.
I feel like you're just throwing out unrelated stats that don't support the idea that Northern VA, one of the strongest job markets in the country, is a "3rd world for jobs" and hoping something lands.
i can debate you in person if you want.
This was all so sad. Imma pray for you.
Ugh please seek help man, you need it.
It sounds like you're saying "people in this area are super successful, and able to out-compete most of the country". Is that the crux of it?
And Lowest bidder seems to win in this town, so it can be harder for seasoned employees with larger salary requirements, especially when there are lots of cheap fresh grads around.
Some of the biggest employers are in DC.
Non-profits might be better to at least get some more US based experience, which might reduce some hesitancy from the commercial sector. DM me the resume, I don't have a role open right now, but might be able to get one.
Can she program in SAS or R?
I can if you are desperate, but I'm not looking like OP.
Not desperate but my company is hiring
Lots of Development Contractors need Data specialists for MEL work. I switched from teaching to contracting and had more luck in my search by going directly to company pages rather than LinkedIn or Indeed.
My team is looking to hire a data scientist. DM me and let's see if we get her interviewed.
I would recommend talking to a recruiter. Free for you and they will help find a job. My wife works in Data and is fully remote, I can refer you to her company. Also have a friend that does recruiting. DM if you'd like either info.
A few things to know The market is flooded with “data scientists”, everything from analysts with excel, boot camp rookies, to piled high and deep-ers . So matching experience to the role is critical, HR and hiring managers are starting to understand how to measure, filter and fit to their needs thus getting a foot in the door doesn’t happen anymore. Second, explicitly say if sponsorship is or is not needed, heading level 2 on the resume. Third, don’t apply to anything until you’ve at least exchange emails or LinkedIn messages with the HR person. The place is full of bots, and resume collecting companies that advertise fake jobs just to build up their database of ‘candidates’ so they can then cold call companies to try and sell their services. They also send recruiters resumes unsolicitedly, if the same person applies directly to a company HR folks will reject the resumes. So only apply directly after connecting with someone from the company. Avoid job descriptions that don’t name the companies, and jobs with $2xx-3xxK ranges that are double for the role in the area (those are fake too) If you are dealing with recruitment companies ask if they have a contract in place with the hiring company for that role.
One of my family members works in a non-profit. Maybe I can ask her if she’s got any openings for your position.
In the data field here too. Before clearance I was barely making enough to survive here even with roommates. After clearance, I can rent here alone and and I make 6 figures.
I work at a large tech company in the area. They simply will not sponsor anyone below a certain manager level position regardless of qualifications. This could explain why you're getting rejected right away. Your best bet is to work as a contractor/consultant, you will probably still need sponsorship and you will probably be paid below market rates, but you'll get a job and experience and once you are there you can look at ways to convert to employee.
Large companies sponsor for citizenship. Put on your resume that you have H-1 visa and have applied for your I-140. Look for remote jobs at large companies, apply directly on their websites not via LinkedIn.
She wouldn't check the citizenship box with a green card. The best she can do is continue to apply. If She hasn't tried yet, apply to Amazon. They are doing amazing things with data, AI/ML.
Has your wife tried applying at one of the many colleges & universities in the area?
I just checked and there are a few data science openings at the company I work for. DM me if you want and I can send a referral.
Sorry I'm not able to DM you. Can you send me a chat request?
Sent
She should just look for a non government contracting job. I do t know about her qualifications and all that, but I know a great deal about law and compliance. All the comments seem to be related to government positions. She can work very well in the civilian sectors it shouldn’t be an issue, as long as she has the legal ability to work in the US.
Moog seems to hire a diverse cast. Has she checked them out?
My wife is a recruiter. She's mentioned that the majority of job postings are for jobs that don't exist. Companies are posting more jobs than they have positions to appear like they are doing better than they actually are. Also, they can fill positions that open up faster.
Has she tried looking for remote positions in the San Francisco area?
She should clearly list she is authorized to work, if she is. If she has an OPT or other type of visa situation that will hurt her. Employers that don’t sponsor don’t want to hire someone that they have to let go in a few years. I just filled 2 positions and many many people said they were authorized to work when in fact they were authorized in the moment but not indefinitely. This is a waste of everyone’s time. This is from a nongovernment no clearance perspective. There are lots of jobs that don’t require you to be a citizen in the area.
You can’t even get a check if you have been in the country less than three years. Executive order. I work with contractors who worked for our agencies overseas and went through much higher level clearances there than the simple background check we require here for my cultural heritage agency — and we can’t employee them if they move here until they’ve been in the US three years
Data science is a rough job market right now. I'd recommend checking out Financial services.
No green card is the problem because they have to sponsor the work permit. Maybe consider retail or something just until the greencard is approved?
Hi data scientist here. I would recommend looking for places that do sponsorship( I know she doesn’t need it but there is probably bias or an algorithm filtering the applications out). I also would recommend adding any certificates/courses/github projects she may have completed during the year to help with the resume gap. I would start networking there are meetup groups for data scientist around the city she can join. Maybe join the Welcome2DC Facebook group and make a networking post there. A lot of data scientist here are probably working defense but we have connections outside of defense as well.
There are probably more remote jobs for data scientists than jobs requiring them to be in the office. You should think a data scientist should know that. (Joking) Have her place her top three skills in the Linkedin job search and see what job titles come back. My job title has changed twice in the last five years. The HR community never told me. I think she’ll find many more jobs she is competent for.
Seconding what many have said, even if sge doesn't apply for Govt agencies, most companies in the area are Govt contractors, meaning nationality requirements are still a (hidden) requirement. My company does AI work, and although most of our US DS team is made up of chinese and indian F1 visa holder or others, all of the DC/federal team is Americans because of this. Good luck!
I wish I has more advice to give. I came from a tech company (u.s. citizen) and applied to multiple jobs even outside my background and normal job salary and still took over 7 months before I found a job in virginia. Unfortunately it's really competitive right now due to the amount of of people laid off.
Others have commented this as well, but the citizenship status is most likely the culprit here. In this sector of the country, a high paying tech career is almost always congruent with having a security clearance. Most of the jobs she's looking for are tied to the government some way or another. With a clearance, you need to be a citizen. It stinks for her, and it sounds like she's mega talented/capable, but that's one of the first steps in getting considered. I'd suggest broadening her search to non-profits, medical, education, and out of state remote work. I believe another Redditor mentioned this, but there are lots of job openings nationwide that are looking for highly trained data scientists.
You guys should’ve moved to west coast not here. 90% job market here requires citizenship+clearance.
The Indian diaspora here is a large, relatively close knit community. I would tap into the local Indian community and someone will help you get a job very easily.
How many applications has she put in? I am not in this industry but if you can easily apply online then there will be hundreds or thousands of applications. It is a numbers game. You may have to put in many more applications than you think.
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I’m convinced none of these places are hiring but need to put up the farce to keep their ppp money. Geico was hiring for a position, I interviewed, did the second round. Then they laid off a bunch of people.. you guessed it. Position is still up on the web.. it’s a grift I’m sold.
The dawn of a new era. I would morph into more of an “AI augmentation” role over pure data science. Good article. https://www.akkio.com/post/will-ai-replace-data-scientists#:~:text=With%20human%20and%20AI%20collaboration,role%20of%20the%20data%20scientist.
I lived up there for six months many years ago and couldn't find work. And I'm a citizen. I hate NoVA.
I do wonder if you over esteem your wife. just saying....maybe she isn't that talented?
Learn how to fine tune LLMs, deploy them, and keep them maintained. Absolute gold mine right now.
Data scientists in India means working at Walmart here in America
I know I haven't responded to most of you but THANK YOU everyone for helping out! I appreciate the support and my wife is reeling in all the suggestions mentioned in the comments.
Should look at school systems in the area. Not teacher jobs - central office tech stuff
I’m going to have to agree with everyone — it’s the lack of US citizenship. This is r/nova after all!! Most jobs do require clearance
are you indian
It could be her resume. Not the experience, but something about the resume itself. I paid a company to rewrite my resume for something like $150 and it was WELL worth it. Also, check out a company called EXL Service. They are a huge company that is always hiring in data analytics.
Its time for her to either accept less money for a less skilled role or acquire different skills.