So what kind of candidate profiles/skills, H1-B sponsor companies are interested in? I’ve depicted the most recent visible trends (in the last 3 or 4 years?) as follows:
Technology
1. Java Platform ~ 70%- 80%
2. .Net Platform ~ 15% - 20%
3. Others ~ 1% - 5% (Oracle DBA/Functional/Technical, SAP, etc.)
Job Role
Software Engineers / Senior Software Engineers / Software Developers / Team Leads / Technical Leads etc.
In short, they are interested in people who do “LESS TALK & MORE WORK” and their definition of “WORK is CODING”. A word of caution for you; if you have highlighted your Management experience and skills in your resume or cv, chances are that you will not make it to the shortlisted candidates.
Why is that so? my investigation suggests that there are numerous factors involved. First, “Demand leads the way” i.e. technical resources who are hands-on and can be productive from the very first day are actually in great demand in USA. But, don’t get me wrong, other job roles also have a demand, like:
Product Managers, Program Managers, Project Managers, Project Coordinators, Scrum Masters and other PMO related roles.
QA Managers, QA Engineers, Senior QA Engineers, Testers, QA Automation Engineers, QA Leads and other QA related roles.
But, typically those who are pulling resources from Pakistan or India or China, are bent on hard-core developers.
Second, developers rate are usually higher and hence better profit margin.
Third, communication is often a problem area with majority of Pakistani or Indian or Chinese resources and effective communication is a key requirement for any managerial or senior level position.