How to find an IT job with relocation abroad: 10 steps

Many IT specialists prefer looking for an agency recruiter and not for a job itself thus lowering their chances. This way, they receive mostly offers that are irrelevant and don’t match their work experience and the technologies they use. Moreover, a chunk of tech companies, especially smaller ones, do not work with recruiting agencies clearly specifying on their websites “No agencies please”.

Although recruiters may be helpful, you need to search for a job yourself and apply on your own while also considering offers from recruiters.

Here is what you can do to increase your chances to find an IT job with relocation abroad.

1. Write a good CV

Employers and hiring managers make their first impression of you based on your CV, so a good resume can mean at least 50% of success.

To write a perfect IT resume, keep in mind these recommendations:

Create a custom-tailored resume that targets a specific job vacancy and matches its requirements. Use specific keywords related to the job vacancy.
Your CV should not be long: it normally takes between 6 and 10 seconds for recruiters to check if a candidate matches the job requirements.
Use bullet points rather than full sentences.
Don’t use the first person (“I”, “me”, “my”). Use verbs of action instead (“developed”, “created”, “handled”, “increased”, “accomplished”).
Grammar and spelling should be flawless.

→ How to create a perfect IT resume and cover letter

2. Put your LinkedIn profile in order

LinkedIn is an important tool for all job seekers. Complete your profile and write a compact headline highlighting your current or desired position and your value for potential employers (e.g. “Data Analyst — Helping eCommerce Companies Increase Sales”). Also, toggle on “Let your recruiters know you’re open” and don’t forget to change your status to “Actively applying”.

→ How to use LinkedIn to find an IT job with relocation

3. Choose countries where you wish to relocate

IT workers are welcome in many countries including the following:

Australia: upsides include a great number of tech majors (IBM, Canon, Fujitsu, Google, Microsoft, etc.), high IT salaries, high standards of living.
Canada: high quality of living, high incomes, free health care system.
Denmark: developed ICT sector, tech majors (Google, Microsoft, etc.), high quality of life, high salaries.
Estonia: digital country with minimum bureaucracy, a developed IT market, and a booming startup scene.
Finland: one of the most innovative countries, free health care system, one of the world’s best public education systems, good work-life balance.
Germany: high quality of living, good wages, more than 2,000 start-ups and many offices of international companies.
Ireland: the world’s largest exporter of ICT services with a great number of tech majors (Apple, Samsung, Microsoft, Intel, IBM, Facebook, Cisco Systems, etc.).
Netherlands: the largest cluster of data centers and IT security technologies, many tech majors (Cisco, Google, Hewlett Packard, Huawei, IBM, etc.), the top country for English skills among countries whose official language is not English.
New Zealand: high quality of living, spectacular natural beauty, mild climate.
Norway: high salaries, high quality of living, spectacular natural beauty.
Poland: great demand for IT specialists, IT salaries well above the national average, low cost of living.
Singapore: high salaries, developed IT market, excellent infrastructure, and English as one of the official languages.
Sweden: advanced IT market, high salaries, high standards of living, one of the top countries for English skills among countries whose official language is not English.
Switzerland: high salaries, developed IT market, blooming startup scene, low bureaucracy, international communities.
UK: large IT market, tech majors (Apple, Facebook, Google, IBM, Microsoft, etc.), high salaries.
USA: the largest IT market in the world, high standards of living, the highest IT salaries.

4. Explore the market to be able to negotiate later

It’s useful to know the average IT salaries on the market to have an idea about how much you cost as a specialist.

Here are examples of approximate salaries for software developers (USD per year):

Australia: 60,000 – 70,000
Canada: 55,000 – 70,000
Denmark: 75,000 – 80,000
Estonia: 20,000 – 57,000
Finland: 60,000 – 65,000
Germany: 60,000 – 65,000
Ireland: 60,000 – 75,000
Netherlands: 65,000 – 70,000
New Zealand: 50,000 – 55,000
Norway: 75,000 – 80,000
Poland: 30,000 – 35,000
Singapore: 71,000 – 89,000
Sweden: 50,000 – 60,000
Switzerland: 111,600 – 159,000
UK: 50,000 – 60,000
USA: 80,000 – 100,000

Follow the links in the list above to learn about salaries for other IT occupations.

5. Send your CV to tech companies

You have more chances to land a job with relocation if you contact companies who offer jobs with relocation packages and visa sponsorship. ITShifting.com’s database contains 2,500+ firms that hire foreigners or are in official lists of eligible companies whose employees can get a visa and a work permit.

Here are the links to the lists of companies that hire foreign IT workers:

6. Explore selections of IT jobs with relocation

Explore selections of IT jobs from various tech companies offering relocation packages and visa assistance to international IT workers. Those selections often include jobs for Android/iOS developers, back-end developers/engineers, data scientists, front-end developers/engineers, site reliability engineers, software developers/engineers, and more.

7. Surf job boards

You can also look for a job on job listing websites.

International websites:

Angel.co/jobs
Codepen.io/jobs
Glassdoor.com
thehub.io/jobs
Indeed.com
jobs.github.com
Landing.jobs
Linkedin.com/jobs
Monster.com
Stackoverflow.com/jobs
Startup.jobs
Techmeabroad.com

Country-specific job boards:

Berlindevjobs.com — Germany
Berlinstartupjobs.com — Germany
Bulldogjob.com/companies/jobs — Poland
Justjoin.it — Poland
Seek.com.au — Australia
Seek.co.nz — New Zealand
Startupjobs.cz/en — Czech Republic
Swissdevjobs.ch — Switzerland
Techinasia.com/jobs — Asia
Technojobs.co.uk — UK
Workinestonia.com — Estonia
Workindenmark.dk — Denmark
jobs.workintech.ca — Canada
Xing.com — Germany

8. Visit tech job fairs

Tech job fairs are held online or offline on a regular basis in various countries including Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Sweden, and others. These events are normally free of charge for job seekers.

Job fairs allow participants to chat online with employers and advisers, find out about various work opportunities, have virtual or face-to-face interviews, apply for a job, and get advice on the relocation process.

Available jobs may include opportunities for Big Data specialists, computer engineers, DevOps engineers, scrum masters, software architects, software developers, UI and UX designers, and many more.

You can find upcoming job fairs in the list of IT events. By the way, visiting IT events is also an efficient way to land a job through networking.

9. Be available for job interviews

After you find a job vacancy that suits you, you need to apply for it and wait to be invited for an interview. The process of selecting a job candidate normally includes these steps:

Phone/Skype interview. After the HR manager reviews your application, you will be invited to a phone or Skype interview. During 30–60 minutes, you will have a chance to find out more about the company and ask questions.
Written challenge. You may be offered a written challenge — a basic programming task to prove your experience and skills in a coding language of your choice.
Technical interview. You will have a second interview with a tech expert from the department for which you applied or with one of the founders.
Final discussions. After the technical interview, you will have a final interview to discuss salary, workplace ethics, and other details.
Trial workday. You may be invited to the company’s office for one or two days to meet people from the team.
Job offer. If all the steps work out, you will get a job offer which will be followed by a contract sent by email or snail mail.

→ Recruitment process

10. Prepare for relocation

After you get a job offer, you can start preparing for a process of relocation abroad. It usually includes the following steps:

Gather documents
Get a visa or work permit
Rent temporary accommodation
Transport personal belongings
Obtain a tax or social security card or number
Buy a local SIM card
Open a local bank account
Find a permanent place to live

The relocation process may be different depending on a specific country. Here is the list of relocation step-by-step guides that will help you:

Finding a job with relocation is not easy. You may need to send your CV to 100 companies (or even more!) before you’re invited to an interview. The important thing is to be active, diligent, and goal-oriented — and you’ll make it.