Tech Jobs in the Bay Area: How to Find Them and Get the Offer

Silicon Valley still reigns supreme. When it comes to the quantity and quality of tech jobs, it’s hard to beat the Bay Area. Even as other parts of the country grow their own tech sectors, the Bay is enjoying a disproportionate share of tech employment gains.

In terms of total job creation, the region is still significantly outpacing other technology hubs. According to the Computing Technology Industry Association, the metropolitan areas of San Francisco and San Jose ranked first and second, respectively, in net tech job gains in 2019.

Moreover, many of these new gigs are at the world's most powerful tech corporations, which give Silicon Valley its illustrious aura. Juggernauts like Apple, Salesforce, Twitter, Google, and Uber were all born in the Bay Area and continue to loom large in the local tech scene.

These tech giants offer their employees far more than just prestige. Generally, they provide enviable compensation packages, innovative workplace cultures, and unmatched perks. Plus, for those who crave a more agile, startup environment, there’s no better place to find and join a promising disruptor.

Due to these appealing attributes, the Bay Area beckons to current or aspiring tech professionals who dream of a new career chapter. But the tech scene in San Francisco and Silicon Valley has extremely challenging elements as well, including competition and costs.

For one thing, high-quality opportunities in the Bay Area will attract a deeply talented pool of applicants. The region is widely regarded as the nation’s best place to find tech talent, with a skilled and well-educated workforce. Additionally, young hotshots are constantly emerging from California’s highly regarded universities, eager to cut their teeth in tech. If you find your Bay Area dream job, you can bet others are eyeing it as well.

Furthermore, you simply can’t live comfortably on a modest salary in the Bay Area. The area is massively expensive, and even gainfully employed tech workers sometimes struggle to make ends meet. In a place where households earning close to $200,000 are considered “middle class,” you can’t just get any job. You’ll need to find and land a well-paying one, ideally with growth opportunities.

In this article, we’ll help you do exactly that. We’ll show you how to strategize for your Bay Area job search and identify appealing opportunities. We’ll also provide some key tips to help you land an offer for a great gig in tech. With the guidance we’ll offer here, you’ll be in a great position to succeed in Silicon Valley.

As you plan to break into the Bay Area tech sector, you’ll need a clear sense of the particular opportunities you plan to pursue. Because so many jobs become available each day, it’s worthwhile to clarify your desires and priorities before you start firing off your resume. Here are three key questions to ask yourself at the start of your job search.

From the enviable climate of Northern California to Silicon Valley’s unmatched roster of companies, the Bay Area has plenty of distinct appeals, but before you commit to the Bay Area specifically, it might make sense to evaluate other tech hubs as well.

Cities such as Austin and Denver are currently undergoing their own tech booms, with many Silicon Valley companies setting up significant outposts. Could you be better off continuing your career in one of these emerging tech capitals?

Many current Bay Area residents are wrestling with this question as well. Faced with massive housing costs that just continue to climb, many professionals in tech and other industries are leaving for less expensive alternatives. Some tech professionals even see other sprawling cities, such as New York and Los Angeles, as preferable options.

We don’t mean to deter your Bay Area dreams, but before committing to such an expensive and competitive environment, be sure to take a long look at the alternatives.

The Bay Area hosts an exciting mix of established tech giants and agile startups, and some professionals work in both settings over the course of their careers. You can certainly apply to both kinds of companies, evaluating your prospects in each category, but the question of where you’d prefer to work could certainly help narrow your search, and considering the differences is a useful exercise regardless.

The sharpest contrast concerns structure. Do you thrive with a clearly defined set of duties and systematic measures of your performance? Or do you think of yourself as a more flexible talent, whose interests and abilities transcend a fixed role?

Additionally, what is your tolerance for risk and chaos? Startup life might be difficult for those who cherish stability and certainty. Conversely, if you chafe at being just one cog in a big machine, corporate life could be frustrating.

When we think of Bay Area tech jobs, many of us imagine highly-paid software engineers typing away, but Silicon Valley is full of exciting and lucrative non-technical roles as well. Do you want to do hands-on work such as coding, or focus on growth and strategy instead?

Sales and management roles, for example, can offer appealing salaries and a chance to shape the company’s success. Similarly, hiring and human resources roles can be vital and well-compensated. A tech background would probably be advantageous in this position, but not absolutely necessary.

In other words, you don’t need to be completing technical tasks to pursue a Bay Area tech career. Consider which would be more fulfilling in the long run as you consider openings.

Professionals seeking Bay Area tech opportunities have tons of digital tools at their disposal. Here are some tips to help you find appealing positions.

In a hyper-competitive environment like the Bay Area tech industry, forging personal connections with peers can give you early access to coveted opportunities. It also helps to be thoughtful about how you approach potential contacts.

Reaching out to acquaintances or former classmates can’t hurt; there’s no shame in asking for help. Another strategy is to form connections on the basis of mutual interests. Try joining industry meetups or affinity groups that reflect your passions, either in person or online. Even if you don’t gain an advocate right away, you can start to build a network you may rely on later.

Online platforms like LinkedIn can be a powerful complement to your other networking efforts. If you meet someone through a mutual friend or at a networking event, reach out to them subsequently with a personalized message. This digital bond cements your in-person interaction and ensures some continuity. They’ll remember you each time you appear in their feed.

It’s also true that LinkedIn is a great way for recruiters and potential employers to find you, especially if you possess certain desirable skills. Accordingly, it’s important to keep your profile attractive and up to date.

Hungry to hire smart professionals in a tight labor market, many companies are willing to bring on individuals with relevant, “adjacent” experience. That term refers to hires whose skill set can be expanded quickly to perform a new range of tech-centric duties. Even if your experience in tech is limited, you might appeal to employers with this hiring philosophy.

To catch a recruiter’s eye, however, you may need to frame your experience in a way that seems relevant to the tech industry. That shift could simply entail using the right jargon, or emphasizing the more technical components of your current responsibilities. Doing so on LinkedIn or in your networking conversations could cause tech professionals to see you in a different light.

Sure, there are tons of job sites out there, and you may not feel picky about the source of potential listings. Keep in mind that choosing the right job site can save you a lot of time — and spare you from considerable frustration.

At Joblist, we use automation and other advanced matching tools to make sure you see openings that actually seem appealing.

So you’ve found a few positions that intrigue you, and you’re ready to begin the application process. In the Bay Area’s robust talent pool, how can you stand out? These concrete suggestions can help you get ahead of other candidates.

Lots of candidates claim generic aptitudes: every applicant is a “self-starter” who “works well with others” but for Bay Area companies sifting through hundreds of resumes, specific, desirable skills will set you apart.

These skills can pertain to specific technical disciplines, such as cloud computing or artificial intelligence. They could also be managerial, such as sales leadership. The most important thing is having a concrete basis to prove you possess them, such as a certificate program or a particular career highlight.

Another way to prove your specific skill set is to build a robust personal portfolio, demonstrating the aptitudes you’ll bring to prospective employers. In an entrepreneurial place like the Bay Area, employers like someone passionate enough to work on side projects. If you can present tangible evidence of your skills, you’ll be way ahead of plenty of other candidates.

Online courses can sometimes help in this regard. Your assignments can become your portfolio, or at least give you a basis to tinker further. Alternatively, freelancing is another opportunity to improve your chops and establish a solid track record.

The Bay Area is teeming with bright people with strong credentials. Employers can find plenty of smart professionals among the resumes they receive. What they won’t necessarily know is how your personality will suit the open role, or how you’ll work with other members of their team.

In your cover letter and interviews, strive to bring empathy and authenticity to the fore. If you’re too aloof and formal, you risk raising questions about your ability to collaborate effectively with others. Additionally, anticipate questions that pertain to interpersonal challenges. Think about how you handle workplace conflict, and be ready to speak to your ability to compromise and reconcile.

The tech industry takes culture seriously, recognizing its implications for attracting and keeping top talent. This emphasis has only intensified in recent years, as companies such as Uber have struggled with internal challenges.

Furthermore, many of the Bay Area’s leading employers are extremely proud of the team dynamics they’ve fostered. As they assess your application, they’ll want to know whether you’ll thrive within the specific work context they have carefully created.

Before applying (and definitely before you interview), read everything you can about the culture and principles of the company in question. Doing so can inform your application strategy. If the organization’s dominant values are camaraderie and support, for example, speak to your experience helping colleagues to thrive.

For a fast-moving industry in an extremely active locale, the Bay Area’s hiring process can seem painfully slow. If it takes several days to receive a response to your application, don’t take it personally.

Aside from the sheer number of applications they receive, many of Silicon Valley’s illustrious employers have a multifaceted approval process. Google, for example, typically hires by committee, and the process of building consensus can take time. Persist through the waiting, following up with your contact only when appropriate. It may be an unpleasant experience, but the world’s most attractive companies can be as deliberative as they choose.

We hope this article positions you for success in your search for Bay Area tech jobs. Though the process of obtaining a position will hardly be easy for most candidates, the insights we’ve shared should give you an edge as you prepare your applications.

We hope you’ll rely on us as the process continues, consulting our latest listings to identify new opportunities around the Bay. Whether you’re hunting for tech jobs in the Bay Area or elsewhere, we’ve got you covered with current and accurate postings.