What have four weeks brought so far?

Four weeks have passed since I arrived in Seattle and friends are overwhelming me with questions like “Have you found a job already?” or “Have you found an apartment yet?“. I appreciate their concern, but they clearly underestimate what a big thing moving to another country is. Although this is the third time I’m in Seattle most of it is still unexplored territory for me. It takes time to find out and decide where you want to work and where you want to live. It takes time to get an overview. It takes time to prepare your portfolio, resume and cover letter and it takes time to find the companies you would like to work for. On top of that you can’t just send your portfolio by mail to a ton of companies. It doesn’t work like that anymore. You either market yourself in such a way that you stand out of the millions of people that live around here or you build a network and try to find opportunities like that. Both options take time and luckily – impatient as I am – I’m well aware of that.

Microsoft is here together with Amazon, Google, Adobe, RealNetworks, Getty Images, Expedia, Classmates.com and Linden Lab (Second Life). Oh, and there is Frog Design as well, Publicis, Draft, DDB, McCann-Erickson, Young & Rubicam and tons of smaller advertising agencies, tech companies and start-ups. I’m interested in each of these companies, but even lay people know that they are not all in the same league. They target different sectors, offer different wages and are located in different areas in and around Seattle. The place where I end up working, is important. I don’t see the point of commuting for hours or living in a city outside Seattle. I picked Seattle for a reason, so I take the time I need to explore possibilities, learn about the companies and build up my network.

One of the ways to get started is to connect to local organizations on LinkedIn and follow their news streams. It doesn’t take long to learn who the interesting people are and when you start following them on Twitter you connect to even more who have something to say. Networking in real life however, works so much better. There is nothing more interesting than meeting the face behind a website. In the end you can’t know for sure if there’s a person or a lucky monkey at the other end of the line . A lead from a Belgian friend (Vincent) lead me to SMCSeattle, a group of people who come together once a month to talk about social media. This was the very first event I attended and soon I got to know about other events such as Seattle Lunch 2.0, SeaCre8, Hops and Chops and Mayor’s Office of Film and Music. SeattleTechCalendar mentions them all so you don’t have to miss out on anything! Beside companies and events I also found a handful of creative recruitment services right here in Seattle. There’s Creative Circle, The Creative Group, Smart Department, Filter, and Vault. So, where do I start?

In the mean time I’m still freelancing (web design & development) for a couple of Belgian clients. There is a huge time difference but luckily I can take advantage of that. They send me feedback by the end of their office hours and when they wake up they have some new results in their in-box. As long as this lasts I’ll be able to cover the costs of living here. The dollar is very weak right now – up to 1.5 euros past week – so earning Euros while living in the US is a good thing.

On the paperwork end there haven’t been any great developments. I received my Bank of America debit card very quickly, but I’m still waiting for my credit card. And of course I’m still waiting to receive my actual Green Card – which I’ve been told is pink – as well. Finally, getting a Driver’s License ID didn’t work out as expected. Apparently a cell phone bill or a bank account statement is no good as proof of residency. The Department of Licensing requires an electricity bill, insurance bill or a weapon’s permit – no kidding! Not having the driver’s licence ID is not really a problem. I can use my international passport, but it’s a drag to carry it around and there will be hell to pay if I ever lose it.  But still, it’s annoying to see the look on people’s faces when you show them your passport to get access to a bar.

Update 1: Between writing and posting this article Microsoft announced 800 additional lay-offs, RealNetworks cutted 70 jobs and Classmates.com 71. At my friends’ Architecture office they laid-off 15 people beginning this week. Luckily she was not one of them.
Update 2: Adobe announced today (Nov 1oth) to lay-off 680 people.

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