Introduction
First of all, congratulations. Cloud computing is considered one of the best careers you could have selected. Just about every publication that ranks the hottest jobs and careers has cloud computing in their top five and often lists it as number one. It’s a field that is growing in size year after year. We see this within the industry and also from our clients. So now to the question, how DO you find a job in cloud computing?
Companies
The obvious answer is to look at companies that have a cloud offering. Amazon (AWS), Google, Microsoft (Azure), IBM, VMware, Oracle, and SAP are some of the major providers and are obviously large companies. Your role would likely be very narrow and defined at one of these companies.
There are also very good lesser known vendors including Red Hat, Kamatera, Rackspace, Egnyte, and Navisite among others. The smaller the company is, the less defined your role will likely be. The type of role you are comfortable with is a personal choice and one that can be clarified during any job interview.
Industries
Beyond cloud providers, there is a plethora of cloud jobs at companies that use the cloud to provide their service offerings. Think banks, gaming, video streaming services (Netflix, SlingTV, DirecTV Now, ESPN, ABC, PBS, and most other major TV stations), communications (Skype, WhatsApp, etc.), business SaaS providers (SalesForce, HubSpot, SurveyMonkey, Adobe, Evernote, etc.), testing and development tools (Datadog, LogicMonitor, LoadStorm, etc.), and social networking (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.) are all industries that rely on cloud technologies and employ a significant number of cloud professionals. There are many other industries as well.
Job Boards
Most job boards have listings for cloud jobs. But for the most comprehensive listings that include permanent, contract, contract-to-hire, and part time positions from all types of employers, ZipRecruiter and Google for Jobs are the best options.
All other job boards, including Indeed, have varying restrictions on the types of jobs they post.
(Read The Ultimate Guide for a Successful Cloud Engineering Career)
Post Your Resume
Nearly every job board gives you the option to post your resume. For this option, you want to be on the most popular job boards. This includes Indeed, CareerBuilder, Monster, and Dice.
Keep in mind that there are some downsides to making your resume available in the large resume databases. One is that you won’t be able to tailor your resume for a position and the other is that you will likely get unwanted calls and emails about positions that aren’t a very good fit on top of the ones that are.
It can take patience to work through all of the solicitations that can come your way. If this happens, you can always go in to your account a hide your resume from future search results.
Optimize Your Linkedin Profile
No doubt you are already being contacted by recruiters who have paid to gain access to all of the profiles on LinkedIn, including yours. In fact, you may have blocked many of them. But if you are looking for a job in cloud computing, your LinkedIn profile can help in the search.
Make sure your profile is optimized for the type of position you are looking for. And use the Summary section to explain exactly what it is that you do. This will encourage the right recruiters to reach out and the wrong ones (hopefully) to ignore you.
LinkedIn also offers a feature that allows you to block any recruiter that becomes a nuisance. Also, if you really want to turn on the spigot, turn the “Let recruiters know you’re open for opportunities” option. You can always turn it off if needed.
The Role of Staffing Firms
If you are a cloud professional, you no doubt have been contacted by a staffing firm looking to fill a job for one of their clients. In fact, you’ve likely been contacted by many staffing firms with many different jobs (maybe even one of our recruiters). Possibly to the point that you really hate staffing firms and have no interest in ever engaging with one. And we get it. But we’re hear to tell you, the right staffing firm can a tremendous asset to your job search.
Staffing firms are paid by companies to fill roles for them. The good ones have a signed agreement with exclusive, or semi-exclusive, rights to fill good jobs for the client. Your goal as a job seeker is to find one or more of these staffing firms that specializes in filling cloud related jobs and reach out to them. Ask to talk to a seasoned recruiter who places people with your experience. Ask the recruiter who their clients are, how many roles they get in weekly, and any thing else that is important to you.
You can learn about this in more detail by reading How to Get a Cloud Computing Job Through a Temp Agency.
Conclusion
Finding the right cloud computing job is often different than a regular job search due to the shortage of cloud talent. A regular job search usually involves competing with many other candidates and making yourself stand out to land the job.
The opposite is true when looking for a cloud job. It’s all about sorting through the options to find the right fit. There’s no doubt you will have choices. But if you take your time, do your research, and ask the right questions, you will likely land a very rewarding job that is secure for years to come.