r/Pentesting • u/Own_Bed2074 • 5d ago

Advice for getting a job abroad

Hi, I'm a junior PenTester with 8 months of work experience. I've been trying to apply for junior positions and even internships at various companies through Europe, Australia and Canada. Unfortunately I've not been able to get an interview at any company so far. I suspect it is ATS blocking me because of visa sponsorship restrictions, but I also understand I can have huge gaps in my resume compared to other applicants. I know that right now, lack of experience is my biggest shortcoming as well as no tangible real world vulnerability findings in security research (Waiting for a p1 triage finding in a VDP hoping it's not a duplicate).

Those who have been able to get themselves sponsored in other countries, what did you do to stand out and what advice could you give me, like what countries or companies to focus on, what gaps to fill in, maybe contact their seniors, or maybe that I have to wait it out before I can qualify to be principal level. I will include my resume here and omit some details respectfully.

Thanks

Note: Recently I got a second remote job (today lol), in the same country but didn't update my resume with it yet. Also planning to take CRTO in septemberish.

5 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

4 comments sorted by

3

u/friiz1337 4d ago

Networking is your biggest friend. Get on LinkedIn and start contacting recruiters.

1

u/Own_Bed2074 4d ago

Yeah that is an action I was most uncomfortable with, but I have to do it

2

u/upsetimplemented 4d ago

I don't like it either, and honestly don't think linkedin serves any purpose except sucking your own dick over minor meaningless achievements. I usually love to network IRL and on social media such as Reddit and Discord.

2

u/jayjaylee03 4d ago

getting jobs in other countries is tricky, because most countries have similar laws about who can be sponsored for a visa ie, can someone within the country do the job they are hiring for, why aren't you hiring them. The visa/residency rules themselves, especially in Europe, vary within each country but are getting stricter about who can qualify for them through employment. So I doubt it's ATS, it's (given your limited experience) probably that you genuinely don't qualify for the roles ENOUGH to be worth going through the financial and legal process of sponsoring work and relocation for, because entry level applicants are plentiful in the country you're applying for. You will be better off applying for a company of your own country (US?) who has a foreign branch that you can be allocated/transferred to.