detailed guide for IT specialists
You don’t need to be a tech lead with Google to get a talent visa to the States. It’s important to prove that you’re doing something meaningful in your field, be it development, data science, or cybersecurity. And the most important thing is to pump up your public profile: so that when searching, your name is associated with innovation and results. I will tell you how to do it.
Contents
What is important in a public profile besides the fact of publications
US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) evaluates the applicant’s case comprehensively and how unique his case is when considering applications for talent visas. There are no clear requirements for a public profile, but general criteria can be outlined:
1. General scale. If the article is in the mass media, then with an audience of more than one million, if the speech is at a conference, then it must be confirmed by the organizers and preferably at least a couple of hundred guests.
2. Social proof. Subscribers in social networks and blogs (for example, here on Habra or in Telegram), likes under publications, comments.
3. Quality and uniqueness of presentation. The visa officer will read your articles and interviews not between the lines, but under a magnifying glass.
4. Organicity. Your publications, awards, conferences should not be random, but relevant to your field. And, of course, fall on different months.
An applicant’s public profile does not always need additional PR reinforcement if his achievements are large and affect groups of people or an entire industry. Before you go to public relations or do something yourself, be sure to contact a lawyer and get his vision of your petition: this will help not to spend money in vain.
However, if the arguments are not enough, publications in the media can close two criteria at once (materials about you and author’s articles), as well as indirectly confirm your other achievements (for example, the text can mention your victories in hackathons, speeches at meetups).
Types of media publications
As I mentioned earlier, there are two types of materials: author’s and about you. 4-5 materials for each type is the minimum recommended for a convincing public profile.
Publications should look obvious from the outside: as if you did it unintentionally and not for a visa.
Author publications focused on your expertise. Write a column about a topic you understand that reflects industry issues and can be useful to the audience of your chosen media. There should be more publications of this type in the case: according to statistics, journalists more often send requests for author’s columns than for interviews.
Posts about you should not just mention your name, but detail your personality and what you bring to the industry. The author of this type of article must be a journalist of the publicationwhere this text will be published.
How to be published in the mass media
In fact, there are only three ways to get your articles published. They depend on finances, urgency of the issue, free time and your desire.
The first method: independently and with minimal investments
I advise you to start by looking for ideas for materials and a media list. You can write the text yourself or contact a copywriter, who will charge 10,000 rubles on average for 5-7 thousand characters.
If we talk about time, in general, the process of releasing one material will take plus or minus two months.
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It will take one week for development
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then two weeks for pitching and communication with journalists
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One week for each text
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three more weeks for corrections from the editors.
The disadvantage of this method is the lack of a monster. Simply writing to a journalist you don’t know and asking him to give an interview will most likely not work: but it’s worth a try.
Method two: with the help of a freelancer and with a budget of 300,000 or more
Post an ad on the stock exchange or ask your acquaintances for contacts of a freelance PR specialist. At the interview, ask about similar cases and experience in your field: it will be good if the person has already communicated with journalists from IT publications and understands their specifics.
This approach will allow you to save on management, the main share of costs will fall on paying for the interviews themselves. But a talented freelancer may be able to arrange the placement of author’s columns for free.
Method three: with the help of an agency and with a budget of 500,000 or more
The easiest and fastest way to release publications, and at the same time the most expensive. Suitable only if you have definitely decided that you will apply for a visa and consult with a lawyer.
For this amount, you can instruct the agency to do everything on a turnkey basis: buy an interview about you in the necessary publications, arrange for free placement of expert columns, write texts and save you from headaches.
Most likely, the cost of placing interviews through an agency will be lower than if you were to purchase them yourself. Agencies have established relationships with editors, and publications usually offer agencies discounts of about 10%.
Is it worth going to the international media?
It all depends on what strategy you have chosen. Suppose you are going to work abroad in a company founded by compatriots. In this case, publications in the international media will distinguish you from your competitors, but will not completely define your case.
In the event that your work will be in an international organization or related to the scale and influence, publications in publications such as Tech Times or HackerNoon will organically fit into the profile.
Write your questions in the comments: I will answer everything and share my experience.