California job market
Jobs in San Jose, CA
San Jose is the largest city in Silicon Valley and sits at the center of the semiconductor, computer hardware, networking and software industries. Many of the world's best-known technology companies have headquarters or large campuses in San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Palo Alto and Cupertino. Hiring is heavily technical, but these companies also employ large numbers of people in sales, finance, legal, HR, facilities and operations. Healthcare, education, manufacturing and local government round out the market. Living costs are among the highest in the country. California requires pay scales in postings from larger employers.
Updated
Latest job openings in San Jose, CA
Major industries in the San Jose area
Long-standing employers by sector. Hiring in each changes over time.
- Semiconductors and hardware
- Software and internet
- Networking
- AI
- Advanced manufacturing
- Healthcare
- Government
Job search tips for San Jose
- Search Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Cupertino and Milpitas individually.
- Compare base pay, bonus and equity separately when evaluating offers.
- Confirm whether a 'remote' role must be based in this state; many are limited to certain states.
For local pay by occupation, see the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics metro tables. Free in-person help is available at American Job Centers, which you can find through CareerOneStop.
Browse San Jose jobs by career field
- Healthcare jobs
- Software Engineering jobs
- Data & Analytics jobs
- AI & Machine Learning jobs
- Cybersecurity jobs
- DevOps & Cloud jobs
- Product & Design jobs
- Sales & Marketing jobs
- Finance & Accounting jobs
- Human Resources jobs
- Operations & Logistics jobs
- Customer Support jobs
- Education jobs
- Legal jobs
- Skilled Trades jobs
Watch out for job scams
Real employers never charge you to apply. Walk away if you see any of these:
- You are asked to pay for training, equipment, a background check or an application fee.
- They send a check and ask you to buy equipment from their vendor or send part of it back.
- The 'job' is receiving money into your account, or packages at home, and forwarding them.
- You get an offer without a real phone or video interview, often after a chat-only exchange.
Jobs in San Jose: frequently asked questions
How do I find jobs in San Jose, CA?
Use the live San Jose listings on this page, then check the California state job bank (CareerOneStop's job bank finder links to every state's), USAJOBS for federal roles, and the careers pages of large local employers. Set up alerts so new postings reach you within a day or two.
Where can I find salary data for San Jose?
The BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program publishes pay by occupation for metro areas, including the San Jose area. CareerOneStop's salary finder presents the same data by job title. Compare it with the pay range in the posting.
Other US job markets
Job search guides
Plain-English guides for job seekers in the US.
- Spot job scamsLearn the warning signs of fake job offers in the US: fake check and equipment scams, pay-to-train schemes, reshipping and task scams, and how to report them to the FTC and IC3.
- US resume guideA practical guide to the American resume: one or two pages, no photo, the sections recruiters expect, how applicant tracking systems read it, and how to tailor it to each job.
- Interview preparationPrepare for phone, video and in-person interviews in the US: research the employer, answer common and behavioral questions with the STAR method, ask good questions and follow up.
- Salary negotiationHow to research fair pay in the US, answer salary expectation questions, compare total compensation and negotiate a job offer politely, with sample wording.
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