Landing a tech job in Bucharest
What recruiters actually look for, and how to stand out as a foreign candidate.
Bucharest's tech market is healthier than its reputation suggests — but it has rules of its own. Here's what I tell candidates moving into Romania.
The market is bigger than fintech
Most foreigners arrive thinking the only options are UiPath, Bitdefender, and a couple of consultancies. The reality includes a healthy SaaS scene, a growing AI/ML cluster, and significant nearshoring outposts for EU and US firms. Salaries in Bucharest are lower than Berlin or Amsterdam but cost of living catches most of that gap.
What recruiters look for
- Demonstrated impact in your past three roles, ideally in numbers
- Fluent English (Romanian helps, but is not required for most roles)
- EU work authorization or a clean blue-card story
- A LinkedIn that matches your CV — recruiters check both
Where to look
Linkedin is the dominant channel, followed by ejobs.ro and the company-direct route. Reach out to engineering managers directly with a short pitch — most respond.
Three things that move the needle
- A portfolio link that shows real production work
- An open-source contribution or technical blog post in the last six months
- Two or three Romanian engineers willing to vouch for you
If you do those three before sending a single CV, you'll outperform most candidates with stronger paper credentials.