‘The extreme geniality of San Francisco’s economic, intellectual and political climate makes it the most varied and challenging city in the United States.’
—James Michener
From its earliest days, San Francisco has been a city of opportunities seen and grasped. Even today, whether you are coming to find a job or to start your own business, you will find that San Francisco opens its doors to those who are qualified—and who understand how the city works. But be wise. In uncertain economic conditions, it is especially important to understand what is happening worldwide, and in all of California, before you start your research just on the Bay Area. California has been hit hard economically, but if the Bay Area is a little bit shaky, opportunities still exist.
If the Bay Area were an independent country, it would rank among the top 25 economies in the world. San Francisco plays a crucial part in the economy and trade of the vast Pacific Rim, and with some of the world’s largest financial corporations based here, it is sometimes called the “Wall Street of the West.” Located here are the headquarters for Wells Fargo Bank, the Pacific Stock Exchange, Charles Schwab & Co, a U.S. Mint, the Federal Home Loan Bank, and the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. The Bay Area also has the highest concentration of venture capital firms in the world, further enhancing its importance as one of the most bustling financial hubs in the United States.
With the city’s long-standing ties to Asia, finance and commerce along the Rim have become the most important parts of the economy of the city and the region. The second-largest exporting region in the country, foreign trade generates in the vicinity of US$ 130 billion for the city. Of San Francisco’s export partners, Asia itself accounts for more than half the activity, 25 percent goes to Europe, and 16 percent goes to Canada and Mexico.
You should consider the entire Bay Area as your resource, especially that geographically intangible—yet very real—concept called Silicon Valley, which stretches from San Francisco down to San Jose. Companies throughout the Bay Area are world leaders in high-tech innovation, manufacturing, and trade. Think of Apple Computers, Oracle, Cisco Systems, Hewlett-Packard, and Intel as being headquartered in the Bay Area, and you will understand the importance of this area to the Information Age. Silicon Valley has some 4,100 high-tech firms, employing more than 200,000 people of various skills.
The Bay Area is also innovative in life sciences and biotechnology. The Bay Area hosts 820 life-sciences companies, employing 85,000 people. (In all of California, there are 2,600 biomedical companies.) One of the largest in the field is the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), which introduced gene-splicing techniques two decades ago, and which is now completing a new 43-acre (17.4-ha) biotech and life sciences research campus in Mission Bay.
Among the largest corporations with headquarters in San Francisco are Bechtel and Levi Strauss. The largest employers are the City and County of San Francisco, the University of California San Francisco, Wells Fargo, the School District, and the State of California. Yet small, innovative companies are also welcomed in San Francisco and new ones—when appropriately funded and established—tend to succeed.
Many people come to San Francisco hoping to start their own small retail business. In fact, despite the invasion of nationwide chain stores and franchises, locally owned businesses continue to characterize San Francisco, from tourist-oriented kiosks and locally owned restaurants of all quality and prices to the funkiest or most elegant fashion boutiques. Some businesses are successful, yet many fail, certainly owing to economic variables, but also often owing to an incomplete understanding of how the city works. Much will depend on the amount of knowledge you have at the outset—including that all-important aspect of location—and how organized you are in your approach.
First, learn about the activities of The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, at 235 Montgomery Street, a non-profit membership association of more than 2,000 local businesses of all sizes; tel: (415) 392-4520; fax: (415) 392-0485; website: http://www.sfchamber.com. Working to attract and support businesses in the Bay Area, the Chamber sponsors luncheons, networking socials, and committee meetings, and organizes special events for members and non-members. The Small Business Advisory Council is an important resource for the small business owner. The Women in Business Roundtable supports women in business with regular meetings and interesting speakers (tel: (415) 352-8803). The Job Forum is offered as a free community service designed to aid jobseekers. Not an employment agency, the Job Forum offers brainstorming and problem-solving opportunities.
The Better Business Bureau that services San Francisco is based in Oakland; tel: (510) 844-2000 or (866) 411-2221; website: http://www.oakland.bbb.org. It provides information on companies, including lists of those with good records. You may file complaints here, as well.
Businesses that depend on tourism are always a draw. Tourism is big business in San Francisco and is its largest revenue-generating industry, sustaining more than 66,000 of the city’s jobs. Often rated by travel magazines as the nation’s most popular vacation spot, San Francisco is visited by some 16 million visitors who spend more than US$ 7 billion in the city each year. Other than vacationers, the city is also a draw for some 200 trade shows, conventions, and business meetings. International visitors account for just under half of all hotel guests, and these explore the city every day, spending their money at tourist attractions, in the downtown and outer shopping districts, and especially at the city’s restaurants.
Before you do anything else, make sure you understand the legal and financial implications of opening a business and the risks involved. Start with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), located on the sixth floor of 455 Market Street. This is an agency of the federal government that helps anyone who wants to open a small business; tel: (415) 744-6820; website: http://www.sba.gov.
The SBA is also the largest source of long-term small business financing in the nation. Loans are made to qualified applicants by private lending institutions that participate in the SBA program. Inquire of your banker or at the SBA about its help for small business.
Women and minorities should inquire at the SBA about the Women’s and Minorities Pre-Qualification Loan Program, in which loan requests may be reviewed and approved by the SBA before application to the lending institution.
The following organizations and resources might be of help as you equip for business:
The Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center, 275 Fifth Street; tel: (415) 541-8580; website: http://www.rencenter.org; Non-profit entrepreneurial training organization that works in conjunction with SBA and some private businesses, offering training and help for people who want to start their own businesses.
Mission Economic Development Association (MEDA), 3505, 20th Street; tel: (415) 282-3334; fax: (415) 415-282-3320; website: http://www.medasf.org. This bilingual (Spanish and English) association in the heart of the Mission provides counseling, technical assistance, and loan packaging services (through the SBA and small lenders) to people wishing to set up a new business or improve an existing business.
Women’s Initiative, 1398 Valencia Street at 25th Street; tel: (415) 641-3460; fax: (415) 826-1885; website: http://www.womensinitiative.org. Women’s Initiative provides specific training to equip women in various aspects of business and to help them start or expand their own. Sessions in English or Spanish target low-income women, to help overcome economic and social barriers.
The San Francisco Small Business Network, 2261 Market Street, Suite 288; tel: (415) 281-8412; website: http://www.sfsbn.org. This group promotes and lobbies for small business and education programs and aims to strengthen and unify the voices of small business owners.
The San Francisco Main Library, 100 Larkin Street; Allows any card holder access to its Business, Science, and Technology Center’s services and database; tel: (415) 557-4400; website: http://sfpl.lib.ca.us.
San Francisco Business Times, 275 Battery Street, Suite 940; tel: (415) 989-2522; fax: (415) 398-2494; website: http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco; An excellent ongoing resource for current business information and business-related reports.
San Franciscans are friendly and open, both socially and professionally, so you should have little trouble meeting people and—once settled into your professional life—becoming an active member of the business community. For business networking, consider joining the following groups:
San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, 465 California Street, 9th Floor; tel: (415) 392-4520; fax: (415) 392-0485; website: http://www.sfchamber.com
The San Francisco African American Chamber of Commerce, 1485 Bayshore Boulevard; tel: (415) 468-4600; website http://www.sfaacc.org. Helps to connect African American business owners to the global market.
Asian Business League of San Francisco, 564 Market Street, Suite 404; tel: (415) 788-4664; website: http://www.ablsf.org. This is a membership organization for Asians in business, providing seminars, workshops, networking events.
The City Club of San Francisco, 155 Sansome Street, 10th Floor; tel: (415) 362-2480; website: http://www.cityclubsf.com. A multi-purpose professional and social club that hosts breakfast speakers, conducts networking forums, and organizes special events.
The Commonwealth Club of California, 595 Market Street; tel: (415) 597-6700; website: http://www.commonwealthclub.org. A prestigious public affairs group, it invites well-known and interesting people to speak at meal-centered meetings (breakfast, lunch, dinner, receptions). Also organized are special and social events geared to current issues; outings to cultural and sports events.
Golden Gate Business Association, 1800 Market Street; tel: (415) 865-5545; website: http://www.ggba.com. San Francisco’s oldest gay and lesbian business organization, GGBA includes professionals, business owners, and artists, and it conducts networking events and a variety of business-related programs.
National Association of Women Business Owners—San Francisco, 2325 3rd Street; tel: (415) 333-2130; website: http://www.nawbo-sf.org. This association holds monthly dinner meetings and also provides networking, business, and social contacts. It also has links with women’s business groups worldwide.
Rotary Club of San Francisco, 300 Montgomery Street; tel: (415) 546-0181; website: http://www.sfrotary.com. Call this international community service organization for meeting and luncheon sites.
World Affairs Council of Northern California, World Affairs Center, 312 Sutter Street, Suite 200; tel: (415) 293-4600; fax: (415) 982-5028; website: http://www.itsyourworld.org. The council holds programs on important foreign policy issues, organizes conferences and dinners with international guests, lectures from government officials, forums on current issues, and special and social events.
If you do not need a full-time office or need space while looking for permanent quarters, consider shared office space, which provides full services without a long-term financial commitment. You may rent a conference room for a meeting, or rent offices by the day, week, or month. See Office and Desk Space Rental Service in the Yellow Pages.
HQ Global Workplaces; Several locations in San Francisco; tel: (800) 956-9543; website: http://www.hq.com
Office General Executive Business Centers, 580 California Street, 5th and 16th Floors; tel: (415) 283-3200; website: http://www.officegeneral.com
San Francisco has long been home to plentiful jobs—in international trade and especially in tourism, where the turnover is high. During the “dot.com” years, the economy of the region shifted to Information Technology: computer programming, telecommunications, data processing. Now, however, although these fields are still thriving, employment is increasing more in the leisure and hospitality fields, and scientific and business services. With the new research center at Mission Bay, those who have attained education in the life sciences—biotechnology and scientific research—are in demand. The multimedia industry has also taken hold in the Bay Area, and both new jobs and new types of jobs are being created.
Yet if there are jobs, they are easily filled, and the unemployment rate in San Francisco hovers only between six and seven percent, lower than the May 2009 California average of nine percent. Thus, you should ensure that your résumé is well organized and presented. If you have varied experience and several distinct skills, for example, prepare different résumés with different emphases, depending on the job you are applying for. Be prepared also to network with any professional contact you may have and to make “cold calls” to the Human Resources departments of companies, rather than relying solely on your résumé and cover letter. Competition is fierce, and you must use every channel at your disposal. Remember that many people possess similar skills, so the cover letter is important in conveying who you are.
Average wages in San Francisco rose 30 percent in the last decade, compared to 18 percent in the rest of the country. But think carefully about salary and your lifestyle, for the Bay Area has the highest cost of living in the state, and its concomitant higher salaries may not stretch as far as you think. And if San Francisco’s highly educated workforce (67 percent of residents have college or other post-secondary degrees) currently earns around US$ 72,000 each, it may still matter little when the median price of a single-family home is now more than US$ 700,000.
In order to apply for a job, you might be asked to prove that you are legally permitted to work in the United States; foreigners may be asked to take an English-language test. In addition, some companies will test you on the skills you claim to have, in addition to checking samples of your work and references.
If you are coming to the city without a job, start your search before arrival by looking at the websites of employment agencies and the San Francisco Chronicle (website: http://www.sfgate.com). The Sunday issue has an extensive career section containing articles, advertisements for career development, and a major section of classified ads for job openings. Some free tabloid magazines can be found at news boxes on street corners.
Open Exchange Magazine is a learning resource directory, detailing thousands of opportunities for professional and skills development, personal growth, and to effect positive social change. Among its coaching programs are many that aim to help enhance one’s interpersonal communication and relational skills and ability to live a holistic life; website; http://www.openexchange.org.
Jobs and Careers is an Internet portal that lists hundreds of jobs and positions that are open, announces career fairs, and facilitates the search process of both employers and jobseekers; website: http://www.jobscareers.com.
Bay Area Business Woman connects women in commerce, community, and the arts, with articles, testimonies, and advertisements, plus a calendar of events; website: http://www.babwnews.com.
In addition to listing yourself with the employment agencies, try to take advantage of the organizations that help people to develop their capabilities, to present themselves well, and to understand the San Francisco job market:
Experience Unlimited, 801 Turk Street, tel: (415) 771-1776; website: http://www.edd.ca.gov/jsrep/jseuloc.htm. A free service of the California Employment Development Department, Experience Unlimited provides workshops on job-searching techniques, cover letter and résumé writing, ways to handle interviews with confidence, career-planning, and so on. Check the website for other offices.
Jewish Vocational Service and Career Counseling (JVS), 225 Bush Street, Suite 400; tel: (415) 391-3600; fax: (415) 391-3617; website: http://www.jvs.org. This long established non-sectarian non-profit job counseling and employment agency organizes workshops, provides opportunities for networking, and conducts skills training programs, with the objective of “bringing people and work together.”
Media Alliance, 1904 Franklin Street in Oakland; tel: (510) 832-9000; website: http://www.media-alliance.org. A non-profit association for communications and general media professionals. Job listings are free for professional members. Membership can also be earned by volunteering hours and service at the center.
The hundreds of employment agencies in the city offer temporary and permanent jobs. If you are willing to work outside San Francisco, inquire whether the agencies service the entire Bay Area. Under Employment Agencies in the Yellow Pages, there are extensive advertisements and listings of agencies that specialize in fields such as the dental, insurance, or legal professions. Firms may also help in writing resumés and in training of job skills. The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce sells an Employment Guide that lists agencies and services for job seekers’ easy reference. Herewith a few, just to give you an idea of how specialized the agencies are:
Accountants Inc, By appointment only; tel: (415) 434-1411; fax: (415) 434-1124; email: sanfran@accountantsinc.com; website: http://www.accountantsinc.com; For accountants and professionals in the financial industry.
ABA Staff; tel: (415) 434-4222; website: http://www.abastaff.com; For attorneys and paralegals.
ProGayJobs, 1800 Market Street; website: http://www.progayjobs.com; Specializing in jobs for the GLBT community, with a wide range of full-time and temporary positions.
Jackson Personnel Agency, 116 New Montgomery Street, Suite 916; tel: (415) 546-4500; fax: (415) 546-0926; website: http://www.jacksonpersonnel.com; From clerical through management.
The Job Shop, 163 2nd Street; tel: (415) 227-8610; website: http://www.jobshopsf.com; Temporary and permanent positions in advertising, sales, marketing, financial services, fashion, accounting, real estate, and more.
Kelly Services Inc, 55 2nd Street; tel: (415) 284-2800; website: http://www.kellyservices.com; Matches jobseekers to temporary positions in several fields, including clerical and accounting.
Manpower, Three Embarcadero Center, No. 540; tel: (415) 781-7171; website: http://www.manpower.com; Specializes in recruitment, training, selection of job candidates, and listings of jobs.
The United Way of the Bay Area at 221 Main Street (Suite 300) has a Jobs for Youth program that provides entry-level work experience to qualified young people; tel: (415) 861-5627; website: http://www.jobsforyouth.net. All applicants are pre-screened and qualified for the jobs that are listed.
