What I Learned on My Way to a Google Offer

They did as much as they could, but it still took a month. You should expect the interview process for FAANG companies to take 4-6 weeks. A good time to apply ... OpeninappHomeNotificationsListsStoriesWritePublishedinBetterProgrammingWhatILearnedonMyWaytoaGoogleOfferAstoryofmyjobsearchastoldthroughfacts,figures,andlessonslearnedPhotobySteveHalamaonUnsplash.Ispentthelasteightmonthsofmylifeinterviewingandlookingformynextjob.Alongtheway,Ikeptdetailedrecords.Ihavecombedthroughthedataandfoundsomeinterestinginformation.Ifyouareabouttoembarkonyourownemploymentquest,youshouldtakealookatthedatatoknowwhatyouaregettinginto.IevenhavesometipsthatIhopewillbeofsomehelp.WhenIstartedmyjobhunt,IwashalfwaydonewithmyMasterofSoftwareEngineeringprogramatCarnegieMellonUniversity.ItwasMay2020,soCOVID-19wasatitspeak.Somecompanieshadenteredahiringfreezeanditwaslookinglikeitwouldbedifficulttofindajob.IwasgraduatinginDecember,soIdidnothavetheluxurytowaitforabetterjobmarket.MyBackgroundTosetthecontextfortherestofthearticle,Iwillbrieflyexplainmybackground.Ifyouarecurious,youcanlookmeuponLinkedIn.Imaintainadetailedprofile.Atthetimeofmyjobsearch,Iwasamaster’sstudentatCarnegieMellonUniversity.Priortograduateschool,IworkedforoversixyearsatLibertyMutualInsuranceinMassachusettsandNewHampshire.IprimarilyworkedonaDevOpsteamresponsiblefortheAPImanagementplatform.IspecializedinRESTfulAPIs.Iwasabitofajack-of-all-trades,butIpredominantlyworkedwithNode.jsmicroservices.BythetimeIleftthecompany,Iwasaseniorsoftwareengineer.BesidesmyworkatLibertyMutual,Ihadexperienceco-foundingastartup.Thestartupwasbornoutofasuccessfulhackathon.Itfailedtogettractioninthemarket,soweclosedupshopafterthreeyears.PriortoLibertyMutual,IgraduatedfromBentleyUniversitywithaComputerInformationSystemsdegree.MyTimelineMyjobsearchstartedinMayandlasteduntiltheendofDecember.Eightmonthsislongerthanaverage,butIcouldaffordthetimesinceIwasnotgoingtograduateuntilDecember.Iimagineitwouldhavebeenverydifficulttocompletetheentireprocessinanylessthanfourmonths.Ifyouarestartingtheprocess,youshouldexpectittotake4-6months.IstartedtheprocessbyfiguringouthowIwasgoingtoprepare.Ispentmostofmypreparationtimeorganizinganinterviewstudygrouptohelpmyclassmates.Themembersofthegroupsolvedproblems,discussedsolutions,andinterviewedeachother.Weimprovedourproblem-solvingandgotcomfortablewiththeinterviewformat.IalsousedAlgoMonsterandLeetCodetopracticetechnicalinterviewproblems.Bymid-August,Iwascomfortabledoingthreemockinterviewsbacktobacktoback.Thenitwastimetostartapplying.IstartedapplyingbysearchingthroughLinkedInjobpostingsandcompanies’careerpages.Thiswasatediousprocess.Imadeitmoremanageablebyspendingalittletimeeachdayapplying.Thefirstweeksofapplyingweredishearteningduetothenumberofinstantrejections.Ididnotknowwhymyresumewasbeingpassedover.Eventually,recruitersstartedgettingbacktome.Itwaseasiertohandlethe1-3rejectionsperdayonceIhadseveralinterviewsbooked.FromOctobertoearlyDecember,Iwasinthefullswingofthings.Iappliedandinterviewed.Ireceivedrejectionsandoffers.MyfirstofferscameinearlyNovember.TheycontinuedtotrickleinthroughoutthemiddleofDecember.Allinall,Iendedupwithsixoffersoutof185applications.AfterIfinishedinterviewing,ittookmetwomoreweekstonegotiatemycompensation.Thentheprocesswasover.ItwaschampagneandsmilesasIsignedanofferfromGoogle.HowDidISpendMyTime?Intotal,Ispent350hoursonmyjobsearch.Duringtheprocess,IusedToggletotrackhowIspentmytime:Hereiswhateachactivityentailed:Preparing—Ispentthistimegatheringresourcesandfiguringouthowtopracticeinterviewing.Themosttime-consumingactivitywasorganizinganinterviewstudygroupwithmyclassmates.Practicing—IspentextratimepracticingforcodinginterviewsbecauseIhadnevertakenadatastructuresoralgorithmsclass.Ipracticedbysolvingproblemsanddoingmockinterviews.Applying—IreadjobpostingsonLinkedInandcareerpages.Ialsocontactedfriendsintheindustrytoseeiftheircompanieswerehiring.Iappliedforawidevarietyofrolesatvariouscompanies.ItfeltlikeIspentmorethan43hoursapplyingtoopenings,soitislikelythatIammissingsomedata.Interviewing—Thiswasthetimespentonphonescreens,onlineassessments,technicalphoneinterviews,virtualon-siteinterviews,andoffernegotiations.ThisalsoincludesthetimeIspentcoordinatingtheseactivities.ItsurprisedmehowmuchtimeIspentschedulinginterviews.Ifyouarestartingtointerview,youwillspendmoretimesendingemailsthanyouthink.Throughouttheinterviewprocess,theamountoftimeIspentoneachactivityvaried,asdepictedinthechartbelow:Atthestart,Ispentmostofmytimepreparingandpracticing.Followingmypracticingpeak,Istartedapplying.Ittookalittlewhileforcompaniestostartresponding.Oncetheydid,Ispentmostofmytimeinterviewing.IcontinuedapplyingforanothermonthbutstoppedwhenIstartedtoreceiveoffers.Finally,after34weeksandcountlessinterviews,Isignedanofferandrested.WhatRolesDidIApplyFor?Iwaslookingforaseniorsoftwareengineeringposition.IenjoyedmySoftwareEngineeringforArtificialIntelligenceclass,soIwaslookingtoworkonAI-enabledsystems.Ifpossible,Ialsowantedtoputmydistributedsystemsknowledgetousebybuildingscalablesystems.ThefollowingchartsprovidesomeanalysisoftherolesthatIappliedfor:Iprimarilyappliedtoseniorsoftwareroles.Ialsoappliedtomanymachinelearningpositions.TheradialchartshowsthatIreceivedfewerresponsesfortheMLpositions.IbelievethiswasbecauseallofmyAI/MLexperiencewasacademic.WhatTypeofCompaniesDidIApplyTo?Iappliedtomanydifferentcompanies—fromearly-stagestartupstomassiveenterprises.Thefollowingchartprovidessomesummary-levelinformationaboutthosecompanies:Inoticedthatmedium-sizedcompanieswerethemostlikelytohaveuniqueinterviewingpractices.Iamdefiningmedium-sizedas150-500employeesoravaluationof$1-5B.Mostcompaniesusethetraditionaltechnicalinterviewprocess.ThisconsistsofanHRphonescreen,analgorithmphoneinterview,andafinalroundoftechnical,design,andcultureinterviews.However,themedium-sizedcompaniesweremorelikelytostrayfromthenorm.ThemostcommonderivationIsawwasatake-homeproblemwithasetofrequirements.Often,theproblemwasdirectlyrelatedtothebusinessorrole.Sometimes,therequirementswereintentionallyvague.Inallhonesty,Ipreferredthosetypesofquestions.Ifeltthatmysolutionsdemonstratedactualengineeringskills,unlikewithtraditionalalgorithmquestions.HowDifficultWeretheInterviews?Overthecourseofmyjobsearch,Iappliedto185positions.Asonemightexpect,thehardeststepoftheprocesswasgettinganinitialresponse.Onlyoneinfivecompaniesexpressedinterestuponreceivingmyresume.It’shardtoknowwhethermyresumewasrejectedbyahuman,AI,orbecausethecompanywasinahiringfreeze.Manycompaniesneverresponded.Fromthere,Ihadmuchmoresuccess.Ihada>50%pass-throughrateforeachremainingstageoftheinterviewprocess.Thismeansthatforanygivenapplication,Ihada3.3%chanceofreceivinganoffer.Tocollectthisdata,Icategorizedthestagesoftheinterviewprocess:Applied—Submittedmyresume.Recruiter—EithersomeonefromHRorahiringmanagerreachedouttoschedulea30-minutephonescreen.Phoneinterview—Aone-hourtechnicalphoneinterviewand/oratake-homeonlineassessment.Onsite—A2-6-hoursetoftechnical,design,andculture-fitinterviews.SinceIinterviewedduringCOVID-19,theseinterviewsweredonevirtually.Offer—Ipassed!Itsurprisedmethatmypass-throughratewasconstantthroughoutthelaterstages.Iexpectedeachroundofinterviewstobeharderthanthelast.Thiswasusuallynotthecase.Withafewexceptions,thedifficultyoftheinterviewdidnotincreasebetweenthephoneinterviewandtheon-siteinterview.Ithinkthegoaloftheon-sitewastomakesurethephoneinterviewwasnotananomaly.LessonsLearned1.Practice,practice,practiceThemostimportantpartofmyjobsearchwasthetimeIspentpracticingforthetechnicalinterviews.Ieclipsed100hoursofpractice.Accordingtoaninterviewing.iosurvey,thisamountofpreparationiscommon.Tobegoodatinterviewing,youneedtobegoodatsolvingtechnicalquestions.Youneedabasicunderstandingofdatastructuresandalgorithmsandlotsofpracticeproblems.IthoughtAlgoMonsterwasthebestresourcetolearnthealgorithmsandLeetCodewasthebestplacetofindpracticeproblems.Theotheraspectofinterviewingisbeingcomfortablewiththeinterviewformat.Aninterviewismoreperformancethanprogramming.Inaninterview,youmusttalkthroughyourcodeasyouwriteit,whichdoesnotcomenaturallytomostengineers.ThebestthingIdidtopreparewastocreateastudygroup.Ihighlyrecommendreachingouttoengineerfriendsandcreatingyourowngroup.PhotobyLachlanRossfromPexels.Likemanyperformances,youshoulddoalow-stakespracticerunbeforethebigshow.Peopledon’tgofromsingingintheshowertoperformingattheApollo.Theyoftenstartwithacoupleofopenmicnights.Ifyoupracticeinterviewingwithyourpeers,thentheperformanceaspectofinterviewingwillbecomesecondnature.Ifyoucannotfindpeopletopracticewith,thereareonlineresourcesthatprovidemockinterviews,suchasinterviewing.io.2.Don’tgetdiscouragedIknowyoualreadyknowthis.Iknewthisduringmyjobsearch,butIstillendedupdiscouragedinthemiddleofSeptember.Rememberthatcompaniesaremuchmoreconcernedaboutfalsepositives(badcandidateswhoreceiveoffers)thanfalsenegatives(goodcandidateswhogetrejected).Youwillgetrejectedforjobsthatyouareperfectfor.Theirloss.Keeponapplyingandinterviewing.PhotobyAlexGreenfromPexels.3.ApplytomanyopportunitiesSinceyouaregoingtoberejectedforpositionsthatyoudeserve,youneedtocastawidenet.Thisisn’tabadthing.Jobdescriptionsaren’tperfect.Youmayfindoutthataroleismoreinterestingthanyouoriginallythought.Youmayalsofindoutthatyourpreferredjobislessexcitingthanitsdescription.Theotherreasontoapplytomanyopportunitiesisforpractice.Earlyon,youwantsomeinterviewsthatyoudonotmindbombing.Thiswillhelpyoutoprepareforthecompaniesthatexciteyou.IalsoranintoasituationwhereIneededapracticecompanyattheendofmyinterviewprocess.Ihadatwo-weekperiodwithoutanytechnicalinterviews.Ihadbecomealittlerusty,soIusedonecompanytowarmupforadifferentinterview.4.PlanwhentoapplytolargecompaniesOneadvantageoflargecompaniesisthattheyhaveawell-definedrecruitingprocess.Theyhavesomanyapplicantsgoingthroughthesystemthatitiseasytoknowhowlongtheprocesswilltake.Thedownsideisthatthenumberofcandidatesinterviewingmakestheprocesslessflexible.Forexample,ifyouhaveanexpiringofferandneedtoexpeditetheprocess,thiswillbemuchharderatalargecompany.Smallcompaniesaremoreflexibleaboutexpeditingtheprocessorextendingdeadlines.PhotobyEstéeJanssensonUnsplashIranintoasituationwhereIappliedtoaFAANG(Facebook,Amazon,Apple,Netflix,Google)companylateintheprocessandhadtoasktoexpeditetheinterviews.Theydidasmuchastheycould,butitstilltookamonth.YoushouldexpecttheinterviewprocessforFAANGcompaniestotake4-6weeks.Agoodtimetoapplywouldbe2-3weeksbeforeyouexpecttogetyourfirstoffer.5.UseyourcontactsLookthroughLinkedIntoseeifyouknowanyoneatthecompany.IwilladmitthatIamnotgreatatdoingthis.Itcanbeuncomfortabletoaskforafavor,butitpaysoff.Duringmyjobsearch,Ireachedouttoeveryonefromclosefriendstofriendsoffriends.Noonerefusedtohelpme.Thebiggestbenefitofthereferralisthatyougetnoticedmoreoften.57%(4/7)ofmyreferralsresultedinacallfromarecruiter.Thisisabigimprovementfromthe18%callbackwithoutareferral.IevenhadafriendofafriendfollowupwithHRmultipletimestocheckonthestatusofmyapplication.I’msureHRwouldhaveforgottenaboutmyapplication,butIendedupwithaninterview.Iimaginereferralshadlessofanimpactonthelaterstagesoftheprocess.Butiftheyonlyimprovedtheoddsatthefirststage,mychancesofgettinganofferfromanygivenapplicationstilljumpedfrom3%to10%.Inactuality,Isawanofferrateof28%(2/7)fromreferrals.Ifyoufeeluncomfortableaskingforareferral,rememberthatmostcompanieshaveagenerousreferralpolicy.Therefore,youarehelpinganacquaintancegetanicebonusandtheyarehelpingyougetajob.Youbothwin.PhotobyPawełCzerwińskionUnsplash.ConclusionSinceeachjobsearchisunique,Iexpectmyexperiencewilldifferfromyours.Nomatterwhoyouare,theprocesswillbechallenging.Istruggledatpointsalongtheway,butIendedupwithanewjob.IhopetheinformationandtipsIhaveprovidedhelpyoualongyourjourney.Happyhunting!ThankstoAnupamChughMorefromBetterProgrammingFollowAdviceforprogrammers.ReadmorefromBetterProgrammingRecommendedfromMediumJonFazzaroinYesterday’sWeatherHowtoHandleExceptionsinASP.NETWebAPILikeaGentlemanTheEngineer'sCafeGoogleDeveloperDayIndia2017DenisCrăciunescuinBetterProgrammingHowNystagmusMadeMeaBetterProgrammerOnnoGabrielinBetterProgrammingDocker-PoweredWebDevelopmentUtilizingHTTPSandLocalDomainNamesZabilCheriyaMaliackalinGaugeLanguageserverprotocolandDSL’sAakrutdabhiGitGuide01Mandayam5BadHabitsYouShouldCutFromYourLifetoGetHealthyUtpalKantMehtaPa11yinCICD-YourAutomatedGatekeeperforaccessiblecodeAboutHelpTermsPrivacyGettheMediumappGetstartedDanielBiales31Followers|CarnegieMellonUniversityMasterofSoftwareEngineeringAlumni|SoftwareEngineer|Runner|Outdoorsman|Cook|Learner|FollowHelpStatusWritersBlogCareersPrivacyTermsAboutKnowable