Interviewing history
Back In January a recruiter reached out to me, I was happy in my Google job, until I learned so many other companies have more fun work and pay way more $$$. Since then I started interviewing and here is the result: In chronological order - OpenAI (onsite) - REJECTED - AirBnb (onsite) - REJECTED - Databricks (onsite) - REJECTED - Y Combinator startup (onsite) - REJECTED - Self-driving car startup (screening) - REJECTED - Stripe (screening) - REJECTED - Robinhood (screening) - REJECTED - Netflix (take home) - REJECTED - Twitter (screening) - PASS, didn't move to on-site as I don't believe in Twitter as company - NVIDIA - OFFER - ML startup - OFFER ... - Facebook -Applied but never heard from them - Snap - Applied but never heard from them Resources: interviewing.io Leetcode educative.io SWE L5 Google TC 380K YoE 15 I was trying to optimize for getting more $$$ and looks like I missed some of the best options to do so. I'm TL in my team, and on trajectory for L6 (going for promo next cycle) Most of the feedback was related to not enough depth in System Design. Just sucks to be rejected so many times, but is ok. Edit1. Netflix rejected me during Take Home project. Edit 2. I'm Green Card holder #interviewing #bayarea #swe #google
interviewing.io
Can I dm for nvidia interview experience? It's definitely getting very competitive! I am being ghosted by recruiters some times even after a spectacular onsite. Looks like the market is just really hot right now.
Sure
From that list, if TC offers were the same, which did you have as top choice?
I really felt sad about OpenAI it was a great experience but I was totally unprepared for the interview. (Specially the ML questions) and this was the company that got me thinking about getting a new job
Dang, well at least you can try again in 6mos to a year. I know the pain but just know it all usually works out in the end. YOU GOT THIS! 🤗🤗
I’m in a similar position. I’ve got great wlb and culture where I’m at but just went through a round of interviews to see if I could land somewhere with better pay. Lots of rejection. Hard not to take it personally
Yes, is hard and makes you question your capabilities. I believe there is a lot way better people out there from Google interviewing, maybe I'm not good enough or didn't prepare well enough.
I certainly didn’t prepare as much as I could have but for me it feels like I don’t perform well under the pressure of an interview. It’s hard to simulate that pressure outside of interviews you care about
L5 with 18 YOE? I’ve seen new grads 3/4 years out of college get L5. That’d be a red flag for me.
I dont think you understand what L5 means at Google. My understanding is that in LinkedIn anybody can be staff and normally a Staff is an L4/L5 at Google. Anyways, a Red flag to me is your reading, is 15 YOE not 18. I have had many roles apart from SWE: Solutions Architect, Research, but as SWE mainly 10.
Rejected. I expected more from 18 YOE.
Similar story. This phrase helped me a lot: “why risk what you have for what you don’t need” -naval. Google is amazing and folks from those companies would die to have our roles. My only advice to you, if TC is important, try to make up by reducing expenses and investing more over the long term
This is a good advise, I really appreciate it. Thanks. Today I was listening to one of the main PMs which is leaving Google after 17 years and he mentioned that we are lucky to work in one of the best companies in the history of human kind.
“why risk what you have for what you don’t need” : (1) If you really believed that phrase you would not be in google, you would have settled up for less. (2) People from those companies would not die to go to google, unless, of course, there is was big jump on TC.
Similar story - 5 onsites in the past year, some close calls but no offers 🙁 It’s very disheartening
Similar story. Always been a good performer and fast promo but the expectations of perfection for unseen problems in interviews is keeping me stuck with the low TC. I have decided to play the game their way and practice LC best solutions so I can be pitch perfect
How did you apply to OpenAI
They looked up for me. I have a MS in top UK ML research program and work in AI @Google
Take it easy. I experienced similar job hunting recently. You failed in these companies, partly because you didn’t interview for years, I guess. Improve your interview skills according to the feedbacks and you will get a great offer :-) PS: for Airbnb, they have a small set of hard problems. Harder than most other companies IMO . If you didn’t specially prepared for them , easy to get a rejection. Just my two cents.
Surprised fb didn’t give you interview, I thought they’re desperate right now
You are thinking of amazon.
Nah, I know a bunch of people at fb and some went to fb recently, they all said this. Idk maybe org/team dependent