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I'm a Google SWE that's coached 50 through the FAANG interview process. AMA

147 points by coachdarek 7y ago

My name is Coach Darek. I work at Google and I run a program that helps people get FAANG jobs for no upfront-payment. Thought I'd reach out and answer any questions you have about the process/what you'd need to do here. If you're interested you can check out my program - www.codebreakersacademy.com. EDITED: Since this has been asked in a couple of comments. There is no age, location, or CS background restriction for CodeBreakers. We're fully remote and all ages/backgrounds are welcome and encouraged.

minimaxir 7y ago
Isn't this a conflict of interest with Google?
- coachdarek 7y ago
  Nope! We don't teach anything Google-specific, we focus on teaching programming fundamentals that apply to any technical interview.
ding_ding_dong 7y ago
I’d rather kill myself than work in greedy corporates thanks but no thanks.
ianai 7y ago
Where do you see the labor demand going over the short, medium, and long terms for your clients? Ie what could happen to slow the market or accelerate it.
- coachdarek 7y ago
  The demand for coders is likely only going to increase in the short, medium and long run. FAANG companies have increased their employment of engineers by almost 10% for the past 3 years. I don't see the software engineer market slowing down anytime soon. Even if FAANG companies see competition from disruptive startups, those disruptive startups will need to hire engineers too.
ibmkhd 7y ago
Is there any age or location limitations?or any other restrictions.
- coachdarek 7y ago
  No age restriction or location limitation. We work fully-online with flexible scheduling. Our students come from all ages, cs backgrounds and locations.
nell 7y ago
If I don't have FAANG on my resume and no open-source contributions are my chances doomed? Does age matter? What could I do to improve my chances?
- coachdarek 7y ago
  Absolutely not. We've worked with people of all ages and backgrounds, many without a formal CS background. So having no open-source contributions is totally fine. Things to improve changes - Find people to refer you. This pretty much guarantees an interview. - Prepare for the technical interview. This does take time, but it's a really good investment. Websites like Leetcode are really good. If you can Leetcode medium's in 30 minutes, you're golden. - Get people to mock interview you. This is something we make a HUGE emphasis on in CodeBreakers.
  - NeverFade 7y ago
    Besides Leetcode, are there any other websites that would be at the top of your recommendation list for preparing candidates?
    - govg 7y ago
      You can use archives like the ones you find in Hackerrank / SPOJ, or participate in contests run by Codeforces / Codechef.
  - christiansakai 7y ago
    Google recruiter reached out to me for a role in MV. I said I’d like for an NYC position. I forward my resume to him and he said he’ll forward it to NYC team. After that no reply from him. I followed up and he said they decided not to move forward. Then 2 months later I got someone to refer me at Google. I applied. The applications get stuck for 2 months now and still pending. No phone, no email, nothing from Google whatsoever. Can you tell me what happened? Did I get shadowbanned by Google?
- samfisher83 7y ago
  They recruit everybody even if you don't work for a faang company. If you have software engineer as a title I think a google recruiter will reach out to you. Same with Facebook and amazon.
bogomipz 7y ago
How does 9 reviews all giving 5 stars equate to an overall rating of 4.5 starts? https://codebreakersacademy.com/reviews/ https://codebreakersacademy.com/reviews/
- coachdarek 7y ago
  Trustpilot uses a Bayesian Average to determine the overall rating which is the 4.5 stars. Here's a link explaining their methodology - https://support.trustpilot.com/hc/en-us/articles/201748946-TrustScore-explained-How-is-the-TrustScore-calculated- https://support.trustpilot.com/hc/en-us/articles/201748946-T...
newbie578 7y ago
Thanks for doing this, looking forward to learning from you. Is there a demand in FAANG for programmers but in Europe, and if so how much of a difference is it between US and Europe? What would you say is a single trait which differentiates candidates to FAANG? Specific college, programmer from a young age, already established experience or personality, etc. And finally, is it true that a lot of candidates are socially inept? I.e. lack interpersonal skills, verbal and non-verbal communication, if so, how big of a role does it play in an interview?
- coachdarek 7y ago
  I know there is a big Google office in London so I would assume that there is also a big demand for engineers at other FAANG across Europe. I think there is a big myth that FAANG engineers are somehow different than anyone else. Anyone who is willing to invest the time to properly prepare for the interview process has a a great shot at getting the job. Most people don't know HOW to best prepare which I find is what holds most people back. I wouldn't say that candidates are socially inept. However, I've interviewed candidates where communication issues turn a possible hire into a no-hire. Communication is as important as technical skills because you need both to pass.
- kleinsch 7y ago
  Big FB office in London also. Ping me if you want info or referrals.
- Youden 7y ago
  > Is there a demand in FAANG for programmers but in Europe, and if so how much of a difference is it between US and Europe? Google, Microsoft and Facebook have large offices in London. They also have offices in Zürich, where the pay is much better, though only Google has a large presence there. All the FAANG companies will generally hire anyone who passes their interview process as long as the office has open positions (it usually does) but the US generally has much much higher demand than Europe. London is no comparison to the bay area. Not even really the Seattle area. (Though I'm happy in Europe) > What would you say is a single trait which differentiates candidates to FAANG? Specific college, programmer from a young age, already established experience or personality, etc. The ability to, given a reasonable time, solve an enormously broad range of problems (which is what I see the interview process as testing for). FAANG engineers usually aren't "frontend", "backend", "iOS" or "Android" engineers, they're just "engineers". It's usually expected that they can grab someone from anywhere in the company, put them anywhere else in the company and within ~6 months have them productively contributing code. Of course there are exceptions to this, like research positions or design/UX engineers but generally that's the expectation. > And finally, is it true that a lot of candidates are socially inept? I.e. lack interpersonal skills, verbal and non-verbal communication, if so, how big of a role does it play in an interview? My biggest issue with interview candidates has been people who don't talk. The interview isn't as much about solving the problem as how you solve the problem. If you just hear the problem and start silently coding an answer on the board, that's nice but it won't get you a hire recommendation. I need to know what your thought process was, what other options you considered and why you settled on the implementation you chose. I also deliberately leave the problem somewhat ambiguous so that you have to ask questions. Usually the people who don't talk aren't socially inept though, they're not comfortable with English.
bogomipz 7y ago
How does one individual with a full time job at Google provide 24 x 7 availability for mentoring? https://codebreakersacademy.com/about-us/ https://codebreakersacademy.com/about-us/
- coachdarek 7y ago
  I try to be the most efficient with the time that I do have while making sure that I still finish all my work at Google. Somehow there just ends up being enough time for everything.
  - bogomipz 7y ago
    I'm finding this very hard to believe. I can't imagine Google being ok with you conducting mentoring session during the work day. So it's just you then? One person correct? On the home page its states there's a team of software engineers.
    - coachdarek 7y ago
      We have a team of coaches that work across FAANG and other big tech companies; I haven't uploaded their profiles to the website yet though. EDITED: Although I'd be happy to connect you with some of them directly. I typically don't take mentoring calls during the workday. I fit them in before or after most of them.
      - PenguinCoder 7y ago
        I would certainly be interested in this connection offer. I applied with Google once but the offer they gave was not a high enough level. I'd love to talk about how to get a reasonable offer and interviews. Please see my profile for email if you have the time.
        coachdarek 7y ago
        Sure I’d be happy to! If you’d like to schedule a time to chat with me, our website www.codebreakersacademy.com has a Calendly link available to book a time directly.
SerialOwl 7y ago
Did you get approval from your manager, or legal?
- coachdarek 7y ago
  Yup, cleared everything with legal/HR.
dilyevsky 7y ago
Don’t you think it’s silly that Google’s interviews are so ineffective that candidates need to learn how to “game” them? Asking as someone who’s been on both sides of Google’s interview process.
- noname120 7y ago
  That's an interesting viewpoint, so I'd be interested if you could do a critique of the following claim[1]: > Hackerrank-style interviews suck and they aren't representative (not even remotely) of real working conditions. But they are good at something: evaluating the tenacity and the drive of a candidate. You need to work hard to ace these interviews, and companies are looking for candidates who are persistent and able to work hard—even on things they don't choose to work on. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21123588 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21123588
  - dilyevsky 7y ago
    That may be true but will also effectively exclude strong experienced candidates with options. It worked well for Google in post-dotcom crash frenzy of early 2000s but may not work very well today ;)
    - NeverFade 7y ago
      > That may be true but will also effectively exclude strong experienced candidates with options. What options will you have as an experienced candidate which are competitive with FAANG? I'm an experienced engineer, and my leading FAANG offers were over 50% higher than my top non-FAANG offer. In fact, my non-FAANG offers as an experienced engineer weren't much better than the offers junior candidates get. So unfortunately, it seems if you're an experienced candidate who wants to be appreciated and rewarded for your experience, FAANGs are basically your only option. Non-FAANGs will pay you maybe 30% more than a junior, and for that they'd expect you to lead a team and work twice as hard.
      - honkycat 7y ago
solidangle 7y ago
What's a good source for practice questions? Many problems on Leetcode are completely unsuitable as interview questions.
- coachdarek 7y ago
  I would say if you picked only one resource (outside of CodeBreakers of course :P) that Leetcode is your best bet for the data structures / algorithm interview. If you can do random LC mediums in ~40 minutes you’re in pretty good shape.
starpilot 7y ago
Is the income share agreement for life?
- coachdarek 7y ago
  Nope, it’s only for 1-year.
  - michaelt 7y ago
    Presumably you also get a referral bonus from Google?
    - coachdarek 7y ago
      Because of CodeBreakers, I decline any referral bonuses from google. It usually doesn’t matter anyways since you only get the bonus if candidate has never applied to google before; most people have at some point so it rarely pans out.
k-ian 7y ago
Which major tech company has the most difficult interview process?
- coachdarek 7y ago
  Anecdotally I would say Dropbox. My friend who had a 4.0 in College who got offers everywhere else didn’t pass Dropbox’s interview. He’s a PhD student at MIT now.
  - govg 7y ago
    Famously (until a few years ago at least), even places like MemSQL, Palantir, Quora, Yandex were all famous for interview processes tougher than the regular FAANG.
    - jl2718 7y ago
      Rejection doesn’t mean difficulty. All of my worst students work for one of those companies. All of my best were rejected by the same company. Trust me; the competence gap was astronomical.
      - quickthrower2 7y ago
        It sounds almost like the scatter plot of grades and competence at an actual job (or perceived competence at least) isn’t a straight line.
        jl2718 7y ago
        I agree with this, and I had students like that too, but no way, not in the case of this particular company. It had to be deliberate, or maybe they were just hiring their drinking buddies. I don't know, but it could not have been anything approximating engineering competence.
- david-gpu 7y ago
  What is and isn't difficult depends chiefly on the candidate. Ask me about WASM and I'll fail miserably, but if you ask me about GPU architecture I may fare better.
raviolo 7y ago
You may want to correct “receieved” typo here: https://codebreakersacademy.com/about-us/ https://codebreakersacademy.com/about-us/
- coachdarek 7y ago
  Thanks! Updated :)
starpilot 7y ago
How many months on average does the program take for unmarried individuals working full time?
- coachdarek 7y ago
  Several of our students have done CodeBreakers whole working full-time jobs both married and unmarried. On average it took around 4-5 months based on about 10-15 hr/wk commitment.
miki123211 7y ago
Do you have any idea how FAANG companies treat disabled people, people who need accessibility etc? Does that make a difference? I know they're not legally allowed to discriminate but... no one is, everyone does.
- coachdarek 7y ago
  I can't speak for other companies, but I can assure you that Google emphasizes extreme scrutiny that there is as little implicit bias as possible throughout their interview process.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- ThrowawayP 7y ago
  During the interview, expect them to be fairly generous with accommodations; the disabled are a protected class and they're scrupulous about observing the rules. In the workplace, it's kind of a double-edged situation. FAANGs and similar big companies will be really generous with equipment, accommodations, and so forth in general. On the other hand, if the disabled person isn't visibly (emphasis on visibly) as productive as others, well, they can become persona non grata very, very quickly. The disabled person is competing with non-disabled people who are smart, aggressive, and eager to get ahead (promotions and bonuses add up to big money), so expect no mercy beyond whatever little your friendships get you.
underwater 7y ago
Taking 15% of income (I assume that's pre-tax) post-offer seems insane. Having gone through and passed FAANG interviews, I certainly wouldn't recommend paying that much.
- scarmig 7y ago
  Kind of brilliant, IMO. Target borderline or insecure candidates, give them just enough help that they're thankful, and take in 30k. Rinse and repeat for ten hours a week and pull in 300k or more a year.
  - coachdarek 7y ago
    Although some candidates come into CodeBreakers with already very strong interviewing skills, the majority of our students come from pretty modest CS backgrounds and resumes.
- coachdarek 7y ago
  That’s a good point, if someone is capable, driven and has the resources to navigate the process on their own I encourage everyone In that situation to do so. CodeBreakers is for those who fee like they would benefit from the support network of our coaches, community of students, resources and structures curriculum. Most of our students once they get the job they want, they are pretty happy with the ISA.
- Gunax 7y ago
  Of course it's not worth it if you can pass it yourself. Plenty of people would gladly accept this offer. I would accept the google offer with a 15% pay cut in a heartbeat. No hesitation at all.
  - underwater 7y ago
    It's not like you get in the door and you're set for life. If you're really incapable then you'll struggle to get pass bootcamp and with the frequent performance reviews.
underwater 7y ago
How can you simultaneous work at Google and take cash for helping candidates pass the Google interview process. Seems like a massive conflict of interest and ripe for gaming.
- coachdarek 7y ago
  This is a really common question and I’d be happy to elaborate. I don’t collect any referral bonuses from google nor do I provide any internal google questions to students. What we do is teach data structures and how to communicate these ideas in an interview setting. The parts that’s “gaming” is that the interview process is quite standardized which I’ve found a way to prepare others for. Regarding conflict of interest, big tech companies have decided being good at hackerrank interviews = being a good engineer. So I’m training good engineer in their eyes which is a good thing for tech giants.
  - perl4ever 7y ago
    I was contacted by a Google recruiter once when I was a "programmer/analyst" but not for a software engineer position. I got as far as talking on the phone with the hiring manager, but was not called for an interview. Apparently I was obviously "not their type", but it wasn't a technical screen, so I don't think I was disqualified for lack of knowledge of say, data structures. So, I still kind of wonder what it takes to be hired for a job that isn't the stereotypical Google SWE, because even though I didn't (and still don't) think of myself as a super genius, it's a fact that I was doing data processing for them which they were paying a handsome amount for (which didn't trickle down to me) so I felt I was qualified by definition.
    - coachdarek 7y ago
      The majority of general Google SWE interviewees rarely interface with a hiring manager; they're only interviewed by other engineers.
  - tomludus 7y ago
    I would be stunned if this is how Google views the situation.
raviolo 7y ago
These “income share agreements” seem to be an emerging phenomenon. I wonder if anyone here could comment on any limitations to their use. When someone voluntarily signs an agreement giving me P percent of their income from working as E, for Y years in return for some consideration C: are there restrictions on (P, E, Y, C)? And what sort of laws/rules generally regulate these in the U.S.?
- coachdarek 7y ago
  I wish I could comment more on the legality of the income share agreements, however, I end up leaving that discussion to a lawyer so I don't have much input here.
- algaeontoast 7y ago
  They seem dubious at best, at times I’m surprised that people don’t just find ways to have a lawyer break the agreement after they’re hired. In certain cases it could be cheaper to do that than continue being robbed.
  - coachdarek 7y ago
    Maybe are loopholes if someone wants to go find lawyers and pay enough legal fees. Thankfully we haven't had to deal with this issue as our students have been pretty satisfied.
sadlion 7y ago
Where is the free roadmap to big four tech companies from the FAQ? How does the upfront pricing work; I assume someone with a CS degree and some experience requires lesser coaching effort.
- coachdarek 7y ago
  Sorry about the confusion with our website and the roadmap. We’ve been changing our website around and still have missed a couple of things. Upfront pricing is paid 2-weeks after starting the program for the exact same coaching the ISA students receive and will work with you until you get hired. Something new we’ve implemented is that we can adjust the mentor ship fee depending on your experience interviewing. Usually this involves just having a chat with me with a mini mock interview. If you’re already pretty strong, then we can give a discount.
40acres 7y ago
Please post the income share agreement.
oh_sigh 7y ago
Wow, I can't believe Google lets you do something like this. Personally owing a coworker tens of thousands out of pocket for getting you a job seems like a really fucked up power dynamic.
- coachdarek 7y ago
  I wouldn't descibe it as a power dynamic; that's not what we do. We teach our students programming fundamentals that help them do well in interviews outside of just Google as well as prepare them to be better engineers.
saganus 7y ago
What happens if I take the coaching program, land a job offer but that offer is less than what I would like/be able to accept? Do I still owe you the % fee? or is it only after actually taking the job? I mean, if I don't taje the job but got the training anyway, that seems like I would be "pirating" the course. But if I am not comfortable taking the offer because partner/kids/rent/whatever, I would still be out of pocket several thousands without the high paying job. Interesting concept nonetheless and definitely would consider it!
- coachdarek 7y ago
  Hey saganus, this has come up with previous students actually. They asked and also felt bad about getting free help, but really it's our fault for either having too high of a salary target or not giving them better coaching. That's we didn't charge them when they took the job; CodeBreakers will never pressure a student to take a job to meet the ISA, we're here to help people get the jobs they want. If the ISA doesn't align with that, then we have bad ISA terms and need to modify it. If the standard ISA listed on our FAQ page doesn't work for you (maybe you already have lots of experience and are looking for something far north of $80k), then we can discuss alternatives that make sense for your goals and life situation.
  - saganus 7y ago
    Sounds fair. Thanks!
hysan 7y ago
What are your thoughts on ATS? What does it take for older, non-traditional candidates to get past the initial resume filter?
- coachdarek 7y ago
  Every candidate is different, but generally, if you have experience as an engineer and can get someone to refer you, then you will likely be able to get an interview.
whycombagator 7y ago
Lots of questions if you care to answer: What does the curriculum look like? I’m on a phone and it wasn’t obvious What percentage take the course and don’t succeed at getting a job offer? What percentage get a FAANG level offer? What does the typical successful “candidate” look like that takes the course? How is this better than just doing leetcode/CTCI/CIU[0]? How does this differ from /better than similar programs like techlead’s one[1] What happens if you pay the $8k upfront and fail to get an offer? [0] https://github.com/jwasham/coding-interview-university https://github.com/jwasham/coding-interview-university [1] https://www.techseries.dev/ https://www.techseries.dev/ Edit: FYI your domain is 1 letter away from https://www.codebreakeracademy.com https://www.codebreakeracademy.com (which is a very different thing)
- coachdarek 7y ago
  The curriculum has 3 main parts: data structures/algorithms which include a review of the frequently asked topics such as binary trees, linked lists, heaps, etc. This covers the theory behind them, but also how to use them in the context of interviews. As our students work through these topics, they work with a coach who acts as a private coach. Then it's mock interviews where experienced engineers give feedback and tips on how to improve. Lastly, we help with the recruiting process which can involve connecting students with engineers at other companies for referrals. So far over 90% of our students succeed at getting a job offer. We rarely give up on students seeking jobs and we work with them until the are hired. ~70% end up getting a job paying >125k. Sometimes it's not FAANG, but still a really good tech company. Our candidates come from very diverse backgrounds. Most have some CS or a STEM background, but the best predictor we've found is consistency; will you sit down and work through our curriculum consistently. The difference is that you get a community/network of coaches and other students preparing for interviews as well as the structure. I didn't buy techleads' but I've noticed it's been on a "limited time" sale since August. Looks like they just charge 1k for an online course with fairly little guarantee of results. Thankfully it hasn't come up yet, but we're not in this to take $8k from someone and not help them. If there's a good reason why CodeBreakers wasn't a good fit and you paid upfront, we're open to discuss refunds.
  - 7y ago
jankeymeulen 7y ago
So you've worked at Google for "only" 1y2m and already coached 50 people to work at a FAANG? Or you started this earlier?
algaeontoast 7y ago
15% of income post tax is incredibly steep. Why wouldn’t someone just pay $8k upfront? If you plan to actually use the service and get placed with a half decent salary, any of the other options are a complete rip-off.
- coachdarek 7y ago
  Many who might be interested in CodeBreakers fear investing $8k and end up with nothing. That's why we offer the ISA option to work with everyone's budget. Candidates planning to use the service seriously to get placed are encouraged to choose whichever payment options that works best for them; that's why we have both options.
ldng 7y ago
I have to say that at first read, my first though has been : do African sorcerers can now publish ads on HN to sell their magical powers ? Not to be rude or mean to Coach Darek that I can only guess genuinely wants to help people. But, to me, it does tell a lot about hiring practices at FAANG. Those interviews does not actually tell you that much, sometimes deter competent persons, don't really weed out bad seed, and yet are the alpha and the omega of the industry. Edit: downvote accepted as long as I have actual counter argunment. Doing an exercice in the vacuum does not tell if you can grasp existing code nor if you'll work well in a team.
- paulcole 7y ago
  > Coach Darek that I can only guess genuinely wants to help people He also wants to make money.
- coachdarek 7y ago
  I appreciate the kind sentiment. Interviewing and hiring the right candidate for a job is a near-infinitely complex problem. I mentioned in an earlier post that 5 hours to assess an employee's performance will have lots of false positives / false negatives. Is this the best way to interview? Probably not. If this style of interview can be a good predictor in a large sample size then maybe it's justifiable. I'm assuming the FAANG companies are doing it with lots of statistics backing it up.
  - ldng 7y ago
    I'm not so sure aout those statistics ... Are they published ? The trouble is the whole industry is copying those practices. In other industries/sectors, when you have 15/20 years of experienced, are you grilled, tested and probed like a junior ? I wonder.
    - coachdarek 7y ago
      I'm not sure if those statistics are published, but FAANG companies drive all of their business decisions with data; recruiting shouldn't be any different. > when you have 15/20 years of experienced, are you grilled, tested and probed like a junior? We get this question a lot. We just worked with an engineer with 20 years of experience. He signed up for CodeBreakers because he knew that although he's a much more experienced programmer than I, he was aware that he needed help with the whiteboard interview if he wanted FAANG. His Google onsite interview had 3 data structures and algorithm interviews, 1 system design, and 1 behavioral/leadership interview. Junior engineers have 4 data structures interviews and 1 behavioral now. 80% of the interview is the exact same.
gnaman 7y ago
You mentioned that there is no restriction on the location of the candidate. So, how does the ISA work when a candidate gets a job outside US?
- Palash_Shinde 7y ago
  +1 on this one. Even I also wanted to know, do you help candidates based outside of the US(in my case I'm currently based out of India with 2+ years of work ex in Analytics domain currently working as ML Engineer ) secure SWE roles preferably outside of the current country of residence.
- coachdarek 7y ago
  We've mostly been focused on getting candidates jobs within the US. We're working with several international candidates on how to get them jobs in the US. I've already begun conversations with lawyers to create an ISA that applies to roles outside of the US; mostly likely it will be similar but exchange rate adjusted.
mindfulplay 7y ago
What's with the recent spade of coaching engineers for FAANG companies? Seems like a niche "industry" with lots of potential cash grab opportunity.
b3b0p 7y ago
Maybe this isn't the place to post this, but it's been on my mind, especially with the recent release of Catalina, iOS 13, and iPadOS and this post made me recall. With the hiring bar and exercises like FAANG put candidates through, one would expect if it's working well, why are the products, software, getting worse? I would think they would get more talented, educated, and smart engineers. It seems like it's the opposite though. Catalina has to be the most bug ridden macOS I recall (I've been using macOS since 9), same goes for iOS 13/iPadOS. Not to mention the included software applications such as iTunes, Podcasts, ... I've read similar problems with Windows and Android, so I don't think it's only happening at Apple and I don't mean to specifically call out Apple, but that's the ecosystem I spend the most time with. I feel as if the software quality should be improving. It would have less bugs, be more efficient, and run faster. I feel as if it's not though. It seems like it gets worse. This seems to be a problem with modern games too.
- mhdhn 7y ago
  Great question, but off topic. I think it would be a great Ask HN though. That said, why don't I just pile on here: yeah Catalina - what a steaming pile.... :)
twoquestions 7y ago
Is this restricted by geographic location, or does this work for remote workers too? Imagine for a second you have an applicant from rural Southeast Ohio, which is a very economically depressed region, and they can't relocate. Is relocation the only way to get a decent job for such a candidate? I understand if FAANG is out of their reach what with being out in the sticks.

147 points by coachdarek 7y ago

minimaxir 7y ago

Isn't this a conflict of interest with Google?

coachdarek 7y ago
Nope! We don't teach anything Google-specific, we focus on teaching programming fundamentals that apply to any technical interview.

ding_ding_dong 7y ago

I’d rather kill myself than work in greedy corporates thanks but no thanks.

ianai 7y ago

Where do you see the labor demand going over the short, medium, and long terms for your clients? Ie what could happen to slow the market or accelerate it.

coachdarek 7y ago
The demand for coders is likely only going to increase in the short, medium and long run. FAANG companies have increased their employment of engineers by almost 10% for the past 3 years. I don't see the software engineer market slowing down anytime soon. Even if FAANG companies see competition from disruptive startups, those disruptive startups will need to hire engineers too.

ibmkhd 7y ago

Is there any age or location limitations?or any other restrictions.

coachdarek 7y ago
No age restriction or location limitation. We work fully-online with flexible scheduling. Our students come from all ages, cs backgrounds and locations.

nell 7y ago

If I don't have FAANG on my resume and no open-source contributions are my chances doomed? Does age matter? What could I do to improve my chances?

coachdarek 7y ago
Absolutely not. We've worked with people of all ages and backgrounds, many without a formal CS background. So having no open-source contributions is totally fine. Things to improve changes - Find people to refer you. This pretty much guarantees an interview. - Prepare for the technical interview. This does take time, but it's a really good investment. Websites like Leetcode are really good. If you can Leetcode medium's in 30 minutes, you're golden. - Get people to mock interview you. This is something we make a HUGE emphasis on in CodeBreakers.
- NeverFade 7y ago
  Besides Leetcode, are there any other websites that would be at the top of your recommendation list for preparing candidates?
  - govg 7y ago
    You can use archives like the ones you find in Hackerrank / SPOJ, or participate in contests run by Codeforces / Codechef.
- christiansakai 7y ago
  Google recruiter reached out to me for a role in MV. I said I’d like for an NYC position. I forward my resume to him and he said he’ll forward it to NYC team. After that no reply from him. I followed up and he said they decided not to move forward. Then 2 months later I got someone to refer me at Google. I applied. The applications get stuck for 2 months now and still pending. No phone, no email, nothing from Google whatsoever. Can you tell me what happened? Did I get shadowbanned by Google?
samfisher83 7y ago
They recruit everybody even if you don't work for a faang company. If you have software engineer as a title I think a google recruiter will reach out to you. Same with Facebook and amazon.

bogomipz 7y ago

How does 9 reviews all giving 5 stars equate to an overall rating of 4.5 starts? https://codebreakersacademy.com/reviews/ https://codebreakersacademy.com/reviews/

coachdarek 7y ago
Trustpilot uses a Bayesian Average to determine the overall rating which is the 4.5 stars. Here's a link explaining their methodology - https://support.trustpilot.com/hc/en-us/articles/201748946-TrustScore-explained-How-is-the-TrustScore-calculated- https://support.trustpilot.com/hc/en-us/articles/201748946-T...

newbie578 7y ago

Thanks for doing this, looking forward to learning from you. Is there a demand in FAANG for programmers but in Europe, and if so how much of a difference is it between US and Europe? What would you say is a single trait which differentiates candidates to FAANG? Specific college, programmer from a young age, already established experience or personality, etc. And finally, is it true that a lot of candidates are socially inept? I.e. lack interpersonal skills, verbal and non-verbal communication, if so, how big of a role does it play in an interview?

coachdarek 7y ago
I know there is a big Google office in London so I would assume that there is also a big demand for engineers at other FAANG across Europe. I think there is a big myth that FAANG engineers are somehow different than anyone else. Anyone who is willing to invest the time to properly prepare for the interview process has a a great shot at getting the job. Most people don't know HOW to best prepare which I find is what holds most people back. I wouldn't say that candidates are socially inept. However, I've interviewed candidates where communication issues turn a possible hire into a no-hire. Communication is as important as technical skills because you need both to pass.
kleinsch 7y ago
Big FB office in London also. Ping me if you want info or referrals.
Youden 7y ago
> Is there a demand in FAANG for programmers but in Europe, and if so how much of a difference is it between US and Europe? Google, Microsoft and Facebook have large offices in London. They also have offices in Zürich, where the pay is much better, though only Google has a large presence there. All the FAANG companies will generally hire anyone who passes their interview process as long as the office has open positions (it usually does) but the US generally has much much higher demand than Europe. London is no comparison to the bay area. Not even really the Seattle area. (Though I'm happy in Europe) > What would you say is a single trait which differentiates candidates to FAANG? Specific college, programmer from a young age, already established experience or personality, etc. The ability to, given a reasonable time, solve an enormously broad range of problems (which is what I see the interview process as testing for). FAANG engineers usually aren't "frontend", "backend", "iOS" or "Android" engineers, they're just "engineers". It's usually expected that they can grab someone from anywhere in the company, put them anywhere else in the company and within ~6 months have them productively contributing code. Of course there are exceptions to this, like research positions or design/UX engineers but generally that's the expectation. > And finally, is it true that a lot of candidates are socially inept? I.e. lack interpersonal skills, verbal and non-verbal communication, if so, how big of a role does it play in an interview? My biggest issue with interview candidates has been people who don't talk. The interview isn't as much about solving the problem as how you solve the problem. If you just hear the problem and start silently coding an answer on the board, that's nice but it won't get you a hire recommendation. I need to know what your thought process was, what other options you considered and why you settled on the implementation you chose. I also deliberately leave the problem somewhat ambiguous so that you have to ask questions. Usually the people who don't talk aren't socially inept though, they're not comfortable with English.

bogomipz 7y ago

How does one individual with a full time job at Google provide 24 x 7 availability for mentoring? https://codebreakersacademy.com/about-us/ https://codebreakersacademy.com/about-us/

coachdarek 7y ago
I try to be the most efficient with the time that I do have while making sure that I still finish all my work at Google. Somehow there just ends up being enough time for everything.
- bogomipz 7y ago
  I'm finding this very hard to believe. I can't imagine Google being ok with you conducting mentoring session during the work day. So it's just you then? One person correct? On the home page its states there's a team of software engineers.
  - coachdarek 7y ago
    We have a team of coaches that work across FAANG and other big tech companies; I haven't uploaded their profiles to the website yet though. EDITED: Although I'd be happy to connect you with some of them directly. I typically don't take mentoring calls during the workday. I fit them in before or after most of them.
    - PenguinCoder 7y ago
      I would certainly be interested in this connection offer. I applied with Google once but the offer they gave was not a high enough level. I'd love to talk about how to get a reasonable offer and interviews. Please see my profile for email if you have the time.
      - coachdarek 7y ago
        Sure I’d be happy to! If you’d like to schedule a time to chat with me, our website www.codebreakersacademy.com has a Calendly link available to book a time directly.

SerialOwl 7y ago

Did you get approval from your manager, or legal?

coachdarek 7y ago
Yup, cleared everything with legal/HR.

dilyevsky 7y ago

Don’t you think it’s silly that Google’s interviews are so ineffective that candidates need to learn how to “game” them? Asking as someone who’s been on both sides of Google’s interview process.

noname120 7y ago
That's an interesting viewpoint, so I'd be interested if you could do a critique of the following claim[1]: > Hackerrank-style interviews suck and they aren't representative (not even remotely) of real working conditions. But they are good at something: evaluating the tenacity and the drive of a candidate. You need to work hard to ace these interviews, and companies are looking for candidates who are persistent and able to work hard—even on things they don't choose to work on. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21123588 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21123588
- dilyevsky 7y ago
  That may be true but will also effectively exclude strong experienced candidates with options. It worked well for Google in post-dotcom crash frenzy of early 2000s but may not work very well today ;)
  - NeverFade 7y ago
    > That may be true but will also effectively exclude strong experienced candidates with options. What options will you have as an experienced candidate which are competitive with FAANG? I'm an experienced engineer, and my leading FAANG offers were over 50% higher than my top non-FAANG offer. In fact, my non-FAANG offers as an experienced engineer weren't much better than the offers junior candidates get. So unfortunately, it seems if you're an experienced candidate who wants to be appreciated and rewarded for your experience, FAANGs are basically your only option. Non-FAANGs will pay you maybe 30% more than a junior, and for that they'd expect you to lead a team and work twice as hard.
    - honkycat 7y ago

solidangle 7y ago

What's a good source for practice questions? Many problems on Leetcode are completely unsuitable as interview questions.

coachdarek 7y ago
I would say if you picked only one resource (outside of CodeBreakers of course :P) that Leetcode is your best bet for the data structures / algorithm interview. If you can do random LC mediums in ~40 minutes you’re in pretty good shape.

starpilot 7y ago

Is the income share agreement for life?

coachdarek 7y ago
Nope, it’s only for 1-year.
- michaelt 7y ago
  Presumably you also get a referral bonus from Google?
  - coachdarek 7y ago
    Because of CodeBreakers, I decline any referral bonuses from google. It usually doesn’t matter anyways since you only get the bonus if candidate has never applied to google before; most people have at some point so it rarely pans out.

k-ian 7y ago

Which major tech company has the most difficult interview process?

coachdarek 7y ago
Anecdotally I would say Dropbox. My friend who had a 4.0 in College who got offers everywhere else didn’t pass Dropbox’s interview. He’s a PhD student at MIT now.
- govg 7y ago
  Famously (until a few years ago at least), even places like MemSQL, Palantir, Quora, Yandex were all famous for interview processes tougher than the regular FAANG.
  - jl2718 7y ago
    Rejection doesn’t mean difficulty. All of my worst students work for one of those companies. All of my best were rejected by the same company. Trust me; the competence gap was astronomical.
    - quickthrower2 7y ago
      It sounds almost like the scatter plot of grades and competence at an actual job (or perceived competence at least) isn’t a straight line.
      - jl2718 7y ago
        I agree with this, and I had students like that too, but no way, not in the case of this particular company. It had to be deliberate, or maybe they were just hiring their drinking buddies. I don't know, but it could not have been anything approximating engineering competence.
david-gpu 7y ago
What is and isn't difficult depends chiefly on the candidate. Ask me about WASM and I'll fail miserably, but if you ask me about GPU architecture I may fare better.

raviolo 7y ago

You may want to correct “receieved” typo here: https://codebreakersacademy.com/about-us/ https://codebreakersacademy.com/about-us/

coachdarek 7y ago
Thanks! Updated :)

starpilot 7y ago

How many months on average does the program take for unmarried individuals working full time?

coachdarek 7y ago
Several of our students have done CodeBreakers whole working full-time jobs both married and unmarried. On average it took around 4-5 months based on about 10-15 hr/wk commitment.

miki123211 7y ago

Do you have any idea how FAANG companies treat disabled people, people who need accessibility etc? Does that make a difference? I know they're not legally allowed to discriminate but... no one is, everyone does.

coachdarek 7y ago
I can't speak for other companies, but I can assure you that Google emphasizes extreme scrutiny that there is as little implicit bias as possible throughout their interview process.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
ThrowawayP 7y ago
During the interview, expect them to be fairly generous with accommodations; the disabled are a protected class and they're scrupulous about observing the rules. In the workplace, it's kind of a double-edged situation. FAANGs and similar big companies will be really generous with equipment, accommodations, and so forth in general. On the other hand, if the disabled person isn't visibly (emphasis on visibly) as productive as others, well, they can become persona non grata very, very quickly. The disabled person is competing with non-disabled people who are smart, aggressive, and eager to get ahead (promotions and bonuses add up to big money), so expect no mercy beyond whatever little your friendships get you.

underwater 7y ago

Taking 15% of income (I assume that's pre-tax) post-offer seems insane. Having gone through and passed FAANG interviews, I certainly wouldn't recommend paying that much.

scarmig 7y ago
Kind of brilliant, IMO. Target borderline or insecure candidates, give them just enough help that they're thankful, and take in 30k. Rinse and repeat for ten hours a week and pull in 300k or more a year.
- coachdarek 7y ago
  Although some candidates come into CodeBreakers with already very strong interviewing skills, the majority of our students come from pretty modest CS backgrounds and resumes.
coachdarek 7y ago
That’s a good point, if someone is capable, driven and has the resources to navigate the process on their own I encourage everyone In that situation to do so. CodeBreakers is for those who fee like they would benefit from the support network of our coaches, community of students, resources and structures curriculum. Most of our students once they get the job they want, they are pretty happy with the ISA.
Gunax 7y ago
Of course it's not worth it if you can pass it yourself. Plenty of people would gladly accept this offer. I would accept the google offer with a 15% pay cut in a heartbeat. No hesitation at all.
- underwater 7y ago
  It's not like you get in the door and you're set for life. If you're really incapable then you'll struggle to get pass bootcamp and with the frequent performance reviews.

underwater 7y ago

How can you simultaneous work at Google and take cash for helping candidates pass the Google interview process. Seems like a massive conflict of interest and ripe for gaming.

coachdarek 7y ago
This is a really common question and I’d be happy to elaborate. I don’t collect any referral bonuses from google nor do I provide any internal google questions to students. What we do is teach data structures and how to communicate these ideas in an interview setting. The parts that’s “gaming” is that the interview process is quite standardized which I’ve found a way to prepare others for. Regarding conflict of interest, big tech companies have decided being good at hackerrank interviews = being a good engineer. So I’m training good engineer in their eyes which is a good thing for tech giants.
- perl4ever 7y ago
  I was contacted by a Google recruiter once when I was a "programmer/analyst" but not for a software engineer position. I got as far as talking on the phone with the hiring manager, but was not called for an interview. Apparently I was obviously "not their type", but it wasn't a technical screen, so I don't think I was disqualified for lack of knowledge of say, data structures. So, I still kind of wonder what it takes to be hired for a job that isn't the stereotypical Google SWE, because even though I didn't (and still don't) think of myself as a super genius, it's a fact that I was doing data processing for them which they were paying a handsome amount for (which didn't trickle down to me) so I felt I was qualified by definition.
  - coachdarek 7y ago
    The majority of general Google SWE interviewees rarely interface with a hiring manager; they're only interviewed by other engineers.
- tomludus 7y ago
  I would be stunned if this is how Google views the situation.

raviolo 7y ago

These “income share agreements” seem to be an emerging phenomenon. I wonder if anyone here could comment on any limitations to their use. When someone voluntarily signs an agreement giving me P percent of their income from working as E, for Y years in return for some consideration C: are there restrictions on (P, E, Y, C)? And what sort of laws/rules generally regulate these in the U.S.?

coachdarek 7y ago
I wish I could comment more on the legality of the income share agreements, however, I end up leaving that discussion to a lawyer so I don't have much input here.
algaeontoast 7y ago
They seem dubious at best, at times I’m surprised that people don’t just find ways to have a lawyer break the agreement after they’re hired. In certain cases it could be cheaper to do that than continue being robbed.
- coachdarek 7y ago
  Maybe are loopholes if someone wants to go find lawyers and pay enough legal fees. Thankfully we haven't had to deal with this issue as our students have been pretty satisfied.

sadlion 7y ago

Where is the free roadmap to big four tech companies from the FAQ? How does the upfront pricing work; I assume someone with a CS degree and some experience requires lesser coaching effort.

coachdarek 7y ago
Sorry about the confusion with our website and the roadmap. We’ve been changing our website around and still have missed a couple of things. Upfront pricing is paid 2-weeks after starting the program for the exact same coaching the ISA students receive and will work with you until you get hired. Something new we’ve implemented is that we can adjust the mentor ship fee depending on your experience interviewing. Usually this involves just having a chat with me with a mini mock interview. If you’re already pretty strong, then we can give a discount.

40acres 7y ago

Please post the income share agreement.

oh_sigh 7y ago

Wow, I can't believe Google lets you do something like this. Personally owing a coworker tens of thousands out of pocket for getting you a job seems like a really fucked up power dynamic.

coachdarek 7y ago
I wouldn't descibe it as a power dynamic; that's not what we do. We teach our students programming fundamentals that help them do well in interviews outside of just Google as well as prepare them to be better engineers.

saganus 7y ago

What happens if I take the coaching program, land a job offer but that offer is less than what I would like/be able to accept? Do I still owe you the % fee? or is it only after actually taking the job? I mean, if I don't taje the job but got the training anyway, that seems like I would be "pirating" the course. But if I am not comfortable taking the offer because partner/kids/rent/whatever, I would still be out of pocket several thousands without the high paying job. Interesting concept nonetheless and definitely would consider it!

coachdarek 7y ago
Hey saganus, this has come up with previous students actually. They asked and also felt bad about getting free help, but really it's our fault for either having too high of a salary target or not giving them better coaching. That's we didn't charge them when they took the job; CodeBreakers will never pressure a student to take a job to meet the ISA, we're here to help people get the jobs they want. If the ISA doesn't align with that, then we have bad ISA terms and need to modify it. If the standard ISA listed on our FAQ page doesn't work for you (maybe you already have lots of experience and are looking for something far north of $80k), then we can discuss alternatives that make sense for your goals and life situation.
- saganus 7y ago
  Sounds fair. Thanks!

hysan 7y ago

What are your thoughts on ATS? What does it take for older, non-traditional candidates to get past the initial resume filter?

coachdarek 7y ago
Every candidate is different, but generally, if you have experience as an engineer and can get someone to refer you, then you will likely be able to get an interview.

whycombagator 7y ago

Lots of questions if you care to answer: What does the curriculum look like? I’m on a phone and it wasn’t obvious What percentage take the course and don’t succeed at getting a job offer? What percentage get a FAANG level offer? What does the typical successful “candidate” look like that takes the course? How is this better than just doing leetcode/CTCI/CIU[0]? How does this differ from /better than similar programs like techlead’s one[1] What happens if you pay the $8k upfront and fail to get an offer? [0] https://github.com/jwasham/coding-interview-university https://github.com/jwasham/coding-interview-university [1] https://www.techseries.dev/ https://www.techseries.dev/ Edit: FYI your domain is 1 letter away from https://www.codebreakeracademy.com https://www.codebreakeracademy.com (which is a very different thing)

coachdarek 7y ago
The curriculum has 3 main parts: data structures/algorithms which include a review of the frequently asked topics such as binary trees, linked lists, heaps, etc. This covers the theory behind them, but also how to use them in the context of interviews. As our students work through these topics, they work with a coach who acts as a private coach. Then it's mock interviews where experienced engineers give feedback and tips on how to improve. Lastly, we help with the recruiting process which can involve connecting students with engineers at other companies for referrals. So far over 90% of our students succeed at getting a job offer. We rarely give up on students seeking jobs and we work with them until the are hired. ~70% end up getting a job paying >125k. Sometimes it's not FAANG, but still a really good tech company. Our candidates come from very diverse backgrounds. Most have some CS or a STEM background, but the best predictor we've found is consistency; will you sit down and work through our curriculum consistently. The difference is that you get a community/network of coaches and other students preparing for interviews as well as the structure. I didn't buy techleads' but I've noticed it's been on a "limited time" sale since August. Looks like they just charge 1k for an online course with fairly little guarantee of results. Thankfully it hasn't come up yet, but we're not in this to take $8k from someone and not help them. If there's a good reason why CodeBreakers wasn't a good fit and you paid upfront, we're open to discuss refunds.
- 7y ago

jankeymeulen 7y ago

So you've worked at Google for "only" 1y2m and already coached 50 people to work at a FAANG? Or you started this earlier?

algaeontoast 7y ago

15% of income post tax is incredibly steep. Why wouldn’t someone just pay $8k upfront? If you plan to actually use the service and get placed with a half decent salary, any of the other options are a complete rip-off.

coachdarek 7y ago
Many who might be interested in CodeBreakers fear investing $8k and end up with nothing. That's why we offer the ISA option to work with everyone's budget. Candidates planning to use the service seriously to get placed are encouraged to choose whichever payment options that works best for them; that's why we have both options.

ldng 7y ago

I have to say that at first read, my first though has been : do African sorcerers can now publish ads on HN to sell their magical powers ? Not to be rude or mean to Coach Darek that I can only guess genuinely wants to help people. But, to me, it does tell a lot about hiring practices at FAANG. Those interviews does not actually tell you that much, sometimes deter competent persons, don't really weed out bad seed, and yet are the alpha and the omega of the industry. Edit: downvote accepted as long as I have actual counter argunment. Doing an exercice in the vacuum does not tell if you can grasp existing code nor if you'll work well in a team.

paulcole 7y ago
> Coach Darek that I can only guess genuinely wants to help people He also wants to make money.
coachdarek 7y ago
I appreciate the kind sentiment. Interviewing and hiring the right candidate for a job is a near-infinitely complex problem. I mentioned in an earlier post that 5 hours to assess an employee's performance will have lots of false positives / false negatives. Is this the best way to interview? Probably not. If this style of interview can be a good predictor in a large sample size then maybe it's justifiable. I'm assuming the FAANG companies are doing it with lots of statistics backing it up.
- ldng 7y ago
  I'm not so sure aout those statistics ... Are they published ? The trouble is the whole industry is copying those practices. In other industries/sectors, when you have 15/20 years of experienced, are you grilled, tested and probed like a junior ? I wonder.
  - coachdarek 7y ago
    I'm not sure if those statistics are published, but FAANG companies drive all of their business decisions with data; recruiting shouldn't be any different. > when you have 15/20 years of experienced, are you grilled, tested and probed like a junior? We get this question a lot. We just worked with an engineer with 20 years of experience. He signed up for CodeBreakers because he knew that although he's a much more experienced programmer than I, he was aware that he needed help with the whiteboard interview if he wanted FAANG. His Google onsite interview had 3 data structures and algorithm interviews, 1 system design, and 1 behavioral/leadership interview. Junior engineers have 4 data structures interviews and 1 behavioral now. 80% of the interview is the exact same.

gnaman 7y ago

You mentioned that there is no restriction on the location of the candidate. So, how does the ISA work when a candidate gets a job outside US?

Palash_Shinde 7y ago
+1 on this one. Even I also wanted to know, do you help candidates based outside of the US(in my case I'm currently based out of India with 2+ years of work ex in Analytics domain currently working as ML Engineer ) secure SWE roles preferably outside of the current country of residence.
coachdarek 7y ago
We've mostly been focused on getting candidates jobs within the US. We're working with several international candidates on how to get them jobs in the US. I've already begun conversations with lawyers to create an ISA that applies to roles outside of the US; mostly likely it will be similar but exchange rate adjusted.

mindfulplay 7y ago

What's with the recent spade of coaching engineers for FAANG companies? Seems like a niche "industry" with lots of potential cash grab opportunity.

b3b0p 7y ago

Maybe this isn't the place to post this, but it's been on my mind, especially with the recent release of Catalina, iOS 13, and iPadOS and this post made me recall. With the hiring bar and exercises like FAANG put candidates through, one would expect if it's working well, why are the products, software, getting worse? I would think they would get more talented, educated, and smart engineers. It seems like it's the opposite though. Catalina has to be the most bug ridden macOS I recall (I've been using macOS since 9), same goes for iOS 13/iPadOS. Not to mention the included software applications such as iTunes, Podcasts, ... I've read similar problems with Windows and Android, so I don't think it's only happening at Apple and I don't mean to specifically call out Apple, but that's the ecosystem I spend the most time with. I feel as if the software quality should be improving. It would have less bugs, be more efficient, and run faster. I feel as if it's not though. It seems like it gets worse. This seems to be a problem with modern games too.

mhdhn 7y ago
Great question, but off topic. I think it would be a great Ask HN though. That said, why don't I just pile on here: yeah Catalina - what a steaming pile.... :)

twoquestions 7y ago

Is this restricted by geographic location, or does this work for remote workers too? Imagine for a second you have an applicant from rural Southeast Ohio, which is a very economically depressed region, and they can't relocate. Is relocation the only way to get a decent job for such a candidate? I understand if FAANG is out of their reach what with being out in the sticks.