4 ms·

There are two types of interview processes: 1) get tested with irrelevant general-purpose problem-solving questions before knowing what the role and team are,

There are two types of interview processes: 1) get tested with irrelevant general-purpose problem-solving questions before knowing what the role and team are, 2) get presented the opportunity and assess fitness before doing relevant technical challenges. As a candidate you only want to spend time on 2), not 1). As a company 1) is convenient because it ensures people are somewhat decent before you bother your hardworking engineers.

dotBen 5y ago
(former hiring manager here) depends on seniority of role and candidate. If you are interviewing for an Eng I or Eng II role (or even more junior, if the company does that) at a large tech company you are likely going to get a 'blind interview' (where its yet to be decided which project you will work on) and then if you are successful, assigned a team based on need within the organization. It's the reality of how large organizations keep their teams stable with employee turnover and also slightly grow them. Yes, teams will work to fill their roles directly too but often the team will show up for work on a Monday morning to find that they have a new member of their team who they've never met but is an 'extra bonus' or the headcount has been filled anyway. If you are likely to be interviewing for Eng I/II you should not be surprised if parent's option 1) is the route you are presented with - I think it's wrong to say "you only want to spend time on 2)" as it's unrealistic for early career folks and they risk missing out on exceptional opportunities to get a foot in the door.
- mgaunard 5y ago
  I'd say there are many more advantages to working for a small rather than large organization. Those would be most likely to take a tailored approach to hiring even for juniors. Though of course you should do a bit of large ones as well to see what it's like and put it on your CV.
  - angarg12 5y ago
    Sadly many small companies don't have the means to support juniors. Some don't hire them at all. For the folks out there, the easiest way to join FAANG is as a new grad. Whether you want to do it or not is your decision to make.
    - axpy906 5y ago
      > For the folks out there, the easiest way to join FAANG is as a new grad. By this, I would assume you mean the year of prep that goes into being able to pass the interview process at those companies.
- throwaway6532 5y ago
  >It's the reality of how large organizations keep their teams stable with employee turnover and also slightly grow them. Yes, teams will work to fill their roles directly too but often the team will show up for work on a Monday morning to find that they have a new member of their team who they've never met but is an 'extra bonus' or the headcount has been filled anyway. Can confirm. Just had this exact Monday morning.
dominotw 5y ago
1 is faang which have way higher pay than 2
- mgaunard 5y ago
  You're unlikely to be paid that well if you're a replaceable commodity that went through a standardized hiring process.
  - scarface74 5y ago
    Return offers for interns at the BigTech companies are in the mid to high 100s. That already puts them at the top 10% of earners in the US. Everyone is a replaceable commodity at a company of any size. I’ve never heard of any company going out of business because one key person left.
    - epicureanideal 5y ago
      > I’ve never heard of any company going out of business because one key person left. Companies don’t die that quickly. It may not be one person but it might be a handful of high performers who leave over time due to a toxic culture. And even then it may take literally years for a VC cash infused zombie company to actually cease operations. One of the problems of having so much cash is bad decisions don’t reveal themselves until much later.
  - angarg12 5y ago
    Check https://www.levels.fyi/ https://www.levels.fyi/. The bimodal compensation landscape is real.
  - pyb 5y ago
    It sounds like this should be the case in theory, but the reality is the other way around!
  - 1270018080 5y ago
    If only that were the case

dotBen 5y ago

(former hiring manager here) depends on seniority of role and candidate. If you are interviewing for an Eng I or Eng II role (or even more junior, if the company does that) at a large tech company you are likely going to get a 'blind interview' (where its yet to be decided which project you will work on) and then if you are successful, assigned a team based on need within the organization. It's the reality of how large organizations keep their teams stable with employee turnover and also slightly grow them. Yes, teams will work to fill their roles directly too but often the team will show up for work on a Monday morning to find that they have a new member of their team who they've never met but is an 'extra bonus' or the headcount has been filled anyway. If you are likely to be interviewing for Eng I/II you should not be surprised if parent's option 1) is the route you are presented with - I think it's wrong to say "you only want to spend time on 2)" as it's unrealistic for early career folks and they risk missing out on exceptional opportunities to get a foot in the door.

mgaunard 5y ago
I'd say there are many more advantages to working for a small rather than large organization. Those would be most likely to take a tailored approach to hiring even for juniors. Though of course you should do a bit of large ones as well to see what it's like and put it on your CV.
- angarg12 5y ago
  Sadly many small companies don't have the means to support juniors. Some don't hire them at all. For the folks out there, the easiest way to join FAANG is as a new grad. Whether you want to do it or not is your decision to make.
  - axpy906 5y ago
    > For the folks out there, the easiest way to join FAANG is as a new grad. By this, I would assume you mean the year of prep that goes into being able to pass the interview process at those companies.
throwaway6532 5y ago
>It's the reality of how large organizations keep their teams stable with employee turnover and also slightly grow them. Yes, teams will work to fill their roles directly too but often the team will show up for work on a Monday morning to find that they have a new member of their team who they've never met but is an 'extra bonus' or the headcount has been filled anyway. Can confirm. Just had this exact Monday morning.

dominotw 5y ago

1 is faang which have way higher pay than 2

mgaunard 5y ago
You're unlikely to be paid that well if you're a replaceable commodity that went through a standardized hiring process.
- scarface74 5y ago
  Return offers for interns at the BigTech companies are in the mid to high 100s. That already puts them at the top 10% of earners in the US. Everyone is a replaceable commodity at a company of any size. I’ve never heard of any company going out of business because one key person left.
  - epicureanideal 5y ago
    > I’ve never heard of any company going out of business because one key person left. Companies don’t die that quickly. It may not be one person but it might be a handful of high performers who leave over time due to a toxic culture. And even then it may take literally years for a VC cash infused zombie company to actually cease operations. One of the problems of having so much cash is bad decisions don’t reveal themselves until much later.
- angarg12 5y ago
  Check https://www.levels.fyi/ https://www.levels.fyi/. The bimodal compensation landscape is real.
- pyb 5y ago
  It sounds like this should be the case in theory, but the reality is the other way around!
- 1270018080 5y ago
  If only that were the case