61–70 of 195 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sure, it would take some more effort to dig into than checking boxes. But it would also provide more valuable feedback.
How would you compare candidates that have some code in GitHub and those that don't ?
I don't know, I've walked into these interviews with zero preparation and succeeded. And I've failed FAANG-ish interviews where no amount of leetcode grinding would have helped me. In my opinion, it's getting rather silly. They're scaring off and filtering out excellent candidates with these excessive processes. None of them even cared about my Github repository that's full of code I write for fun. Software developer…
> They're scaring off and filtering out excellent candidates with these excessive processes.
In my experience this is by design. The cost of a false positive (hiring someone they shouldn't) is far more expensive than a false negative (passing on a good candidate). Since FAANGs usually have a healthy pipeline of candidates and many who fail will eventually reapply they're okay with passing on possibly qualified candidates.
> None of them even cared about my Github repository that's full of code I write for fun.
As an EM at a mid to large tech company who has hired plenty of engineers I think ignoring people's Github is the right call and I don't even bother looking at candidate's Github unless it's for something like an intern role. Ignoring the fact that I don't know where the code on Github came from (did someone else write it? Is this just following a tutorial?), the code you write and the skills you use when you're writing code at home alone on a passion project is VERY different than the skills you need to be successful in a large, slow moving, bureaucratic corporation.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I would gladly take a $350K/yr paycheck for a decade, then retire and do social work for free.
you might net 200K a year if you're lucky, and assuming you live like a miser and save/invest 150K a year, that's really not enough to retire on
In my part of the US, you can live like a king on $200k/yr and such jobs aren't rare. You can live better than 90% of the people here on $100k, and putting 100k/yr away for retirement is genuinely more than enough unless you're in your 40s or so.
But I know there are other parts of the US where what you say is 100% true.
I don't know, I've walked into these interviews with zero preparation and succeeded. And I've failed FAANG-ish interviews where no amount of leetcode grinding would have helped me. In my opinion, it's getting rather silly. They're scaring off and filtering out excellent candidates with these excessive processes. None of them even cared about my Github repository that's full of code I write for fun. Software developer…
"They're scaring off and filtering out excellent candidates with these excessive processes." I don't see myself ever applying to any of these whacky interview companies. I like money and all, but idk. It's such a turn off. Maybe if I truly felt they were actually measuring company value.
If what you want is to be hired quickly and get a big paycheck, go with the higher chaos score. They may be easily impressed by simple interviewing tricks, and since the place is clearly disorganized, you can get away with not doing much work. I should feel bad for giving this advice, but fuck these bloated mega-rich companies if they refuse to get their shit together.
Just a heads up to anybody super starry-eyed about fang, I worked 10+ years non-fang, and tried fang, and it was absolutely miserable, one of my least favorite jobs of my career. Yes I made a lot, but I also worked and stressed proportionally more. YMMV.
TL;DR don't throw out a basket of companies because you think they're the same
My pro-tip if you want one of these jobs and are not great at leetcoding, try to get another role at the company and then transfer over. Apply as a data analyst, theres no leetcoding, you just need to demonstrate sql knowledge and experience working with the business. And faang data analysts are paid as much as many non-faang engineers. Once you are in, you will be working with engineers, just do a good job, and expr…
I don't know, I've walked into these interviews with zero preparation and succeeded. And I've failed FAANG-ish interviews where no amount of leetcode grinding would have helped me. In my opinion, it's getting rather silly. They're scaring off and filtering out excellent candidates with these excessive processes. None of them even cared about my Github repository that's full of code I write for fun. Software developer…
FAANGs can get literally over a million job applications per year. Any procedure that filters that down to roughly the number of people that they plan to hire (a few 10k) is also going to filter out some excellent candidates, no way around it.
All of the FAANGs are various levels of unethical, or a net negative for society in my estimation. No more interviewing there for me.
Is the company you are working for using any of the cloud providers? Are you using computers built by low wage workers? Do you use Amazon? Google? Microsoft? Or does it make you feel better that you aren’t working for them directly?
It makes me feel better that I am not directly working for them in the same way that putting plastic in my recycling bin makes me feel better about having no choice but to have plastic waste follow me around everywhere.
edit) have you tried eating food without having plastic involved?
Just a heads up to anybody super starry-eyed about fang, I worked 10+ years non-fang, and tried fang, and it was absolutely miserable, one of my least favorite jobs of my career. Yes I made a lot, but I also worked and stressed proportionally more. YMMV.
>> Just a heads up to anybody super starry-eyed about fang, I worked 10+ years non-fang, and tried fang, and it was absolutely miserable, one of my least favorite jobs of my career. Most people I know say the same, but they stay. You can be at a non-FAANG and work for half the pay (and often be just as miserable) or you can work at FAANG, own a house, not worry about money, and often do not much work. Misery is part…
While you absolutely take a huge pay cut to not work at a FAANG, it's not like making 200k+ is living in poverty.
Typically non-FAANG also has other perks: many more fully remote options, typically much more chill about working hours, working with niche tech stacks or on new problem spaces, etc.
You can enjoy work and still have a house and not have to worry about money at a non-FAANG, just not as aggressively much as you do at one.