Source : Bloomberg
During my job hunt, I did interviews at a number of tech giants. The interview process is quite similar but interview experience varies drastically. Companies have individual ideologies and skills they value in a candidate, hence it is beneficial to know the differences and get prepared accordingly.
Here are five things that make all the difference.
1. Application Process
From traditional job portals to a hidden job application link in a website’s source code, there are various channels to apply for a job. Let’s discuss the effectiveness of each channel for different companies based on my experience.
Career page: Google has numerous offices worldwide, so it’s a delight to scroll through its career page full of job openings. A lot of people do get hired through Google’s careers page. You may not get a response immediately but your resume remains in Google’s database and you may get a reply after some time (2 years in my case). I would say it is a good source to apply for both internship and full-time opportunities.
Employee referral: Referral is a good way to stand out among applicants. Google sends a mail after an employee puts referral, to choose three job openings and apply. But it may take some time to hear back from a recruiter.
Response to Employee Referral (Source : Vaibhav Devmurari)
Foobar challenge: This is Google’s secret hiring channel where browser speaks to the “_chosen ones.” _The exact triggering condition is not known but roughly, it is based on user’s searched keywords on google search engine. Once the challenge triggers, some funky animation happens on the browser and you are presented with with five problems to solve. The interesting part is, after solving problem three you can share your details with a recruiter and opt in for career opportunities.
_Note: _People have come up with tricks to trigger the challenge so this channel isn’t so secret now and may not be as effective as it used to be. The video below shows one of the tricks to start the challenge.
How I triggered Google foobar challenge
Employee referral: A referral guarantees that recruiters will look at your resume but doesn’t guarantee your progress to a recruiter call. You will receive an acceptance or rejection mail according to your suitability for the applied role.
Reaching recruiter on LinkedIn: A trick that worked for me was to write mail or message to a recruiter (Information can be found on recruiter’s LinkedIn page) on LinkedIn.
_Tip:_Often, recruiters mention which teams they’re hiring for on their LinkedIn profile (About and Experience section). When you contact them, include a project or your skill set aligning with team’s work in order to improve your chances of getting a reply.
About section on LinkedIn
Tip: Approach a team manager instead of recruiters if you are applying to Microsoft. They’re more responsive and get your interview process started with a recruiter. Referrals and job portals don’t work well for Microsoft.
Amazon
Employee referral: Referrals work exceptionally well with Amazon. You will soon receive a test link for Amazon’s Online Assessment. The candidate has to finish the test within 2 weeks of receiving the link and clearing it leads to a recruiter call.
Job postings on LinkedIn: Amazon is a huge company and new openings keep showing up on LinkedIn. These postings can lead to recruiter calls and are worth applying to.
_Tip:_Subscribe to the Job Alert system on LinkedIn to get notifications regarding job openings for a company or a role.
Jobs tab on LinkedIn
Recruiter InMail: Many Amazon recruiters contact candidates on LinkedIn, especially when they are visiting overseas for some university on-campus recruitment. Always keep your location updated on LinkedIn profile.
Recruiter InMail
Bloomberg
Reaching a recruiter on LinkedIn: You can reach out to Bloomberg recruiters on LinkedIn and schedule a recruiter call. Bloomberg is always in search of candidates proficient in C/C++ so don’t forget to mention it as a skill.
Career page: This is an active pathway to reach interview stage among new grads, with the chance to be called for an onsite meeting in London.
LinkedIn In mail: Similar to Amazon, Bloomberg also uses LinkedIn to get potential candidates. Better to keep your profile updated.
#programming #facebook #work #interview #job-interview
