Applying for a Technology Full Time Job

Applying for a full-time role in technology sucked–no other word can describe this process more aptly than that. I applied to over three hundred companies and got less than ten responses. That’s a whopping 3% application response rate. Sucks, right? Of those positive initial responses, I interviewed at six companies: Google, Microsoft, Meta, Cummins, Morgan Stanley, and Intel. I was fortunate to receive two full-time offers and one conditional offer. So to recap, my application response rate was 3%, and the success rate was effectively 0.7%. Essentially, I failed at more interviews than I succeeded. 

Another critical point is to note; I canceled my interview at Google when Meta extended an offer for two reasons. One was that I was genuinely tired of interviewing. But another reason, and this reason stings a little; one of my professors penalized me for every three classes I missed. So due to interviews, I got a letter grade penalty. Being punished for missing classes because of interviews was odd since the point of getting a degree was to get a job afterward. So why was I being penalized for the very thing this degree was supposedly preparing me for?

The main lesson I learned in this process was that mentality was critical in getting through the job application process. As such, job rejections didn’t put me down because it didn’t matter how many unsuccessful interviews I had; I only needed one job offer. When applying for jobs, setbacks are part of the process and are necessary to get a job eventually. For sports fans, Steph Curry is considered the best 3-point shooter of all time, and his 3-point percentage is 42.8%. As impressive as Steph is, he misses more shots than he makes. Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best soccer players, and his shot conversion rate in the 2022/23 season was 16%. As good as Ronaldo is, he misses a lot. 

My path to landing a full-time job started with internships on Wall Street and at a manufacturing engineering company. My internships made me realize that I wanted to work at a technology company for my full-time role. At the time, I had a few things I believed to work against me:

1. I went to a small liberal arts college which isn’t well known.
2.  I didn’t know many people at places I was interested in; hence I couldn’t leverage job referrals.
3.  As an immigrant, I had to get a job within 90 days of graduating. Otherwise, I would have to leave the country because, without a job, I wouldn’t be able to maintain my legal status. 

Despite these difficulties, I had to land a full-time job to stay in the US and, more importantly, earn a living. Given my educational background and intern experiences, I sought full-time software engineering and analytics roles. I was also open to any technical position that would hire anyone with my knowledge. I figured I could do any position for a few years and then switch if I didn’t like the job or if a better role came up.

I started my job search by doing a google search of technology companies in the US and applying to over 300 companies. I spent days filling out applications which was exhausting and frustrating since I had to upload my resume and then proceed to type the same information on the resume in the application fields. If I upload a resume, why can’t companies fetch all the information they need there? Additionally, why isn’t there a common app for jobs where job applicants can fill in details and use the same information to apply to several positions, like what happens when applying to colleges?

Google, Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, and Cummins Inc are among the companies that replied to my online applications. Since most companies I applied to online didn’t respond, I changed my strategy from online applications to Linkedin. For a month, I paid for a premium account which allowed me unlimited reach out compared to five reach outs offered for basic accounts. Leveraging unlimited reach outs, I contacted several Meta, Google, and Microsoft recruiters. For Meta, I messaged every recruiter I found on LinkedIn, resulting in me approaching over 100 recruiters, but only one analytics recruiter responded. 

I did the recruiter’s first round of phone interviews, which involved screening and verifying my background and experience. I passed the first screen and proceeded to two phone screen interviews, i.e., one technical and one analytical interview conducted by two members of the team I was interviewing for. I moved to the onsite interview stage, where Meta flew me to the Bay Area. While onsite, I was interviewed by five people who tested my analytical, technical, behavioral, and execution skills. Meta paid for my flight, rental car, food, and hotel throughout the trip. Lastly, I had a chat with the hiring manager and then received an offer I signed after negotiating for a higher base and stock compensation. 

My experience applying for a full-time technology role taught me three important lessons :

1. Focus On Referrals. A considerable percentage of tech employees are hired through referrals. The benefit of a referral is that you are guaranteed that a human will review your application for each referral. You aren’t guaranteed an interview per se, but you have a better chance of being noticed than online applications that millions of applicants use. Leverage your family, friends of friends, friends of the family, etc., for connections and use that to ask for referrals. Use Linkedin to reach out to folks working where you want to work and ask for referrals. In my experience, people are always willing to help as long as you are qualified for the roles you are interested in.
2.  Do your homework. Research the companies you apply to and ensure you know their business well. Be able to share why you would like to work at a company, things you would improve, product(s) you want, etc. Aim to stand out when reaching out to recruiters, hiring managers, or employees. A way to do this is by ensuring you have done your homework about the role and company. Additionally, ask friends or friends of friends to do mock interviews to help you prepare for interviews. 
3.  Keep believing in yourself regardless of circumstances outside your control. Failure is part of the process. Throughout the process of applying and interviewing, I failed several times. Also, being an immigrant meant needing visa sponsorship, which was a turn-off for several recruiters. The ghosting from recruiters and multiple rejections made me doubt myself. These hiccups made my dream of working for a tech company seem far-fetched and impossible. In fact, before flying for my Facebook onsite interview, I told my father that I was flying to the Bay Area to do a practice round and gain interview experience. I thought I would fail the interview and use the experience to be better prepared when I tried again later. To my surprise, I got the role on the first try. Sometimes things work on the first try, but it might take several shots. I have colleagues who made several attempts to land their dream role; most importantly, they landed the role. No one asks or cares about how long it takes to land a job once one is now in the position. 

Putting myself out there and being prepared for when the opportunity comes helped me land my dream job at my dream company. I always believed in myself when things got hard, and I gave it my all. I don’t regret failed interviews because they prepared me for the interviews I passed.

If you are currently applying for a full-time role, I wish you all the best as you seek your dream job, and please remember that a job or interview outcome doesn’t define you or your self-worth. Good luck!