April 2019
My job hunt spanned several months. I've been in a fair number of interviews, telephonic and on-sites alike. At least as many as to include atypical cases ranging from a fire alarm going off in middle of an interview to one where the interviewer broke wind (awkwardness overload). Anyway, I was looking for jobs in the fields of Computer Graphics and Software Engineering. I've always wanted to do something that was halfway between technology and art. I started applying in September, 2018 and received calls from nearly all the major names in the tech industry. I attribute that to my internship at Apple. I believe it really helped me get noticed.
I thought what better way to introspect than to write about what I thought went wrong during the interviews with the respective companies. I won't be going over the details of the questions asked (non-disclosure agreement) but this moping post should give you a fair idea of what to expect and what not to do at the very least.
Facebook
September 2018
Position: Software Engineer
I wasn't at all prepared for this. I should've been. I had barely began practicing coding when I was contacted by the recruiter to schedule the phone interview. I didn't want to let the opportunity slide as a lot of my classmates were being contacted at the same time and there was a chance the positions might not be there if I waited till I felt ready. So I winged it. The coding question asked wasn't hard and I solved it. It wasn't the most optimized solution. I was naive to think they'd settle for any less. Now that I think of it, I had actually bombed the interview. I was naive to even think that I had a chance. I didn't make it to the on-site interviews.
Don't: Procrastinate on practicing.
Snap Inc.
October 2018
Location: Santa Monica, CA
Position: Software Engineer, Augmented Reality
I had picked up pace on my preparation for this one. I had several opportunities that I felt were dream positions; roles that I can picture myself happily working at. This was one of them. Let’s call these opportunities the "Got away" bunch for future references throughout this post. I had a great start that day. I briefly talked with the recruiter, it was going well. The head of the organization and I had (what I thought) really interesting conversation regarding my past experiences, projects and the scope of augmented reality in the future. I did alright on two of the three the technical coding interviews. (I believe) Killed on the other one. I had an application design round as well, which let's just say, I barely was able to pull through. Although, given my experience with the particular application, I surprised myself by doing what I did. Overall, it was a pretty positive experience for me. I was told I wasn't a match for the job description soon after.
Don't: Fail to show your motivation and enthusiasm for the technology that you love.
You only have 5 hours to get them to decide whether they'd like to work with you day in and out if they hire you.
Microsoft
December 2018
Location: Redmond, CA
Position: Software Engineer, University Grad
They were hiring for regular software engineering position. There was a speculation that they were hiring primarily for Azure team but the job description wasn't advertised as such. I knew for a fact that all of my interviews went well. Although, I had specifically made clear to the recruiter and the interviewers that if possible, I would like to work in the Xbox team since that aligned better with my experience and interests. The recruited relayed that the interview feedback was positive but they don't have a position for me then.
Don't: Expect good news even if you did well on the interviews.
There are several factors at play here which may not be entirely under your immediate control.
Uber
February 2019
Location: San Francisco, CA
Position: Software Engineer, Mapping
I had worked on Apple Maps during my internship and this position was certainly a good match. At this point in time, I had given a couple of interviews. And just when I thought I was getting a hang of how to approach one, destiny pulled out a sneaky on me. Remember the fire alarm, this was the one. It was early in the morning and I felt confident in my preparations. I was going about solving the given question on the whiteboard when the fire alarm rang and we had to clear the building. I was disheveled, disoriented. I don't know if you can relate but with me, sometimes I have these episodes of immense focus, like a flow state. Clarity. And other times, it is just chaos; your brain throws its hands in the air and nobody's on the wheel. The rest of this interview and the one after that was more of the latter. I pulled myself together by lunch and was able to do some damage control by the end of the day. I wish I could say the fire alarm was the reason they didn't offer me a job. There was a system design round that I bombed. It's far more than just coding y'all.
Don't: Get easily fazed. For me it was a fire alarm. For you it might be an intimidating interviewer who's spiting fire just to see when you crack. Practice calmness.
Google
February 2019
Location: Mountain View, CA
Position: Software Engineer, Daydream
I was as ready as I could ever be. It was a "Got Away" role. I desperately needed a win. I got close I'll tell you that. The way it works with Google, or what I think of it, is that there are several stages after the on-site interview that determine factors like overall fit, technical compatibility, etc. If there is positive feedback from majority of the interviews you go to the next step. My performance was positive to get to this step but not positive enough to receive an offer. Queue "Hello Darkness, my old friend". I'm okay now.
Don't: Underestimate how much you need to practice coding off-screen (whiteboard / paper).
Apple
April 2019
Location: Cupertino, CA
Position: Software Engineer, Augmented Reality
The golden ball in the "Got Away" bag. Whatever these guys were doing, I so want it to be my job description someday. It seemed just perfect for me. Maybe too perfect. Remember the art and technology thing I talked about earlier, my eyes sparked as the manager said the same exact thing. All the people I interviewed were interesting folks, were nice to talk to, and came bearing experience from industries I hope to work at someday. So, you get it, the dream role. According to me, I did well on most interviews, and the ones that I didn't weren't that bad either. Now that I think about it, I was so busy giving the perfect response to the questions fired at me, I failed to show my enthusiasm and drive for the job. They were definitely there, more so than there ever had been for any of the other roles I had interviewed for. Maybe, the stretch of the job search was getting to me. Two days later the recruiter called and told me that my profile and experience weren't a good match with the role they are looking for at the time. Sigh.
Don't: Give up.
You are not there to answer questions. You are there to show why they should hire you. If you are interested in the job, make conscious efforts to show it.
--- Tushar Turkar
Tushar Turkar is a Masters student in the Computer Science Department
I thought what better way to introspect than to write about what I thought went wrong during the interviews with the respective companies. I won't be going over the details of the questions asked (non-disclosure agreement) but this moping post should give you a fair idea of what to expect and what not to do at the very least.
September 2018
Position: Software Engineer
I wasn't at all prepared for this. I should've been. I had barely began practicing coding when I was contacted by the recruiter to schedule the phone interview. I didn't want to let the opportunity slide as a lot of my classmates were being contacted at the same time and there was a chance the positions might not be there if I waited till I felt ready. So I winged it. The coding question asked wasn't hard and I solved it. It wasn't the most optimized solution. I was naive to think they'd settle for any less. Now that I think of it, I had actually bombed the interview. I was naive to even think that I had a chance. I didn't make it to the on-site interviews.
Don't: Procrastinate on practicing.
Snap Inc.
October 2018
Location: Santa Monica, CA
Position: Software Engineer, Augmented Reality
I had picked up pace on my preparation for this one. I had several opportunities that I felt were dream positions; roles that I can picture myself happily working at. This was one of them. Let’s call these opportunities the "Got away" bunch for future references throughout this post. I had a great start that day. I briefly talked with the recruiter, it was going well. The head of the organization and I had (what I thought) really interesting conversation regarding my past experiences, projects and the scope of augmented reality in the future. I did alright on two of the three the technical coding interviews. (I believe) Killed on the other one. I had an application design round as well, which let's just say, I barely was able to pull through. Although, given my experience with the particular application, I surprised myself by doing what I did. Overall, it was a pretty positive experience for me. I was told I wasn't a match for the job description soon after.
Don't: Fail to show your motivation and enthusiasm for the technology that you love.
You only have 5 hours to get them to decide whether they'd like to work with you day in and out if they hire you.
Microsoft
December 2018
Location: Redmond, CA
Position: Software Engineer, University Grad
They were hiring for regular software engineering position. There was a speculation that they were hiring primarily for Azure team but the job description wasn't advertised as such. I knew for a fact that all of my interviews went well. Although, I had specifically made clear to the recruiter and the interviewers that if possible, I would like to work in the Xbox team since that aligned better with my experience and interests. The recruited relayed that the interview feedback was positive but they don't have a position for me then.
Don't: Expect good news even if you did well on the interviews.
There are several factors at play here which may not be entirely under your immediate control.
Uber
February 2019
Location: San Francisco, CA
Position: Software Engineer, Mapping
I had worked on Apple Maps during my internship and this position was certainly a good match. At this point in time, I had given a couple of interviews. And just when I thought I was getting a hang of how to approach one, destiny pulled out a sneaky on me. Remember the fire alarm, this was the one. It was early in the morning and I felt confident in my preparations. I was going about solving the given question on the whiteboard when the fire alarm rang and we had to clear the building. I was disheveled, disoriented. I don't know if you can relate but with me, sometimes I have these episodes of immense focus, like a flow state. Clarity. And other times, it is just chaos; your brain throws its hands in the air and nobody's on the wheel. The rest of this interview and the one after that was more of the latter. I pulled myself together by lunch and was able to do some damage control by the end of the day. I wish I could say the fire alarm was the reason they didn't offer me a job. There was a system design round that I bombed. It's far more than just coding y'all.
Don't: Get easily fazed. For me it was a fire alarm. For you it might be an intimidating interviewer who's spiting fire just to see when you crack. Practice calmness.
February 2019
Location: Mountain View, CA
Position: Software Engineer, Daydream
I was as ready as I could ever be. It was a "Got Away" role. I desperately needed a win. I got close I'll tell you that. The way it works with Google, or what I think of it, is that there are several stages after the on-site interview that determine factors like overall fit, technical compatibility, etc. If there is positive feedback from majority of the interviews you go to the next step. My performance was positive to get to this step but not positive enough to receive an offer. Queue "Hello Darkness, my old friend". I'm okay now.
Don't: Underestimate how much you need to practice coding off-screen (whiteboard / paper).
Apple
April 2019
Location: Cupertino, CA
Position: Software Engineer, Augmented Reality
The golden ball in the "Got Away" bag. Whatever these guys were doing, I so want it to be my job description someday. It seemed just perfect for me. Maybe too perfect. Remember the art and technology thing I talked about earlier, my eyes sparked as the manager said the same exact thing. All the people I interviewed were interesting folks, were nice to talk to, and came bearing experience from industries I hope to work at someday. So, you get it, the dream role. According to me, I did well on most interviews, and the ones that I didn't weren't that bad either. Now that I think about it, I was so busy giving the perfect response to the questions fired at me, I failed to show my enthusiasm and drive for the job. They were definitely there, more so than there ever had been for any of the other roles I had interviewed for. Maybe, the stretch of the job search was getting to me. Two days later the recruiter called and told me that my profile and experience weren't a good match with the role they are looking for at the time. Sigh.
Don't: Give up.
You are not there to answer questions. You are there to show why they should hire you. If you are interested in the job, make conscious efforts to show it.
--- Tushar Turkar
Tushar Turkar is a Masters student in the Computer Science Department