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- Sheldon Chi has worked for Amazon, Google, and two tech start ups.
- He says there are important things to consider before accepting a job at any tech company.
- For instance, employees don't always make more money at Big Tech companies.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Sheldon Chi, a 36-year-old software engineer from Canada about how to get a job at a tech company. It's been edited for length and clarity.
I began my career in 2016 as a software engineer working at startups. Then I worked at Amazon before getting a job at Google. Today, I run my own company where I train tech workers on how to pass the coding interview test and system design interview test to get a job at any tech company.
Working at a startup is very different from working at a Big Tech company. They require different skills and motivations. I worked at two different startups for about four years. Here are four things to keep in mind when accepting a role at a start-up tech company.
1. It helps to build a relationship with the startup founder and understand the company culture
At a startup, it's important to build a relationship with the founder. One technique I used to get to know the founder was to go on the company website, find the name of the founder, and contact them through LinkedIn or email.
If you're living close to the company office, you can offer to buy the founder a cup of coffee. Not only does this increase your chances of getting hired, it also helps you see if the founder is the type of person you'd want to work with. Once you're hired, make an effort to get to know your coworkers as well. Also, you need to understand the company culture. At a startup, You work very closely with the founder and other employees so make sure you like the company culture.
2. Showing extra interest in a startup can help you get hired
Show your interest and enthusiasm in the company. I didn't do too well at the first startup interview I had. But, I followed up with the company through email and showed interest and enthusiasm in the company so they gave me a one-day trial and eventually hired me.
3. There might not be resources to train new employees and you might be expected to wear many hats at a startup
Unlike Big Tech, most startups typically have no time or resources to train their employees, so you must already have the exact skills they need when applying for a job. The startups I worked for had no orientation or training period.
Also, be prepared to work extra hours. At a startup, you will wear many hats because resources might be limited. That means you might have to work overtime and learn new skills. The upside of this is that you get the opportunity to learn many new skills on the job and find out what interests you the most in your field.
4. Startups don't usually pay as much as Big Tech companies
Also, a startup company's stock options are usually not very lucrative. There are exceptions with unicorn startups such as OpenAI and SpaceX where the value of your company stocks can rise exponentially. But, these are the exceptions.
Regardless, startups are a great experience if you want to be a founder yourself. As an employee, you will get to witness the ups and downs and inner workings of what it takes to build a company. I learned a lot about how to build my own business from working at startups.
Working at a Big Tech company is a very different experience
If you like a challenge and want to work closely with your coworkers, startups are a great place to work. But working at a Big Tech company is very different.
I worked at Amazon for four months and worked at Google for two years. Here are the things to keep in mind when accepting a role at a Big Tech company.
1. Applying for a job at a Big Tech company is very mechanical
You look for job postings and apply along with hundreds of other applicants. If your application gets accepted, you will go through four to five rounds of interviews. If you're a junior engineer, this includes mostly coding interview tests. If you are a senior engineer, you will have coding interview tests with the addition of system design interview tests.
2. Having a reference who works at the Big Tech company you're applying to is a big plus
One way to make your application stand out is by having someone who works in the company refer you. You could reach out to a former classmate from college who works at the company or you can go to online tech forums or in-person tech meetups and meet people who will allow you to use them as a referral. This is lucrative for the referral as well because they could get $5,000 for every new employee they refer.
3. Working at a unicorn tech startup can help you stand out to Big tech recruiters
Another way to get noticed by Big Tech recruiters is if you work for a unicorn startup and put it on your LinkedIn. The recruiters will reach out to you to apply to their company.
4. Company culture is very important at Big Tech companies
One of the final stages of the interview process has to do with the company culture. For example, I had to memorize the Amazon Leadership Principles at Amazon. At Google, I took the "Googleyness" interview where they assessed if I'd fit with the Google company culture.
5. Employees don't always make more money at Big Tech companies
Many people think they'll make more money at a Big Tech company. This isn't always true. Yes, you get paid more and get stock options with higher value at Big Tech, but the stock options could stay very stable. If you join a unicorn startup, the stock options can increase exponentially.
I know people who left Google to work at OpenAI. They were told this was a bad idea, but now they've made so much money just from the OpenAI stock options. They wouldn't have been able to do that at Google.
6. Amazon is typically easier to get into than Google
Out of all the Big Tech companies, I've found that Amazon is one of the easier Big Tech companies to get into and Google is one of the most difficult. This is because Amazon has a company culture of hiring and firing quickly. However, at Google, it's very difficult to get fired so they're more careful when hiring.
Amazon has a very different culture from Google and other Big Tech companies because it is an MBA-run company. The people at the top are business people, not engineers. So their company values such as frugality and putting the customer first tend to focus more on the business aspect of the company rather than the technological aspect. This could make engineers feel less supported.
At Google and most other Big Tech companies, the people at the top are engineers themselves so their company values focus more on the quality of the technology and they support engineers more. This is why, unlike Amazon, they also provide more perks.
Coding interviews are just like an SAT or GRE test
Whether you want to work at a startup or Big Tech, the coding interview test is one of the most important parts of getting the job. It's an essential step for entering the industry. The key to effective practice lies in a structured learning approach, which involves identifying common patterns, studying them, and achieving mastery. Learning how to pass the coding interview tests can set you up for your entire career.
Being a software engineer is a rewarding career. You get paid well and have many options of which company to work for. Regardless of which type of company you work for, you need to work for what you truly believe in instead of giving in to the hype.