How do you keep an eye on the job market realistically as a mid-level engineer in big tech without losing focus on your current role?

Question

I just landed my first role in big tech after a very unconventional and challenging journey. I really want to focus on learning, growing, and making the most out of this opportunity. That’s my top priority.

That said, I also don’t know how stable things are (market-wise, org-wise, etc.), and I don’t want to be caught off guard if things change suddenly. So I want to ask: what does it actually look like to keep an eye on the market while you're ramping up in a new job?

Should I regularly check LinkedIn job postings?
Is it a good idea to casually apply every now and then, even if I’m not planning to leave soon?
Are there specific signals or habits engineers use to stay informed without spreading themselves too thin?

I’m not trying to jump ship, I just want to be smart and prepared without compromising my focus or coming across as disengaged. Especially since I'm not a senior engineer yet, I don't know even know what type of jobs I could potentially look at if things go south.

Alex Chiou · Accepted Answer

I understand wanting to be prepared, but for the next 6 months, you should just pretend that other jobs don't exist.

It's your first role in Big Tech, and Meta is probably the hardest FAANG to survive at. The stack rank percentages are going as high as 20% (!!!) in some orgs nowadays. The people breaking into FAANG are the most vulnerable - Among the engineers at Meta I saw get let go in their first year, 90%+ of them had Meta as their first FAANG company.

By doing incredibly well at Meta, you are going to solve a lot of these job searching and anxiety around job searching problems. If you can establish yourself as a high performer there and work there for 2+ years, you will get way more traction (i.e. inbound) on the job search.

Meta isn't a company where you can flourish using 80%, 90%, or even 95% of your brain. You need to give it 100%, especially if it's your first Big Tech.

Start off by going through the onboarding course: The Complete Onboarding Guide For Software Engineers

After that, I recommend going through the L3 -> L4 course to get a very clear understanding of Meta E4 (Big Tech L4) expectations: Grow From Junior To Mid-Level Engineer: L3 To L4

How do you keep an eye on the job market realistically as a mid-level engineer in big tech without losing focus on your current role?

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