Acing Tech Interviews In A Bad Job Market

Here are the core points from the session:

- **Organize and track your job search** - Every successful job search is split up into the 2 overall steps of *"Get interviews"* and *"Pass interviews"*. It's crucial to figure out which step you're struggling with as the solutions for each phase are wildly different. If your conversion rate from application -&gt; interview opportunity is less than 5%, that's a sign that you need to improve at the *"Get interviews"* step. Use a spreadsheet to keep track of how all your opportunities go, so you can construct a funnel and figure out which stage of the offer journey needs shoring up.
- **Have the right mentality** - *Do not view interviews as a "make or break" opportunity, even if they are!* When you put that much pressure on yourself during an interview, you become extremely high-strung and your performance tanks, particularly when you get a problem that you have never seen before (which is guaranteed to happen for any good tech company). Instead, go into every interview relaxed and view it as a fun learning opportunity where you get to hang out with very talented engineers. Having the wrong mentality is one of the most common reasons engineers fail FAANG interviews: Alex interviewed tons of candidates back at Meta where they had the skills and knowledge but they completely fell apart during the interview.
- **Learn how to cold message** - Too many engineers send generic cold messages to Big Tech recruiters, which is a complete waste of time. Cold messages really only work when you're doing it with a smaller company (&lt;250 employees) and putting actual effort into the message. Spend 10-15 minutes actually trying out that company's product and show that you've done that homework in your cold message.

Check out the full 4.5+ hour course diving even deeper into this session's concepts: [\[Course\] Ace Your Tech Interview And Get A Job As A Software Engineer](https://www.jointaro.com/course/ace-your-tech-interview-and-get-a-job-as-a-software-engineer/)

Get Taro Premium at a discount with our special link here: <https://www.jointaro.com/r/achiou15/>

For more job searching resources:

- ["How to get referrals?"](https://www.jointaro.com/question/FQIi8us9uoTDIYdzMhvg/how-to-get-referrals/?playlistId=roKqDHgxu4C5CioEFpJY)
- ["How to get interview calls?"](https://www.jointaro.com/question/MWJfUBnnUr8CKYFCO8bp/i-want-to-land-a-job-in-a-big-tech-as-a-swe-how-to-do-it/?playlistId=roKqDHgxu4C5CioEFpJY)
- ["What are the best websites for applying for tech jobs?"](https://www.jointaro.com/question/VkuG4W88SZ83Ek7AfLP6/what-are-the-best-websites-for-applying-for-tech-jobs/)
- ["How to figure out why I'm not passing onsite interviews?"](https://www.jointaro.com/question/CdmrIsMFPFbsRqRUvueu/how-to-figure-out-why-im-not-passing-onsite-interviews/?playlistId=IPFmEPUhAmizNe9ZUWV5)
- ["I want to land a job in a big tech as a SWE - How to do it?"](https://www.jointaro.com/question/MWJfUBnnUr8CKYFCO8bp/i-want-to-land-a-job-in-a-big-tech-as-a-swe-how-to-do-it/?playlistId=roKqDHgxu4C5CioEFpJY)

From "Meets Most" to "Greatly Exceeds" in 3 Months at Facebook

Imagine pouring your heart and soul into your work, only to be met with criticism instead of commendation. This scenario is all too familiar for many engineers who, despite their hard work, find themselves at odds with their manager's expectations due to a misalignment with business priorities. My own journey at Facebook serves as a testament to this common predicament. Tasked with two major projects, I found myself at a critical juncture halfway through, being told my efforts were not meeting expectations.

I was not always doing exceptional at Facebook, but this time I knew that I was not below the "meets expectation" mark. I had been there before, but this time was not it.

Learn more about ratings at Facebook (aka Meta): <https://www.jointaro.com/topic/meta/performance-review/>

Despite knowing that, the assessment of the manager was a bitter pill to swallow, leaving me furious and speechless. However, it also marked the beginning of a transformative journey. I ventured into realms that many engineers shy away from, embracing principles that I previously overlooked. This shift in behavior and perception propelled me from being perceived as merely meeting most expectations to greatly exceeding them, achieving a rating leap that not only vindicated my efforts but also significantly enhanced my bonus.

In this seminar, I aim to share the insights and strategies that catalyzed my dramatic turnaround. I will delve into how a recalibration of focus and an embrace of broader impact can elevate your work from good to exceptional. Additionally, I will touch on the crucial balance between maintaining stellar job performance and navigating a job search. This balance is critical for ensuring you are not cornered should your job search extend longer than anticipated. Join me as I unravel the nuances of achieving long-term career satisfaction through sustained excellence and strategic job search efforts.

Check out these resources for additional deep insights into performance review:

- [\[Masterclass\] How To Navigate Your Performance Review In Tech](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/b0B8uqIAUnBLE10jJHJG/masterclass-how-to-navigate-your-performance-review-in-tech/)
- [\[Masterclass\] How To Work Better With Your Engineering Manager](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/2PbJb2fuqF3iMHy57eEg/masterclass-how-to-work-better-with-your-engineering-manager/)

Presented by Yogi Sharma: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/yogi1/>

Nail Your Promotion As A Software Engineer [Part 31] - Promotion Is A Journey: Follow Through

Promotions take years, especially the more senior ones. You won't automatically become a promotion wizard by finishing this 1 course. You need to follow through, and the Taro community is here to help you along the journey.

- Junior to mid-level promo: <https://www.jointaro.com/course/grow-from-junior-to-mid-level-engineer-l3-to-l4/>
- Mid-level to senior promo: <https://www.jointaro.com/course/grow-from-mid-level-to-senior-senior-l4-to-l5/>
- Senior to staff promo: [https://www.jointaro.com/course/grow-from-senior-to-staff-engineer-l5-to-l6/](https://www.jointaro.com/course/grow-from-senior-to-staff-engineer-l5-to-l6/how-this-course-works/)

Nail Your Promotion As A Software Engineer [Part 30] - Be Patient

It can be frustrating waiting so long to get promoted as a software engineer. You've been working so hard for so long, and you still don't have that fancier title. This lesson teaches you:

- Why getting promoted is so hard
- The right mentality to always have as you're going through the promotion process
- A clear framework you can use to determine if you are truly getting better as an engineer

Nail Your Promotion As A Software Engineer [Part 29] - The Step-By-Step Plan

Here's the step-by-step plan if you want it for your notes:

### Find A Good Team

- **Engineering manager has a track record getting engineers promoted**
- Teammates 1 level above you to learn from
- Teammates more junior than you to lead
- Team isn’t overloaded with engineers at your level
- Team isn’t overloaded with engineers at next level

To learn about finding a quality engineering manager: [\[Masterclass\] What Software Engineers Should Look For In Their Engineering Manager](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/oeY7ncZhzJ5NO6dij5e7/masterclass-what-software-engineers-should-look-for-in-their-engineering-manager/)

### Establish Yourself As A High Performer

- **Build a strong, honest relationship with your engineering manager**
- Identify core peers and add value to them to make them like you
- Develop a consistent track record shipping with velocity and quality
- Look for opportunities to expand scope of assigned projects
- Be creative and brainstorm new project ideas

To learn how to build trust quickly: [\[Course\] Effective Communication For Engineers](https://www.jointaro.com/course/effective-communication-for-engineers/)

### Clarify Expectations And Gaps

- **Write a promotion plan with as much clarity as possible**
- Have that honest, deliberate conversation with your manager
- Observe engineers at the next level to understand the delta
- Break down your weaknesses across engineering axes
- Don’t get jealous of more senior peers

### Execute And Grow

- **Make sure to check in on and maintain your expectations plan**
- Publicly document and share your wins
- Go through your gaps 1 by 1 and patch them up
- Be hungry for feedback and learn from mistakes
- Amp it up in the final quarter before review

To learn how to get constructive feedback: [This Is How You Get Feedback - Making The Process Smooth](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/aGuxjGbFjYb34ofhRxjs/this-is-how-you-get-feedback-making-the-process-smooth/?playlistId=llknt3sHtV4xmhDThKOx)

### Go Through Performance Review

- **Thoroughly go through your promotion plan and make sure it’s all addressed**
- Compile artifacts from your brag journal, launch posts, and other sources
- Link as much evidence as you possibly can
- Request targeted feedback from core peers
- Share self-review with manager beforehand

Nail Your Promotion As A Software Engineer [Part 28] - This Might Not Be Enough

So many software engineers feel unfairly treated when it comes to their promotion, being stuck at the same level forever. And here's the thing - A lot of them are right! This lesson teaches you:

- The right mentality to have when it comes to deciding between doubling down and jumping ship
- The large career cost of switching teams, especially if you are changing companies in the process
- A framework to use when figuring out whether you should give up and change teams or continue plodding on and fighting for that promotion

Nail Your Promotion As A Software Engineer [Part 27] - Writing Your Packet

You have gone through the entire performance review cycle and done a ton of amazing work. So how do you now capture all the great things you've done so you have a great shot at promotion? This lesson teaches you:

- How to make writing your self-review/promotion packet easy (hint: it requires following the advice of this course)
- When to start writing your performance review materials
- How to work with your engineering manager to optimize the quality of your promotion packet

Nail Your Promotion As A Software Engineer [Part 26] - Peer Feedback Squad

In order to get promoted as a software engineer, you need several important people to have your back. This is especially important for senior level and above promotions where you might need 10+ pieces of glowing feedback. This lesson teaches you:

- How to identify the critical peers you need to vouch for you in performance review
- What "feel good" and ultimately near useless feedback looks like, which is what a lot of stagnant engineers are stuck with
- What powerful, meaningful feedback that actually makes a difference in promotion cases looks like
- How your peer feedback should look based on the seniority of the peer giving it to you

Nail Your Promotion As A Software Engineer [Part 25] - Timing: When To Amp Things Up?

Humans have terrible memory, and software engineers (+ engineering managers) are no exception. The annoying thing is that this greatly affects how you're judged in performance review. This lesson teaches you:

- The role recency bias plays in your promotion case
- How to spend your energy over time across the performance review cycle

Nail Your Promotion As A Software Engineer [Part 24] - Brag Journal

It is easy for people to lose track of all the great stuff you're doing as a software engineer, including you! This lesson teaches you:

- What a brag journal is
- The many reasons why brag journals are so beneficial, especially for promotion
- A lightweight "hack" you can do instead of maintaining an entirely separate brag journal

Nail Your Promotion As A Software Engineer [Part 23] - Sell Yourself, Claim Your Wins

So many software engineers don't realize that perception and reality are 2 very different things that often drift apart. The painful truth is that perception is far more important than reality. This lesson teaches you:

- How software engineers can do amazing work but their teammates actually think they're mediocre
- Why you need to put in the work to get full credit for your work, especially for promotion
- Why you shouldn't only wait for huge launches to communicate progress
- Which mediums to use when it comes to sharing progress updates
- The many benefits of high-quality project updates

For more concrete tactics on writing a top-notch project update, check this out: ["How to get more visibility on work?"](https://www.jointaro.com/question/XA0X51AypDLCeVeleJv4/how-to-get-more-visibility-on-work/)

Nail Your Promotion As A Software Engineer [Part 22] - The Project Credit Formula

You have been given your projects for the performance review cycle, and they're okay but not amazing. How can you make the most of this opportunity and cobble together a case for promotion? This lesson teaches you:

- The definition of scope, another tech term that is commonly thrown around but horribly misunderstood
- The overall formula to determine how much credit you get for a project
- How to be creative and get the most credit from every project you work on
- How projects of a certain scope can either by increased by 1 level or decreased by 1 level

Paper Reading: Self-Discover - Empowering Large Language Models with Autonomous Reasoning Structures

In this talk, we delve into Self-Discover, an innovative framework revolutionizing Large Language Models (LLMs) by enabling them to autonomously discern task-specific reasoning structures, thereby empowering them to tackle complex problems without explicit prompting. 

At the heart of Self-Discover lies a self-discovery process, wherein LLMs independently select and amalgamate various atomic reasoning modules, such as critical thinking and step-by-step reasoning, into explicit structures to guide their decoding process. The broad applicability of these self-discovered structures across diverse model families—from PaLM2-L to GPT-4 and from GPT-4 to Llama2—underscores the framework's versatility and adaptability, suggesting seamless integration with an even wider range of advanced AI models. This holds promise for a unified approach to autonomous reasoning in artificial intelligence.\
\
Whether you're an AI researcher, engineer, or simply curious about this achievement in AI research, join us as we explore the intricacies of Self-Discover and its potential implications for prompt engineering and advancing the capabilities of Large Language Models in complex reasoning tasks.\
\
Paper: [**https://arxiv.org/pdf/2402.03620.pdf**](https://arxiv.org/pdf/2402.03620.pdf)

Lucia on LinkedIn: <https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucia-mocz-ph-d-35a98a1b6/>

Nail Your Promotion As A Software Engineer [Part 21] - Attribution

The best software engineers don't need to be told what to do; they're able to come up with impactful projects on their own. This lesson teaches you:

- Why ideas are worthless and how engineers can come up with great ideas and get 0 credit for them
- The hard work you need to do to convert an idea into an actual roadmap project
- What it takes to get massive credit on the attribution axis for projects

Here's the case study Alex referred to in this lesson: [\[Case Study\] Revamping Oncall For 20 Instagram Engineers - Senior to Staff Project](https://www.jointaro.com/lesson/esVxIGXYC5BdgxXUkO6H/case-study-revamping-oncall-for-20-instagram-engineers-senior-to-staff-project/?playlistId=EWIo3USNcsgXbCs5PS0h)

Nail Your Promotion As A Software Engineer [Part 20] - Quality Of Delivery

Anything worth doing is worth doing right, and this applies to software engineers as well. This lesson teaches you:

- Why quality of delivery is such an important project axis when it comes to promotion, especially to senior levels and beyond
- The immense value of smooth delivery when it comes to your perception among engineering leadership
- Concrete angles to consider when maximizing your quality of delivery

Nail Your Promotion As A Software Engineer [Part 19] - Depth Of Contribution

Just because you got a meaty, high-impact project doesn't necessarily mean that you'll get rewarded a lot for it when it comes to your promotion case. This lesson teaches you:

- Why volume of code contribution often doesn't correlate with the depth of your contribution and the credit you receive
- How to figure out if your project contributions had lots of depth
- Concrete examples of hard tasks that have great depth and are greatly rewarded for in promotion cases

Nail Your Promotion As A Software Engineer [Part 18] - Organizational Complexity

In order to get promoted to senior engineering levels and beyond, you can't just be good with code, you need to be good with people too. This lesson teaches you:

- A basic, straightforward framework to understand what the organizational complexity of your project is
- How to calculate the quantity of your organizational complexity
- How to calculate the quality of your organizational complexityIn rode

Nail Your Promotion As A Software Engineer [Part 17] - Technical Complexity

In order to get promoted, especially to senior levels and beyond, you need to work on technically complex problems. But here's the tricky party: How can you as a software engineer determine if a problem has enough technical complexity? This lesson teaches you:

- A simple framework to determine the technical complexity of a task
- The classic system design principal of *"Dumb client, smart server"* and how it relates to technical complexity
- How product and infra teams differ when it comes to their scope and how it affects promotion

Nail Your Promotion As A Software Engineer [Part 16] - Impact

Impact is a word that's constantly tossed around the software engineer community, especially at Meta. But what exactly does it mean? This lesson teaches you:

- The definition of impact and how it varies between bigger and smaller tech companies
- The 2 core industry terms you should know when it comes to impact
- How junior and mid-level engineers are rewarded when it comes to project impact (spoiler: they usually aren't)

Nail Your Promotion As A Software Engineer [Part 15] - It's Not Just About Impact

*"I'm not getting promoted because my manager isn't giving me the proper projects"* is one of the classic excuses of software engineers who want to get promoted but are definitely not functioning at the next level. This lesson teaches you:

- Why impact has devolved into a near meaningless buzzword
- The right mentality to have when it comes to picking projects and thinking about impact
- The 6 axes that determine how much you get rewarded for working on a project (only 1 of them is impact)

To learn more about identifying the best projects and prioritizing properly, go through this discussion: ["How to figure out what the most important projects are?"](https://www.jointaro.com/question/CgCPA60bDDHoOteN7Lmb/how-to-figure-out-what-the-most-important-projects-are/)

Tech Career Growth Videos

Our instructional videos provide software engineers with insights needed for career growth. Masterclasses go incredibly in-depth on a specific tech topic while case studies are real examples from established engineering leaders.