The job search, interview and negotiation thread

[4-Rin]

Here's my little PSA for guys applying to Google: Come with your shyt together or don't come at all. I took their assessment this morning without any real preparation and it was a huge mistake. I couldn't even submit a working example let alone something "Google" quality. Practice, practice, practice, then practice some more so you don't wind up feeling like an idiot. With about 15 minutes left to go I damn near felt like crying

I went to glassdoor to read the interview questions they ask and you ain't kidding. Google asks some crazy questions, some aren't even related to the positions
I'm glad they never called me for interviews when I applied, I would have failed miserably
I'll be ready for the fukkery if I ever apply there again

 

[the artist known az]

again I ask...

Why are you guys so quick to cough up your salary number? They havent even given you a fukking job offer or a statement of interest or a fully fleshed out list of duties?

They havent given you any potential contract details like non-compete clauses etc

But you are out here vomiting up salary figures?.....

Like @4-Rin said....at best you can give them a range.....thats it!!

If you have them a range & they give a number in that range do you still give a counter? Example, your range was 50-60k and they say 54k. Would you counter & say higher?

 

[SadimirPutin]

If you have them a range & they give a number in that range do you still give a counter? Example, your range was 50-60k and they say 54k. Would you counter & say higher?

Situational

Is the job one you really want? Is it a position/company that will greatly enhance your professional capabilities and earning power in the future?

Remember all compensation and benefits dont have to come in the form of salary? Flexibility, vacation time, training allowance etc can come into play

I would say generally make a counter. You get what you ask for...sometimes you might get something you didnt even think of...

AND GET THAT shyt IN WRITING

 

[the artist known az]

Situational

Is the job one you really want? Is it a position/company that will greatly enhance your professional capabilities and earning power in the future?

Remember all compensation and benefits dont have to come in the form of salary? Flexibility, vacation time, training allowance etc can come into play

I would say generally make a counter. You get what you ask for...sometimes you might get something you didnt even think of...

AND GET THAT shyt IN WRITING

In my case it's entry level, but from what I researched what they are paying is more than any job I've seen yet

 

[SadimirPutin]

If you have them a range & they give a number in that range do you still give a counter? Example, your range was 50-60k and they say 54k. Would you counter & say higher?

If they ask you for former salary be prepared with a smooth answer that you have practised saying out loud. This is one of many examples

To be honest, I'm not sure that the salary I made in my last position is relevant with regard to this opportunity. It was a different position with different responsibilities, not to mention with a different company (with their own budgets and salary guidelines). More importantly, I am looking for a job that can compensate me fairly for my skills and experience.

 

[SadimirPutin]

In my case it's entry level, but from what I researched what they are paying is more than any job I've seen yet

If its entry level then the flexibility with regards to pay is likely not very broad....however still ask questions and make a counter. And make sure they outline what is the criteria for advancement and escalation in benefits, responsibilities.

I am serious as a heart attack about this

 

[desjardins]

If you don't make much and are looking for a nice increase, give them a range. If you make 50K a year, say you earn 60K - 75K. If they ask why it's a huge range tell them it varies on bonus and stock

This is what I'm going to do. Because my current job has a lot of perks that save me money or aren't represented in the salary. Free lunch, cheap insurance, big bonuses and other perks have tangible financial benefits. I need like $30k+ more for me to leave

 

[Apollo Creed]

I went to glassdoor to read the interview questions they ask and you ain't kidding. Google asks some crazy questions, some aren't even related to the positions
I'm glad they never called me for interviews when I applied, I would have failed miserably
I'll be ready for the fukkery if I ever apply there again

@Obreh Winfrey what roles at google were you looking at?

 

[Gonzo]

yes practise problems over and over

and I can not stress this enough...practise writing solutions on a whiteboard

it makes no sense writing code in an editor when you have to write it on a whiteboard during interviews

It doesn't make sense for them to require for you to do it on a whiteboard when you're not going to be coding on a whiteboard when working for them. Sigh...

 

[SadimirPutin]

It doesn't make sense for them to require for you to do it on a whiteboard when you're not going to be coding on a whiteboard when working for them. Sigh...

In a sense I agree with you

But whiteboard interviews are apparently the norm for how tech companies interview. So it doesnt make sense to fight it.

Just practise writing on a whiteboard....and then take what you have written..put it in an editor like vim, emacs, note++ whatever and compile it or run it and see the results

you will improve

 

[Obreh Winfrey]

@Obreh Winfrey what roles at google were you looking at?

Anything Software Engineering, it doesn't really matter which team I'd be working on. Usually I'm applying to the lower-level positions but if it seems interesting enough, I apply to the ones that are looking for more experience/skills.

@Gonzo As far as getting the Google assessment, I believe I got that because I applied to a specific posting on my school's job board. It was a unique link compared to the typical University Grad positions that they post on their website but it essentially had the same requirements: Bachelor's in Comp Sci or something related, experience with C/C++, Java, Python, etc., solid OOP fundamentals, things like that. I assume they were pulling from a much smaller pool of applicants for that job so that helped. One thing that may have hurt me (read as kept me from going straight to a phone/onsite interview) was my transcripts. They want 3.0s and stuff like that, plus I don't have the greatest grades. So I have to offest that with a solid enough portfolio until I get some industry experience.

I've had assessments with Amazon and Zillow a few months back and they weren't as intense, but I wasn't able to land the job. Since my resume is in Amazon's system, periodically I'll get emails from recruiters. I just got one from the other day that I'm following up on. The team I'd be with seems to be working on interesting things so hopefully things move forward.

One last thing, for programmers looking for a job, think beyond tech companies. Wal-Mart, for example, had a lot of openings for developers the last time I checked. I'm sure if you looked at other retailers you could find similar positions. Every now and then something may pop up for the NBA or NFL working for the association/league or a specific team, so think outside the box on that sort of thing. Later today I'm probably going to take another look at Bloomberg and some of the financial companies and see if they have anything open.

 

[Apollo Creed]

Anything Software Engineering, it doesn't really matter which team I'd be working on. Usually I'm applying to the lower-level positions but if it seems interesting enough, I apply to the ones that are looking for more experience/skills.

@Gonzo As far as getting the Google assessment, I believe I got that because I applied to a specific posting on my school's job board. It was a unique link compared to the typical University Grad positions that they post on their website but it essentially had the same requirements: Bachelor's in Comp Sci or something related, experience with C/C++, Java, Python, etc., solid OOP fundamentals, things like that. I assume they were pulling from a much smaller pool of applicants for that job so that helped. One thing that may have hurt me (read as kept me from going straight to a phone/onsite interview) was my transcripts. They want 3.0s and stuff like that, plus I don't have the greatest grades. So I have to offest that with a solid enough portfolio until I get some industry experience.

I've had assessments with Amazon and Zillow a few months back and they weren't as intense, but I wasn't able to land the job. Since my resume is in Amazon's system, periodically I'll get emails from recruiters. I just got one from the other day that I'm following up on. The team I'd be with seems to be working on interesting things so hopefully things move forward.

One last thing, for programmers looking for a job, think beyond tech companies. Wal-Mart, for example, had a lot of openings for developers the last time I checked. I'm sure if you looked at other retailers you could find similar positions. Every now and then something may pop up for the NBA or NFL working for the association/league or a specific team, so think outside the box on that sort of thing. Later today I'm probably going to take another look at Bloomberg and some of the financial companies and see if they have anything open.

ah gotcha. My area is more so Business Analysis & Product Management.

 

[Gonzo]

Anything Software Engineering, it doesn't really matter which team I'd be working on. Usually I'm applying to the lower-level positions but if it seems interesting enough, I apply to the ones that are looking for more experience/skills.

@Gonzo As far as getting the Google assessment, I believe I got that because I applied to a specific posting on my school's job board. It was a unique link compared to the typical University Grad positions that they post on their website but it essentially had the same requirements: Bachelor's in Comp Sci or something related, experience with C/C++, Java, Python, etc., solid OOP fundamentals, things like that. I assume they were pulling from a much smaller pool of applicants for that job so that helped. One thing that may have hurt me (read as kept me from going straight to a phone/onsite interview) was my transcripts. They want 3.0s and stuff like that, plus I don't have the greatest grades. So I have to offest that with a solid enough portfolio until I get some industry experience.

I've had assessments with Amazon and Zillow a few months back and they weren't as intense, but I wasn't able to land the job. Since my resume is in Amazon's system, periodically I'll get emails from recruiters. I just got one from the other day that I'm following up on. The team I'd be with seems to be working on interesting things so hopefully things move forward.

One last thing, for programmers looking for a job, think beyond tech companies. Wal-Mart, for example, had a lot of openings for developers the last time I checked. I'm sure if you looked at other retailers you could find similar positions. Every now and then something may pop up for the NBA or NFL working for the association/league or a specific team, so think outside the box on that sort of thing. Later today I'm probably going to take another look at Bloomberg and some of the financial companies and see if they have anything open.

 

[SadimirPutin]

tons of jobs outside of google, amazon, etc

many of which actually PAY better and wont require to live like a peasant in expensive San Francisco

 

[bnm8907]

What do you do if you have multiple recruiters contact you about the same position? Like one day I had like 7 on the same day, about the same position. They each had different pay rates but all were close. I told the first few a number, each slightly different. On like the fourth they wanted a non compete agreement signed before going forward. I didnt sign it though.

I did a quick google search an article said if two requiters submit you, you may be kicked from the system.

Is this true? What do you do in this scenario. What if you get a better offer after you told a recruiter before them a different pay rate?