How hard is it to get a job at FAANG in India in 2022?

I have recently taken few interviews for Google and I realized few things, as follows:

Demand is Less and Supply is more.

Since there are so many opportunities in IT sector right now(2022), almost everyone is preparing for big Tech giants. Those days were gone, when we used to compete with people with same education background/Degree. Now a days, you will find people from different domains, joining IT sector. With the advent of

1. Free internet,
2. A lot of free content on YouTube, because everyone is teaching DSA nowadays,
3. LinkedIn — to reach any recruiter
4. A lot of Edu-Tech startups like Scaler academy, Unacadamy etc.,

the diversification has happened. Doors are open to all. You are not alone in this race now. You will be competing with,

1. Fresh CS Graduates (IIT/NIT/IIIT/ Tier 2/Tier 3)
2. Fresh Non-CS Graduates (BCA/B.com/etc.)
3. Experienced Professional working in Software industry
4. Experience Professional working in Some other industry like Electrical/Civil etc. (not at all related with software)

where in case of Demand, i.e. Vacancies, The most important thing to understand here is, these companies don’t hire in bulk, because they don’t need huge manpower. They generally hire for replacements. If someone leaves, they will hire a person who can fill that positron. In case of new projects, they might hire new folks, but they prefer allocating existing employees partially on new stuff. So the Demand is very less.

Candidates are more prepared now-a-days

With the advent of fast internet and online material, candidates already know frequently asked interview questions, interview experiences, generic solutions to most of the standard problems, and have mugged up basic system design approaches. Since Candidate knows everything, it’s actually hard to identify, whether the candidate is actually talented, or has a good memory.

Interviewers needs to prepare for Coding Interviews

It’s not only a candidate prepares for interview, but the interviewer also needs to prepare for it. Those days were gone, when you can simply ask questions from internet. Almost every standard interview question has been available on various programming portals, you can’t simply ask them. You need to create new questions and ask. And one of the biggest pain is, What ever you ask, is going to get posted on some article/post on internet by the candidate some days, as interview experience. That means, you can’t use it again. Seriously man!!

Free Online Education is the blessing as well as the curse.

Few years ago, when there was not much online awareness, it was a game of pure practice and luck. But now-a-days, with the advent of Social media influence, Youtubers, and Edu-tech Businesses, it has become a complex process. if you think they are helping you in your preparation, you are partially correct. They are for sure, guiding people and training them to become interview ready. But!!! the side effect is, it’s not only you, everyone is becoming interview ready. So, your competition is increasing day by day, but the seats are limited. These companies are not some collage in which, every year, there will be fixed seats. they hire when needed.

WAIT…!!! Don’t get disheartened, let’s find out, How can I Improve my chances?

First of all, You have to understand, you are trying to get a job. It’s not an entrance exam, where there are fixed vacant seats, every year. It’s a battle of “why me, not you”. Understand, that the syllabus is same like DSA etc. Whatever you are preparing, everyone else is also preparing the same. Then, who will have more chances?

1. Being Patient and Consistent :- You have to be consistent while preparing. As I said earlier also, it’s not a entrance exam. It doesn’t have a date. You can get a call anytime. (may be while reading this post). So if you are consistent, you won’t be scared of interviews, and won’t require interviews to be rescheduled.
2. Communication Skills :- Believe me or not, it’s very important. It doesn’t matter, how skilled are you, or how much practice you do, if you are not good in communication, you won’t get hired. Communication skills, doesn’t mean, you should be good in English, but you should be able to convey your thoughts properly, in both verbally and in writing.
3. Be Open for Other job roles :- As we have discussed in above paragraphs, the ratio of demand and supply is close of 0. Demand is very less and supply is very high. Since Demand will almost remain constant, but supply varies from job roles. So, better try in that area, where Supply is less. Try to be Quality analyst, or Product Owner, or Network engineer etc. God has not come and told you to be an SDE. It’s you who might be running in a wrong track. Decide what matters the most, to you, the role or the company.
4. Use LinkedIn as Instagram/Facebook : The best source till date, to get an interview call from anywhere in the world. People generally use, LinkedIn to ask for referrals, but let me tell you, those referrals are of no use. Understand, why would someone refer you, if they don’t even know you. We should use LinkedIn to showcase, our skills. It doesn’t matter what ever you do, just post it. You never know, who will view your post, and send you a job interview call.

Conclusion

Finding a job in FAANG will always remain hard, because Supply is increasing day by day, and demand will remain constant. So, be smart while choosing the company and the role. Do some research and than decide. See, nothing is guaranteed. You can either prepare in traditional way and might crack a job, OR you can try increasing your chances with some hacks, and may end-up living your dream soon.

ALL THE BEST!!

Cheers,

Vimal

(Feel Free to contact)