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Getting Hired in Big Tech

Updated Jul 26, 2019 ·
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These are compilation of notes that I've gathered researching online.

Notes​

Getting hired at a top tech company as a software engineer means doing well in three areas:

  • Soft skills - Be good at communication and teamwork
  • Technical Coding - Know common data structures and algorithms
  • System Design - Understand how to design large, scalable systems

Build Strong Soft Skills​

Soft skills help you in behavioral interviews and make you a better teammate.

  • Practice common interview questions
  • Learn how to explain your ideas clearly
  • Show positive traits like curiosity and teamwork

You can improve these by reading books like:

  • How to Win Friends and Influence People. It teaches how to talk to people and make a good impression.

  • What Color Is Your Parachute?, which helps you prepare for tough interview questions.

These skills matter because they’re tested early during phone screens and video calls.

Study Data Structures and Algorithms​

This is a key part of most coding interviews.

  • Learn core topics like arrays, recursion, and trees
  • Practice coding problems every day
  • Use platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank

Here are important concepts to focus on:

  • Hash tables
  • Linked lists
  • Dynamic programming
  • BFS and DFS
  • Shortest path algorithms
  • Arrays
  • Recursion
  • Bit manipulation
  • Binary trees and BSTs
  • AVL trees and B+ trees

Resources:

  • Introduction to Algorithms (CLRS)

Learn System Design Basics​

System design shows how well you can build real-world software.

  • Understand how to handle a lot of users (scaling)
  • Learn how data is stored, moved, and protected
  • Practice talking through your design clearly

Important system design concepts:

  • Load balancing
  • Caching
  • CDNs (Content Delivery Networks)
  • Databases (SQL and NoSQL)
  • Replication and redundancy
  • Sharding
  • API design

Resources:

  • GeeksforGeeks
  • SQL Queries for Mere Mortals

Do Side Projects That Matter​

Side projects can help you stand out.

  • Build apps or tools people can actually use
  • Share your code or launch your product
  • Show your project has real users or downloads

If your app gets thousands of downloads or your tool is used by others, it shows you can build and ship things that matter. This gives you an edge over other candidates.