I feel like I am hitting a wall career progression / aspiration wise. Im currently at Director level with a small midwest company. My specialty is in Infrastructure (Cloud and on-premise) and Security. 7yoe BS: Math/Satistics MS: Computer Information Systems Certs: CISSP, CCSP TC: 110k (all salary) Im not sure what I can do to become a more attractive candidate for companies like Microsoft or FAANG. To be honest, im not even sure what job titles I should be looking for. I feel like I need a referral to even have a shot, but I dont have any connections. Overall feeling stuck. Any suggestions on what I can work on to improve my chances of getting noticed?
SysDE or SRE maybe, if you are a solid coder? Otherwise Solutions Architect or similar might work for you.
You need to network and get a referral. Unfortunately, that’s the game. Your odds are 10x better if you know the Hiring Manager or you’re a degree of separation away.
7 yoe might be too less for a director level position in FAANG. May be a Sr Manager or Lead Manager might be a good position to target level wise. Also you will be surprised that you can demand a lot more than your current TC for those positions. Keep in mind that this area is many times more expensive than most of US barring areas like Manhattan.
Definitely not hung up on titles or role type. Just looking for something where I can contribute at a higher capacity
7 YOE is mid-career? Are you going to retire when you're 35? Also, a director with this yoe sounds funny. Anyway, you don't have to jump straight to a faang. If it doesn't work out, go for a junior management position at a better known company and move on from there. Why would this work? Because at 7 yoe you're just getting started. Plenty of years ahead.
Sorry, my interpretation of “mid career” is simply more than entry level. Also, I agree about current title, however It is what it is. I was promoted quickly within my company. I definitely do not expect to be at the same title level at a larger company.
How's your coding skills? Does title matter? Junior titles at FAANG offer higher TC.
After reading Blind, I definitely see that. My coding skills are intermediate (all self taught). Mostly python and C#. No professional coding experience, just personal projects.
Looks like you already have two Security certs as well. There are a lot of jobs you could consider. Depending on your skill level Security (Infrastructure) Engineer / could suit you. Consider Security Analyst if necessary to get a foot in the door.
Get referral. I cannot emphasize this enough. https://www.rooftopslushie.com/request/Bootcamper-hoping-to-work-for-FAANG-191
One thing you may need to be ready for is title deflation when you come in. Beyond that, the first thing you need to decide on is whether you would be looking to enter at the individual contributor or people management tracks.
Absolutely no expectation of title. Just looking to contribute and further my skill set!
Then to the second question - are you looking for more of an individual contributor role, or a people management role?
I did it. And my background had cobol. Just leetcode, system design, mock interviews and give enough interviews to crack one( by law of large numbers you will crack one)
I feel like op is asking how to pass the resume part.
I did not do anything special. Just applied to 1000+ jobs. It’s tough at first but you will get calls back.