I have been SDE 1 at Microsoft for almost 5 years now. My last promotion(L59- L60) was 3 years ago. I have been reorged 3 times(I changed the team once) and have had 5 managers. I see 1 more reorg coming soon. I have interviewed for Amazon. Interviews went very good. I had told Amazon interviewers that I am at SDE1. Can it affect the interview result in negative way? Any advice for my next interviews. How should I justify my current position to interviewer? How can I come out of this situation?
Remember, when interviewing, you’re never running from a problem - you’re moving toward a new opportunity. You don’t have to go into a lot of detail re why you’re looking. You admire their company, and you’ve had a blast where you are. All that said, my impression is that Amazon has some of the best hiring practices in every metric (speed, lack of BS, and speed - I Love MSFT, but we’re pretty glacial with the process IMHO). I’d bet money that they care more about your skills than a series of reorgs... that we’re kinda famous for. Good luck!
As a junior engineer your current level won’t affect what you will end up with that much. How well you did in your interview matters much more, and is directly related to the level you will be offered
Too late to worry about that. Learn better the next time.
I have seen a lot of people with 15-20 years experience as L5/SDE2 in Amazon. Do what makes you happy, don’t try to ace at this rat race.
That might be true in Amazon, in MS if you don't grow .. you are shown the door.. and op probably knows this..
For someone in your situation, it's probably not wise to say what level you are when you interview with other companies. It starts to raise questions. It will also be used to try and get you for a lower price. Reorgs and team changes happen. 3 years is still a VERY long time to not get promoted from 60 to 61. What has your performance been like? Do you think you're performing at the SDE2 level?
My performance has been above average in terms of bonus n raise. My current base is 119k.
Was it all on the same team? I don’t get how this could happen. SDE II is not that difficult to get promoted to, it should be a freebie in most cases. Senior is harder.
I think it’s important to first understand why you are in this position. If you truly believe you are a victim of circumstances and environment, you should change the environment. Change helps . Make best use of what opportunities you get and don’t get into that same position again
Everytime I had hope that I might get promoted this time. I worked with full energy and passion but things didnot go my way. I am getting frustrated more and more. That's is why I tried to change. I don't know how much my past is going to affect my job hunt.