Hello all. I'm thinking of leaving my current company for a smaller one which may or may not have a less prestigious / well known engineering reputation. I'm relatively confident in my own engineering ability; however, I wouldn't like to be stuck in a college mindset of being scared of not getting interviews. For people who have quit the FB/Googles of the world and joined something lesser known, how has it impacted your future job searches? Are recruiters still pestering you, or do you sort of fall off the grid?
Recruiters will continue to reach out to you because of your ex-FANG experience. Some might think that "you couldn't run with the big dogs" and some will think that you're no longer interested in FANGs and think it's possible to recruit you for their lower tier company. I wouldn't worry about it too much. I intend on moving away from FANGs after Facebook because I've made my money and want to work on something smaller that I'm more passionate about.
These companies employ hundreds of thousands of people. You’re not a unicorn or a snowflake. It’s fine.
I've never worked FANG and still can't get recruiters to piss off. I think you'll be fine. One caveat I'd add is that unless you're moving to a technical leadership role, some will wonder if you're back on the porch because you couldn't run with the big dogs. At least, that's what I've often wondered about the ex-FANG I've worked with.