Meta IC5 downleveled everywhere outside

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FB foxes

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FB foxes
21h 21 Comments

I'm a recently promoted IC5 SWE between 4 and 5 YOE, all at Facebook. Started applying to senior SWE positions outside for several personal reasons.

After onsite, recruiters tell me the team wants to move forward, and I get so excited. But they don't mention the level until I ask, and 4 out of 5 companies told me matter-of-factly that I am a "solid" fit for their IC4-equivalent level like I should be expecting it (should I?).

- Google: did L5 loop, bombed coding, HC downleveled to L4 (no surprises there)
- Stripe: HC decided on L2
- Amazon: did SDE3/L6 loop, got grilled hard in behavioral, downleveled to SDE2 (no surprises there)
- Snap: L4 (heard this is pretty wide though)

None of the offers have provided numbers yet (sorry Blind), but I imagine they would not substantially beat my post-cliff FB IC5 TC, especially after refreshers kick in.

I keep hearing that IC5 can move to senior positions outside, so it's really concerning that I haven't been able to do the same. I'm a fairly mediocre engineer at FB (only ever received MA and EE ratings) so maybe it's mostly the E3-to-E6-in-3-years people getting those senior offers with 4-6 YOE on levels fyi.

I'm guessing I'm getting consistently downleveled not just because of bad luck but rather because I don't really have what it takes to be a senior SWE outside FB. Any thoughts/tips?

Personal ranking of each offer's attractiveness: Stripe > Snap > Google > Amazon.
Reasons:
- Stripe: most exciting team, great benefits, mid TC 340-400k on levels, RSU issues
- Snap: mid team, great benefits, high TC 380-420k on levels
- Google: still team matching, good benefits, low TC 320-350k according to recruiter
- Amazon: mid team, no benefits, high TC max band 400k+ TC on levels expected

Worst case I imagine I can try to boomerang back to FB IC5 after a year for external package, or rehire in <1 year if it's really bad outside.

TC: 300k on W2, 🥜 after stock crash

EDIT: 95% CHANCE WON'T STAY AT FB, reason being I want to relocate to another city sooner rather than later
I will follow up with another thread if any of my future interviews (Uber, Pinterest, Coinbase, Instacart) are successful

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TOP 21 Comments
  • If you were just promoted to E5 you probably need to put in at least one year at your level to successfully pitch yourself as a senior elsewhere. It sounds like your resume comes off as someone on the lower end of senior given YOE and recent promotion. Most companies want to hire you as someone that is above their median senior bar.
    21h 2
    • Meta
      FB foxes

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      FB foxes
      OP
      That makes a lot of sense. But it might be a bit much for me to stay there for another year; one of the personal reasons is wanting to relocate to another city
      20h
    • Meta
      👽alien

      Go to company page Meta

      BIO
      17.3% acceptance on LC Easy.
      👽alien
      why don't you switch to working remotely (if your current team can accommodate remotes), otherwise change teams to one that's remote-friendly for the next year. I'm pretty sure there are a lot of teams with L5 headcount, since L5 interviews are still ongoing (according to blinders)
      25m
  • Also maybe a bad time to leave Meta, other companies know why you’re leaving and it’s easy to lowball/down level as you don’t have much leverage atm. But that might be a far fetched analysis of the situation.
    21h 4
  • You are not mediocre, IC5 is great for your yoe. Get better at non LC interviewing (looks like you got that figured out if you received offers from all of them) and you'll surely get the level you deserve in the future interviews.

    That said, evaluate your goals and pick the company that suits you. Amazon or snap for TC, Stripe for the exciting team, G for wlb.

    Downlevel does not matter if your comp goes up. You are obviously capable of being promoted.
    21h 1
    • Meta
      FB foxes

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      FB foxes
      OP
      That all makes sense. I'm leaning towards Stripe myself but it seems to be the least popular option. Wonder if I can negotiate their offer high enough to temper the downsides with its RSU policy and high valuation...

      Coming in at a lower level does mean (slightly) higher TC with lower expectations, but the speed of promotion is a huge unknown which is why I would've wanted to come in at a higher level.
      20h
  • Meta
    zpxd38

    Go to company page Meta

    zpxd38
    Op, I had the same issue. You need to work on behavioral stories and clearly show you have some leadership experience. Once I fixed my stories, I got e5 pretty consistently.

    Do you have any experiences leading roadmaps/projects etc with multiple people?
    20h 2
    • Meta
      FB foxes

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      FB foxes
      OP
      A bit, but not as much or consistently as more seasoned E5s. Some of my behavioral interviews turn out better than others, depending on how the interviewer probes.
      20h
    • Meta
      zpxd38

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      zpxd38
      I would try to do more leadership work in the next few months, then you can directly use those stories in behavioral. Basically embody the senior eng you are aiming for 🙂. Roadmapping is coming up and a good opportunity as well
      20h
  • Google / Eng
    JimKerrig

    Go to company page Google Eng

    PRE
    Google
    JimKerrig
    Work on your behavioral stories. You probably come across as fresh senior or even high mid (meta levels are a little bit inflated).
    21h 1
    • Meta
      FB foxes

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      FB foxes
      OP
      Seems like they aren't ready to hire fresh seniors. I'm pretty confident that I can negotiate top of band mid level offers outside, but it's such a huge gap from senior offers. My behavioral performance was so bad I failed a hiring manager screen early in my job search, so I've spent a lot of time rehearsing since then.
      20h