Only marginally satisfied at work. Too afraid of rejection to interview elsewhere.
I feel sort of fortunate to finally be working on something interesting (ML but nothing too special), but with lackluster leadership and subpar investment. It’s been six months and I’m learning a lot and writing interesting code, but I’m working completely on my own and feel like my work will only be so impactful. I definitely feel I could be happier elsewhere, provided that I didn’t have to take a pay cut. I’ve got recruiters calling from Google, Pinterest, Indeed, and some others. But I’ve classically had some difficulty in interviewing in the past and I usually take it hard when I don’t make it. Worried I’ll spend a bunch of time day and night prepping for interviews and not get an offer. I certainly believe I’m capable of doing more impactful work with more capable people and actual leadership but interviews are so stressful. I’ve got a broad set of experience and an MSCS from a lesser known university. But even when I’m well practiced for interviews I’m still classically unsuccessful when it comes to impactful companies of the FAANG variety. For that reason, I’m finding it hard to respond to recruiters and start the arduous process of a interview prep and potential ego hit. How do I get over it? L63 TC: $225K according to MSFT rules.
Hey I've been there. For reference, for my first internship I applied to over 100 places and I got rejected / ignored for 90 of them. You learn to brush it off. Yes it still stings when Google fails you after an on-site, but realize that it doesn't reflect on your ability as an engineer. Maybe one of your interviewers had a bad day, there was a better candidate, or your brain stopped working. At the end of the day all you can do is get up and try again. I feel similarly at my current role at Amazon and have been actively interviewing since Jan. Applies to about 30 places and got 2 offers and a couple more on-sites to go. You just need to grind leetcode (yes I know it's a meme) and sacrifice a few nights to studying. Interviewing is stressful, but it's what you have to do in order to get a position that would make you happier. IMO a few weeks of suffering is worth it if I feel happier at work everyday. You got this!
- start practicing with a friend - explain yourself a problem on white board - attend meetups that take mock interview - do anonymous online f2f interview on pramp - interview with 1/2 least concerned companies You should be a PRO by this time
I understand rejection sucks, but keep in mind that your worst-case scenario is... the exact same situation you’re in right now. Obviously “don’t worry about it!” is easier said than done, but if you really would prefer a change, you should practice and then go for it!
Set a goal to fail a few interviews every quarter.
225k is good for Seattle. What’s your Yoe
That’s with RSU. So according to microsoft rules, but with a quarterly vesting schedule over 5 years. So it’s a little inflated. 7 YoE, going on 8, but almost 3 years at MSFT.
Interview success is mostly random so just take a lot of interviews at no name companies for practice, with the intent of failing.
I know how you feel -- afraid if rejection and humiliation, and thinking I'm barely good enough to do the job I was lucky enough to get right out of school, I've never attempted to change jobs. My interviewing skills, if they ever existed, are 20 years out of date! You have absolutely fantastic TC, OP; could you just stick it out there?
Keep trying bro
Start by interviewing places you don't really care for. You'll work through the kinks without any sense of loss, and get used to the nerves.