Sometimes I see blinders thinking prestige is overrated. It's not. In fact I will take more prestige over slightly less TC (but only slightly). Why? The prestige of the company open doors for you. Truth is people are shallow and you will be judge on who you work for. What proof? Here's my data point. Back in 2017, I was from a shit tier company. Trying to break in ML. Didn't have a comp sci background. I had published conference papers in top tier ML conferences and workshops but I was still not getting a lot of call back. Luckily I network well and Amazon and Microsoft recruiters gave me a chance. I got offers from both. Today I'm L63, with TC $290k. Now, in 2021 cliff is coming. I tried some practice round interviews with tier 2 and tier 3 companies. My cold application success rate is 30-50% compared to under 5% in the past. I've already had 3 offers, most cannot match my TC but that doesn't matter for now. Annecotedly sometimes I don't do as well as I should for phone screens but I still get advanced to onsite. When people see you are from a prestigious company they give you benefit of doubt especially if you're downgrading to lower tier companies. Recruiters reached out to me like 30+ times each month compared to 3+ times in the past. I have too many interviews to manage. I was dying for interviews in the past. I'm just a Microsoft monkey, some say it's tier 2 to Google and Facebook. That's true. If Microsoft brand can do so much for me , what doors do you think Google and Facebook will open? PRESTIGE MATTERS BROS AND SIS. Once you get to tier 1 then you can say it doesn't. Until then GOOGLE OR BUST 2021! Keep climbing the prestige ladder. May we meet at FAANG some day.
What about the pledge and the turn? Sounds like you are in a magic trick.
Lol the prestige is one of my favorite movies
That's exactly what prestige is. It's trickery.
Since I joined Google recruiters have been begging me to interview with their companies. A few recruiters cried on the phone and others came to my house waiting for me to go out to try to talk to me. Not to mention all the cameras and flashlights whenever I show up. And the girls are lining up to date me. Can’t remember how many models and celebrities I slept with in June. Too many to count. Oh and I can’t even wear Google swag in public. Everyone wants a selfie with me and it is becoming very annoying.
Cool story bro.
Google is telling the truth. That's why Google wins every poll on Blind dispite all the lowballing and downleveling.
Good for you👍 I think everybody knows this though.
It really doesn’t. For every anecdote, there’s another anecdote that shows the opposite. Prestige is overrated.
Says the person in chime
I think for the majority, this works. Having FAANG will easily open doors
So you are discounting your actual work experience and giving all credit to brand?
Yes.
Critical thinking is not your strongest asset.
Brand I think matters but not to the extent glorified by op. 1-2 brands even from tier 2 (eg microsoft) is more than sufficient. You need to have a character and real work to make it big. Else you just need to keep grinding LC and keep switching FAANG as an L4/5/6
Switching around as L6 ain't a bad life.... That's $500k/yrs.
So according to you first is brand, second is TC. Nothing else is important? There is more than just these two things. I know people who never worked for FAANG and joined as VP. Work matters bro more than anything else.
Same. I found I generally don’t need referrals to get call backs from 90% of companies. But the interview process isn’t any less difficult. Was recently rejected after a phone screen for instacart for example.
LC hard?
Prestige only matters because humans are socially conditioned and brainwashed into thinking that brands are important or special. Have you seen Google’s design? It is often a hot mess and structurally shit does not make sense. But development is strong even if experience isn’t the best. Recruiters are also biased. I’ve had people come into interviews from Google and it is seriously lackluster. Once you get one name people keep hiring you even if you suck. That’s because we humans care about materialistic things. When I was at FB we interviewed this guy from Google. His interview seriously sucked and it felt like he winged the whole thing. But when it came down to debrief, they passed him because… clearly he was at Google, so he should be good. We had another candidate who did an amazing job and actually deserved it. Long story short, they both got the job but the Google guy definitely got an easy ticket in. If you had two identical leather coats, one has a famous known brand on it and the other is generic but handmade, so technically worth more. But people will still be more inclined towards the one with the label.
And the point of this rant being? Please state a conclusion. FANG opens doors or not?
Make up your own mind. I share my experience. Others have commented.
This is true. I couldn't land an interview before Microsoft. After Microsoft I am interviewing with FB, Amazon and top startups etc. 3 years back I would have accepted an offer from any of these startup companies where I really wanted to work. FANG will open doors. It is similar to going to IvyLeague or top tier university. For sure you can go to school at XYZ and if good fortune plays well you can end up at FB vs. chances of someone from MIT landing an interview are close to perfect.
Microsoft isn't in FANG lol
OP trying to explain the sentiment. Square stop embarrassing yourself, FANG nazi? Technically it is old WallStreet speak which doesn't mean much today.
Agree, 90% call back rate on applications to top companies