Is it okay to start searching for a job even less than 6 months?
Hello techies, I joined amazon thought it’s gonna be awesome but after joining I quickly realized I am not happy anymore here because of the pip culture and job instability. Can’t trust colleagues who can backstab anytime which has made me paranoid. I am applying to jobs constantly but not hearing back because I haven’t even spent 6 months here at Amazon. I know that things might change once I spend 1 year here but I don’t know if I would be able to make that 1 year mark. Fear is definitely one of the factor and lack of trust within the team. I have never worked in a space where I have felt this much helpless and I have invested the first year bonus in the stock market and my investment is currently taking the beating so can’t cut the loss and will have to wait long term. Lot of things are going in my mind. If I leave before 1 year, I don’t want to take a lot of dip in branding in terms of company. Looking to hop boat for any decent tech company with good culture and stability. I had applied to Fb 2 times with referral but no luck as recruiter is rejecting and is not even giving an opportunity to interview. Google application is going to black hole. MSFT is not calling back. I am early in my career and don’t want to get kick at least before 2 YOE. So my safest bet is to spend time at some easy to sail company for my early career. Please advise 🙏 Edit 1: I do like my manager and my team has tenured colleagues but internal tools are kind of difficult to pick up due to which I have to rely on colleagues for help. If it had been open source tools then I could have solved issues on my own by stackoverflow. I fear that I might be perceived weak or dumb if I ask a lot of questions. Asking questions in my previous companies has never been an issue because environment was conducive and there was sense of safety. Here due to Amazon culture. I am not at ease and every small things triggers a panic attack. I feel paralyzed here if I get stuck with some issue/error due to the fear of kick Edit 2: For stability, I am very interested in MSFT, GOOG, TWTR , Shopify or any company with good WLB so that I can work on scaling my own ideas and startup
Dude, amazon is awesome since you are just starting. Ignore the pip crap and deal with it if/when it comes. One year will be done before you know it. And yes, you can start preparing now and you can get out in your own terms.
How do you know you aren’t hearing back because you don’t have X months on your resume?
Yes, I do have solid internships but the thing is I am not qualified for new grad role now because I am graduate now and since I don’t have 2 YOE. I am not eligible for other companies experienced roles
Stop reading the bull you hear from blind about how bad it is, if you hate it there, just switch teams or quit after like a year. I switch from Amazon to Netflix because of a TC boast and really regretted it
Definitely possible to switch if you’re consistent with your LC prep. Personally, it’s not worth exploring teams at Amazon - you’ll regret for something or the other even if the team is good as the overall culture sucks. Coming from someone who has switched 3 teams.
Delete Blind app. That’s whats causing you to be paranoid at Amazon. I was at Amazon for 6 years before I downloaded Blind. I left Amazon a month after because of constant PIP paranoia.
PIP is coming
Why people still join?
If you can’t last less than 6 months at Amazon you won’t make it at any FAANG . At least stick it out for a year so you don’t look unstable this early in your career. There are not too many jr roles (unless internship) and there is an over abundance of people applying for them that are hungrier than you. There will always be back stabbers, shitty internal systems, bad bosses, etc. Focus on what you need to do to survive until a year and stop paying attention to the noise around you. Wait until you are at least mid level or more senior to start getting picky.
Btw OP I’m a recruiter. You’re not getting called back because you don’t have enough experience. Sorry to burst your bubble but HMs don’t really care about internships. It’s nice to have but it doesn’t really count for much. HMs want to see real in house full time experience. Once you finish your year at Amazon, companies will start reaching out to you. Also there is no such thing as stable in the world of tech. We can all be replaced. Get your money, invest and gtfo.
@Google do you have any advice as a recruiter for getting an interview at Google coming from Big 4 Accounting (Data Advisory) with 5 YOE. I know it’s not as prestigious as FAANG, but I’m curious what I could prioritize adding to my resume/application to get an interview. Ps: apologies for changing topics, but figured I’d reach out since I’m sure the advice would benefit OP too somewhat.
I have been in similar situation regarding Amazon's internal tools and I wanted to leave within few months. But I left Amazon after 6 years. Most of such tools are wrapper on existing open source, also fundamental concepts are same as for any other similar tool. Learning is most easy in Amazon, saying this as I had worked in other companies. Amazon had good documentation for everything in wiki. They have internal search where you can search any internal stuff. You also have email lists for everything where you ask questions. Sage is also there. Utilize all of these with open mind. I also suggest to get a mentor from any other team. Although Amazon has PIP culture, but you shouldn't be too afraid to it, if you are doing your work right and making it visible. Also be aware of what is going on org level, not saying to be part of politics for this. Be confident, be open for learning and be friendly. You will be fine. You can revisit your plans to stay or leave every quarter or 6 months, if you feel so.
You can last a year without PIP. Then even if you do get a PIP it will be another 3 months before you actually leave the job. Since you are so early in your career I would say wait till you actually do get a PIP( if you do) Otherwise leave after 2 years