[Whostheboss]

During this past summer, i did a lot of work for my company and for my little pet projects.

I'm a Software engineer. At my current company, i'm fully responsible for designing and programming the user interface/interaction for a next generation Medical life support ventilator and partially responsible for programming the internal components.
Every year, my company goes on various trade shows and exhibits our future projects.

I also have other little pet projects i work on and i post them on my resume including LinkedIn.

So last month, out of nowhere, i received a phone call from Apple, the lady she said she saw my work at exhibits and online, she was very impressed she wants to offer me a possible job offer at Apple computer, i was very excited and she setup an interview for me with an Apple engineer.
A few days later, I get another call, this time from Google. They were impressed with my online resume and wanted to setup an interview with me and a Google engineer.
The next day, I got another call from an Amazon recruiter, she wanted to me bring me to Seattle for an interview.
Then a week later, I got another phone call from a local recruiter here in Connecticut about a job in Norwalk.

All these job interviews were to take place within days of each other. I spent weeks studying and brushing up on my programming and algorithm skills and other core engineering, mathematics and science expertise.

First came the Apple interview, it was a live phone/internet interview where I type out algorithms online and the interviewer can see it as I type. I was given lots of very difficult algorithms. Some I did well. others I didn’t do so well.

Then came the Google interview, it was a horrible experience, I barely understood what the guy was saying. He had a very strong Indian accent plus he put me on speakerphone which made it even worse. I continually told him that I couldn’t hear him but he didn’t give a shit. His voice tone seemed like someone who is tired and just wants to quit his job or end his life. It was a 45-min interview with two very tough questions. He spent the first 30min asking me the first question.
(The questions where: How would you sort through a data base of user search criteria containing x data to be retrieved within x amount of time?)
Each time I gave him a response he will come up with a different scenario with the same question and I had to answer all of them in different scenarios.
He really wasted 30min asking me this question. After I finally got all scenarios correct. He now switched to question #2 which involves high level coding of how to figure out mathematical algorithms to program a various Chess pieces to find the shortest move on an 8x8 chess board. Dude are you freaking kidding me?, there’s barely 10mins remaining and you want me to type the code?
Anyway, I started hacking at it and he said time was running out so I did the best I can.

Then came the interview here in Connecticut, I went in and talked with them. It was a startup company looking for engineers to work on their website. I wasn’t too sure if I wanted this company because they didn’t look stable especially when compared to my current job where we sign multi-million dollar contracts each year with hundreds of hospitals worldwide.

So last week the results start pouring in. I didn’t get the Apple job because they wanted a Guru, an Alpha and Omega, a creator and an almighty Dalai Lama programmer which clearly was not me.

Google called me saying I failed the interview. The guy who called me was very cool, we spoke briefly and he sent me a link where I can try for other possible Google jobs.

I never heard back from Amazon, so I emailed the lady who I initially spoke with. She replied saying that after they carefully reviewed my resume, they have decided to go with other candidates. (The typical "we don’t want you" response). Really? I never even applied, so why the heck did you guys call me in the first place and then loose interest?

And then to top it all off, the startup company emailed me that they regret to inform me that I won’t get the job. Oh well, I was a little skeptical about working there.

So within a matter of 7 days, I got rejected from 4 job offers! Getting a chance like this is very rare, not a lot of people receive a chance to interview with big Software companies. I felt completely demoralized but I pray to God and I wake up every morning feeling positive about myself. My mother has always told me that everything happens for a reason. And coming to think of it, every job interview that I never got in the past HAS ALWAYS ended up as a good thing (either the company went out of business or it turned out that working there is too stressful).
I like my current job now, it’s completely stress less, everyone is very professional, the pay is OK, I just wish I can make more. Google and Apple were offering in the upwards of $140K salary.

Oh well life continues. I’m working on some projects now that I’ll soon release to the public in the future and I hope to God that my projects/business goes well.

Thanks for reading.

[Templar]

Good thing you didn't give your two weeks notice?

Sorry dude, that sucks pretty bad. But at least you're still employed somewhere that you are comfortable now and you like it. I'd rather work at a job I enjoy with a little less pay and wait for the right moment to come along to make more money.

[Whostheboss]

@Templar Definitely

[UncleWede]

So are you the voice behind "Stand Clear, applying shock now" ???? I so look forward to my AED training every year. When our person responsible for testing the unit here in the office goes around, I always seem to pop up from behind a door or something as soon as I hear the machine turn on. Can you say Pavlov???

[Billup]

That is quite the week, intense high right off the bat and then each seemed to dwindle. Not the best of scenarios, but if you think about it, to me it doesn't sound like I would have wanted to work under any of those people anyways.

Is your current position really high stress? Would these new options have been more?

[ASAP]

Let me tell you something about interviews...

I have been in a similar position in a short amount of time. There are no rules to this game and the reason they choose to hire you can be without reason and the person they do choose to hire could be the worst person for the job. I have had interviews with so many big name companies and was so dissapointed with all of them that I dont even know where to start. The moment you enter an interview and it is behavior focused instead of job focused, you are probably dealing with idiots who are reading a script and will probably hire the wrong person. I have had many interviews and I can within minutes scope out whether the company / job is complete shit or remotely even worth wasting your time on. Trust me, you have nothing to worry about and better things will come... also Google typically hires the best and the brightest so there are MBAs sharpening pencils... take that for what its worth and if you would really want to work there.

[squishy]

Sorry to hear

Look at the bright side...

You still have your 9 inch monster bbc

Many folks can't say that, so be happy every morning you wake up

[davis449]

I am at my third job in 2.5 years time...so I have been at "the interview" more than I ever care to. Just so happens I landed two gigs that looked really good from the outside, but once on the inside found out how HORRIBLE they were to actually work for. Somewhere in this process I started to realize that I should be interviewing THEM, not the other way around. My resume speaks for itself and I have worked REALLY hard for everyone who has employed me. I finally found that at this job. I landed it with a 25 minute interview on the phone. Before I knew it I was getting my background check, drug screen, and on a plane to CA for training. I had a feeling about this job and the people during the interview and I really turned it around on my director (who hired me). He didn't ask me any bullshit questions or try to quiz me like the Apple and Google asshats did to you. Trust me, I've wasted hours in interviews showing them my work, giving the correct answers with an abundance of enthusiasm only to be told "after carefully reviewing your resume, we have decided to go with other candidates". And I was never really upset at the fact that I didn't get selected for those jobs, I was just hindsight PISSED they wasted SO much of my time. What I am saying is keep your head up...don't worry about it and don't feel bad that you didn't measure up to their standards. Know your worth.

[954Stealth]

So you still have your job now that's great. It is a job that sounds like you enjoy which is a blessing and quite rare if you ask me.

I'm sorry you didn't get the positions for which you interviewed, its not fun hearing the rejection after the hope. But try to look at it positively, honestly and constructively. Use it as a learning experience....What was the certification or the skill they said you lacked? Is there experience with a specific program or platform that they wanted? Is that a role (money aside) that you'd truly like to be in? Yes? Ok then ask yourself what you can do to obtain those skills, experiences, certs. Does your company offer them as part of a career-development program? Do they offer reimbursements for outside courses that pertain to your scope of work?

Essentially what I'm trying to say is you know where you are now career-wise and you like and do well there so you have the foundation and the time. Great! Identify where you want to go from here and develop a plan and the steps to get there. Make a career-development plan for yourself.

[upstatedoc]

cliff notes plse

[Lups]

oh Boss, this sucks balls but also shows how the scouts sell the info. My hubby has had the similar calls, and was in the middle of round three with google when my father got sick and there was no way in hell I would've left the country then.

You'll get what you want, but if in Seattle area is where you wish to be, I suggest Microsoft. From who I know and have heard, Google really is not the place to go.

[Whostheboss]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

So are you the voice behind "Stand Clear, applying shock now" ???? I so look forward to my AED training every year. When our person responsible for testing the unit here in the office goes around, I always seem to pop up from behind a door or something as soon as I hear the machine turn on. Can you say Pavlov???

Ha

[squishy]

Originally Posted by upstatedoc

cliff notes plse

Dude had four potential job interviews with Apple, Google, Amazon, and some other piss poor company that no one's heard of, bombed all four, and is stuck earning less than he hopes for at the company he's been working at.

[Whostheboss]

Originally Posted by Billup

That is quite the week, intense high right off the bat and then each seemed to dwindle. Not the best of scenarios, but if you think about it, to me it doesn't sound like I would have wanted to work under any of those people anyways.

Is your current position really high stress? Would these new options have been more?

That's what i said to myself. If the interviews are like this, what will working there be like? I've read some articles on GlassDoor.com about how horrible it can be to work for those companies.

Originally Posted by ASAP

Let me tell you something about interviews...

I have been in a similar position in a short amount of time. There are no rules to this game and the reason they choose to hire you can be without reason and the person they do choose to hire could be the worst person for the job. I have had interviews with so many big name companies and was so dissapointed with all of them that I dont even know where to start. The moment you enter an interview and it is behavior focused instead of job focused, you are probably dealing with idiots who are reading a script and will probably hire the wrong person. I have had many interviews and I can within minutes scope out whether the company / job is complete shit or remotely even worth wasting your time on. Trust me, you have nothing to worry about and better things will come... also Google typically hires the best and the brightest so there are MBAs sharpening pencils... take that for what its worth and if you would really want to work there.

Lol, thanks for the feedback. I know people who aren't as skilled as me (i'm not disrespecting) but they've landed some serious jobs. I'm beginning to think working for someone is not for me.

[Whostheboss]

Originally Posted by squishy

Sorry to hear

Look at the bright side...

You still have your 9 inch monster bbc

Many folks can't say that, so be happy every morning you wake up

Originally Posted by davis449

I am at my third job in 2.5 years time...so I have been at "the interview" more than I ever care to. Just so happens I landed two gigs that looked really good from the outside, but once on the inside found out how HORRIBLE they were to actually work for. Somewhere in this process I started to realize that I should be interviewing THEM, not the other way around. My resume speaks for itself and I have worked REALLY hard for everyone who has employed me. I finally found that at this job. I landed it with a 25 minute interview on the phone. Before I knew it I was getting my background check, drug screen, and on a plane to CA for training. I had a feeling about this job and the people during the interview and I really turned it around on my director (who hired me). He didn't ask me any bullshit questions or try to quiz me like the Apple and Google asshats did to you. Trust me, I've wasted hours in interviews showing them my work, giving the correct answers with an abundance of enthusiasm only to be told "after carefully reviewing your resume, we have decided to go with other candidates". And I was never really upset at the fact that I didn't get selected for those jobs, I was just hindsight PISSED they wasted SO much of my time. What I am saying is keep your head up...don't worry about it and don't feel bad that you didn't measure up to their standards. Know your worth.

Originally Posted by 954Stealth

So you still have your job now that's great. It is a job that sounds like you enjoy which is a blessing and quite rare if you ask me.

I'm sorry you didn't get the positions for which you interviewed, its not fun hearing the rejection after the hope. But try to look at it positively, honestly and constructively. Use it as a learning experience....What was the certification or the skill they said you lacked? Is there experience with a specific program or platform that they wanted? Is that a role (money aside) that you'd truly like to be in? Yes? Ok then ask yourself what you can do to obtain those skills, experiences, certs. Does your company offer them as part of a career-development program? Do they offer reimbursements for outside courses that pertain to your scope of work?

Essentially what I'm trying to say is you know where you are now career-wise and you like and do well there so you have the foundation and the time. Great! Identify where you want to go from here and develop a plan and the steps to get there. Make a career-development plan for yourself.

Exactly, i'm now gonna start furnishing my skills. Co-incidentally, i was looking into getting a Masters in Engineering just before all these phone calls started coming in. I knew i needed to enhance my skills slightly. But too bad these opportunities came prematurely. Oh well, now i have an idea where i need to focus on.

[MiddleAgedAl]

There are few things in the business world that are more poorly executed on a consistent basis than the recruiting process. It's even worse in some tech fields, where a non-technical HR person who doesnt even understand anything about the role is trying to screen people based on looking for matches of acronyms that they have no clue about.

Frankly, I've come to the conclusion that it's a miracle that anyone ends up in the right spot (and often, they dont, when you see how many folks there are who really suck at what they do).

I've had recruiters contact me out of the blue based on my linkedin profile, and say hey are you interested in this job, then you when you say yes, they end up saying, "oh sorry we're not interested". WTF? Why did you contact me in the first place then ? It's not like my linkedin details changed after you contacted me...

Try not to feel too bad, trust me, it's not you who did a bad job here, it's them.

[RandomHero]

PM sent. Hoping I might be able to help (in a very small way) with this.

[954Stealth]

Recruiting is like a sales job, right? That means it is sales and numbers and leads-driven. So a lot of those unsolicited offers and whatever are to get some filler leads and resumes.

So, don't take it personally

[Whostheboss]

Originally Posted by 954Stealth

Recruiting is like a sales job, right? That means it is sales and numbers and leads-driven. So a lot of those unsolicited offers and whatever are to get some filler leads and resumes.

So, don't take it personally

Although the recruiters may have picked me for a job i may have not been qualified for, i felt like it was a lifetime opportunity to get a job at these big companies.

[davis449]

Originally Posted by MiddleAgedAl

There are few things in the business world that are more poorly executed on a consistent basis than the recruiting process. It's even worse in some tech fields, where a non-technical HR person who doesnt even understand anything about the role is trying to screen people based on looking for matches of acronyms that they have no clue about.

Frankly, I've come to the conclusion that it's a miracle that anyone ends up in the right spot (and often, they dont, when you see how many folks there are who really suck at what they do).

I've had recruiters contact me out of the blue based on my linkedin profile, and say hey are you interested in this job, then you when you say yes, they end up saying, "oh sorry we're not interested". WTF? Why did you contact me in the first place then ? It's not like my linkedin details changed after you contacted me...

Try not to feel too bad, trust me, it's not you who did a bad job here, it's them.

You fucking nailed this one. Yet ANOTHER thing I've become very familiar with lately. HR depts. are the worst...

[Maestro]

First I am very surprise they even let you know they were not interested. Most company can not be bother to let you know.

Apple would have been a good choose if it was possibility. I kind of surprise they asked you to type out a program. I have an EE background and I never had anyone ask me to design a circuit on the spot. They is conceptional types of conversation but never actually show you in real time.

Google is not necessarily a good place to work. I heard they just burn people out. Yeah people like it due to all the freebies they through at them. In the long run it is not worth it. Amazon I heard is the same way as well.

When you get calls like that, before you take the interview I would specially ask them what the job is for and what is expected. I seen places ask questions which have no bearing on what you can actually do how it relates to the job you being asked to do. google is famous for the stupid questions just to see how you respond.

I personally have taken over bad interviews and turned it around on them and told them what I can do for them and why they should hire me. My people have not idea how to interview someone. By the way Apple was one of them and I worked for them back in the late 80's early 90's. They first turn me down and I came back and told them they made a mistake and the finally agreed.

[squishy]

Originally Posted by Maestro

First I am very surprise they even let you know they were not interested. Most company can not be bother to let you know.

Apple would have been a good choose if it was possibility. I kind of surprise they asked you to type out a program. I have an EE background and I never had anyone ask me to design a circuit on the spot. They is conceptional types of conversation but never actually show you in real time.

Google is not necessarily a good place to work. I heard they just burn people out. Yeah people like it due to all the freebies they through at them. In the long run it is not worth it. Amazon I heard is the same way as well.

When you get calls like that, before you take the interview I would specially ask them what the job is for and what is expected. I seen places ask questions which have no bearing on what you can actually do how it relates to the job you being asked to do. google is famous for the stupid questions just to see how you respond.

I personally have taken over bad interviews and turned it around on them and told them what I can do for them and why they should hire me. My people have not idea how to interview someone. By the way Apple was one of them and I worked for them back in the late 80's early 90's. They first turn me down and I came back and told them they made a mistake and the finally agreed.

Friendly advice: proper grammar makes your opinion seem more credible.