Software Engineering Interview Checklist : The Application Process
Reading Time : 6 minutes
Day 18/30.
Disclaimer : I am not claiming that what I write in this post is the absolute truth. This is a culmination of my experience through all the jobs I applied for, and how I learned in the process. Some things worked for me, and may not work for you but you will never know unless you try! 😉
Welcome to Part 4/6 (I think there will be 6, I started out with 5 and this is the part that was missing in my list initially. After looking at a bunch of questions I received, I figured I will write a post about it here as well.) If you missed the first one, I will link it here because that post will give you an overview of what my intention with this series is. We have already talked about preparing being the first and key part of the process, followed by networking with people in the industry.
So now your resume is ready, you are fairly confident about your coding & algorithm skills, you have reached out to recruiters as well as asked for referrals from your friends (of friends). Now what?
JUST DO IT!! ✅
I have been there - that phase where you think you are not “good enough yet” and need some more time before you start applying for the jobs. Trust me, you ARE prepared. Time is of the essence in the interview process. Especially if you are in school, interviews happen on a rolling basis until the positions fill out. It is in your own best interest to start applying early - this is also the reason we started preparing early in the first place. New grad positions as well as summer internships start opening up in late-summer / early fall of the previous year, and you should just be on the lookout. Don’t be afraid, and just go ahead and apply.
This is especially tricky if you are starting a Master’s program in the US and need to apply for summer internships in the following year. By the time you start school, applications have already opened. You don’t have any time to waste - in courses, thinking about whether you want to apply tor not - just start applying!
Rejection is inevitable. 🤷🏻♀️
I had such a hard time coping up with this idea. It took some time and a lot of talking to people who had gone through the process before I had, but I got there. Even the smartest and brightest people get rejections on resumes when they apply for jobs. It is not always the case that you are not good enough for the role, but that you are not a good fit for that particular role at that particular company. It can lead to a whole lot of heartbreak and disappointment if you go in with the mindset of getting a call back from every company that you apply to. Having a realistic expectation that rejection is inevitable, and that you will be rejected from far more companies than you get accepted for, will help you in the long term.
You can never apply to enough number of companies. 💯
This slides well into this very important point - you can never apply to enough number of companies. The average rate of your resume being accepted is only going to be 5-7%. This means that if you apply to a 100 companies, you may hear back regarding the next round from only 5-7 companies - this is very very normal. This does not mean you are not good enough, it just means there are way too many applicants, and speed is of the essence, among many other reasons. Getting accepted for the next round is very different from clearing the next rounds. While I am a very optimistic person, there is a very thin line between being optimistic and being realistic. Without going too dark here - it is in your best interest to apply early, and apply often. The more you apply, the higher your chances of getting to the next rounds, and getting more practice in the worst case ; getting multiple offers to choose from in the best case.
Iteration is key. 🔑
As already discussed, you can’t avoid rejections but you sure can learn from them. The first and only step in the application process is submitting your resume. While you will get a lot of rejections, at some point if your resume doesn’t get accepted anywhere, there may be something to fix in the resume itself. The iteration on resumes never ends - not even after the applications start. Reach out to your network, ask them to go over it with you and see if you have missed anything that you can fix. Another reason why building relations is so important!
Learn to tweak your resume for each role you apply for. 📝
Repeat after me : One size does not fit all - it might almost fit all, but never perfectly! It is so important to put in the effort to every application that you submit. Having a generic resume is great as a starting point but taking that extra step and refining your resume to meet the job requirements of every new company raises your chances of getting accepted. All companies have slightly different requirements for the same roles, sometimes as small as the preferred programming language - all you have to do is change the order in your Skills section. Easy fix, huge results! Don’t be lazy!
Save the responses to essay questions. ☁️
I wish someone had told me this during my first few applications - save your essay responses! There are very few companies that ask for a cover letter or essay type questions, but when you apply to a 100+ companies, the numbers quickly add up. The questions are usually very similar, so having generic responses saved up (just like the resume) and tweaking as per the company ( see the pattern? 😉) Will have you a lot of time and effort.
Application season can be long, grueling, hard and very frustrating. Turn-around times are usually slow, rejections are faster than acceptances. But I hope you pull through - because you are amazing and nothing short of a genius! 🎉
