Large tech companies like Amazon, Microsoft, or Meta can find it difficult to do, especially if you are now starting. A former software engineer who has worked with the three firms shared his personal journey with a business insider, and what helped him despite not having a specific technical background.

He began his college trip to industrial design, but switching on half the way of computer science. He only started coding in his junior year and often felt behind his classmates, many of whom had been coding since school days. With no solid internship and limited experience, they had to find things in a difficult way. But over time, he found what works, especially when it comes to starting building, referral and interview.

A strong re -start can open the first door

He said that his joining the tech started with his resume re -writing. Earlier, it included unrelated works such as tuition and serving, but they realized that they needed to highlight their coding efforts. Therefore, he learned to make a 3D game through an online unity tutorial and added it to re -introduced it. This gave him something real to show him and helped him go to JP Morgan Hacathan.

With the name JP Morgan, a change helped him to do internships in Amazon. Later, he secured a full -time job in AWS in 2019. Their advice? Do not list what you have done, make sure what you have created. And when you are receiving reactions on your again, ask some reliable people, not too much. According to him, five to seven opinions are sufficient; It only causes confusion.

Referral can give you a lead

When he was working in Microsoft, he came to open a job in Meta via a LinkedIn Post. Instead of messaging the hiring manager, he researched what the team was doing. This 10 -minute conversation took place well as they talked confidently about the team’s projects and received a referral.

The referral led his job in Meta. His point was clear: If your resume shows good projects and skills, and you do some homework on the role or team, a referral can make you a long way. In fact, some companies also provide bonuses to employees that refer to successful candidates, so if you are ready it is a win.

Interviewers want to hear how you think

Tech interviews often include coding questions, and this is not just about getting the correct answer. Talking through your attitude means equally. He shared that during some interviews, even when he did not solve the problem completely, he explained his thinking clearly. And this helped.

As someone has also interviewed candidates in Amazon and Facebook, he said that your ability to explain your argument was a big plus. Even if someone did not complete the problem, clear communication and structured thinking often made them stand out.