An Indian-origin UX designer based in Seattle explains why he left a promising role at Amazon and joined Google after interviewing at all five major tech companies in the United States.Ganesh Karthik Shankar, 29, said he continued interviewing with other big tech companies even after starting at Amazon because he wanted to understand how different employers evaluate candidates and find the best fit for his skills. According to Business Insider, his experience includes interviews with Meta, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google, which are often referred to as MAANG companies by job seekers. Shankar worked as a product designer at Amazon since April 2025. He was initially “really excited” about the role, as it offered the chance to work on larger-scale projects and a significant increase in compensation. Despite this, he continued with other interview processes even after starting the job.His decision to leave Google came after the company offered him a UX designer position in February 2026. The new role was strongly linked to their experience and included better compensation. He started his position at Google earlier this month.
How his job search unfolded
Shankar’s job search began in late 2024 when he was a senior UX designer at Qualcomm in San Diego. He said he wants to work with broader impact, especially on projects that impact millions of users. He also expected to get better salary.To prepare, they focused their resume and portfolio on their strengths in complex enterprise software design and technical developer tools. Shankar said that by limiting his applications to roles that matched the region, he received a large number of interview callbacks.Their work on refining their application content and target roles was an important part of their strategy. He focused on opportunities that were relevant to his experience and avoided generic applications.
Role of networking and referrals
Shankar used both referrals and cold outreach to secure interviews. He remains active in the design community, joining organizations, attending events, and staying connected to alumni networks. He also participated in specialized groups such as the Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction, where he made many professional connections.Referrals helped him secure interviews at Amazon, Google, and Meta. At Amazon, he was seconded to the role of product designer in their enterprise customer service division. The process involved an online assessment followed by a conversation with the recruiter and interviews with the hiring managers.At Google, she similarly received a referral for a UX designer role, which began with an online assessment and progressed through recruiter and portfolio discussions.He also received an interview at Meta based on referral. He understood that Meta placed an emphasis on visual design in its hiring process.
Cold Application and Direct Outreach
Not all of his interviews came through referrals. At Apple, he had no referrals and applied directly. A recruiter subsequently contacted via email, beginning the full interview process.He also lacked referrals for Netflix. After applying through LinkedIn, he emailed a hiring manager, who helped him secure an interview.Shankar said contacting hiring managers directly can be successful when done strategically, focusing on roles that are relevant to someone’s experience rather than sending mass messages.
Why did they choose Google over Amazon?
Even after starting at Amazon, Shankar continued interviewing with other companies so he could compare opportunities and evaluate what different employers value.He pointed out that both Amazon and Google are more open to candidates with relevant but imprecise backgrounds than some others. At Apple and Netflix, he said, employers look for candidates whose experience closely matches the role.Eventually, Google’s proposal came out. This matched his specific domain expertise and came with a meaningful increase in compensation, leading him to make the move.Shankar said it was more important to be intentional about the roles they targeted than relying solely on referrals. He also encouraged job seekers to consider cold outreach when appropriate, especially when it’s geared toward hiring managers in areas where the candidate has strong expertise.