Jiaxi Wang

Every SWE job currently has hundreds if not thousands of candidates waiting to get their chance. The tech market, though recovering, is highly crowded. Everyone wants to stand out, and some candidates don’t even know where to start because the rules are different from before. Layoffs, recession, remote work, and AI have pushed many engineers into the job market, where they’ve been trying to stay afloat in a losing game. In the next 3 minutes, I’ll explain the entire standard process and give you an actionable strategy for landing your job.  1/ Job Application - Show measurable impact. Avoid generic skill lists; highlight achievements with numbers. - Use relevant keywords, add endorsements, and ensure it aligns with your resume. - Explain any employment gaps, avoid meaningless buzzwords, and show clear career growth. - Apply only to roles where your skills truly align. - Ensure your resume is clean, concise, and easy to read.  2/ Screening Call - Have a 30-second summary that’s sharp and memorable. - Highlight relevant experience and avoid oversharing. - Prepare responses to “Tell me about yourself” and “Why this role?”  - State Salary Range Confidently: Research the market rate; give a realistic range. - End with Follow-up: Ask when to expect feedback to show proactive interest.  3/ Technical Interviews - Break Down the Problem First: Don’t rush into coding; outline your approach. - Explain Your Thought Process: Talk through each step so interviewers see your logic. - Suggest Optimizations: Even if not required, mention how you’d improve efficiency. - Nail the Basics: Be solid with algorithms, data structures, and Big O. - Keep Calm & Treat it as Collaboration: Approach it like pair programming; focus on solving, not impressing.  4/ Hiring Manager Interview - Share examples where you contributed to team goals or solved conflicts. - Talk about difficulties and what you have learned. - Give examples of projects you led or took the initiative on. - Avoid Robotic Answers: Be genuine, honest, and clear. - Stay Brief and Bold: Concise responses are often more impactful.  5/ Culture Fit Interview - Research their mission, values, and culture so you can speak to them directly. - Express genuine excitement for their work and goals. - Show you’re thinking about long-term fit with questions about growth and team dynamics. - Authenticity matters – let them see the real you. - Even if discussing challenges, focus on growth and resilience.  6/ Offer Negotiation - Ask for time to review details before making a decision. - Focus on base salary, bonuses, remote work options, and growth budget. -  Aim a bit higher than your comfort zone but stay realistic. - Make sure all terms are clear in the offer letter. - Once terms are right, confirm and step into the role with assurance. Comment and share your experience if you have gone through the process or are getting ready for it. What's your take on it?

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Each time you discover a SWE cheat code, Your brain breaks. These 5 moments changed my career: 1. Automating a task with a script. Compressing effort into code. 2. Documenting a system for others. Scaling knowledge across people. 3. Buying a tool instead of building it. Exchanging money for time. 4. Delegating a ticket to someone else. Scaling impact across your team. 5. Shipping an LLM’s code to production. Increasing output with compute. Code.  Writing.  Money.  People.  AI. Each step uncovers a new form of leverage. And frees up time to work on bigger things. Scale your impact, not your hours.

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Unpopular Opinion: LeetCode grind isn’t ENOUGH to land you your dream tech job 🔥 Having worked in both, Google and Microsoft, and I'll let you in on a little secret: 🤫It's the projects you build that really make a difference. Quick Story: In college, I tried building a full-stack e-commerce site and a social media platform from scratch. Let me tell you, things got messy REAL quick!🤯 I had to juggle a ton of different technologies, from databases and server-side logic to front-end design and user experience.   There were bugs I'd never even heard of before!! Those messy, frustrating experiences taught me way more than 4 years at college. Side projects push you to think creatively, solve problems, and learn new things fast. That's the kind of experience that makes you stand out in the competitive tech world. So, here's the takeaway:   ✅ No matter how fancy your degree is or what college you went to, what ultimately matters is what you can do. Don't get me wrong, LeetCode has its place, but it's the projects you build that will truly showcase your abilities and set you apart. So, go out there, get your hands dirty, and start building something awesome! What's the most valuable project you've ever built? Share your experiences in the comments – I'd love to hear your stories!😋

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