r/developersDesi

Hello world! I've been a hiring manager in the tech field for a FAANG company for the past 7+ years. I've done countless interviews and hired a lot of people, so I thought I'd share some of what I've seen and how the process works in case it's helpful to some of you out there. I'm not an expert and this is all just my opinion and personal experience. Apologies for the long post!

After seeing so many people here feel upset or angry that they got a rejection letter after X amount of interviews, I just wanted to say that most of the time it's not on you. First of all, getting called for the next step doesn't mean you passed the previous one. The process is usually a recruiter screen, then the hiring manager, then 5 more interviews to test culture fit, collaboration, technical skills, etc. Those 5 sometimes are happening no matter what. Then after everyone's time is wasted (and yes, I do think this is an excess amount of interviews for any company), you go through everyone's feedback and decide whether to interview more people or hire someone. Usually you need a pool of at least 5 people (from the thousands of applications) to interview, so on top of 7 interviews per candidate, you're spending a month or more to get through the full process.

No shade to recruiters out there, but unless they're specialized recruiters for the field you apply, they have no idea what they're asking during an interview or what they're seeing on your resume. Silly example, but I was hiring for a support manager once and they were forwarding me resumes from Technical Directors because those people were already working at "this level"… well, no. Their screening questions come from the hiring manager anyway so they just gather information to filter out candidates. So during the recruiter call, being calm, friendly, and coming across as a team player is what really matters. Read the JD and make sure you have something relevant to say to most of the points they have there. Also, reading about the company beforehand goes a long way. It's one of the big points on the feedback we get from recruiters.

Resume filtering is just broken. You need to pass whatever platform each company uses AND get lucky enough to land on a good recruiter who can filter properly. So before you apply, make sure your wording is correct and matches the wording on the job description. If they're asking for a sysadmin, write that, not "systems administrator," etc.

Sometimes you might be rejected because you're overqualified. I once had to reject someone who worked on tech for cancer detection and for NASA, because I genuinely felt he'd get bored very fast. He had the skills, but I couldn't see him staying for more than a year, and that's an issue.

I know most people will ignore you, but I've always replied on sites like LinkedIn when someone reached out, and I checked their profile every time. So if you have the option, do it.

Keep your resume clean. I honestly couldn't care less about your certifications or where you volunteered. What was your impact at your previous job? Give me results and numbers. 4-5 bullets max. Now, if you need to add more fluff for the AI screening that companies use these days, sure, but leave it at the end of the page when possible. Most of the time I just checked people's LinkedIn instead, because the resume was too much to read or too messy. So make sure your LinkedIn is clean and up to date.

If you apply to global companies, don't lie. You'll most likely just waste both of our time. The reason they do so many interviews is to drill down into the details, so if you say you know or did something, make sure you can back it up during questioning.

Sometimes it's not that your skills don't qualify, it's your gender. There have been times the guidance was that I had to hire a non-male candidate. That voluntary disclosure at some applications helps filter that out.
Other times, it's your location. Unless it's fully remote, there might be a preference for someone closer to the office, to avoid them burning out after months of a 2-hour commute every day.
Most times, its the filtering the hiring portal does. At random times i would go in and people that have been marked low were great candidates but the wording on their resume worked against them.

Don't be afraid to apply or go to an interview if you're not the most qualified person. More often than not, I preferred people who were easy to work with and could collaborate, rather than smart jerks.

Clothes; Personally, I don't care what you wear, just be yourself. Dress for the job, I guess? Like, if you're a field technician, don't come wearing a suit. Wear your t-shirt or your hoodie or whatever you normally wear. It's fine.

Tell stories, don't sound like an AI. This is a tricky one, because there's a fine line between telling a good story and rambling. Dont give yes / no answers, give context. Problem - action - result.

If you're searching right now, avoid postings from companies that ask for AI interviews, or when the company doesn't really seem to exist (no employees, no posts, vague job description). It's either a staffing company or they're just gathering data. Don't bother.

If you can, avoid postings that require work for free. For example: step 1 recruiter, step 2 hiring manager, then do a project that takes a week of your time UNPAID. Run away - if you can.

I could keep typing, but to save you some precious time, if you have any questions I'll try to answer to the best of my ability. Good luck out there, it's crazy. But it's not you. Keep going.

Hi everyone,
I’m currently a CSE student (graduating in 2029) and I am trying to lock in my strategy for internship prep.
Right now, I am learning DSA and building my foundation in C++. However, the syntax can be incredibly heavy when I'm just trying to focus on core logic and problem-solving. I recently received advice from a senior to just switch to Python—they mentioned the cleaner syntax makes interview rounds much easier and that it has massive industry demand anyway.
The switch is definitely tempting, but I have no idea how this actually looks to recruiters and hiring managers.
My biggest fear is that I have a bad habit of jumping from one shiny object to another. I’ve already bounced around a bit between full-stack web dev, different tools, and now C++. I'm worried that dropping C++ for Python right now is just me running away from hard concepts instead of finally building discipline.
My questions for the recruiters and engineers here:

1. What do FAANG/top-tier companies actually expect from freshers? Does the language I use for OA's and interviews matter to you?
2. Is it better to just suffer through C++ to build a hardcore, low-level logic foundation, or is Python completely fine (and maybe even optimal) for passing the bar and landing internships in the current market?
   Any harsh truths or industry insights would be really appreciated. Thanks!

I need to share this because I have been feeling incredibly stupid lately, and I know I’m not the only one.
For the past few weeks, I’ve been trapped in the classic Tutorial Loop. I would watch a video on for loops or if statements, nod along, and think, "Yep, makes total sense." But the exact second I closed the video and opened a blank VS Code file to solve a problem... my brain would just flatline.
I couldn't even translate basic math into code. For example, today I was trying to write a simple function to find the sum of all even numbers up to n. Instead of checking if my loop counter i was even, I wrote if (sum % 2 == 0). I was checking the total instead of the number in my hand. I stared at the screen for an hour, totally lost in a sea of curly brackets, having no idea why my code was broken.
Then, I tried a new rule today: Do not touch the keyboard.
Instead of trying to type C++ immediately, I forced myself to use a 3-step method:

1. The Human Translation (Pen & Paper): I wrote out exactly what I would do if I had physical numbers on a table. ("I will look at numbers 1 through 10. If the number divides by 2 cleanly, I throw it in a bucket.")
2. The Blueprint (Pseudo-code): I translated the human words into programming tools on paper. ("Need a for loop for the counting. Need an if bouncer with % 2 == 0. Need sum += i for the bucket.")
3. The Execution: Only then did I open my IDE and type the syntax.
   It felt like literal magic. Because I wasn't trying to solve the logic and remember the C++ syntax at the same exact time, the code just flowed out. I finally understood the difference between a variable scanning the numbers and a variable storing the answer. I finally understood why return is mandatory before the closing bracket.
   It was my first real "Aha!" moment where I felt like an actual programmer, not just a typist copying a YouTube video.

I'm a developer with 2+ years of experience, and I've been jobless for the past 2 months. The market is absolutely brutal right now.

Applied to 350+ jobs

Got only 6 interviews

Not a single company has sent a proper rejection email

Out of those 6:

2 went up to 3 rounds

3 involved submitting take-home assignments

Even when I politely followed up asking for feedback, most of them just reply with the classic:

"Unfortunately, we're not moving forward with your application at this time."

Last week was the cherry on top. I had an online technical interview scheduled. The interviewer didn't even show up. I waited, then called HR. The next day when I followed up, HR said the interviewer faced some "technical glitch" and that they'd update me for a reschedule.

It's been days — still no update, no call, nothing.

This level of unprofessionalism is becoming way too common. Companies expect us to prepare, build take-homes, clear multiple rounds, and then they can't even show basic courtesy of a rejection email or a simple "we've filled the position"?

Guys, I’m working on an AI voice app. We’ve built the app and completed the AI engine. Now I’m looking for a founding mobile developer. What’s the best way to hire, and where should I look? Any ideas are appreciated.

Im making a portfolio website for myself and Im tired of asking AI suggestions for my, I wanna know from people what are the major, minor things that they would embed into their portfolio website so that page becomes more appealing to the visitor.

Once Im done with it. I will surely share my portfolio here and ask for reviews.

Hey folks,

I’m running a product startup (Acowale) and I’ve been thinking about this a lot:

Where do you actually find developers who want to build something serious - not just ship features, but work on systems that are complex, high-stakes, and a bit unconventional?

Not talking about:

• people chasing just comp
• or those only interested in standard SaaS work

I mean folks who:

• enjoy deep engineering problems
• care about system design and correctness
• are excited by building something different
• who loves to be part of a startup culture, being part of building something from scratch

For example, we’re working on a pretty intense ERP + accounting system, basically a super-app for all digital needs of a business - and finding people who genuinely enjoy that level of depth is… harddddd.

So I’m curious:

• Where have you found such people?
• Any communities, platforms, or approaches that actually work?
• Or is it mostly through networks + time?

Would love to hear real experiences.

Hot take: BTech >>> MTech in IITs, and placements make it obvious.

But before people get triggered, here’s what really happens on campus. The top companies come and open positions only for BTech. MTech students are either not eligible or have a much smaller pool. That is not a coincidence, that is literally how the market prices them.
BTech students have to go through JEE Advanced which is crazy competitive. MTech through GATE, tough, yes, but let’s be honest, it’s not the same kind of filtering. Why else would they limit roles if they didn't trust the BTech pipeline more?
BTech students have 4 years to build projects, do internships, explore different fields, grind CP, ML, whatever. MTech is only for 2 years and half of that time goes in coursework and settling in. It’s not even a fair comparison by the time placements roll around.
And, people say, “MTech students are more specialized. Ok, but companies don't want narrow specialization at entry level, they want flexible people they can mold. And that’s exactly what BTech grads are.
You can see the difference even on campus. Tech clubs, competitions and startup culture are dominated by BTech students. “Most of the MTech students come, attend classes and go for placements. Different ecosystems entirely.
Ultimately it is not about feelings it is about outcomes. And the result is clear – BTech = Better jobs + Higher packages + More chances.
You can call it unfair, but calling it false is just coping.

I have 4 years of experience in Java. Is it okay to practice LeetCode in Python while showcasing Java projects? I also want to practice by building Spring Boot projects—any good ideas or resources? Additionally, I’m planning to transition into Data Engineering. What skills should I focus on?

Want to apply job for software engineer roles and also data engineering.

Okay so I've been doing backend stuff for a while now. Python, FastAPI, PostgreSQL, Docker, currently building a Dropbox clone while learning AWS on the side. That part I'm pretty comfortable with.

Also been trying to learn ML properly on weekends, not just copy pasting sklearn. Did linear regression and gradient descent from scratch, working through logistic regression right now.

But here's the thing, I actually want to get into GenAI. Not the research side, just building real stuff with LLMs. RAG pipelines, agents, that kind of thing.

So I started looking at LangChain and honestly it feels pretty natural coming from a backend background. It's basically just abstractions over API calls which makes sense to me. But I don't know if I'm jumping ahead too fast or if this is actually fine.

Like do I need to grind through all of classical ML first before any of the GenAI stuff clicks? Or can I just run both in parallel and it'll be okay?

Also is LangChain even a good starting point or does it hide too much and I'll regret not learning the raw API stuff first?

Just want honest takes from people who've actually done this, not a roadmap.

I’ve been building RAG systems and one thing I see all the time:

People focus on the model, but ignore retrieval.

Common issues:
bad chunking
no metadata
irrelevant context

What actually matters:
retrieval quality
structure
filtering

Improving this changes results way more than switching models.
Curious what approaches others are using.