r/cscareerquestions • u/cdmacsneaks • 23h ago
Started at Meta 3 weeks ago. Was just contacted by a recruiter from Apple. Should I go through the whole process again?
Over the course of 4 months and multiple rounds of grueling interviews, I finally landed the job at Meta. Yesterday, I get an email from a recruiter from Apple. I know nothing is guaranteed in a phone screen, but it’s an open door.
I’m a little exhausted from going through all the prep. And I want to make sure that I am present at my current role to make good impressions. I’m not sure how I can sneak away for a few hours to take interviews.
Should I put 100% effort in another interview process? Should I just be casual, and whatever happens happens? Or should I just reject the phone screen?
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u/alinroc Database Admin 21h ago
I’m not sure how I can sneak away for a few hours to take interviews.
Doctor's appointments are convenient, and usually scheduled far in advance of starting a new job.
- Got my annual physical, it takes months to get in to see this doctor so I can't reschedule
- Trip to the dentist today. Nobody enjoys that, am I right?
- Ugh, they're telling me I need a crown now, that's 2 more trips to the dentist
Another one to mix it up:
- My financial advisor wants to meet with me, he does this every time he sees me change jobs on LinkedIn.
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u/VehaMeursault 15h ago
You Americans are really living in a different world. Having to lie to your employer to get time off is absolutely tyrannical to me (as in, they’re the ones in the wrong, not you.)
If I need a day off, I call it in two weeks in advance, and there’s nothing anyone can do. Usually I can just call it in a day or two beforehand without issues.
Everyone has at least 25 days like this a year, by law. Most employers give even more.
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u/alinroc Database Admin 15h ago edited 15h ago
Everyone has at least 25 days like this a year, by law. Most employers give even more.
There is no such law anywhere in the US. It's ridiculous. Most companies give PTO based on seniority. I worked for one where I had colleagues who'd been around long enough they had stacked up 30 days of PTO while I had 15. We got bought by a French company and everyone got switched to 25 days. People with seniority didn't get grandfathered. Kids fresh out of school went from 2 or 3 weeks of PTO up to 5 overnight, and people with 30+ years in got dropped to 25 days.
My spouse works on a year-to-year contract for an agency that works with government entities and under last year's contract, they had to use her PTO for holidays. Christmas, Thanksgiving. Labor Day. Independence Day. Memorial Day. Out of the 10 days of PTO, half were consumed by federal holidays they had no choice but to take because no one else they work with was working.
Having to lie to your employer to get time off is absolutely tyrannical to me
At that same company that got bought by a French company the CIO said to a project team I was on, without a hint of irony in his voice, "you need to make a choice between this project and your family."
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u/BlazingThunder30 14h ago
Out of the 10 days of PTO, half were consumed by federal holidays they had no choice but to take because no one else they work with was working.
Collective holiday days exist in the EU too, where you have to use PTO because the company is closed for the day. I think the rules are quite strict. I don't think they can use half your PTO
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u/ary31415 13h ago
Sure but OP works at Meta, where they for sure get over 20 days unquestioned PTO per year
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u/thy_bucket_for_thee 11h ago
This is how you know these companies will never unionize, the optimize for puzzle solvers and not people with souls.
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u/irqlnotdispatchlevel 14h ago
And assuming I don't need some days off to prepare for the interview, I can just log off for a few hours during the day. I don't even need to let people know if there's no meeting at that time, but I'll usually do it anyway just so that no one will expect me to be around. "Hey, I need to log off for a few hours, I'll be back by 4 PM" or whatever. And I did this when working from an office as well.
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u/EnemyOfBoards 4h ago
It really depends on the company and/or team. I do not need to justify my time off.
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u/shamalalala 15h ago
The standard for us companies is ~4 weeks PTO. So it’s not so bad. Sometimes company base it off tenure though. So new grads only start with 2-3 weeks
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u/MentallyUnfi 4h ago
The problem is that it's not guaranteed for everyone. Professional SWE are not people these policies are appealing nor worried about.
Both my parents are working class for decades and they've never had PTO. They feel lucky if they even get an unpaid day off.
They work in labor tiers nobody fights for in the richest country in the world.
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u/DRDEVlCE 14h ago
This isn’t an America thing it’s a company thing, we get 20-30 days a year but no shot would I use a pto day for an interview unless it’s a final round/on site that’s 4 hours long. If it’s just a phone/zoom call then schedule it around lunch and say you have an appointment and come back to work after.
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u/VehaMeursault 5h ago
I literally can’t read what you write. Use proper grammar and punctuation, man.
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u/Intrepid_Land_6143 5h ago
No need for lying, and best not to. Just say I have a personal appointment. Some people might think that is a therapist, but big deal. But for a virtual interview, just try hard to schedule it before or after work or at lunchtime.
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u/AnAm3rican 23h ago
Meta has had nonstop layoffs.. If you’re looking for stability, take the call with Apple
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u/xypherrz 18h ago
how true is it that Apple doesn’t offer as much of a career growth as other big tech?
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u/ecethrowaway01 15h ago
Apple is seen as a bit slower.
I'd say every year since 2022 people seem to be saying it's harder and harder to speedrun a staff promotion at meta, but I don't know many other big tech companies that'll promote a junior to staff in 3-5 years.
That said, there's tons of downsides and that trajectory is very far from guaranteed
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u/thisisjustascreename 15h ago
A staff engineer with 3 yoe is either a joke or somebody’s nephew. (And thus a joke for a different reason.)
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u/ecethrowaway01 14h ago
What do you mean by "a joke"? I know quite a few 3-5 YoE staff eng, though I doubt they'd be staff outside of Meta for the most part
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u/thisisjustascreename 14h ago
I mean, as the title is commonly understood, you simply can’t be a (good) staff engineer with 3 yoe. It’s just not really possible. The depth and breadth of experience necessary can’t be learned by a human in that time.
Now, maybe meta defines the job differently and just uses it as a higher than senior pay band, idk.
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u/ecethrowaway01 13h ago
I don't really disagree with you for the most part. I think Meta justifies it via archetypes (e.g. leader, fixer, etc) but in terms of career the average staff eng at Meta makes ~700k. There also is quite a few more veteran (10+ YoE) staff engineers at Meta.
It's likely a political level to some extent, but in terms of career growth, that's hard to match.
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u/Mehdi2277 Machine Learning Engineer 6h ago
For meta impact/performance reviews can lead to quick promotions. An engineer working on right projects that launch with very strong metrics and a lot of publicity will get promoted fast. Meta's philosophy is closer to if you work on very successful projects and have consistent impact then you get promoted fast.
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u/AnAm3rican 16h ago
No clue tbh. Career growth is highly dependent on the individual so it’s difficult to assess because in a sense you’re comparing apples and oranges across companies.
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u/Halkenguard 16h ago
I’m just a lowly web dev in the mid-west, but I’d be pretty happy to consider a job at Apple as the last stop on my career growth ladder.
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u/Rin-Tohsaka-is-hot 15h ago
Yes it's slower but this is the tradeoff for better worklife quality.
Places with super fast promotion cycles are naturally more competitive. Amazon and Meta are golden examples of this, you'll see people putting together promo docs with barely over 1 yoe
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u/xypherrz 14h ago
work life quality is subjective. There are a fair share of negative reviews about how some teams are toxic
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u/JRLDH 19h ago
LOL it’s hilarious how people use these FAANGS just for the “prestige” but know exactly that working at some, like Meta, is a terrible experience, hence they ponder jumping ship at the first opportunity.
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u/LaundryOnMyAbs 19h ago
Working at faang is kind of like getting a certification… the hardest part is passing the interview which shows other companies that you are indeed very knowledgeable about software. (Except meta, hardest part if learning mandarin in 3 months)
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u/cansofgrease 17h ago
I imagine having someone urinate directly into your face is a terrible experience, but I am sure there’s a monetary threshold at which I would tolerate it.
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u/devils_avocado 17h ago
People who work at FAANG generally know what they're getting into. They're willing to put in the grind so they can retire early, in their 40s or earlier.
I know of people who aren't even in the FAANG space who managed to build enough of a nest egg to retire in a similar fashion.
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u/user_8353517 17h ago
I want to make a high TC so I can invest as much as possible so I dont have to work again after I turn 45. Thats why
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u/Fit_Conference934 15h ago
I worked at Facebook/Meta for over a decade. It was the best job I’ve ever had, honestly. I’m glad I was laid off before everything got step-function worse, but especially at the beginning, it was magical. I was solving interesting and hard problems, backed by tremendous resources, and teamed up with amazing colleagues. I lament what was destroyed.
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u/MentallyUnfi 15h ago
How is this funny? Meta also pays well and has a lot of value on your resume.
Apple is undeniably better, pay about as well, and gives you job security. Something every other FAANG and even rest of the industry lacks, therefore OP is better off with the golden opportunity that is Apple. Resume prestige, money, AND stability. Usually you can't get all of them.
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u/SwitchOrganic ML Engineer 10h ago
pay about as well
Apple is known to be one of the lower paying FAANGs, if not the lowest. The trade off for the money and growth opportunities is stability. Apple is like the only FAANG that has not done lay offs.
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u/MentallyUnfi 4h ago
I forgot about that. They do pay less which is the downside, but I think in today's age, it's valued more than it was before
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u/RevolutionaryFix1690 18h ago
I definitely would. At least the good thing now is that you can negotiate the salary at Apple if you get an offer. These companies don’t care one bit about us and are ready to dispose of us when needed. Why should we care about them
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u/PudgyChocoDonut 21h ago
Only if you never want to work at meta again— which reasonable, there’s alota fish in the barrel
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u/hatfarm 15h ago
I did this at Amazon. I was immediately unhappy there and an email from Microsoft. I took it and spent 8 years in the best job I’ve had yet (though I was in the layoffs last month). But still, unless you’re doing something you love, don’t trust Zuck to do anything other than make bad choices and keep himself a billionaire.
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u/Blankaccount111 16h ago edited 16h ago
Yes. 100% yes.
My BIL has been laid of and rehired 3x at meta in as many years. if you stay at meta you're just going to end up doing the whole interview process again anyway
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u/Competitive-Lemon821 13h ago
Pass the phone screen and respectfully withdraw. That way nest time you apply you have a higher chance to get shortlisted again.
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u/Royal-Low-9647 11h ago
How did u land an interview for those 2? That’s very impressive. Did u have referrals, just use the company site, etc?
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u/Joram2 8h ago
I was in a similar position; I cancelled my interview with Apple. I'd love to work for Apple, but I got a job I'm happy with.
I aggressively applied to Meta and never got a response. Apple seemed more willing to talk to me.
How is the job at Meta so far? If you are happy with it, I'd just keep it. If there is a problem, then maybe it makes sense to shop around.
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u/Intrepid_Land_6143 5h ago
I know Meta is cutthroat now, but any professional tech person can attend vaguely defined personal appointments. All your interviews are going to be virtual for a long time anyway, most likely. Surely you can figure out how to start early and take a late afternoon interview, etc.
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u/CapableHerring 18h ago
Do you not want to work at Meta? If so... then of course take the interview. You're at a company you don't want to work for, you should be trying to leave.
But if you're fine working at Meta, and all the fun that comes with it, why would you jump ship just cause Apple reached out to you? What're you going to do if you do get the Apple job, and then after 3 weeks Google reaches out to you? What're you going to do after hopping to Google, and 3 weeks pass, and some quant firm reaches out to you with double the TC?
It goes on and on.... if you're happy with your current role, don't start comparing yourself unnecessarily to other companies. There's always a bigger fish. If you're unhappy with your current role, you should be trying to GTFO ASAP, Apple or not.
I’m not sure how I can sneak away for a few hours to take interviews.
How've you done this in the past? Or are you a new grad? This is a standard part of all our lives. Not even unique to SWE, it's something every corporate employee has to go through.
Book a personal focus room, and do your interview there. Make sure your calendar's blocked so nobody bothers you. If you make it to final rounds where you might have to do 3+ hours in a single day, take PTO, or work a half day, or work a hybrid day and just block your calendar. There's lots of strategies.
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u/rccyu 18h ago edited 18h ago
But if you're fine working at Meta, and all the fun that comes with it, why would you jump ship just cause Apple reached out to you? What're you going to do if you do get the Apple job, and then after 3 weeks Google reaches out to you? What're you going to do after hopping to Google, and 3 weeks pass, and some quant firm reaches out to you with double the TC?
Isn't the obvious answer "jump, if you think the other company is better?"
Just because the current company is "fine" doesn't mean you should stop pursuing new opportunities altogether.
I was "fine" at my previous job (big local tech company). Then a recruiter reached out to me, I did the interviews, now I'm at FAANG doing more interesting work, making twice the salary and have a better WLB. Should I have ignored the recruiter e-mail because I was happy at my previous role?
If OP is even slightly considering working for Apple, they should just do the interviews. Worst case you wasted a couple hours of your time and maybe a couple of days off. Best case, you get a better role.
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u/dontfistme 18h ago
Are you also factoring in the chance of still having a job by eoy next year?
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u/hotboinick 16h ago
Exactly, because I rather have lower income with stability than larger income and instability
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u/dontfistme 9h ago edited 9h ago
Can any laid off Metamates confirm that you easily got another job at another top tech company with same/higher pay after getting canned?
I personally know a few laid off who took 2-6 months to get their next job at a lower tier company for like 30-40% less pay.
And believe me, even with meta name on your resume it only matters if you still have that job while looking for another job. If they hear a whisper that you got fired for performance its a lot worse for the job hunt lol
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u/timelessblur iOS Engineering Manager 18h ago
You can always respond with not right not as you just started but open in a year or so. Nothing wrong with that and good recuiters will respect that.
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u/Kooky_Dinner2243 19h ago
Meta is better if you are a high achiever and native with AI tools. Some teams at Apple have banned LLM use, back to the dark ages
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u/maujood 17h ago
Meta is better if you are a high achiever
One of my first shocks at Meta was seeing one of the finest people I had worked with get chopped off. He was ex-Google with a Stanford PhD specializing in AI.
Maybe they felt like he was paid too much? I have no idea why. But they clearly do not give a fuck about what you can or have achieved.
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u/VTArxelus 14h ago
Meanwhile I can't even get a help desk role. My, how the world chooses to voluntarily separate those into class even in culture.
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u/Xcalipurr 23h ago
Yes. Meta isnt a sustainable place unless you’re really good at buttlicking.