Let’s Talk About Tech Recruiting!
The days are shortening, weather is cooling down, and blissful holidays are right around the corner — as college students, we are collectively toughening through the second half of term to reach the finish line that is the long-awaited and well-deserved winter break. For some (we’re suspecting you probably fall into the some hehe), there is an additional hurdle we must jump over before peacefully retiring for break — yup, the infamous tech recruiting. We understand how stressful this process is for students, especially since peak recruitment occurs during such a busy time of the term, but we want to preface this article by reminding you all to take care of yourself! Don’t ever let a rejection (or many) let you down, and please never sacrifice your mental health and wellbeing for apps! Okay, now that we’ve agreed to prioritize ourselves, let’s get into the juicy content you all really came for. We hope our insights help ease your mind and better facilitate your tech recruitment process! With that, let’s get to talking about tech recruiting!
Software Engineering with Ellie Yang (IG @ ellieezy)
Q0: Introduce yourself!
E: Hi! I’m Ellie, a junior majoring in computer science on the human-computer interaction track. I’m on the WiCS Outreach team, and outside of WiCS, I’m also a part of Stanford Dragon Boat. In addition to dragon boat, some of my hobbies include golf, swimming, badminton, listening to music, and consuming matcha flavored things. A “fun” fact about me is that I’m from St. Louis, MO :)
Q1: What did you do this past summer?
E: This past summer, I was a software engineering intern at a startup called Productiv! I worked on two main projects that were part of two separate teams, working on the backend as well as the frontend. My main responsibilities were working with my mentors and teams to complete my projects; for the first one, I built a dashboard displaying relevant data for the engineering team, and for the second, I helped implement a complete UI redesign of the product.
Q2: How did you decide which companies to apply to? Roughly how many did you apply to?
E: I started with larger companies, but I also wanted to apply to basically any company that had a role I was interested in (SWE intern) to increase my chances of getting a position. The availability of a position I was interested in was the main factor, and other than that, I essentially wanted to apply to all companies I could find, especially since I was a sophomore at the time. I applied to about 100 companies :’)
Q3: What is the general timeline like for SWE recruiting? When did you start recruiting?
E: For software engineering it is best to start as early as possible. Some roles open as early as mid to late July, as well as throughout August and September. After applications, there is usually a round of online assessments (OAs) by most companies for SWE roles, and if you move past that round, there is a team screen or initial technical screen. Following the technical screen, there is usually then a virtual onsite that consists of more technical interviews and a shorter behavioral interview. The exact number of interviews depends on the company, and the organization of the rounds might look a bit different, but in general you can expect to have around 2–3 technical interviews and a shorter behavioral interview.
I started recruiting very late compared to perhaps a typical cycle; I sent a few applications to larger companies in October, but the bulk of my applications were probably sent in November and December.
Q4: How did you prepare for recruitment? How far in advance did you prep? Roughly how many hours/week?
E: Personally, I started by reading/revisiting chapters of Cracking the Coding Interview, but it’s also important to prepare through more interactive ways as well. I think the best thing is to practice as much as possible, especially with popular lists online (e.g. the Blind 75 for Leetcode), or even company-specific lists if you have an interview coming up. It’s valuable to not just memorize the solutions but to try to find patterns among problems of a similar nature, so you can apply similar strategies if you get a problem of the same type in an interview.
Looking back, I should have started preparing earlier, perhaps beginning as early as the beginning of the summer, but last year I was in a rush to prepare so I believe I started a bit before I sent out applications and continued to prepare as I was waiting to hear back from companies. I’m not sure how many hours per week I did, but it is a good idea to try to do one little thing everyday (or more frequently) rather than waiting to go through everything at the last moment.
Q5: How can one feel more confident in their application/interview? What strengths/skills did you try to highlight?
E: I think this is something I struggle with as well, but just telling yourself that you have done all you can, and that is the best you can do. :) After putting everything you can into an application and submitting it, there’s not much we can do other than wait. Other than that, practicing as much as possible for interviews so you can build “muscle memory” and confidence through familiarity.
When I was applying last year, I did not have as many relevant skills or experience with the same technologies that I do now, so I tried to emphasize my ability to learn fast and do my own research, but also being able to ask for help when I run into issues. Being curious and asking questions allows us to grow and learn as both humans and engineers.
Q6: Did you have connections / referrals for certain companies? Do you think that helped your app?
E: Last year, I do not think I had any connections or referrals for any company. This year, I did have a small number, but even so, I am not sure that they helped my application. I think it depends a lot of times on the company and their application process since I have heard that referrals can help get you an interview or get past the first round in the past, so it is good to try to get them if you can, but don’t worry if you cannot. (I did not have a referral for the company I ended up interning at!).
Q7: Why did you choose the company you worked for this past summer?
E: I chose Productiv because I knew I would be able to gain more industry experience with software engineering, and I was excited about the type of work I would potentially be able to do. I had heard before that there is more opportunity to “make an impact” at smaller companies or startups, and that definitely turned out to be the case since I was able to take ownership of my projects.
Q8: Rundown of pay/compensation, benefits, perks, location, transportation, etc.
E: I think I was paid very generously for a sophomore with no prior SWE experience, and I’m definitely thankful just that I had the opportunity. We had many other cool benefits including covered lunch (on University Ave!), monthly stipends for commuting, and lots of fun events, both team-specific and company wide. I was located in the Palo Alto office (hence why we got lunch on University Ave), so it was convenient to live on campus and bike/marguerite to the office everyday.
Q9: How was the work? Did you feel prepared going into it?
E: I really enjoyed the work I did, and while I didn’t have too much experience for some parts, I was equipped with resources and mentors to get me up to speed. For my second project, which was more frontend based, I had some prior experience with popular frontend frameworks that certainly helped, but I still had to learn new things along the way that were specific to the framework we were using. It was super cool that I was able to be a part of such a large project that made a huge impact on the product as just an intern!
Q10: Were there any particular Stanford classes / involvements / projects that you thought helped you?
E: I was able to gain my experience with some frontend frameworks largely through Stanford classes and projects. Starting in the winter with CS 147, or rather its companion class CS 47, I gained experience with React Native and mobile development, and then I gained experience with React with CS 142 in the spring, and completed another project with CS 278 in the spring as well, which my team also used React for. These experiences helped me gain experience in both technical and non-technical ways, and it’s pretty amazing to think that I went from no experience when I was applying to internships to a lot more experience with projects by the time I was starting my internship. These experiences had no impact on whether I got the internship, though, and it’s definitely possible to learn everything you need to know when you get to your internship!
Q11: How was the company culture? Did you feel connected to your fellow interns / workers? What was it like socializing within the intern group?
E: The company culture was very collaborative, innovative, and open, which was really good since I was able to work with my mentors and ask questions, allowing me to learn and grow a lot. While we were always moving forward quickly, we also took the time to make sure everything worked properly, and the company was very “chill” in the sense that I was able to interact with many of the higher executives even as an intern.
Yes! Naturally, it took us a bit of time to get to know each other, but we eventually were able to get to know each other very well, and I had lots of fun attending events with interns and full-time workers that were both work-related and not.
It was amazing socializing with the other interns after we got to know each other, and another part of my experience that I am really glad to have had outside of the work. Our intern group started doing weekly weekend trips to SF and around the Bay Area, which I also enjoyed because I hadn’t done too much exploring over the course of sophomore year. I’m still in contact with the other interns now, and we meet up whenever we are in the same area :)
Q12: Greatest takeaways from your internship?!!!
E: Ask questions if you need help, learn from others, connect with people, and have fun! :)
Product Management with Carina Ly (IG @ carinaly)
Q0: Introduce yourself!
C: Hello, I’m Carina! I’m currently a senior (Class of 2023) majoring in Computer Science (HCI track) for undergrad and co-terming in Management Science & Engineering.
Q1: What did you do this past summer?
C: This past summer, I was a product manager intern at Adobe! I was responsible for driving the market strategy and product definition of collaborative experience for users in the creative process. This includes product opportunity assessment, analysis and recommendations based on existing data, and competitive analysis of other collaboration services.
Q2: How did you decide which companies to apply to? Roughly how many did you apply to?
C: 3 Deciding Factors: (1) Mentorship: What kind of people am I working with? (2) Personal growth: Is there room for me to explore and grow as a PM? (3) Impact: Will I be working on cool projects that I care about?
I applied to around 15 companies. I had a return offer from the company I worked at the previous summer so I was definitely pickier with where I applied to. In freshman year, I probably applied to 100+ (can’t even count tbh lol).
Q3: What is the general timeline like for PM recruiting? When did you start recruiting?
C: For product management, roles start getting posted around mid-August, especially for companies that have cohort-type programs (e.g. APM). Companies that have bigger internship programs tend to roll out in September but it honestly trickles until February. I’d say definitely the bulk of recruiting happens between September-November.
For me, I usually would have phone screens in late August/early September. second rounds in late September, and final rounds in early October. Last year, I received offers from mid-October to early December so it varies based on the company.
Q4: How did you prepare for recruitment? How far in advance did you prep? Roughly how many hours/week?
C: I only read Cracking the PM and watched some Exponent videos in the summer. Before recruiting started, I probably spent 3–4 hours per week preparing. But once recruiting started up, I didn’t really have time to study so I use my interviews as preparation for other interviews. Honestly, I think excelling in product interviews truly just stems from experience and refining your product intuition.
Q5: How can one feel more confident in their application/interview? What strengths/skills did you try to highlight?
C: Most places ask the same behavioral/technical questions from Cracking the PM so I’d recommend having a mental database of answers so you have a solid foundation to answer questions. But be sure you have a deep understanding of certain products because some people like to ask in-depth questions to keep you on your toes.
I try to highlight my personality — I’m a people person, team player, and have a strong intuition for what users want.
Q6: Did you have connections / referrals for certain companies? Do you think that helped your app?
C: From my experience, connections or referrals don’t really help in the tech industry. Last year, I had referrals for Google and Microsoft — I ended up getting rejected from both. Especially when you’re applying for more selective programs, they don’t even take referrals so it doesn’t matter who you know.
Q7: Why did you choose the company you worked for this past summer?
C: Adobe was a great choice for me because of the project. I was placed on Adobe’s Creative Cloud Collaboration team, which focuses on collaborative user experiences in Adobe’s products. Creative Cloud is definitely Adobe’s coolest product suite with lots of potential for growth. I’m also a fan and user of Creative Cloud so I was excited to work on something that I’ve actually used!
Q8: Rundown of pay/compensation, benefits, perks, location, transportation, etc.
C: Compensation was $51/hour plus $8000 signing bonus. For benefits/perks, we got reduced lunch (<$6/meal), a $600 wellness benefit (can buy anything health-related and Adobe will reimburse you), 401k matching program, and invitation to an Intern Summit (you get flown out to the Bay Area and participate in a two-day summit at HQ, all expenses paid). In regards to work location, the internship was baseline remote but you can go into the office if you want to (I went in twice a week to the Seattle office). For transportation, the Seattle interns got free ORCA passes.
Q9: How was the work? Did you feel prepared going into it?
C: The work was great! I wrote up a product requirements document for an actual collaboration feature within creative cloud, which allowed me to conduct research, mock-up designs, and test it out on users. I didn’t feel pressured going into it because the team is really supportive — even before my internship started, my manager reached out to me to ask me how I was doing and made sure I was prepped for my internship.
Q10: Were there any particular Stanford classes / involvements / projects that you thought helped you?
C: Taking CS 147 (Introduction to HCI) has really helped me in the process, so I would recommend that to anyone who has the chance! Took it with Ellie and Hillary :) I also do research with the Stanford HCI group, which has helped me understand the research process (aligns with user research as a PM).
Q11: How was the company culture? Did you feel connected to your fellow interns / workers? What was it like socializing within the intern group?
C: Great! As an intern, I was matched with a manager, who guided me through my intern project and a buddy, who supported me in literally everything else. They were two really great people to lean on to. Additionally, all the other team members were so welcoming and helpful. I appreciated how they made me feel like a part of the organization from Day 1. Even though I was not in the main Adobe office, I met really great people and had fun connecting with them through intern events (e.g. chocolate-making party, tie-dye shirts).
Q12: Greatest takeaways from your internship?!!!
C: Being a PM means being in a lot of meetings — but in these meetings, you’re doing meaningful work to create cool product features. It’s important to know how to work with different people, as everyone has unique working styles. Also, your opinion matters! I had some of the “craziest” ideas but they were actually feasible when I talked it over with the rest of the team. They hadn’t seen stuff from my perspective so I was reminded that everyone brings something different to the table.
User Experience Design with Hillary Tran (IG @ hilltrann)
Q0: Introduce yourself!
H: I’m Hillary, a junior from Monterey Park, CA (Los Angeles ish), majoring in Product Design Engineering and potentially minoring in Psychology! I love to cook/bake, indulge in desserts, leisurely write (aka brain-dumping) and read, and explore different types of art (through seeing or doing).
Q1: What did you do this past summer?
H: This past summer, I was a UX/UI Design intern at an early-stage startup called CoffeeSpace (previously Counselab). I created mobile wireframe prototypes and user interface designs (all using Figma!) then worked closely with developers to translate these designs into code for the app. Moreover, I was tasked with illustrating app graphics and promotional materials. Overall, I got to expand my digital design skills immensely!
Q2: How did you decide which companies to apply to? Roughly how many did you apply to?
H: Honestly, I had no real game-plan when applying for summer opportunities last recruiting season. At the time, I was still thinking about what exactly I wanted to do career-wise with the PD major, as I was interested in exploring both MechE/Physical Design and UX Design roles. For tech specifically, I didn’t feel confident enough to apply for regular UX Design intern roles since they are typically geared towards upperclassmen, so I only ended up submitting an app for FBU’s Product Design Internship. Never heard back from them by the way, lmao. After realizing that I had been ghosted around late November, I kinda panic-applied to whatever UX role I came across on LinkedIn. At the same time, I was applying to the Global Engineering Internship offered by Stanford’s School of Engineering, as I was interested in the host company projects (they’re more engineering design focused) and excited about the prospect of being abroad!
Q3: What is the general timeline like for UX recruiting? When did you start recruiting?
H: Not going to lie, I am still not 100% sure what the general timeline is like for UX recruiting, but it appears to be a bit later than SWE/PM. I did see intern positions coming out starting late August/early September but there are still so many companies opening roles just now (early November) and some that have not even released any yet!
Last school year, I started “recruiting” around November up until quite late (I wanna say early May). I’ll explain why/how in a later question, haha. This year, I am seriously sending in my apps to companies starting November.
Q4: How did you prepare for recruitment? How far in advance did you prep? Roughly how many hours/week?
H: I mainly prepared for recruitment by ensuring that my application materials, especially my portfolio, showcased my design skills well. I made sure to include projects that highlight different types of design work I am capable of achieving, which includes physically manufactured products and digital apps. Honestly, I did not do any prep for interviews. I did read some articles and watch videos of people walking through design interviews, but I felt I was already somewhat prepared to go through them based on the design thinking and presentations I have done for class projects. This year however, I will definitely try to prepare for interviews beforehand by considering how I currently approach design problems and how I would take a stab at novel ones!
Q5: How can one feel more confident in their application/interview? What strengths/skills did you try to highlight?
H: I think confidence stems from being proud of the skills you have built and work you have done. Don’t compare yourself to others; everyone comes from different backgrounds with different levels of support and resources. Instead, put more effort into thinking about how you can be a better version of yourself! Personally, I like to showcase my appreciation for interdisciplinary learning because it truly excites me, and I feel that Product Design and its applications really allow me to grow this passion.
Q6: Did you have connections / referrals for certain companies? Do you think that helped your app?
H: Absolutely zero connections or referrals. I think they only help you to some minor extent (i.e. getting one foot through the door), but it still takes a lot of work from you to get through all the tests and interviews before securing a position. With that said, definitely do not stress over referrals!
Q7: Why did you choose the company you worked for this past summer?
H: Okay, this is kinda a long story so here is a TL;DR version. Essentially, I did end up getting a design engineering role through the Stanford Global Engineering Program. I would have been based in Bangkok, Thailand to work with an ed-tech company that aims to enrich learning experiences for the people of Southeast Asia. Honestly, I was relieved that I finally secured some role for the summer so I pretty much just stopped recruiting then. But after speaking to the hiring manager about responsibilities, accommodations, travel, company culture, etc., I wasn’t completely sure if this role was meant for me. At the same time, I was talking to my family and friends about the position, and I noticed I didn’t always seem the most excited. Nonetheless, I eventually committed (verbally) to the role since I needed to get back to the hiring manager. Little did they know…I was searching (frantically) for other roles. This time, I really utilized the “spray and pray” technique, applying to any open UX roles at the time (April-May) on LinkedIn and Handshake while also hunting for MechE and/or HCI roles in research labs at Stanford and elsewhere. In the end, I had heard back from one startup for a UX/UI Design internship and one lab for a MechE research assistant role. After interviewing for both, I got a rejection from the lab and an offer from the startup. Surprise! I ended up taking the UX/UI Design internship :’)
As for why…there are a few reasons. Above all, I really wanted to practice and improve my digital design skills in an industry-like setting. Admittedly, I was never the biggest fan of start-ups merely because I had so many pre-conceived notions of them from the insanely hyper-inflated startup culture at Stanford and the broader Silicon Valley area. However, I thought maybe I should give this one a shot because I liked the company’s mission of democratizing advice sharing/receiving. Moreover, I felt that I would have more creative freedom for my design work and (hopefully) lasting impact on the company given that it was in its early stages. Plus, I kinda wanted to live out the startup-bro life at least once in my life :P
Q8: Rundown of pay/compensation, benefits, perks, location, transportation, etc.
H: The pay wasn’t too bad given that we had food (lunch/dinner on weekdays) and housing covered. We were located in Mountain View, CA for the summer and either took public transportation or the boss’ car (in case you were wondering, of course it’s a Tesla) on the occasion to get around.
Q9: How was the work? Did you feel prepared going into it?
H: The work did feel a bit overwhelming at times because I felt rushed to complete designs for some app features that I would have preferred to take my time with (i.e. running through design thinking processes) before initiating any work. However, my bosses reminded me that due to the fast-paced nature of a startup, I had to make some sacrifices and prioritize designs that would fundamentally improve the user experience. Overall, I was grateful to have grown a diverse set of design skills ranging from app prototyping to graphic illustrations!
Q10: Were there any particular Stanford classes / involvements / projects that you thought helped you?
H: Fortunately, Stanford’s Product Design major equips students with a solid and far-reaching design thinking framework that can applied to nearly any physical, digital, and/or service design work you wish to go into! For UX design specifically, I got the most formal knowledge through CS147 (which Ellie and Carina have also cited to be helpful!). In this class, we worked in a team of four (shoutout Team noms! starring Ellie, Carina, our friend Audrey, and me) to embark on an extensive human-centered design process (need-finding, prototyping, testing, iterating) that cumulated into a functional app. While I already learned this design process in my previous PD classes, I got to apply it to a digital product this time around!
The previous summer, I worked on a small project with a group of designers across different universities. This was my first “real” experience designing an app using Adobe XD!
Q11: How was the company culture? Did you feel connected to your fellow interns / workers? What was it like socializing within the intern group?
H: The company culture was incredibly chill. Maybe a bit too chill at times hehe, but I am so grateful for all the successes, failures, laughs, and memories we shared! Everyone in the company was super friendly and approachable; as a designer, I was relieved that I was able to communicate easily with developers to ensure my designs were being nicely translated into code. I do have to credit the bosses for helping foster this environment by quite literally forcing all the interns to work, live, and socialize together (iykyk).
Yup, I did feel connected to my fellow interns! Even though I didn’t officially start working until Week 4 (out of 10), I felt that I pretty seamlessly fit into the intern group rather quickly :-) I also found it quite funny that I was the only American in the entire company (crazy, right?!), but it honestly made the experience far more exciting. Each intern was “in charge” of planning a social every Friday, so in addition to natural bonding by always being together, we got to go out and have fun! Oh, we also went on two company trips that served as great bonding experiences.
Q12: Greatest takeaways from your internship?!!!
H: Startup life is a real grind; big kudos to all the bold entrepreneurs who pour their blood, sweat, and tears into their company! Don’t get too attached to your initial design work because you have to be flexible and ready to make necessary changes that make it easier for developers to do their job while also ensuring users have an easy time navigating the app. Lastly, try get a good work-life balance in. Remember that you are an intern who is excited to learn and try new things!!!
It’s probably dark, cold, and getting closer to the holidays now. We hope that you’re not completely drowning in school work at the moment, and we especially hope that you now feel more confident in yourself as you apply for internships! Thank you for taking the time to read about our different experiences working in tech, and best of luck with recruiting! You got this :)))
