Here's why you haven't landed your FAANG offer yet

What Am I Actually Missing?

Most candidates think they're missing experience. Or that out of the 3 million people who apply to Google every year, they're in the bottom tier.

That's usually not it.

FAANG interviews are standardized tests.

FAANG Interviews are Standardized Tests.

A FAANG interview is like a live SAT or ACT. Any topic in the prep book is fair game.

When I was in high school, we had an exam called the SHSAT. Pass it, and you get into a specialized high school. Your background didn't matter. Your grades didn't matter. Just the test.

That's the process for FAANG at the entry and mid level.

I failed mine, in case you were wondering.

For internships, entry-level, and mid-level roles, getting in is heavily based on passing a structured process. Not on how impressive your resume looks walking in the door.

I broke that process down round by round across 11 Big Tech companies. Same shape, over and over.

Senior Is a Track Record.

Senior roles are different. Experience carries real weight there, because companies are evaluating judgment built over years. Not a whiteboard problem in 45 minutes.

So if you're early or mid-career and the offers aren't coming, the answer is rarely "I need more experience."

The answer is almost always "You aren't fully prepared for the interview."

When I Interviewed, The Test Was Shorter

When I interviewed at Amazon as a new grad years ago, it was one OA, one SWE assessment, and one live interview.

3 checkpoints, total.

But the market has changed drastically. It was easier back then because the questions were simpler, and there were fewer interview rounds.

Now you should expect a lot more rounds. And that alone makes it harder.

So What Actually Changed

The interview types didn't change. System design, OOD, behavioral rounds. Companies have been running these for years.

One expert described it directly. "Rounds are longer, problems are more nuanced." And the bar for communication and system thinking has risen alongside the bar for algorithmic correctness. (TechScreen)

You're not failing because you're not good enough. You're failing because the test changed and your prep didn't.

What changed:

• The bar is higher

• On average interview loops are 5 to 11 rounds

• Early-career and mid-level candidates now get system design or object-oriented design rounds

• The expectation is optimal, working code with fewer errors. Some interviewers run it live and watch it pass or fail

• Medium and Hard questions show up far more often than Easy

• Online assessments are standard now, not just for junior roles

• You have to be ready across multiple interview types at once. LeetCode, system design, and more

  
  

FAANG vs Big Tech Process

FAANG leans heavily on the interview itself. Pass the rounds, and your previous experience matters less than you'd think.

Big Tech weighs both. They care whether you can pass the interview. They also care about what you've actually built and shipped. Your track record carries more influence in the decision.

About The "I Got Unlucky" Thing

You've heard it. "I just got lucky with the question." Or the opposite, "I got unlucky with my interviewer."

There is a real list of things you can't control:

• Who interviews you

• The mood your interviewer is in that day

• The specific question you get asked

• How much support or kindness you get during the round

• 
  

Some engineers, especially on Reddit, say much of the outcome is luck.

My answer: it doesn't matter.

Because if you're prepared, you'll do well in any situation.

How You Pass

What passing takes:

• Prepare for the specific type of technical interview you're getting

• In-depth technical knowledge, not surface level

• Clean, working code under real conditions

  
  

Now that you know this, you can prepare the right way.

Read my article on technical interview prep to learn the process.