Interview at Facebook (non-engineer position) - Part 2: Preparation and Execution

Preparation: development of your Self-concept

In simple words, you need to define your values, strengths and weaknesses in order to come up with the suitable execution plan. I break down the preparation as following questions and answers:

1. Resume (CV) concerns and tips:

=> If you are applying to a specific job, then your "one-size-fits-all" resume becomes sketchy. You need to read and re-read the job description thoroughly, pick up the key words, especially the technical and/or terms that the job is looking for. Please keep in mind that your resume will be run through a hiring system that uses SEO very well. If a recruiter is searching for someone with experience in something, your resume must contain that term so your name can pop up. 

***Reminder:

- Please keep your resume concise and clean. It might differ from countries to countries but a long resume (more than 2 pages) will cause disinterest. A common rule in North America is to keep your resume no longer than 1 page. 

- Do Not Rate your skills with stars. Rating is really rubbish unless you define what your skills actually mean.  

*I am not a recruiter, so the above tips are based on my job seeking experience and my time interviewing new members for my former teams. 

2. Company info and salary info:

=> Glassdoor and Quora are the sites I used a lot. Although they cover most of cases in the states, you still can find some references to apply to your specific case. 

3. Job/role info:

=> LinkedIn is the best source. I usually search for people with the job title that I apply to. If I am lucky, I can get a lot from informal interviews. Some very nice people even asked me if I needed a referral. I was lucky couple times. Actually, your luck comes only if you work for it. Don't expect that everybody will answer your questions, but asking won't hurt as long as you are honest. The worse case is that they will just ignore you on LinkedIn, I suppose. 

4. Referral application:

=> As I have mentioned in Part 1, referral application would help fasten the process. However, it is not easy to get one. Big companies are aware that a lot of people would try to get the referral at any relationship levels, so they do have different levels for referral applications. You can't force a person who barely knows you to refer you with enthusiasm. So if you are looking for a referral application you need to be aware that the closer you are with the person, the better they know you, the better your referral application would be.

5. Interview questions:

=> The recruiters at Facebook is always very helpful when it comes to interview rounds. They will send you materials to prepare for the interviews. You won't be able to ask directly an internal employee about this because they can't disclose anything. Glassdoor has several anonymous reviews about interview questions that you can look up and get some insights. 

During the interviews, they want to know your proficiency level at specific skills (technical), your understanding about the role, your understanding about yourself, your potential of learning and your work ethnic/culture.

Execution: interview = two-way communication 

Of course, you must be very nervous and excited about the interviews and naturally, all you think about is "Pick me! Choose me!". It is not enough. Actually, you have to educate your brain to think like "Is it what I am looking for?". Again, the self-concept is very important. 

As I have described the process in Part 1: The process, every interview section takes 30 minutes: 20 minutes for interviewers and 10 minutes for interviewees. You should use this section productively, because it gives you more insights about the role, the team and the potential of your career path. There is a chance that the role is actually not what you thought it was. Don't hesitate to ask. 

One last thing, if you are able to get to the last rounds of the process, you will be asked for the reference check and background check. These are two different processes:

- Reference check: the potential employer wants to check your skills and your performance at former employments. They will usually ask for the contacts of your former supervisors or your former managers. 

=> Don't lie in your resume. Don't burn the bridges even you are planning to leave your current company. The recruiters will call your references for sure. I am very lucky to have met very kind bosses and they are comfortable to vouch for me. But at any cases, you need to see if the person is willing to give good words. 

*Remember: 3 positive comments won't change the offer, but 1 negative comment could take your chance away. If you don't feel confident with your former supervisors, be honest with your recruiters and ask them for advice.

- Background check: the potential employer wants to check your honesty about the employment history, education background. So, it is necessary to get in touch with some folks at HR and some channels to reach out to your school's representative.

In brief, although I have mentioned that you need to take the process seriously, you can think about it as a valuable experience and don't stress yourself. It is also fun and very good for your self-improvement.

So, good luck guys, have courage and be bold :).