Used to work for Amazon, did plenty of interviews.
There is still a demand for competent engineers in big companies, the issue is that most people who claim they can code aren't problem solvers in the sense of reasoning through a solution, but rather trying to find something that they have done in the past and shoehorn the current problem into that solution.
This is why even on this thread, people are trying to tell you to grind out Leetcode - the idea is that you memorize enough patterns to be able to solve the problems.
The entire market is a shit show right now. But there is really no secret to getting into BigTech and adjacent companies:
1. Grind leetCode - prepare for DS&A interviews
2. Prepare for system design interviews
3. Prepare for behavioral interviews.
These are framed as Amazon LPs. But they are standard behavioral questions.
https://managementconsulted.com/amazon-leadership-principles...
There’s not many creative suggestions on this post that you probably didn’t think of, or try already.
Have you tried social engineering your way into one?
This is just an idea… but big tech companies have generally got LinkedIn pages with employee’s who love to shamelessly plug their position at their company. So.. why don’t you just use that tool to look at what employee’s have the most influence at companies that appeal to you. Watch those employees and what they follow, like and comment on and see how they engage, notice the kind of language they use, gage their morals and values, look for things you can use to bridge a connection with them, and then… once you start building those connections, start using them as leverage, and a foot in the door to what jobs you want.
Besides browsing job offers on platforms where big companies recruit (like LinkedIn in my country), you can also try applying directly on corporate websites. They usually have a „Careers” section. In my opinion, large companies don’t have unique requirements. Your previous workplace shouldn’t matter as much as whether your CV’s tech stack and experience match what they are looking for. Unfortunately, the IT job market situation is extremely bad right now.
Well, try to get referrals in the company and then practice to pass the interview, if the company is genuinely hiring. There are so many fake job postings by big companies as well.
Grind leetcode for six months
The best way to get into any company is to get a strong referral from someone who knows you and can speak meaningfully to your abilities. I think this is especially true for big tech due to the massive volume of applications they get.
However, realistically I think this is a difficult time to be trying to get into big tech. A lot of these companies have been doing layoffs, while ramping up their hiring of H1Bs and moving jobs out of the US. At the same time, it feels like there is kind of an informal hiring freeze while companies wait and see how AI develops before possibly deciding to jettison a large fraction of their workforce completely.
Sorry I don't have better advice, but this is my personal take from someone who has worked in big tech in SV.