Inside Big Tech Hiring: Recruiter Who Conducted Over 200 Interviews Reveals Why Applicants Are Rejected

Finding a job in the current market can be a brutal task. Most applicants have experienced applying to hundreds of roles only to be ghosted by the recruiters. In a viral Reddit post, a software engineer who conducted over 200 interviews at 'Big Tech' companies revealed why even the strongest of applicants were rejected by the recruiters. The techie said they joined a major software company in 2016 and despite not having the official title of recruiter, spent years being a close part of the 'opaque' hiring processes.

The techie said the fate of most applicants was sealed during the debrief, where the recruiters acted on vibe without taking into consideration the performance of the applicants.

"The debrief is where candidates die and they never find out why. You can perform well in four out of five rounds, and one interviewer who had a bad morning, who didn't vibe with how you communicate, who decided your system design approach was wrong despite it being completely valid, can tank the entire thing," the user wrote in a Reddit post.

"The feedback candidates receive like "we've decided to move forward with other candidates" has no relationship to what was actually said in that room. I've watched strong candidates get rejected because of reasons that had nothing to do with their ability to do the job."

The tech insider also highlighted that the referral system was equally unfair, as outsiders were simply called in and rejected, even though they had identical profiles. As for the headcount, it solely depended on the upper hierarchy, which constantly changed its minds about the hiring numbers.

"Working in big tech was interesting and there were good people, but operating inside a broken system still produces broken outcomes for the candidates sitting across from them, and they deserve to know that the rejection they're internalizing is often not about them."

Check The Viral Post Here:

I conducted 200 interviews at big tech. Recruiting is hell and I was part of the reason why
by u/executivegtm-47 in recruitinghell

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'Experienced The Same'

As the post went viral, social media users highlighted their hiring experiences where they were abruptly rejected after producing strong performance across multiple interview rounds.

"I just experienced this exact case where after rounds of interviews, the last person didn't vibe with me and my opportunity went to die in big tech. Two months wasted," said one user, while another added: "I've had tech interviews, I've given them, and I've facilitated them for others, and, yeah, it's all horribly unfair and largely based on bias and vibes."

A third commented: "I have been a hiring manager in big tech for the last 7 years, though in Product Management and UX. Everything OP said is true. It drives me nuts, and I haven't thought of a better system."

A fourth said: "Sounds about right. Have done a couple thousand in Big Tech over the years, you be amazed at how fast your fate is decided in the debrief. Recruiting is the seventh circle of hell."