How to crush a job interview at Facebook
Sarah Jacobs
Snagging any good job can be daunting.
But if you've set your sights on a big-name company with a selective hiring process like Facebook, the whole thing can seem rather overwhelming, maybe even impossible.
Don't get discouraged, though. You just need to know exactly what you're getting yourself into.
Luckily, Business Insider recently spoke to Facebook global head of recruiting Miranda Kalinowski and VP of people Lori Goler to get a better sense of what it's like to interview at the Menlo Park, California-based company.
Kalinowski notes that the process can vary based on what team you're being hired onto. But across the board, she stresses that Facebook recruits individuals through a number of different channels, including the company's careers site, job fairs at universities, conferences, and even TED Talks.
Generally, recruiters will first screen you over the phone to cover some basics and make sure you're a real candidate. If you sound like you might be a good prospect, they'll follow up with a phone interview that focuses on your technical experience and skills.
After that, Kalinowski says that recruiters hand over the hiring process to employees who might be working with you directly.
"They're the closest to the work being done, so they're able to impart a lot of first-hand experience about what it's like to work on that team in that role, as well as answer any questions that the candidate might have," she tells Business Insider.
If you show promise, then you'll be invited to visit Facebook to check out the campus and go through four to six more interviews with some of your potential team members.
Goler says that, ultimately, Facebook is looking to place people in positions that play to their strengths, and she has some simple advice for anyone who wants to work at the company:
"They should just apply," Goler says. "We hire people every day who just apply to the website. We love meeting people that way. Jump right in."
How do you ensure you get the offer? Kalinowski says in your interviews, it's a mistake to talk exclusively about your own accomplishments. If you want to succeed, you need to be able to tie your experience back to Facebook's core values.
"My advice is, know or explore your passion around connecting the world, because it is at the heart of every single thing we do here," Kalinowski says. "Once you know it, be able to demonstrate it. Think about your own Facebook story. What impact has Facebook had on your life in helping you connect to the people or things that you love? Be ready to talk about that."
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