Hiring

Episode 30: How I got into FAANG companies without a CS degree

November 10, 2020 michaela Company Culture, Hiring, Open Source 00:53:33

In this episode, I talk to Ben Lesh. Ben is a Senior Software engineer at Citadel Securities. Before that, Ben worked amongst other companies, at Google and Netflix. Ben is also the Project Lead for RxJS. RxJS is a library for composing asynchronous and event-based programs by using observable sequences.

We talk about:

  • how he got into several FAANG companies without a CS degree, 
  • the importance of building relationships, and an online brand,
  • the benefits of being helpful and kind to others,
  • the differences in engineering practices at Google, Netflix, and Citadel Securities, and
  • what RX.js is and why you might need it. 
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How to get a job at Spotify during a pandemic – Emma Bostian

September 29, 2020 michaela Company Culture, Hiring, Women in Tech 00:43:51

In this episode, I talk to Emma Bostian, who recently started as a software engineer at Spotify. And Emma is the kind of person, that not only applies and interviews for jobs, but at the same time writes a complete book about her interviewing experience hunting for this dream job. This book sold so well, that she could pay back all her medical debt. Before joining Spotify, she worked for LogMeIn, and IBM. She won competitions and moved countries several times.

We talk about:

  • her interview experience with Spotify and Google,
  • her experience moving countries during a global pandemic,
  • what makes for a great onboarding experience and
  • how we can take action to make sure workplaces are friendly and welcoming.
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Special Episode 25: From art school to Microsoft Research

September 1, 2020 michaela Company Culture, Entrepreneurship, Hiring, Remote Work, Women in Tech 00:28:56

In this episode, I talk to myself. Yeah, to celebrate the one year anniversary of the podcast, I tell you about my own journey into tech, and my experiences working at Microsoft and Microsoft Research. I share with you the turning points in my career and also how and why I started my own business.

I talk about:

  • how I got into tech without any previous computer knowledge, 
  • how my dream of becoming a researcher in the industry became true,
  • and why I transitioned to remote work.
  • Finally, I talk about starting my own business because of the need for more flexibility to combine family and work.
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Episode 23: Wearing many hats – From Sysadmin to Developer to Solution Architect at Red Hat

August 4, 2020 michaela Company Culture, DevOps, Hiring, Monitoring, Women in Tech 00:52:34

In this episode, I talk to Angela Andrews, a solution architect at Red Hat. Angela is a curious learner who has worn many hats over the last +20 years in the tech industry. 

We talk about:

  • her experiences as a sysadmin,
  • how she learned to program,
  • and how she transitioned into becoming a solution architect at Red Hat.
  • She also shares why she has a wall of different certifications,
  • and started a bunch of different learning circles and communities that help people learn to program and reach their goals.
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Episode 21: Inside Doist – The Bootstrapped Market Leader

June 23, 2020 michaela Company Culture, Entrepreneurship, Hiring, Productivity, Remote Work 00:50:12

In this episode, I talk to  Amir Salihefendić, CEO and Founder of Doist,  the company behind the widely successful productivity app ToDoist. Amir shares with me his entrepreneurial journey and talks with me about the company and engineering values lived at Doist.

We talk about:

  • bootstrapping from idea to market leader, 
  • how asynchronous communication helps create better products,
  • why he believes in the vitality of recharging,
  • and how to get a job at the remote-first company Doist.
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Cher Scarlett talks about getting hired at Apple despite her bipolar disorder

Getting hired at Apple Despite a Bipolar Disorder with Cher Scarlett

May 26, 2020 michaela Company Culture, Hiring, Remote Work, Women in Tech 00:58:28

Cher Scarlett talks about how she was open about her bipolar disorder when interviewing at Apple. In this part, we deep-dive into her interview experience at Apple and how she worked her way up to a Staff engineering position.

This episode is part 2 of my interview with Cher Scarlett, where we cover more of her early life and how she worked hard to make it to a staff engineering position at Apple.

We talk about:

  • the hiring process at Apple
  • the tasks and responsibilities of a Staff engineer

  • how to handle mental health, and bipolar disorder during job interviews

  • and how the “disability” box can be a life-changer for getting accommodations for your special needs.
 
Check-out also part 1 of this interview, in which Cher talks about how she overcame poverty and hardship. 
Cher Scarlett talks about getting hired at Apple despite her bipolar disorder
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Cher Scarlett talks about getting hired at Apple despite her bipolar disorder

From Hardship to a Staff Engineer at Apple with Cher Scarlett

May 12, 2020 michaela Company Culture, Hiring, Women in Tech 00:27:17

Cher Scarlett shares her inspirational story about she overcame hardship and poverty, and worked her way up to become a staff engineer at Apple.

Cher has incredible strength in her, and bravely shares her struggles dealing with mental health issues publicly. 

She also regularly reminds people they belong in tech independent of their education or background. 

I am impressed by how she openly shares her vulnerabilities and encourages and lifts up others. Also, listen to the second interview, where Cher Scarlett talks about how she got hired at Apple despite her bipolar disorder.

Cher Scarlett talks about getting hired at Apple despite her bipolar disorder
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Episode 17: Why we hate to read code

April 28, 2020 michaela Company Culture, Hiring, Remote Work, Women in Tech 00:48:41

In this episode, I talk to Trisha Gee, who is the Lead of the Java Developer Advocacy Team at JetBrain. She is an expert for Java high-performance systems, and developed software for a variety of industries, such as finance or manufacturing.

We talk about:

  • how she got started in tech, 
  • why it’s harder to read than write code,
  • how it is to work at JetBrains,
  • her hiring experiences,
  • and how she overcame imposter syndrome and started to feel confident with her competences.
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Episode 13: Bad Tests Are Worse Than Product Issues with Dan Abramov

March 3, 2020 michaela Company Culture, Hiring, Open Source 01:04:16

In this episode, I talk to Dan Abramov. Dan is a developer at Facebook, working on the popular JavaScript framework React. Dan is also one of the most well-known person in the whole front-end developer scene and recently started working on his new side-project JustJavaScript.

We talk about:

  • how he got a job at Facebook,
  • his interview tips for getting into Facebook
  • the development mentality and the development practices at Facebook,
  • and his new project JustJavaScript that helps intermediate developers to become JavaScript experts. 
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Episode 11: Making Gatsby easy to understand with Laurie Barth

February 4, 2020 michaela Company Culture, Hiring, Open Source, Women in Tech 00:47:24

In this episode, I talk to Laurie Barth, a staff software engineer at Gatsby. Laurie is also a vivid conference speaker, tech blogger, and egghead instructor.

We talk about:

  • how she got this awesome position at Gatsby
  • her work as an open-source maintainer
  • code reviews and making sure to give valuable feedback
  • and growing a Twitter following.
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