How to negotiate for a job with Meta’s ruthless recruiters

If you have ambitions to work for Facebook or Instagram, maybe even WhatsApp, you will know all about the parent company Meta.

Securing an interview with the social media giant is no mean feat, but what if you could get a foot inside the door before your actual interview to increase your chances of landing a prestigious role at the forefront of social media development?

That is what is on offer from interviewing.io – a platform dedicated to a mock interview process with access to a senior engineer at a FAANG (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Alphabet, formerly Google) company. The San Francisco-based project wants to enhance the experience and recently laid out some of its tips for securing an engineering job at Meta.

How do I get an engineering job at Meta?

With the extent of cuts across the industry at present, it is an employer’s market so to speak and within software engineering, Meta can flex its dominance in hiring, and specifically in the terms it is offering to prospective new hires.

In its findings, interviewing.io stated Meta has a monopoly on FAANG hiring as things stand, with figures showing its rate of new staff is up tenfold on January 2023.

The trade-off on their openings is the rough deal Meta is supposedly dishing out, in how they are treating candidates.

Meta is said to have adopted a centralized hiring approach, pooling together those who are going through the process and then taking a team matching path after initial screening is completed, but way before any job offer is on the table.

The harsh tactics come to the fore with a ‘down-level’ process where a thick skin and some negotiating power will be required. This will be needed when Meta lowballs you, with a contract offer including a salary $50k or more below the going rate, with the added pressure of a short timeframe to respond.

Unless you have other offers from comparable companies, your pleas for increased terms are likely to fall on deaf ears. That is how brutal the whole process has been portrayed but you can fight your corner to succeed.

How to negotiate with Meta? Have other offers

In what is likely to be an extensive process, you will need to have other options available to an extent. Don’t put your eggs in the one basket, as contacts and communications with other FAANG companies on their openings will work massively in your favour.

Don’t share too much

When it comes to the details of the interview with Meta, do not share anything more than is necessary.

At the same time, your hiring manager presents an opening to strike up a rapport and lay the groundwork for a solid working relationship. It can sound like a contradiction but it is more of a delicate balancing act in your approach and one that can pay off when interviewing for Meta.

Treat ’em mean, keep ’em keen

Treat the recruiter mean, keep the hiring manager keen! You could even ask for the manager’s email address for any follow-up questions. This can work in your favor for time if the recruiter is pushing you hard for a response.

After that, it comes down to the art of negotiating, where you will need a solid case, ideally a couple of other offers and the nous to present a compelling case as to why you merit the terms you are pushing for.

Featured Image Credit: Photo by Julio Lopez; Pexels

The post How to negotiate for a job with Meta’s ruthless recruiters appeared first on ReadWrite.