Introduction
When I embarked on my job hunt a month ago, I anticipated a flurry of applications, followed by a substantial dose of rejections – a presumption mostly borne out of past experiences. Being in the process of relocating to a new country, I was aware that my Singapore connections, built over six years, wouldn’t necessarily work in my favor. Consequently, I began my search with Golang job offerings in The Netherlands, hoping to find a smaller company that might be open to interviewing me.
The First Encounter
My first application was sent to ProjectPlato, a small enterprise that, surprisingly, got back to me promptly. With the initial round of interviews scheduled for a few days later, I was keenly aware that my expectations should be tempered – not only due to the size of the company, but also because I knew my salary prospects couldn’t match my current compensation. My experience with their recruiter, however, managed to set an unexpectedly low bar.
The interaction was unpleasant, marked by the recruiter’s apparent disinterest (evident in her casual wandering during the call), poor connection, and a surprise query: “Why should we hire you?” Used to being courted by HR in my current role, I was taken aback. An awkward 15-minute conversation later, we wrapped up the call and I was left reflecting on my first disappointing interview experience in Europe.
The Subsequent Interviews
Shaken by my first experience, I sent my CV to Amazon for a sanity check, hoping to gauge whether I was part of the problem or if it lay with the companies I was targeting. To my surprise, the Amazon interview was scheduled within a week and was remarkably smooth.
This interaction restored my confidence, prompting me to explore companies that aligned more with my values and aspirations: vibrant culture, engaging colleagues, and diverse user bases to keep things interesting. My subsequent research and interaction with recruiters led me to interviews with companies of various sizes: small (like XXX), medium (like MessageBird), and large (like TikTok). Interestingly, the interview experiences fell into similar patterns based on company size.
The Small Companies
My experiences with smaller companies were, frankly, disappointing. ProjectPlato, for instance, had an unsettling recruitment culture that suggested a low valuation of my skills. Bitvavo, another small company, proved to be just as perplexing with their late-to-the-party recruiter and an odd expectation that developers should also perform the roles of DevOps and QA.
I almost pulled out after these experiences, but a convincing recruiter persuaded me to persevere. Even after a technical interview with Bitvavo, I realized this wasn’t the right fit for me.
However, the proverbial cherry on the cake was GetStream. Despite a low compensation offering and a grueling interview process (which included a 90-minute online test and four back-to-back interviews), I continued, primarily because of the recruiter’s persuasion. The result: a distasteful experience that convinced me to call it quits.
The Medium Companies
Medium-sized companies offered a starkly different experience. The interview process was personalized, the interactions felt genuine, and I got a true sense of the role and company culture. Although I eventually declined their offer due to some negative feedback from previous employees, my interaction with companies like MessageBird, Shopify, and Miro was overwhelmingly positive.
The Large Companies
Interviewing with the big guns – Amazon, TikTok, Google, and others – was an experience characterized by standardized procedures and clarity. Interestingly, their questions were often easier and more relevant to my day-to-day work than those asked by smaller companies.
Moving Forward
Moving away from my current company was never on my agenda. However, given the recent shifts and evolving personal priorities, I find myself at a crossroads with promising offers to consider. As I stand at the precipice of this new professional chapter, I’m eager to see what lies ahead.