- The recent tech graduate has received offers from Google, Meta, and Microsoft.
- Meta initially offered a total reward of $210,700, but Google offered other attractive benefits.
- Ultimately, they chose Google for its interesting work, company culture, and legacy as a technology giant.
This told essay is based on conversations with Google employees who requested anonymity to protect their privacy. Business Insider has confirmed their identities and offer letters. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
I started attending a top-ranked technical school about four years ago. When I first joined the company, I couldn't decide on a career path.
But by my sophomore year, I started paying attention to FANG, also known as Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, and Google. My ultimate dream was to work at Google.
During my sophomore year, I started working hard on my application for the summer.
My GPA at the time was 4.0. This was definitely helpful. But I also spent a lot of time practicing leet chords. Leet Code is an algorithmic brain teaser that tests your understanding of theoretical computer science fundamentals.
My efforts paid off and I received offers from Google, Facebook, and Amazon.
I ended up interning at Google for two summers, and the experience was everything I had hoped for. I received great guidance, worked on interesting projects, and learned a lot from them.
When I completed my second internship, I was approved by the hiring committee. This allows former interns to be matched with a full-time team.
The problem is that there is no guarantee of a match, and if you don't match within a year, it will expire.
Received full-time job offers from Microsoft, Meta, and Google
I started my job search with a lot of confidence. But months before graduation, I still didn't hear from Google.
I sent a few follow-ups asking about the matching process, but no updates.
So I started looking at other companies and ended up applying to at least 100 companies over the course of a few months. Once the market recovered, I started receiving a lot of DMs and cold emails from recruiters, including Meta.
I spent several months interviewing and ultimately received offers from Meta and Microsoft. Just as I was about to accept Meta's offer, Google informed me that it had found a match for me.
Although Meta initially offered higher total rewards, Google had some attractive benefits.
The offers from Meta and Google were the most attractive to me, so I was choosing between the two.
Meta initially gave me a better proposal. That includes a base salary of $131,000, a 10% bonus with the potential for an additional 10% based on performance, a $16,000 signing bonus, and $150,000 in stock options over four years. It was included. The total amount of compensation was approximately $210,700.
Company-wide performance bonuses are not paid every year, but they are likely to be given to engineers if their performance is good.
Google originally offered me less total compensation, but increased it to $218,360, including a base salary of $138,000, a 15% bonus, and $157,000 in stock options over four years. I was able to receive it.
Google also provided a $13,000 cash stipend for the move, which made a big difference. Meta's relocation package offered cash in exchange for some of the company's services, such as 30-day employment housing, but recruiters told them they could only cash out up to $5,000. .
Google's accelerated equity schedule also made a big difference in my first year compensation and was appealing to me. With Google, you'll receive 38% in your first year, 32% in your second year, 20% in your third year, and 10% in your fourth year. Meta was receiving 25% annually.
Google also offered jobs for a month anywhere in the world. This was really great.
Both employ hybrid work structures, but Mehta seemed to be more rigid about it. Meta's recruiter said he would be required to work in-person three days a week. At Google, this was a suggestion and was not enforced in his two summers I worked there. Some weeks I didn't come in person at all, but that didn't matter.
I would have chosen Google anyway
If Google hadn't increased my total compensation, I would have had to make a very difficult decision. But I still would have chosen Google. Because the role itself was more interesting to me.
It's a company I've always wanted to work for.
Google influenced me early on. Before I went to college and worked in the technology industry, Google was a name that stood out to me. This is a hallmark of the company's culture, and it started out larger than any other technology company that has come before it.
Google may not be leading the way in AI training, but I think they'll catch up. Google is the world's top search engine. They have access to large amounts of data.
After two summers at Google, I understand how the company operates and believe in its vision.