Applying for jobs¶
~5 min
In short¶
Applying is not one skill. It is five smaller ones: finding the right openings, getting noticed (sometimes through a referral), preparing for interview rounds, practising with other people, and reading an offer before you accept it. This section covers each one on its own page, in the order you are likely to need them.
Nothing here can promise you a job. No one can. The steps below raise your chances of reaching the next stage, and they keep you from wasting effort on the wrong targets.
The pages¶
| Page | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Where to apply | Company careers pages, job boards, how to read a posting |
| Referrals and networking | How referrals work and how to ask for one politely |
| Mock interviews | Free practice with friends and with free sites |
| Offers and negotiation | Base, bonus, stock, joining bonus, vesting, notice period |
Read them in order the first time. Later, use whichever page matches the stage you are at.
Three honest starting points¶
The process changes by company and by role. Amazon's own hiring page lists four stages (online application, assessments, phone screening and an interview loop) and says the process "differs from role to role" (https://www.amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire, 18 Oct 2026). Do not assume one company's path is the same as another's.
Nobody publishes a required number. No company was found stating a required count of practice problems or hours of study. When a blog gives you a number, read it as that author's plan, not a rule.
Pay figures are self-reported. Levels.fyi figures come from people who submitted their own data, and the site itself notes its per-level tables are inconsistent (https://www.levels.fyi/t/software-engineer/locations/india, 18 Oct 2026). Use them for rough context. Never use them as a promise of what you will be offered.
The one habit that matters¶
Keep a simple log of every application: company, role, date applied, where you found it, whether you have a referral, current stage, and your next action. Most people who feel stuck in a job search have no log. With one, you can see which sources bring replies and which do not, and you can follow up on time.
The DSA section has a tracker you can copy (see DSA trackers). Use the same format for applications. Keep the log in a spreadsheet or notes app, and review it once a week: which sources brought replies, which rounds you reached, and which follow-ups are due. A log turns a vague sense of "nothing is happening" into a list you can act on.
How this section fits the rest of the plan¶
Applying comes after the other boxes on the map: build problem-solving skill in DSA, learn the core subjects in CS fundamentals, and make projects you can explain in projects and resume. If you apply early, the loop still works. You will get practice in rounds you are not yet ready for, which is useful but costs time.
Try this¶
What to do this week: Pick ten companies you would be glad to work for. Open each careers page, find one role that you partly match, and copy its basic qualifications into a document. Mark each line as "I have this", "I am building this", or "I do not have this". Keep the document. You will use it on the first page of this section.
Sources¶
- Amazon, how we hire: https://www.amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire (checked 18 Oct 2026)
- Levels.fyi, software engineer pay in India: https://www.levels.fyi/t/software-engineer/locations/india (checked 18 Oct 2026)
- Tech Interview Handbook, coding interview study plan: https://www.techinterviewhandbook.org/coding-interview-study-plan/ (checked 18 Oct 2026)