Quick Summary
- 1Sreeja Apparaju pivoted from finance to tech without any prior tech internships, facing a challenging job market with major layoffs.
- 2She leveraged a close-knit circle of friends who shared recruiter contacts and supported each other throughout the application process.
- 3After securing a referral, she creatively guessed a recruiter's email address to bypass LinkedIn's character limits and get her application noticed.
- 4Her persistence paid off with a rigorous interview process, ultimately landing her a machine learning engineer role at Snap.
Quick Summary
In the competitive landscape of tech hiring, Sreeja Apparaju achieved what many recent graduates dream of: securing a role at a major tech company without any prior tech internships. Her journey from finance to a machine learning engineer position at Snap highlights the power of strategic networking and unwavering persistence.
Apparaju, a 24-year-old graduate from the University of California, Berkeley, with a double major in computer science and economics, navigated a turbulent job market marked by significant layoffs. Her story offers a compelling blueprint for recent graduates seeking to break into the tech industry, emphasizing collaboration over competition and creative problem-solving.
A Strategic Pivot Amidst Layoffs
The decision to pivot from finance to tech in the fall of 2022 came with significant challenges. Apparaju was less than a year from graduation and the tech industry was reeling from major layoff announcements, creating uncertainty about new hire demand. Compounding this was her lack of tech internships; her prior experience was as an analyst intern at Deutsche Bank in New York.
Despite these hurdles, she recognized that finance wasn't her passion. "I realized that finance didn't feel like the right path; I was more excited about the kind of work happening in tech," she reflected. This realization, coupled with the support of a close circle of friends, became the foundation of her job search strategy.
Her approach was unconventional from the start. Rather than competing with peers, she chose collaboration:
- Joined a circle of four friends applying for similar roles
- Shared recruiter and HR contact information immediately upon receipt
- Supported each other through the emotional and logistical challenges
This collective effort yielded early results. When a friend shared a Palantir recruiter's contact, Apparaju applied and quickly secured an online assessment and interview. While she didn't land the role, the experience validated her strategy and boosted her confidence.
"I realized that finance didn't feel like the right path; I was more excited about the kind of work happening in tech."— Sreeja Apparaju, Machine Learning Engineer at Snap
The Creative Networking Trick
By early 2023, Apparaju had identified Snap Inc. as a potential fit. A referral from a friend's cousin who worked there gave her an initial advantage, but after submitting her application, she heard nothing for weeks. Determined to take action, she turned to LinkedIn to find a recruiter specializing in new graduate hiring.
Her goal was to email the recruiter directly, but without a LinkedIn Premium account, she faced character limits on messages. She found a likely recruiter but no listed email address. Instead of asking her referral for more help—which she felt uncomfortable doing—she employed a creative strategy.
"I decided to guess the recruiter's email address based on the same email format—a strategy that had worked for me in the past."
She systematically tested variations until one successfully delivered. Her email included her résumé and a clear expression of interest in the role. Within days, she received a response and an online assessment, launching her into Snap's interview process.
Navigating the Interview Gauntlet
The interview process at Snap was rigorous and multi-layered. After completing the initial online assessment, Apparaju faced a first-round interview: a one-hour technical and behavioral session with an engineer. This was followed by a final interview round that tested her endurance and technical depth.
The final stage was a marathon of interviews conducted in a single day:
- Four one-hour technical interviews
- A 30-minute Q&A session
- A 30-minute break between the third and fourth rounds
In total, the final round lasted approximately five hours. By March 2023, her persistence had paid off. She received and accepted an offer for a software engineering role, starting at Snap in August 2023. She has since transitioned to a machine learning engineer position.
One aspect she appreciates about Snap is its size. Compared to giants like Meta or Google, Snap's smaller scale grants her greater agency and independence on projects, allowing her to make a tangible impact.
Actionable Advice for Graduates
Reflecting on her journey, Apparaju distilled her experience into actionable advice for recent graduates navigating the tech job market. Her insights focus on proactive networking, thorough preparation, and maintaining an open mind about career paths.
Her top recommendations include:
- Directly connect with recruiters and HR professionals at target companies
- Invest significant time in interview preparation, using mock interviews
- Consider roles that may not seem an obvious fit based on past experience
- Lean on friends and your broader network for support and information sharing
"Given the tough job market, I've found that many people are willing to help if you reach out to them."
Her story underscores that a non-traditional background isn't necessarily a barrier. By listening to her intuition during her finance internship and pivoting decisively, she avoided a path that wasn't right for her and found success in a field she was genuinely excited about.
Key Takeaways
Sreeja Apparaju's success at Snap demonstrates that breaking into tech requires more than just a perfect resume. It demands strategic networking, creative problem-solving, and the resilience to persist through a lengthy interview process.
Her story is a powerful reminder that collaboration can be more effective than competition, especially in a challenging job market. For recent graduates feeling discouraged by layoffs or a lack of traditional experience, her journey offers a clear path forward: leverage your network, prepare diligently, and don't be afraid to take unconventional steps to get noticed.
"I decided to guess the recruiter's email address based on the same email format—a strategy that had worked for me in the past."— Sreeja Apparaju, Machine Learning Engineer at Snap
"Given the tough job market, I've found that many people are willing to help if you reach out to them."— Sreeja Apparaju, Machine Learning Engineer at Snap
Frequently Asked Questions
She leveraged a collaborative network of friends who shared recruiter contacts and used a creative strategy to guess a recruiter's email address. This proactive approach, combined with thorough interview preparation, helped her secure a role despite a challenging job market.
Apparaju joined a circle of friends applying for similar roles, sharing recruiter information freely. She also secured a referral from a friend's cousin at Snap and later guessed a recruiter's email to follow up on her application directly.
The process was rigorous, involving an online assessment, a one-hour technical and behavioral interview, and a final five-hour round with four technical interviews and a Q&A session, all conducted in a single day.
She recommends connecting directly with recruiters, preparing extensively for interviews (including mock interviews), being open to roles that don't seem like an obvious fit, and leaning on your network for support and opportunities.
