• Elvi Caperonis overcame over 100 rejections to secure a role at a Big Tech company.
• She feels that her strong résumé played a major part in finally landing the role.
• She shares her advice for crafting a strong résumé, such as by highlighting metrics and technical skills.

Elvi Caperonis always wanted to work in Big Tech.

She graduated with a computer science degree in 2005, followed by a master's degree in software engineering, and she was drawn to the allure of having a job that was both challenging and financially rewarding — not to mention the enviable perks and prestige that came along with Big Tech companies.

"I aimed to work with intelligent people to build technologies that could positively impact the world," she told Business Insider. "I was very excited about the opportunity to learn about cutting-edge technologies like AI and machine learning."

In 2017, after six years of tech consulting work and over three years at Harvard University as a techno-functional reporting analyst, Caperonis landed a full-time job as a business intelligence engineer at a top-tier tech company — one of the Magnificent 7.

But landing the job was far from easy, and the process was highly competitive. "I faced many rejections that allowed me to grow and learn how to make it happen," said Caperonis, whose employment history has been verified by Business Insider.

Dealing with rejection after rejection

The disappointment began in 2012 when Caperonis applied for a job at a Fortune 500 company. With two degrees and several years of relevant experience, she believed she was an overqualified candidate and a perfect fit for the opportunity.

But when it came time to answer technical questions, "My mind went blank," said Caperonis, who spoke little English before moving to the US in 2011. "I knew the answers and could even picture the scenarios in which I'd used the technology, but I struggled to articulate my thoughts in English back then."

She was rejected.

As she persisted in her job search, Caperonis endured a series of rejections from prominent companies, including Stripe, Meta, Twitter, Oracle, Akamai Technologies, and many others in the tech industry. She estimates that over the course of five years of trying to land a Big Tech job, she received over 100 rejections.

"The rejections hurt a lot," she said. "Each one felt like a deep wound, momentarily leaving me heartbroken and hopeless."

What Caperonis found even more painful was often being ghosted by employers after submitting an application or even having an interview.

She never thought about giving up, though. "The weight of disappointment became a catalyst for growth," she said. She treated each application and interview as a way to gain insights about how to approach future opportunities.

She thought she failed again

Her job interview with one top tech company lasted about eight hours and included multiple rounds of behavioral questions. By the end of the day, she felt completely exhausted and feared she'd failed.

But the tides had turned. "When the recruiter called me with the good news, I could hardly believe it — I was so excited and happy," Caperonis said. "I realized my life was about to change."

She recommends that anyone interested in Big Tech be very prepared to showcase their accomplishments and proficiency through their résumé.

Here's the one she used, which she feels played a major part in landing the job:

A strong Big Tech résumé: Her 3 tips

1. Create a gateway to your brand

The professional profile summary at the top of the résumé is the first thing a recruiter will see, and it should be a carefully crafted gateway to your brand, said Caperonis. She noted it can "make or break your first impression."

"With just five seconds to capture a recruiter's attention, this section should be your unique value proposition — a chance to showcase your skills, experiences, and what sets you apart from other candidates," she said.

In her case, Caperonis highlighted her ScrumMaster certification, nearly a decade of experience, and principles of honesty, discretion, loyalty, and sincerity through which she could help a company achieve its goals.

2. Validate your capabilities

Caperonis believes that the work experience section of the résumé is the most important element for Big Tech, and she incorporated results and metrics to make hers more compelling.

Throughout this section, Caperonis added details to quantify her achievements — such as "designed over 300 reports" — to make the scope and impact of her work more tangible.

3. Create a platform to demonstrate your competence

The next most important section of your résumé is the technical skills section, in her opinion.

"I've seen that tech recruiters quickly skim through your résumé to see if you have the work experience required for the job, after they quickly review your 'tech stack' — the technologies and tools required for the job."

Caperonis's technical skills section for her Big Tech application included programming languages, project management tools, data analysis techniques, and interpersonal skills crucial for collaboration and communication within a team.

"My proficiency in business intelligence tools, such as Oracle Business Intelligence, and my prior work experience at Harvard University as a techno-functional reporting analyst were critical factors," in ultimately securing her role, she said.

What she'd do differently

Looking back, Caperonis believes she did a great job highlighting her experience and technical skills in her résumé. But if she were to revise it today, she'd showcase her accomplishments and proficiency better.

"I'd include more metrics that showcase the impact of my work in terms of money, time, and resources that I have helped companies save, instead of just plain statements about my responsibilities," she said.

She also regrets not being more meticulous about proofreading before submission, as her résumé ended up containing a few grammatical errors. "In this competitive market, candidates must ensure their résumés are polished and free of grammatical mistakes," she said.

To create a résumé that will help you stand out as a tech candidate, Caperonis said it's wise to use AI tools to analyze job descriptions, suggest relevant keywords, and format your résumé — but stressed the importance of having a person, such as a career coach, give your résumé a once-over before you submit it.

"I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to have the résumé reviewed and personalized by a real human," she said.

• A software engineer left a FAANG company for Oracle in 2024 due to a cultural mismatch.
• He felt micromanaged and a lack of trust at the FAANG company even though he worked intense hours.
• Oracle offered a structured onboarding process and a collaborative environment, and he plans to stay.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with a 27-year-old software engineer at Oracle who previously worked at a FAANG company. The source's name and full employment history are known to Business Insider but are not named to protect their privacy. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

In March 2022, I interviewed with a FAANG company for a software engineering role.

I heard back from my final round within a few days and started about three weeks after signing the offer. I didn't stay at the FAANG company very long because the culture was not a fit for me.

I'm now at Oracle and don't plan on leaving. Here's how my work experiences at both companies compare.

The FAANG company seemed more focused on personality fit during the interview process

After an HR screen and a tech screen, I had a final round of four interviews back-to-back, each lasting 45 minutes. Three interviewers were senior engineers, and one was the hiring manager.

The personality questions were more detailed than the technical questions. They wanted to know if I demonstrated the company's leadership principles, so they asked questions like "Can you tell me about a time you affected change in a company?" and "Can you tell me about a time you went above and beyond for a customer?"

The technical questions were on standard LeetCode and system design. I was asked to whiteboard and design a service similar to Instagram and discuss how I'd engineer it to scale to a billion users.

The FAANG company sought candidates willing to work long hours

The interviewers didn't ask directly how long I was willing to work, but they asked: "Tell me about a time when you had to meet an aggressive deadline." The hiring manager also told me the team I'd be joining was fairly new and wanted to roll out the technology they were developing quickly.

I did notice a few more red flags. Everyone I interviewed with had joined within the past year and a half. Most folks I interviewed with at Oracle had been at the company for four to six years.

One of the senior engineers at the FAANG company said it's fast-paced and has a work-hard culture, so there's a lot of turnover. However, I'd also get to learn a lot and work on features that millions of customers would use, and I was looking forward to that experience.

My Oracle interview process took longer

I interviewed with Oracle in February 2024 and started in March.

The steps were the same, but the Oracle process focused more on technical ability than the FAANG company.

In the final round, I was interviewed by two senior engineers, the hiring manager, and a product manager. The senior engineers and my hiring manager also asked me standard LeetCode and system design questions. My hiring manager asked if I had data center experience, which I didn't. The product manager asked me to go deep into the technical stuff I previously worked on.

The offer negotiation process was pretty similar for both companies

Both times, I had competing offers and asked them to match compensation. They matched it by increasing the amount of vested stock they'd give me, and I got a 10% total compensation increase from both.

Oracle's RSU vesting is spread evenly across four years. At the FAANG company, the four-year stock vest schedule was 5% for year one, 15% for year two, 40% for year three, and 40% for year four.

After my first year at the FAANG company, I received a 3% raise on my base pay. I haven't received a raise at Oracle yet.

I found Oracle's onboarding process to be much more structured

The initial few weeks at both companies were spent getting access to code bases, familiarizing myself with the teams' work, and having a lot of 1:1 meetings.

At Oracle, everyone helped explain the organization's overall mission. The team had an onboarding document that I could follow that outlined expectations.

There was no structure or clear expectations in the first few weeks at the FAANG company. Management also didn't focus much on helping people get onboarded.

My FAANG coworkers seemed very focused on their level of seniority

Almost every single engineer I met in my first week at the FAANG company either asked me a question about how I could help them get a promotion or was very closed off and wouldn't communicate much. One midlevel engineer asked me in our first meeting whether I'd be open to being "mentored" by him so he could use me as a data point to support his coming promotion.

Another engineer I met with told me, "That is between me and my manager," when I asked him about his long-term career goals during our first meeting. I asked my skip-level manager a question about the team, and he told me my question was better suited for a lower-level manager, not him.

At Oracle, everyone was friendly and gave me information and advice on succeeding.

Oracle has a sense of teamwork and collaboration that the FAANG company did not have

In my experience, micromanagement is virtually nonexistent at Oracle. Management and executives allow engineers and other contributors to set their own deadlines and expectations. I felt trusted.

The culture at the FAANG company was one of the most intense I've been part of. My teammates and I regularly worked until late into the night, and there was lots of micromanagement, which is one of the reasons I left. It felt like there was a lack of trust in lower-level employees.

It affected both my mental and physical health. My sleep pattern was chaotic, and I skipped a lot of meals because of the constant stress and anxiety.

Since I left the FAANG company for Oracle, I haven't looked back

The final straw was when the FAANG company asked me to relocate to a different state with three-months notice. I told my manager I'd move but immediately started searching for external jobs.

I got my Oracle offer shortly after. When I finally gave my two weeks' notice at the FAANG company, I felt a huge weight lifted off my chest.

Changing companies improved my mental health, and my stress levels dropped dramatically. I plan to stay at Oracle long-term.

Want to share your Big Tech job experience? Email Lauryn Haas at [email protected].