Capital One's "Senior Associate SWE" is equivalent to the Google entry level L3 and Facebook entry level E3.
"Principal Associate" is more like Google mid level L4 and Facebook mid level E4.
The bar is higher but Capital One doesn't evaluate people like top tier companies do, they are a little more recall and study based.
Capital One right now has a super broken process that Codesmith alumni are exploiting so try running with it while you can! We've had Codesmith grads be honest about their experience and not pass the recruiter screen for ANY role there, and others who do what Codesmith told them to say who get these interviews... but each person does their own thing.
I would just be careful about over-leveling if you have no experience and are interviewed for this role. In the current economy low performers at higher levels who are overpaid go first in layoffs.
u/CenZen wrote (the comment Michael replied to):
That’s reassuring! Do you know if the questions change any? Like a leetcode medium or hard versus a easy or a more difficult case study?
u/michaelnovatireplied·
Rarely do the difficulty of programming questions get harder with levels. It's more common to look at the scope of responsibility in your past experience.
At Facebook and Google your level is ENTIRELY based on the scope of experience of your previous work experience, how large the projects you managed are, how many users you built products for etc... You get a mid-level role if you've independently owned large features end to end for tens of millions to hundreds of millions of users.
u/CenZen wrote (the comment Michael replied to):
Wow, that’s actually pretty terrifying. You got me shaking in my boots a little bit lol
u/michaelnovatireplied·
Yeah people with 3 years of experience at good companies as a SWE will sometimes still be L3 at Google. It's pretty strict!
u/CenZen wrote (the comment Michael replied to):
I have some experience with technology, but I actually think I’m only getting an interview due to recommendation by a former Codesmith grad! I’ve heard it’s a great place to learn as a first ‘serious’ job, before moving onto a bigger companies.
u/michaelnovatireplied·
100% this is an ideal outcome for your first job!
u/CenZen wrote (the comment Michael replied to):
I will admit though, I would be a little bit more comfortable in the L3 equivalent position. Not sure how I could convey that without getting rejected from all consideration though.
u/michaelnovatireplied·
Interview for the principal role. If you get it then you can have a discussion about why they think you are at that level, and your manager etc... feel free to DM me if it comes to that and can give you some tips.
If you get a "senior" offer after the interviews instead and get "down-levelled" by them, that's actually ideal and is also normal to happen.
With the economy right now, sometimes you won't get downlevelled if there are no more junior slots, but Capital One is hiring across the board and I think you'll be ok,
u/SlowestTriathlete wrote (the comment Michael replied to):
You usually have good points, but I do find it incredibly vexing when you start espousing claims or make insinuations about situations where you have no factual knowledge. So I will make it QUITE CLEAR - Codesmith tells you that you can either add Codesmith or leave it off your r
u/michaelnovatireplied·★ FEATURED
Sorry if it comes across that way, I work with Codesmith alumni daily to sort this out and they will attest how complex and case by case this is, and how middle road I am... I work with people to help them get the best outcome and sometimes they use their Formation resume and sometimes I advise them to use their Codesmith resume for a role.
u/CenZen wrote (the comment Michael replied to):
Thanks for the offer, I really appreciate it! I probably will reach out if I actually get to the point of being hired and needing to have that conversation. To be honest though, I would really like to work at capital one so I hope it works out one way or another.
u/michaelnovatireplied·
How did it go?
u/CenZen wrote (the comment Michael replied to):
I haven’t had an interview yet, it’s scheduled for late/mid December!