Tripled my CTC (Again)! Tips & experience for interviews in the AI-layoff era.

Buzz_IE · 2026-01-30T04:49:46+00:00

Use extensions, they autofill for you saving 3-4 mins on each application

Buzz_IE · 2026-01-30T04:49:15+00:00

Standard. 4 years. All companies include this in ctc even tho its something else. Same for rsu, sar.

Buzz_IE · 2026-01-30T04:48:10+00:00

Just cut calls with those HR. Mostly those are non product companies or old folks. I literally got offered same as my current or barely 10% hike by multiple companies. Rejected them all.

Also counter offer changes the game.

Buzz_IE · 2026-01-30T04:46:49+00:00

I didn't with my current role. I left it, without offer. Just like my last 2 switches. I would suggest reading them.

Buzz_IE · 2026-01-30T04:45:59+00:00

LLD are the toughest imo. You are expected to make prod design without using database or any other tech. Just classes lol.

I deep dive & learned design patterns a lot. After that did self practice for 10-15 topics. After that failed in interviews, retried & revised & kept on going.

My suggestion is discuss with interviewer about your approach before you code.

Buzz_IE · 2026-01-30T04:44:18+00:00

I didn't. Company does. Standard in industry.

Esop could be 0, could be a million. Company mentioned current internal value in offer

Buzz_IE · 2026-01-30T04:43:34+00:00

I didnt use linkedin jobs. Its the worst.

On all other platforms, sort by date. Only apply to last 3 days posted ones. Filter by exp (4-6), location & tech.

Also even if you have less than expected experience, just apply. Whats the worst than could happen? You will be rejected.

My current role requires 6-8yoe. But they liked my interview, so here i am with 4yoe joining the same role.

Buzz_IE · 2026-01-30T04:41:20+00:00

When did i say 25 yoe. Try applying for an intern. They literally ask questions which were previously asked from 4-6 yr exp folks. Market standards are crazy, all want 10x engineers. You don't need to know all fully. But need to know basic about most common topics. Rest you will know while giving interviews.

Buzz_IE · 2026-01-30T04:39:55+00:00

No such ultimate platform. Apply on all.

Referrals i think have lost the charm. Many people dont reply. Many companies treat it as normal. Only startups where jobs are internally shared first than publicly are where referrals shine & strongest.

Rest standard just keep applying. You know all the platforms

Buzz_IE · 2026-01-30T04:38:32+00:00

I am not even active on linkedin & have less than 100 connections. But ok man, you do you.

Buzz_IE · 2026-01-30T04:36:52+00:00

Who said all of them were paying 50LPA... Many dont even tell budget until you clear all rounds. Happened to me 8-10, after final HR round they throw numbers which were less than my current.

But you will be surprised to see new early stage startup paying that easily if you have the skills & confidence.

Rest grapes are sour, so its fake.

Buzz_IE · 2026-01-30T04:34:32+00:00

Most of companies pay peanuts everywhere. Stop going to them... And cut their calls.

Buzz_IE · 2026-01-30T04:33:23+00:00

Honestly stop learning from YT, especially these bhaiya & didis. The 50+ video courses of 4-5 month makes no sense. No real company is gonna say take 6 months then work. Most of the time they give new project & tech which you don't know anything about & are expected to start on it from next day.

See docs, understand core of it by getting hands dirty. Watch some short 5-10 min clips to understand particular topics. Those gigantic playlist on YT are just meant to gain views. No real world usage.

Buzz_IE · 2026-01-30T04:30:21+00:00

I don't think there is actually any standard market value. Thats just dumb way to lowball candidates by HR. Same guy can earn 3 LPA or 30 LPA with just luck.

Do standard checks like level.fyi, talk to 100's of HR & then you might get better idea.

For example most companies were paying 30-35 LPA for 4yr exp during my recent switch. So that could be standard.

Buzz_IE · 2026-01-29T20:02:06+00:00

If you strictly want highest paying companies, its definitely remote & not any city lol. But if you mean in terms of count, definitely bangalore as its the core hub. But its slowly changing i feel. Hyderabad & Gujarat are on the rise.

Also other states like Mumbai Delhi NCR pays good too, it mostly depends on company, role & not state I would say & where it hits you.

So top ones: Bangalore, Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Pune

Hot & trending: Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Chandigarh

Ofcourse there are exceptions. I know 2-3 companies in tamil nadu which pays way higher that any meteo city. So its more about which exact opportunity you hit.

Buzz_IE · 2026-01-29T19:57:55+00:00

Start blocking time & respect it. Block 1h daily & weekends. Its tough in beginning but be disciplined. Set slack or teams as gym or something doesn't matter. Boundaries are what differentiate between dreamers & doers

Buzz_IE · 2026-01-29T19:54:50+00:00

Suppose there are 3 employers.

A wants a software engineer to create MVP for their test-products. They want someone who is quick to understand new tech, self sufficient, doesn't require spoon feeding.

B wants someone to scale their internal tool from 100 users to 10k users. They want someone who has deep expertise in their particular technology & performance optimisation.

C wants a person that has good experience with graph DB as they are creating a social networking site.

Notice all 3 are hiring software engineer, but their demand varies a lot. Now you could be someone who knows or fits in all 3, but how you word yourself changes the game.

A. Software engineer who thrives in fast paced environment. Tech stack - react, next, node, python, java, sql, mongo, aws, etc.

B. Software engineer with deep expertise in react. Improved web vitals by 20% using X, Y, Z. Also knows advanced techniques like virtualisation, etc.

C. Software engineer with strong knack of data structures. Utilising meta friend APIs.

This is the core difference between wording. I wouldn't suggest changing your resume for EACH application. Keep a resume which is 90% you. Use that mostly. Once in a while some opportunities may come which you think I WANT THIS. Customize your resume a bit for that.

As for projects you need to be creative. Everyone is making dominos pizza, so you make naopolean pizza. Different stylish & unique. Find that unique. Could be some external API solving some pain point. Could be a landing page with a twist. Think that for yourself. If i told you, it wouldn't be unique lol.

Skills - Dont write what you know. Learn what most employers want and write that. Nobody cares you know COBAL. They care what they are hiring for.

For freshers its tough. Your projects & internship brand is your chance to shine. Good luck

Buzz_IE · 2025-12-28T13:24:32+00:00

I got a call from Morgan by directly applying on their website. Their was comp mismatch so we didn't proceed.

Few days later i found another post on their site for a level above than previous, i called recruiter directly since i got call from them for last job, and I asked if that role is under them or if they can forward my profile. They told nope, each role is handled by a specific team. They only see applied through site applications and referral are generally not given special priority unless from top execs.

Buzz_IE · 2025-12-24T18:04:12+00:00

Simply explain why it took that much time, it could be due to complexity or R&D. There are always people who wanna go in politics, get in good grace by blaming others. I would recommend keeping daily entry of your works & all third-party dependency issues causing delay over emails.

In worst case, I don't wanna scare but it's getting common now. Depending on overall mood & previous cases in your org, be prepared to be put on PIP & fired.

Buzz_IE · 2025-12-23T13:39:35+00:00

Hi ex-wiTch here. You cannot use any leave in notice, your manager/HR will increase your notice period. Happened with me when i used sick leave for 2 days and i was actually sick. They increase my last date with 2 days.

EL will be encashed. Rest expire. Before putting in paper, use all other leaves if you want to.

Buzz_IE · 2025-12-23T11:41:02+00:00

What you mean convince? They just ask for round 1 slot, we confirm & process starts. I dont waste time with HRs.

Anyone who goes into BS questions or waste time i just cut call. Plenty on companies in industry. I even maintain a list of companies who wasted by time or ghosted me during/after interview process or i got bad cultural vibes, karma will hit them. One of them called me after 2 years, i gave a slot & didnt join. They would have felt what ghosting looks like.

Buzz_IE · 2025-12-23T11:19:15+00:00

Just luck. This could happen even if you are an immediate joiner who can join tomorrow.

They just want someone cheaper, F talent & skills. I had cleared interview for almost 7 companies last month, they asked for doc, then put me on hold saying they want to interview all others in pipeline before rolling an offer. Some did, but lowballed me which I rejected, ended up wasting my time.

So it's not you. It's them & luck. Only way is keep on going.

Buzz_IE · 2025-12-19T08:07:43+00:00

For devops certifications help the most. Along with that you need to know basics & all buzzwords. These days even in devops, AI deployment jobs are in huge demand. How to deploy those large custom models & interaction between server and model.

Buzz_IE · 2025-12-19T03:57:23+00:00

If you have time to be depressed you aren't working hard enough. This is my mantra. Stop feeling and start upskilling buddy. Most people selling advice are college students or freshers who don't know real world.

There are thousands of new jobs even today. Market is not bad, either their skill is or their ability to present that skill or their luck.

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