Anyone at FB/MSFT/AMZ/APP/Etc? What levels correspond to 15 years exp?

[Sonos]

Hi, all.

 I’m interviewing for a role at Facebook and have been researching what level I’d be hired in at (and consequently, what kind of compensation package I might be offered).

I’m still not clear on what level my 15 years of experience experience maps to. I found this helpful document that maps levels across companies, but I still can’t find a key that tells me how many years of experience a level maps to:

https://www.levels.fyi/?compare=Google,Facebook,Microsoft&track=Product%20Manager#

Can anyone chime in?

Besides wanting to make sure I’m offered the correct level, I’m also super stoked to sock away a lot of savings. The total compensation packages are amazing. I could potentially fat fire in 5-8 years.

Thanks!

[optionsGuy9]

I work at one of those companies.  I don't think you should get hung up on the 'level' you might get hired at as that's all fairly arbitrary and just BS human resources makes up.  I would not trust anything you read on the net about job levels and that sort of thing.  I would focus on the compensation you need / think you can get based on your skills and your other potential opportunities.  This will be entirely dependent on what type of job you're applying for and what problems you will be solving for the company.  I have about the same number of years of work experience in engineering and in my field I would be looking for ~$200k salary and $500k+ RSU's (vesting over ~4 years) in a lead engineer position.  Hope that helps.

[Sonos]

Thanks for your reply, optionsGuy9. I've always worked at startups, so I'm new to the idea of levels. Your insights are very helpful.

[obstinate]

I am also at one of those companies. Agree w/ optionsGuy9, but I would also add that for all off these companies, experience and tenure are not particularly valued, at least not on their own. Instead, what's interesting is how much impact you're expected to have. If you've been doing big things and leading teams, then you might be able to get hired at T6/E6/66 or even T7/E6/Partner. If you've been a code monkey doing as you're told for fifteen years, then you may only get hired as T4/E4/62.

With that kind of experience I would expect a total comp anywhere in the range of $250k-$650k (or more in rare cases), just depending on what you've been doing. I personally have been at one of these companies for a little north of ten years since graduation and have a total comp between $450k-$550k.

[seattlecyclone]

I work at one of these big tech companies. Levels don't really map that well to years of experience. I know some really driven individuals who have been promoted twice to senior software engineer within five years of finishing college. Other folks take a decade or more to make it there, especially if they didn't start their career with that same big company. There's little guarantee or expectation that a person will ever make it past senior.

[kashi_peach]

I agree with the previous posters that level can be subjective. In some cases, I read it's also better to start at a lower level  but at the higher salary band for that level so you can quickly get promoted. Found this guide helpful in helping me understand how salaries in tech work - equity is a big deal as well and can get you stuck for years at a job sometimes waiting to vest. Amnyway- would recommend . checking this out if you're new to tech salaries or negotiation - https://teamcandor.com/salary/guide

[obstinate]

+1. N years of experience doesn't map to any particular level of skill or scope. Some people with fifteen years are not skilled enough to even join one of the FAANG. Some people make the cut, but are not as good as effective as some of the new grads that are being hired, and should not expect to be compensated more highly. Of course, there are plenty of people with fifteen years in the industry who have gained a lot of knowledge and leadership experience and would be valuable contributors. Hard to say without knowing your capabilities, though.

[Fire2029]

As you start looking at TC numbers on blind one thing to keep in mind is stock appreciation.

I got offered a job at Amazon as an L6 solutions architect in a specialty team. I was offered 180k base, 140k sign on bonus, and 300k in RSUs. The RSUs vest on a 5, 15, 40, 40 schedule but the sign on bonus is spread out to keep your TC steady over year 1 and 2.

So years 3 and 4 I was targeted for 280k total comp, but my RSU would have been at 800 a share. In reality in 2018 when they would have vested at 1800 a share I would have made like 414k total comp.

I would have totally put in Blind that I am at 414k total comp, but that doesnt tell the whole story. If you are coming in with the same offer at the same level now they aren't going to offer you the same number of shares, you are going to get way less shares worth the same 300k. It makes it hard to compare TC for people who got big grants and then the stock price ran way up.

I didnt take the amazon offer, and for 2018 and 2019 I'll "only" make 300k TC per year, but I feel like I landed in a spot with less stress that I feel like I can make a longer term career.

[PaulMaxime]

When I joined Google in 2007 I came in as a T6, Staff Engineer. Turns out that someone coming in from the outside with no internal knowledge of the company has a hard time performing at that level. There's a big difference in expectation between T6 and T5 (Senior).

Turns out I "slotted" as a T5. Best thing that ever happened to me. I was hired and paid as a 6 and got to keep the responsibilities of a T5. the Staff engineers there are really overworked!

It depends on your personal level of ambition. I prefer being an individual contributor and tend to lead a bit from behind - don't really want the spotlight or the pressure of a big role.

These days at my new smaller company I'm a Staff Engineer but it's a bit of a big fish in a smaller pond sort of thing. It's easier to have a big impact when you've been somewhere from the beginning and know how everything works.