Internal Transfer in YouTube (2)

2024 is not a good time to look for a job. The job openings within YouTube are very scarce, and many are only open to current YouTube employees. This makes it extremely difficult for people from other departments at Google or even other companies to get in. Besides the scarcity of job openings, the competition is also particularly fierce. Often, after finally finding a suitable position, the resume either sinks without a trace or there’s no follow-up after the first interview. In the end, it was through connections and internal recommendations that I found my future new job: YouTube Shopping.

I originally thought that having a recommendation would make it easy to get in, but I still had to go through many hurdles. Besides the resume, the submitted documents included a self-introduction and past experiences, the code I wrote in the past six months, annual performance reviews, and three referrals. The most difficult part was finding referrals. In the end, I had no choice but to let my current colleagues know I was looking for a new job and ask them to be my referral.

In addition to the numerous documents, there were many interviews. I interviewed with the manager, the tech lead, the ultra tech lead, the manager’s manager, and the manager’s manager’s manager (Director). At that time, I was on vacation in Taiwan, and the time difference was particularly challenging. I had an interview at 8 AM and had to stay up until midnight for another interview. When the interviewers asked if the interview times were difficult for me, I said no, no, I had jet lag anyway, but in reality I was actually very tired.

Since Shopping is a very new thing for YouTube, having been formally independent for less than two years, the organization is undergoing significant changes and is relatively challenging. Every interviewer gave me a fair warning, repeatedly asking me to make sure this was what I wanted before joining. I realized not all teams at YouTube are equal; some are much more demanding.