I am currently an entry level engineer at a big tech company and started 3 months ago. I am looking to move to a company with more fast paced work and a better engineering culture after a year. Right now, the market seems tough for junior level engineers. What advice would you give towards landing new opportunities in this position?
Which company are you at?
For the thing you don't like about your current company, how many of those are fixable problems? Culture is hard to change, but perhaps you can work on a faster-paced project, or switch into a faster-paced team.
Of course, you can move, but 3 months seems kind of short to have properly given the company a try. Be careful of the "grass is greener" phenomenon where you think other companies/opportunities are much better.
Which Big Tech company do you work for? They vary a lot in terms of speed. For example, Microsoft is generally regarded as more steady-paced while Meta moves blisteringly fast.
That being said, I heavily recommend sticking with your company as junior engineers benefit so, so much from having that Big Tech foundation for reasons we cover here: Why You Should Start Your Career At A Big Tech Company
I would put in 1 year at least, ideally 2. The market is also extremely bad for junior engineers right now, and it will be super hard to find something with only a 3-month stint on your resume.
If you really dislike your current team, look into what the internal team switching process is like.