When should I apply for new grad 2025 roles?
I have an internship in the fall with a F1000 and I'd like it on my resume for the brand name. The internship will start in early Sept. Wondering if this is too late for new grad roles? I still don't feel good enough at LC to ace interviews. On the other hand, I have heard of roles sometimes opening in July then closing out in Aug.
My goal is to target FAANG/big tech/top unicorn companies. If everything goes well with my current internship, I at least have a backup, but I'd much prefer to be at big tech.
Discussion
(4 comments)- 1
2 months agoFounding ML Engineer @ Lancey (YC S22)You should start applying now. This cycle is moving fast and Sept is definitely too late. Just keep following along that list and keep applying as they open up. You'll never truly feel ready but you just gotta roll with the punches. I find that the pressure of having an interview pushes me to prep hard. People use lists such as the simplify list: https://github.com/SimplifyJobs/New-Grad-Positions?tab=readme-ov-file
Typically people just list the company and put the dates and add 1 bullet just talking about the team/role and expected work if youre applying for new grad and have an incoming internship
- 02 months agoSoftware Engineering Intern [OP]Taro Community
Sounds good. What is the absolute latest I can apply to big tech without risking a position closing out (especially for big tech)? For example, Amazon listed the SDE role, but I want to maximize my chances of getting through the interviews. Would it be worth waiting at least till Aug (when I'm hopefully adequately prepped by that point) and apply? In the meantime I can apply to companies I'm less excited for to get my feet wet.
- 12 months agoFounding ML Engineer @ Lancey (YC S22)
tbh its hard to say but my general thesis is that there are a lot lot of good companies out there so dont worry about messing up a single opportunity.
Apply to anything as soon as it opens up. There's 3 scenarios
- You apply ASAP, get an interview ASAP because they close out positions soon (no loss because if you waited you wouldnt even get this intv)
- You apply ASAP but they wait till August to start interviewing (ideal)
- You wait till August but by then theyve closed out the positions and the posting is just there in case someone bails out last minute (best case, but less likely)
Youd rather fail an interview than not take an interview. If you applied early and got an interview early you have very little to lose because they likely would close the position before you're interview ready
Every company does things differently but generally for internships/new grad most companies tend to start interviews around Oct ish to roll out offers before thanksgiving. But a lot of companies tend to hire on a rolling basis and close out soon. Google's 2025 internship I think already closed
In general I think there's so much variance in how things play out it's hard to predict how recruiting goes. Even with the same company when they hire and stuff is just so random.
The key to getting interviews for newgrad/internships is to get insanely good at hackerrank stuff. If you can crack those OAs you'll get tons of interviews
At the end of the day volume conquers variance so just keep applying and take as many stabs at the goal as possible
- 0
2 months agoTech Lead @ Robinhood, Meta, Course HeroAs Sai mentioned, the earlier the better. New grads roles (especially at FAANG) are extremely competitive and will get 1,000+ applicants minimum. This means that they will fill up quickly.
That being said, do not over-index on FAANG and neglect your internship. FAANG is almost impossible to get into for L3s, so it's much safer (and better for your career long-term, including getting into FAANG) to grind as hard as you can for your internship and secure the return offer. Do not do 10+ hours of LeetCode per week on the side while interning. Follow the Taro advice of building relationships and writing good code to give that internship your absolute best shot.
This course is Meta specific, but the advice is generally applicable overall so I recommend checking it out: [Course] Nail Your Return Offer As A Meta Software Engineer Intern
