Facebook is one of the largest and most influential technology companies in the world. With over 2.8 billion monthly active users across its family of apps including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger, Facebook reaches nearly 40% of the global population. This massive user base provides Facebook with an unparalleled amount of data and insights into human behavior and relationships.
As a result, working at Facebook means having the opportunity to directly impact and improve the lives of billions of people around the world. It also means working on cutting-edge technologies and innovations that are changing the future of communication, business, entertainment, and more.
But with popularity comes controversy. Facebook has faced intense scrutiny over its data privacy policies, its role in spreading misinformation, and its market dominance. However, the company has taken steps to address these concerns through improved transparency, security updates, fact checking systems, and reorganizations.
Despite the challenges, Facebook remains a highly desirable place to work in tech. But how do you actually land a job there? This comprehensive guide will walk through the entire process step-by-step.
What are the requirements to work at Facebook?
While specific requirements vary by role, there are several key qualifications Facebook looks for in all candidates:
**Technical skills:** Obviously Facebook wants to hire the best engineers, data scientists, designers, researchers, and other specialists. Expect coding tests and technical interviews even for non-engineering roles.
**Problem-solving skills:** Interview questions and simulations will assess how you approach difficult problems. They want creative thinkers who can come up with innovative solutions.
**Communication skills:** At a company as large and complex as Facebook, collaboration is critical. You’ll need to clearly convey ideas across teams and to leadership.
**Leadership potential:** All employees are expected to eventually lead teams and projects. Demonstrating initiative and people skills early on is key.
**Culture fit:** Facebook has a distinct company culture emphasizing openness, rationality, and psychological safety. Interviewers want to see you embrace these values.
**Education:** Most roles require at least a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field like computer science, mathematics, business, psychology, or design. Advanced degrees are desired for more senior positions.
**Experience:** Facebook is highly competitive, so most candidates already have impressive experience on their resumes from top companies or through academic research. Highlight relevant accomplishments.
**Diversity:** Facebook strives for diversity across gender, race, age, and socioeconomic status. Underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply.
Overall, Facebook targets intelligent, driven professionals who can work collaboratively in a fast-paced environment. Standing out requires showcasing both hard technical abilities and soft people skills.
What roles are available at Facebook?
With over 60,000 employees around the world, Facebook has opportunities across a diverse range of functions:
**Engineering:** Build and improve Facebook’s products and services through front-end development, backend development, mobile development, security, infrastructure, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and more. Roles exist for software engineers, computer scientists, and researchers at all levels.
**Data Science:** Leverage Facebook’s unique datasets to generate insights and metrics that drive business and product decisions. Data scientists use machine learning, statistical modeling, experimentation, and analytics.
**Design:** Create intuitive, visually appealing experiences for Facebook’s global community. UX designers, UI designers, content designers, researchers, and prototypers collaborate closely with engineers.
**Product Management:** Define strategic product roadmaps, gather requirements from stakeholders, and guide launches. PMs balance business objectives with consumer needs.
**Marketing:** Grow Facebook’s family of apps through positioning, advertising, partnerships, community engagement, and events. Marketers focus on different products, user demographics, or geographical regions.
**Sales:** Sell Facebook’s sophisticated advertising products and services to businesses and agencies. Account executives and sales engineers explain how Facebook ads can help clients achieve their goals.
**Research:** Facebook has hundreds of scientists and academics pioneering advancements in computer vision, natural language processing, psychology, sociology, economics, biology, human-computer interaction, and more.
**Business:** Support functions like finance, legal, human resources, recruiting, facilities, security, and communications enable sustainable growth. Business analysts, accountants, paralegals, recruiters, and specialists drive operational excellence.
Facebook also provides internship programs for students to gain experience and full-time job opportunities.
Notable Teams at Facebook
Some of Facebook’s most groundbreaking work happens in specialized labs and initiatives like:
– **Facebook AI Research (FAIR):** Cutting-edge advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning.
– **Oculus Research:** Virtual and augmented reality hardware, software, and experiences.
– **Facebook Connectivity:** Technologies to expand internet access globally including drones, satellites, and more.
– **Facebook Reality Labs (FRL):** Innovations at the intersection of AR, VR, and mobile to shape the next computing platform.
– **Facebook Blockchain:** Exploring blockchain technology applications including payments, authentication, storage, and decentralization.
– **Building 8:** Developing hardware products for connecting people including Portal video chat devices.
– **Nemo:** Advanced camera, vision, and imaging technologies for AR, VR, and phones.
Landing a role on one of these teams allows you to push boundaries and invent the future.
How to get a job at Facebook?
Now that you know the types of roles Facebook offers, how do you actually get hired? Follow these steps:
1. Optimize Your Profile
Facebook employees closely evaluate candidates’ Facebook and LinkedIn profiles. Showcase your background, skills, experiences, and interests through:
– A compelling summary statement
– Eye-catching profile and cover photos
– Examples of your work and projects
– Recommendations from managers, colleagues, professors, or clients
– Posts and articles demonstrating expertise
– Groups and communities relevant to the role
– Highlights of academic and professional achievements
Your profile serves as a snapshot of who you are and what you bring to the table. Make sure it aligns with the Facebook mission and conveys your qualifications.
2. Network Internally
Landing an interview is much easier with an internal referral. Take advantage of your school and professional connections on LinkedIn and Facebook to find anyone you know that works at the company. Even a loose affiliation like a mutual connection or group membership can help.
Reach out for a quick video chat to learn about their experience. Share your interest in specific teams or roles, and ask if they can refer you to additional contacts. They may even be able to submit your resume directly.
Attending relevant industry events, conferences, and meetups can also put you face-to-face with Facebook employees. Strike up a conversation by asking how they enjoy working there and for any career advice. Just connecting in person makes you more memorable.
3. Ace the Interview Process
Facebook’s interview process is infamously rigorous. Expect at least 1-2 phone screens followed by 3-5 rounds of intense onsite interviews focused on:
– Technical skills – Be ready to solve coding problems on a whiteboard or paper. Having a strong grasp of data structures, algorithms, design patterns, and object oriented programming is key.
– General cognitive ability – Expect brain teasers and logic questions to test your analytical thinking. Communicate your thought process clearly.
– Role-related knowledge – Show deep understanding of your domain with the latest trends, tools, and methodologies.
– Behavioral questions – Discuss your approach to leadership, teamwork, conflict management, and problem solving.
– Company values – Explain how you embody Facebook’s values of being open, courageous, empathetic, and purpose-driven.
Practice mock interviews with friends to sharpen your communication skills. And get plenty of rest the night before your interview to stay energized and focused.
Persisting through the demanding interviews demonstrates your true passion for the company and commitment to excellence.
4. Show Initiative and Curiosity
Facebook wants self-starters who actively enrich their teams. Demonstrate curiosity and take initiative through:
– Thoughtful questions about the team’s mission, challenges, and goals
– Innovative suggestions for how to approach projects
– Interest in collaborating across functions
– Knowledge of Facebook’s existing products and technologies
– Ideas for how to improve experiences for users or businesses
– Participation in industry conferences, hackathons, and open source projects
Let your intrinsic passion for technology and innovation shine through. Facebook is ultimately looking for people who push the company forward in new directions.
How can I prepare for a career at Facebook?
If you’re earlier in your education or career, there are several ways to develop the skills and experiences needed to be a strong applicant down the road:
Education
– Major in a technical field like Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or related disciplines.
– Take courses specializing in human-computer interaction, artificial intelligence, data mining, information retrieval, computer vision, virtual reality, and other relevant topics.
– Pursue an advanced degree like a Masters or PhD for more senior research and leadership roles.
– Attain proficiency in key programming languages like Python, Java, C++, and JavaScript.
– Develop strong data structures, algorithms, architecture, and design capabilities.
– Participate in hackathons and coding competitions to build projects and skills.
Experience
– Complete internships at leading technology companies to gain practical experience.
– Contribute to open source projects to demonstrate coding abilities.
– Build and launch your own applications, websites, or other projects.
– Found a startup to show leadership and entrepreneurship. Facebook loves acquiring promising startups.
– Publish academic papers and research to establish yourself as an expert.
– Obtain patents if working on innovative technologies or inventions.
Soft Skills
– Practice public speaking and presenting to improve communication abilities.
– Join student organizations and clubs to gain leadership experiences.
– Take psychology and sociology courses to understand human behavior and relationships.
– Develop excellent analytical thinking and problem solving skills.
– Work collaboratively on cross-functional projects and teams.
Gaining exposure to Facebook’s culture and demonstrating your alignment early on can give you a considerable edge.
What is the work culture like at Facebook?
Facebook is renowned for its distinctive culture that facilitates innovation and growth. Here’s an inside look at what it’s really like to work there based on employee reports:
Positives
– **Mission-driven:** Employees genuinely believe they are improving people’s lives by connecting them. There is a sense of purpose.
– **Flat structure:** Minimal hierarchy and oversight provides freedom and flexibility. There’s no micromanagement.
– **Agile:** Fast-paced sprints and quick decision making keep operations nimble even at massive scale.
– **Autonomy:** Employees can select projects matching their interests and strengths with ample resources and support.
– **Perks:** Lavish compensation, benefits, meals, activities, and campus facilities create a rewarding lifestyle.
– **Prestige:** The brand name provides opportunities to work on notable products using cutting-edge technologies.
Negatives
– **Stressful:** Facebook is extremely fast-paced and sets aggressive goals which contributes to burnout and work-life imbalance.
– **Political:** Internal organization chaos and power struggles frequently erupt between teams and leaders.
– **Bureaucracy:** As the company matured, increasing processes and complexity have slowed workflow.
– **Unsustainable:** Breakneck growth and scaling has diluted the early startup culture and weakened ties between employees.
While the glamorous perks and revolutionary technology inspire, the intense pace and political dysfunction lead many to feel overwhelmed and where. But overall, Facebook provides unparalleled opportunities for improvement not found at many other companies.
How much do Facebook employees make?
Facebook pays very competitive, top-tier salaries even for entry-level positions. According to levels.fyi, which aggregates reported salaries from H1B visa applications, the average compensation at Facebook is:
| Role | Average Base Salary | Average Total Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Software Engineer | $123,000 | $185,000 |
| Senior Software Engineer | $153,000 | $240,000 |
| Engineering Manager | $247,000 | $480,000 |
| Product Manager | $150,000 | $233,000 |
| Product Designer | $128,000 | $198,000 |
| Research Scientist | $128,000 | $198,000 |
| Data Scientist | $130,000 | $202,000 |
Besides cash compensation, Facebook employees receive equity in the form of stock options or RSUs that can result in substantial wealth creation.
The lavish perks like free meals, transportation, gyms, child care, and unlimited vacation also add considerable value beyond just salary.
But it’s not all about the money – most employees genuinely believe in and feel motivated by Facebook’s mission. The opportunity to impact so many lives around the world is incredibly rewarding.
Pros of working at Facebook
There are many advantages to working at a top technology leader like Facebook:
– **Industry leading compensation packages:** Salaries, bonuses, equity, perks, and benefits are all exceptionally competitive.
– **Prestigious personal brand:** Associating with such an influential company boosts your reputation and network.
– **Impact billions of users:** There’s immense pride and fulfillment in improving the lives of so many people globally.
– **Cutting-edge technology:** Facebook invests heavily in R&D, allowing you to work on breakthrough innovations in AI, VR, connectivity, and hardware.
– **Unparalleled data resources:** The breadth and depth of Facebook’s datasets provide limitless opportunities for analysis and experimentation.
– **Global scale:** Systems and services are designed for billions of users across countries and languages, creating unique technical challenges to solve.
– **Flat structure:** Minimal bureaucracy allows quick execution and collaboration.
– **Growth opportunities:** Facebook’s trajectory provides endless options for career development across different products and regions.
Overall, Facebook provides the resources and reach to take your skills, solutions, and creativity further than almost anywhere else. It’s an environment that fosters ambition and idealism.
Cons of working at Facebook
However, there are also downsides to consider about the Facebook work experience:
– **Intense pressure:** Expectations are extremely high-performance, which leads to a stressful, competitive environment vulnerable to burnout.
– **Work/life imbalance:** Long hours and weekend work are often required to meet demanding deadlines. Work easily bleeds into personal life.
– **Fast-paced:** The pace of development, decision making, and experimentation is extremely rapid and chaotic. Hard to keep up.
– **Organizational complexity:** As Facebook grew to unprecedented size, internal processes and politics became unwieldy. Bureaucracy crept in.
– **Ethical concerns:** Facebook’s scandals around data privacy, censorship, and misinformation caused distress for some employees.
– **Product instability:** Constant changes and new initiatives mean products are often short-lived before being scrapped or replaced. Disillusioning for teams.
– **Spotty mentorship:** Given the pace, managers are not always able to provide adequate coaching and development support.
The all-consuming nature of working at Facebook can detract from overall wellbeing and personal relationships outside of work. The environment best suits those who thrive under constant pressure and change.
Conclusion
Working at Facebook promises immense opportunities for impact, challenge, compensation, and advancement. But landing a job also requires being a top performer across technical and interpersonal abilities.
The bar for excellence at Facebook is high. Yet for those eager to help connect billions of lives while pushing the limits of technology, it offers an unparalleled environment and platform.
Persistence and preparation are key – build sought after skills through education and experience, optimize your online profiles, network internally, and ace the demanding interviews.
While competitive, positions at Facebook enable working on products used by nearly half of humanity. That scale creates an exciting opportunity to learn quickly and amplify your contributions.
There are certainly tradeoffs around work-life balance, organizational challenges, and ethical questions that come with revolutionizing communication and society. But for the right candidates, Facebook provides the ultimate playground to build transformative technologies that bring the world closer together.