Today's sponsor, Deel, has a free guide ‘The World at Work in 2024’—and they’ve got a huge network of employers to connect with! I’ve used Deel myself and found it super helpful.

Explore this ready-to-go guide to support your IT operations in 130+ countries. Discover how:

Leverage Deel IT to manage your global operations with ease.

Download free guide

Landing a FAANG internship is tough, but most people make it way harder than it needs to be. They spam hundreds of applications, grind LeetCode without a strategy, and hope for the best. That doesn’t work.

FAANG recruiters don’t care how many applications you send. They care about impact, problem-solving skills, and whether you seem like someone they’d want to work with.

So if you’re still following the “spray and pray” method, let’s fix that.

Think about this: FAANG companies get millions of applications every year. If you’re applying like everyone else, your resume is just another drop in the ocean.

Applying online without a referral is like trying to win the lottery. Sure, it happens. But why not increase your odds? A referral can 2-5x your chances of getting an interview.

Here’s the lazy way to get a referral:
1️⃣ Go to LinkedIn. Search for "[Company Name] + [Your School]."
2️⃣ Find people who were in your major (or had a similar path).
3️⃣ Send a short, chill message like:

🚀 Pro tip: Don’t beg for a referral. If they vibe with you, they might offer one naturally.

LeetCode grinding is overrated. There, I said it.

Most FAANG interns don’t get hired because they solved 300+ problems. They get hired because they study smart:
✅ Blind 75→ Link
✅ Neetcode 150→Link
✅ Company-Specific Questions → e.g. Link

💡 The Secret Sauce: Instead of solving random problems, focus on patterns. If you learn recursion once, apply it across multiple problems instead of grinding 50 different ones.

FAANG interviews aren’t just technical. If you can’t communicate well, you will get rejected—even if your code is flawless.

You WILL be asked:
✅ "Tell me about yourself." (This is your elevator pitch.)
✅ "Why do you want to work here?" (Hint: NOT "Because it's FAANG.")
✅ "Tell me about a time you solved a difficult problem."

If your answer is boring or sounds rehearsed, you’re done.

🚀 Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
🔴 BAD: "I worked on a group project and we made a website."
🟢 GOOD: "We had a website that loaded in 5 seconds. I optimized the backend with Redis caching, and we got it down to 1 second, improving user engagement by 30%."

FAANG wants problem-solvers, not robots.

Concerns about not having an internship are common, but a standout project can be much more valuable than an average internship.

💡 FAANG-Worthy Project Ideas:
✅ An AI tool (Chatbot, image classifier, or something niche.)
✅ A web app people use (Budget tracker, fitness planner.)
✅ Automate something annoying (Auto-schedule meetings, scrape job listings.)

✅ Referrals > Cold Applying. Build real connections.
✅ Quality > Quantity in LeetCode. Study patterns, not random problems.
✅ Communication Matters. Good coders get rejected all the time for bad storytelling.
✅ No Experience? Build Something. A standout project beats a boring internship.

Most people will keep applying the wrong way. Don’t be like them. Start executing this today; your FAANG internship is way closer than you think. 💪

Now go get that FAANG bang. 🔥

🚀 What did you think about this edition? Got questions, hot takes, or a FAANG hack I missed? Hit reply and let me know—I read every response!