Filip Machat’s Post

When I first became a Tech Lead at Google, I was all in—planned my first project and started telling people what to do left and right, thinking my newfound authority would make them listen. Spoiler alert: it didn’t work like that. 👇 As a Tech Lead, I couldn’t hire, fire, and decide people’s performance scores and bonuses. I had no 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿. The only power I had was my 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿, which was built over time with my expertise and reputation. Even when I got positional power as a Tech Lead Manager, I still couldn’t simply tell people what to do and expect them to wholeheartedly comply. Sure, they’ll do what I ask, but they might also become secretly resentful. With or without positional authority, to be effective and make people voluntarily listen to me and be excited about it, 𝗜 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺. After 14 years in the industry, I believe influencing without authority to be a vital skill: • If you want to get anything done • If you want to move fast • If you have ideas and want to make them a reality • If you want to find a larger scope • If you aspire to any senior management role or even the C-suite To learn more about how to influence and become influential at work, join the 4th cohort of my course “Impact through Influence in Engineering Teams” which just opened up for enrollment! Use code EARLYBIRD for the next 48 hours only and register here: https://lnkd.in/gimXVjmY #softwareengineering #leadership

𝗜𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝘀𝗸 When I started working at Microsoft, I was initially asked to fix bugs to help adjust to the new environment, learn my team’s culture, and get familiar with the code base and internal processes. For managers, this approach is practical and at a low risk, as they can assign critical work to experienced team members, given the high visibility and strict deadlines often involved. However, I was eager to take on more challenging work early on. Rather than waiting, I decided to ask my manager for one such task. To my surprise, the following week, I was given the opportunity to work on a complex feature - while others who joined with me were still working on bug fixes. I had 2 key takeaways from this: 1. You need to show intent, which demonstrates your eagerness to take on more challenging work. Often, all it takes is to make your interest known. 2. If you feel prepared for more complex tasks, it's perfectly okay to ask for them. Have you had such experiences in your career? #Microsoft #Growth #Mindset #Career #Learning

🌟 A Day in My Life at Microsoft 🌟 Ever wondered what a day looks like for a software engineer at Microsoft? Here's a glimpse into my routine: 7:30 AM: My day kicks off with a fresh cup of coffee, a quick workout at the gym, and a refreshing shower to energize for the day ahead. 10:00 AM: I'm at my desk, diving into focused work. These morning hours are precious for deep dives into coding challenges, optimizations, or brainstorming new solutions. 12:00 PM: Time for our team's stand-up meeting. We sync up on project statuses, discuss any blockers, and align our priorities for the day. It's a great opportunity to stay connected and leverage collective expertise. 1:00 PM:Lunch break! This midday pause is crucial for maintaining productivity and creativity. 2:00 PM: Back to work. Some afternoons are filled with collaborative meetings—design discussions, or sprint planning sessions. These interactions fuel innovation and ensure our projects are on track. 4:30 PM: Snack time! A small break to refuel and chat with teammates before the final stretch of the day. 6:00 PM: As the day winds down in the office, I wrap up any pending tasks. If there's work that needs completion, I can seamlessly transition to finishing it from home, thanks to our flexible work environment. Each day presents new challenges that push me to grow as a software engineer. I'm grateful to be part of a dynamic team. Here's to more days of learning, creating, and making an impact together. In my latest video, I share my raw interview experiences—the blunders, the awkward moments, and the lessons learned. Watch here: https://lnkd.in/gukd8KHM Follow Swati Jha for more content related to coding, interview preparation, resume building, software engineering and career growth. #microsoft #dayinmylife #softwareengineer

🚀 Time really flies! It feels like I just started at Microsoft yesterday, but it’s already been three years! 🎉 Here are my top three takeaways from this incredible journey: 1. Consistent Effort Wins - Regular hard work in the right direction often outshines raw talent. Keep pushing! 💪 2. Clarity is Key - Understanding a problem clearly is like having half of it solved already. Dive deep! 🧐 3. Know Your ‘Why’ - Always knowing ‘why’ you’re doing something gives your work purpose and direction. 🌟 Here’s to more learning, growing, and thriving! What lessons have you learned in your career journey? #CareerGrowth #MicrosoftLife #ProfessionalDevelopment #WorkAnniversary

"Excited to share that I attended the webinar 'How To Join Google as a Software Engineer' at Career Connect Society and received a participation certificate! One step closer to my dream job, taking steps towards my goal, continuing my learning journey, proud to have participated, and looking forward to applying my new knowledge and skills #Google #SoftwareEngineer #CareerGrowth #CareerDevelopment #GoogleCareers #SoftwareEngineering"

Want to start or switch to a new tech career in 2024? 💼 This week’s gift of learning is for you! 😊 Discover Microsoft Learn Career Connected, a program designed to help you find and land your next opportunity with four steps: https://msft.it/6044iTCs8 1️⃣ Explore career paths 2️⃣ Get prepared 3️⃣ Optimize your LinkedIn profile 4️⃣ Get connected

While transitioning to Microsoft, my biggest challenge was: -Balancing technical round preparations along with behavioral rounds. ✅ But I soon found a solution: Color coding sheets, planners, and proper time management ➤ I took the LeetCode 75 challenge and tracked my questions using color coding sheets. ➤ Used planners to allot time for each skill, so that I can focus on upskilling myself more. ➤ Practiced commonly asked questions for both the rounds and monitored my progress. I learned that balance often arrives with sorted preparation, which is crucial for cracking top companies like MAANG. Now, you can have streamlined preparation and build your dream career with SDEs at Preplaced. They will create customized roadmaps, help you upskill, and take full responsibility of your career. Book a FREE session with them here - https://lnkd.in/gCzFwdZ2 With them, you can confidently navigate preparation challenges, adapt to industry standards, have tailored mock interviews, and transition smoothly 🚀

One question guided my career journey at Microsoft: Who do you want to be and what experiences do you want to create? Long ago, I asked a colleague how he drives his career. He laughed. He said he just focuses on working with great people on great things. And he works backwards from what experiences he wants to create. And what great people does he want to work with. I asked, really, that's it? Yes, that's it. When I thought about it more, I realized it was more powerful than it might sound. Imagine creating a portfolio of epic adventures with great people, doing great thing to look back on. The other piece I wanted here though was to grow better over time. So, I connected with my Future Self to figure out who do I want to become. This set the stage for an incredibly transformational journey. It's my North Start that pulls me forward. Who do you want to become? What experiences do you want to create? Every day is a new chance to write your story forward. Subscribe to explore and expand what you're capable of: https://lnkd.in/gqfxjwci #career #personaldevelopment #Microsoft

Thrilled to celebrate 1.5 years as a software engineer at Google! 🎉 Reflecting on my first job out of college, here are my top 3 key takeaways: 1. Finding the work-life rhythm: College prepared me well. Just like coursework, there's flexibility in approach. You can meet deadlines with minimal effort or excel by investing deeper. Taking initiative builds skills far beyond the bare minimum 💪 2. The power of mentorship: Connecting with a mentor outside my team has been invaluable. Their unbiased guidance and Google experience give me perspective and help me navigate my career growth 🚀 3. Prioritizing fitness: I've been surprised by how much morning workouts boost my mental game - improving focus, energy, and confidence throughout the workday 🧠⚡️ #softwareengineer #google #careergrowth #mentorship

While making a switch from Microsoft, I grabbed an offer from Atlassian So, sharing the interview process here 👇 📍 SCREENING ROUND The screening was conducted by an interview agency. This round was a mix of DSA problems as well as a few HLD questions. 📍 TECHNICAL ROUNDS After passing the screening, I moved on to 3 technical rounds: 🔸Problem-Solving Round: This first technical round focused on DSA. I was tasked with solving several algorithmic problems. 🔸Machine Coding Round: The second round stepped into LLD patterns and SOLID principles. 🔸System Design Round: The final technical round was focused on HLD. During this round, I discussed my design choices in-depth, explaining the reasons behind each decision and considering factors like scalability, reliability, and performance. After successfully qualifying for the technical rounds, I proceeded to the Hiring Manager Round Here they assessed my cultural fit within Atlassian and evaluated my past professional experiences. Clearing all these rounds, I received an offer from Atlassian. 🎉 All this was possible because of my consistent and structured learning process. If you’re someone who wants to crack the interviews of top product-based companies, you can explore Bosscoder Academy Check here: https://bit.ly/3K60Qrw They can help you with: ✅ Structured curriculum to learn problem-solving in DSA, System Design and Full stack development. ✅ Personal Mentorship from industry experts. ✅ Live Classes & 24/7 Doubt Support. ✅ Real-life, relevant projects with Placement Assistance #atlassian #collab #interviewexperience