This ‘as-told-to’ essay is based on a conversation with Jugal Bhatt, a 24-year-old software engineer at Amazon based in Phoenix. Business Insider has verified his employment with documentation. This essay has been edited for length and clarity.
Eight months before graduation, I began searching for a software engineering role. I thought my job search approach was solid, but in hindsight, it was holding me back.
In 2024, I moved to the US from India to pursue a master’s in computer science at the University of Illinois. I kicked off my job search that September — not just to give myself time before my May 2025 graduation, but because I’d heard that August, September, and October were peak hiring months.
I struggled to gain traction, and for the first few months, I didn’t land any interviews. Slowly but surely, I realized I needed to make a change.
After implementing a new approach that incorporated Boolean search techniques, strategic networking, and targeted LinkedIn posting, I began receiving interviews. My strategy eventually helped me land a software engineering role at Amazon.
My initial approach was flawed
At the start of my job hunt, I was mostly cold-applying for software engineering jobs — whatever I could find of interest on company websites and job platforms. I didn’t ask many connections for referrals or reach out to many recruiters, and I used the same résumé for every application.
My strategy shift began around the end of last year. One of the new things I focused on was making connections with recruiters, hiring managers, and employees at companies of interest in the hopes of giving my application an edge.
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I got strategic with Boolean searches and networking
I started by making a list of 100 to 150 companies I wanted to work for, a mix of startups and larger tech firms. Every morning, I’d spend time searching for people from these companies on LinkedIn. I did so in part by using Boolean search techniques — searching terms like “recruiter” or “hiring manager” in quotation marks, along with the company name.
I’d identify more than a dozen people from each company and try to connect with or follow them. Once I found them, I’d comment on their LinkedIn posts to get on their radar — and eventually reach out about roles of interest. I think the comments served their purpose because conversations seemed to flow more naturally when they were familiar with me.
When it came to my résumé, I started tailoring it to each role I applied for.
Being active on LinkedIn and GitHub helped me land my first job offer
I also started writing a lot more posts on LinkedIn — sharing my projects and thoughts on different startup products. After doing that, I started getting more messages from recruiters.
But I didn’t just work on my own projects. Some startups had publicly available repositories on GitHub, and I began contributing to them to increase my visibility.
My efforts eventually started to pay off, and this strategy helped me land my first job interviews, including one for a founding software engineer role at the startup LiteLLM. I had commented on LinkedIn posts of the company’s founder and contributed to their GitHub repository, and someone from the company reached out and asked if I’d be interested in interviewing for a role I hadn’t applied for.
I later accepted an offer with them to start full-time after graduation.
A connection with an Amazon recruiter helped me land a job
When I accepted the offer at LiteLLM, I was still being considered for other roles, including a software engineering position at Amazon.
That opportunity began when an Amazon recruiter reached out to me via email about a role that typically required more than three years of experience, which I didn’t have at the time. I asked if there were any more junior-level openings, and they told me to keep an eye out and reach out if I spotted any good fits. It sounded like they might be able to help get my résumé a closer look.
Around the end of March, I spotted three or four roles that seemed like a good fit and emailed the recruiter. I was asked to complete an online assessment for a software engineering position before participating in a series of interviews.
In July, I received an offer from Amazon and resigned from LiteLLM.
My advice for Amazon applicants
I believe my connection with the Amazon recruiter gave me a competitive edge in the application process. Now that I work at Amazon, I’ve seen how recruiters can flag promising candidates and help their applications stand out.
My top advice for anyone looking to land a job at Amazon is to identify the recruiters and hiring managers involved in the decision-making process, whether through LinkedIn searches or connections within Amazon.
Additionally, I recommend you take ample time to prepare for the company’s interview process. Reflecting on my time at Amazon, the work has definitely been challenging — but in some ways, the interview preparation was harder than the job itself.
