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The computer science graduate works as a data and product manager at Google. (Representative Image)
The Indian origin engineer received offers from both Microsoft and Google and she credits two unique skills on her resume for her success.
Securing a job at FAANG (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google) companies is a dream of many, but only a handful achieve this feat. Sonakshi Pandey, defied the odds, as she received offers from not one but two of the tech giants, Google and Amazon. Reports suggest that her crisp two page resume played a key role in landing her dream job at Google and even attracted interest from Microsoft. Pandey’s journey began with a software engineer position at Amazon, where she improved her coding skills for three years right after receiving her master’s degree in computer science. Despite being an introvert, her unique qualities set her apart and she decided to apply at Microsoft and Google.
She told Business Insider, “I was very shy, very introverted. I used to wear my headphones and code for eight hours straight.” After watching a video featuring a tech expert discussing databases, Pandey felt inspired by his passion and confidence. She imagined herself speaking confidently in front of audiences. This led to her transition from software development to solution architecture at Amazon Web Services (AWS), where she had to rely on public speaking and client presentations. After five years at Amazon, Pandey received offers from both Microsoft and Google. Pandey credits two unique skills of her profile for her success.
While working at AWS, Sonakshi Pandey wrote blogs for Amazon’s cloud computing platform. She highlighted that such opportunities can establish an individual as an industry expert. Additionally, her volunteer work, particularly her mentorship projects, set her resume apart from other traditional ones. Pandey also gave credits for her professional growth to a mentor she worked under at Amazon.
“She recommended books to read, podcasts to listen to and it eventually got me to kill it at my job. I feel this is very important to have and is a piece of me that I want to share with everyone wherever I go. And that’s why I was like: It doesn’t matter if it’s two pages, this needs to be here,” Pandey added.
Sonakshi Pandey’s impressive resume and achievements has landed her a position as a data and product manager at Google’s Seattle office in the United States.