I was promoted twice in Meta, I went from $ 200,000 to $ 500,000

This trial also filed is based on a transcribed conversation with byul Gupta, 30, production engineer at Meta de California. The following has been modified for duration and clarity.

When I started a full -time job in Meta in February 2021, I had a hard time with Impte syndrome.

I faced similar difficulties while I studied in India. I did my baccalaureate in computer science and engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Indore, where there were not many other girls – I was wondering if being an engineer was the right way for me.

In Meta, where I was hired as a production engineer in a “”Individual contributor 3 “” After doing a summer internship, I was surrounded by really brilliant people, and I wondered again if I was the right choice.

My concerns affected my performance and I did not give my full potential. It took me a while to overcome these concerns and turn around, but I managed to get out of my shell and get two promotions in Meta at the end of 2021 and 2022.

I am now an IC5 engineer and my responsibilities have changed considerably. IC3 engineers focus mainly on learning the company’s operation and how to deliver code, and IC4 engineers work on small projects. An IC5 is a more senior engineer who collaborates with other people to think of more important projects and a vision of their field of work.

My promotions came with a large remuneration bump, from less than $ 200,000 to more than $ 500,000 in total compensation per year.

Here’s how I accumulated my confidence and made these promotions. My success formula involves three components: the cake, the frosting and the cherry on the top.

Mentors helped me improve my performance

When I joined Meta, I had a lot of male colleagues. Everyone was really nice, but I had trouble opening up and I did not connect with the subjects they discussed at Happy Hour.

Because I felt that I did not integrate myself, I did not play my full potential. I was used to being too generally an audience, but now I found myself very careful and slow with coding tasks because I was afraid of failing.

My manager suggested that I find a woman mentor, and we worked together to help me find one. I liked the idea of ​​having a female model that I could identify with better and admire.

I started with a mentor, then I built a network of them. They helped change the way I thought by encouraging me and my abilities. I was able to share problems I had at work and get their point of view, which really helped.

I was promoted for the first time at the end of 2021 to IC4. It was after I decided to appropriate a project when the previous advance was on paternity leave. I was initially intimidated about this new project, but my mentor helped me develop strategies on how to start.

By my second promotion in 2022, I think I was continuously presented leadership skills and technical excellence. Growing up at new levels, I also built a network of mentories, creating a human chain. Some people drew me and I drew the others.

The key to success lies in technical skills, general skills and external contributions

My formula to perform well and be promoted can be described as a cake.

Your technical skills are the cake itself, your general skills and your influence among colleagues are frosting, and your contributions external to industry are the icing at the top.

General skills can improve your curriculum vitae, but be technically strong as an engineer is essential.

As my second promotion approaches, I had to deepen my technical knowledge. My advice is to think about other engineers to learn at work. I also often review my old code to see if I can improve it. If I know how to write it better, I know that my skills have improved.

I recommend reading technical books and completing them with podcasts. Books are good for learning more fundamental subjects, but they become overwhelmed quickly. Podcasts keep me up to date with the latest developments in my industry.

I also worked on the general skills of the establishment of relations and communication between the teams. I had to improve the way I communicated with people in less technical roles. I often went too deep in technical language and the other person would be lost. I think that learning to work well with our legal and security teams on a project has helped contribute to my second promotion.

To build my network and give back to the industry, I spoke during conferences, judged hackathons and attended meetings.

In the past, I mentioned these external contributions in my performance criticism, but I do not know if they have influenced my promotions, and I see them as a cherry at the top. It has been an additional effort that others may not have done. If you don’t have the cake there, a fantasy cherry will not help.

Do not underestimate the value of general skills in terms of promotions

I have seen many technically competent people find it difficult to be promoted in technology.

I think the reason is that they have not invested in having a personal brand or influence. It is a gentle skill that is really important to have. As you go to higher positions, you expect to lead a team and influence others. You can’t just work in isolation.

A advice that I have to influence people is as follows: people will remember little things you do. Even as a senior engineer, I made very small bug corrections and helped junior engineers with their projects.

Small acts of kindness go very far. People remember if you help them and are more willing to intervene when you have a problem. This shows that you influence people and that you are known in your business. Having a strong personal mark means that when a promotion committee examines your work, managers can say that they know you, have seen your work or you have heard of your vision.

This helps you stand out from the crowd.

Do you have a story to share on the promotion of Big Tech? Contact this journalist at ccheong@businessinsider.com