Software engineer based in Silicon Valley says it is vital to practice for job interviews

Software Engineer James Ang emphasized the critical importance of practising and preparing seriously for a job interview in an engaging session titled "My Journey in the Heart of Silicon Valley" earlier this month. Ang shared his experience working as a Software Engineer at the Google HQ in Silicon Valley and took burning questions from students about tech stacks, distributed systems, and what they could do to make it into Silicon Valley someday. 

Approximately 60 students from 8 universities in the country had the chance to hear first-hand from Ang early this month about what working in Silicon Valley is like and the ups and downs of his journey there. The talk is part of a series called Spotlight Express co-organised by local start-up company Kabel and the National Career Development Centre Association (NACDA).

“Interviews are all about proving yourself,” Ang said. For technical interviews, he looks for depth in understanding, so students should learn the fundamentals and be prepared to explain and prove their statements.  

In addition to academics and technical skills, Ang highlighted that employers look for soft skills as well as projects or interests that students pursue in their free time. People skills are highly valued and necessary for career advancement, and he encouraged students to expand their network, meet new people, as well as attend events to get themselves noticed.

Ang added that being curious and adopting a continuous learning mindset are good qualities to have. Being surrounded by and learning from smart people can accelerate a person’s learning curve.

Ang’s expertise is in designing systems, and writing software. He has led cross-geo software teams for over 25 years and has more than 15 years of experience working in the region.

A Monash University Computer Science student, Claire Low said, “James’ journey will inspire many techy Malaysians to dream big. Evidently, going from SPM and a local university to Silicon Valley is possible if one is willing to put in the effort. In fact, there are many qualities that we Malaysians have that give us an edge - such as being able to adapt to multicultural work environments.”

This talk is one of the many engagement events that Kabel has organised to nurture Gen Z potential as the nation’s future leaders. In November, there will be a hybrid career festival where progressive companies will be able to connect with Gen Z talent through a series of interactive programs. 

Kabel’s founder, Camelia Loh who has 17 years in the recruitment industry added, “Whether in Silicon Valley or Klang Valley, one must work hard to prove their abilities in order to advance in their careers."

A tinder-like job-matching app for interns and fresh graduates, Kabel is an app that uses AI technology to connect hirers to job seekers based on values, purpose, and goals. Recommendations for potential job matches are made by the app without users having to search or filter resumes.

Inspiring leaders or companies that are interested to engage students or hold a sharing session can head to www.kabel.my/hire or email [email protected].

This content is provided by Kabel.

Interested in having your announcements on Malaysiakini? Contact the announcements team at [email protected] or whatsapp on +60 17-323 0707 for urgent matters.