Meet man who faced 500 rejections, got dream job with 500% salary hike at Google, not from IIT, IIM, IIIT, NIT, salary is…

Sagar Kumar Success Story: Indian engineers dominate the global tech landscape in the current era, but a major chunk of these successful techies often come from the countries top colleges like the various Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), or IIM, IIIT, NIT, etc, while engineers from tier-3 colleges often have to work harder to land a high-paying job with a reputable tech firm.

One such individual is Sagar Kumar, a young man who overcame tough challenges, limited resources, and the perceived ‘handicap’ of studying at a tier-3 college, to ultimately land his dream job at Google, which also came with big fat 500% salary hike.

Sagar Kumar success story

After his graduation from a tier-3 college, Sagar Kumar started his career at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) Ninja at a starting salary of Rs 3.3 LPA, and later passed the TCS Digital Capability Assessment (DCA), which earned him digital role at the IT major, with his salary package increased to Rs 7.4 LPA.

Sagar worked at TCS for three years, earning awards and accolades for his work, but a simple corporate job was never his true goal as he yearned to achieve something more significant.

500 rejections but Sagar kept marching on

In a interview, Sagar Kumar revealed that he applied to more than 500 companies on platforms such as LinkedIn, Wellfound and Glassdoor, but did not receive a response for any single one of those applications. Kumar acknowledged that unlike his peers who come from IITs and other top colleges, he lacked competitive programming and DSA skills, and thus he relied on his development skills and problem-solving ability, and honed these to make himself more attractive to top employers.

Undeterred by a long wave of rejections, Sagar Kumar changed his strategy and began working on improving his skills. Sagar used LinkedIn to connect with professionals from top companies, getting valuable referrals and guidance. Additionally, Sagar had resume reviewed by industry experts through platforms like Topmate, and also started preparing for DSA while he was working full-time at TCS.

Dream job at Google

Around nine months ago, Sagar Kumar finally received a call from a recruiter at Google, but his preparation was not strong enough due to which he failed to clear the screening round. Shocked by the outcome, Sagar Kumar took his preparations to the next level, mastering DSA, and using mock interviews, scheduled exercises and self-evaluation to build mental strength.

Sagar’s lucky break came in March this year, when a friend’s reference earned him another shot at working for Google, and this he did not disappoint, acing the screening rounds, and then clearing three rounds of tough interviews, which ultimately earned him his dream job with the global tech giant, accompanied by a whopping 500 percent salary hike.

Sagar Kumar is currently working as a software engineer at Google.

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