Since starting the long and arduous search for Summer 2015 opportunities back in September of last year, I've made the decision to go to to Khan Academy (KA) this summer.
This post isn't so much an announcement as it is a relevation of things I've learned about myself, KA, and the interview process as a result of the introspective experience. So I just wanted to take this chance to highlight a few reasons why I felt compelled to join KA.
1. Non-exploding Offer Deadline
This was huge. The fact that Khan Academy allowed me an indefinite amount of time to make my decision put a lot of pressure off my back and speaks to the attitude that Khan Academy has about towards its candidates. The philosophy here works great for KA too - there's no "if only" "should've" "would've" doubts in the candidates mind when they join. They're getting candidates who have truly decided its in their best interest to join the company, and it speaks wonders in my opinion to the quality to the motivations and convictions of the people who join.
(How to combat the exploding offer if you have one: link)
2. Interview process
For any other company, I probably would not have been a fan of the multiple sequential interviews that Khan Academy puts you through in the process. It leads to a longer and more stressful process by raising the potential risk for each interview given that each interview paves the way to the next.
Given this setup, I think Khan Academy makes this work by training interviewers who facilitate each interview more as a conversation rather than an assessment. In my last interview I really appreciated the fact that my interviewer took the time to formulate some interesting and really thought-provoking questions specific to my experience. It sparked a conversation that was worlds different from the standard pitch I kept giving to other companies about side-projects and my classes.
In the end, the effort that a company puts into its interviews goes a long way to influence the interviewee's perspective of the company no matter how much they want to work there, and I think this is one aspect of interviewing in which KA really set itself apart.
3. Transparency
It was actually blog posts from KA interns and engineers that I started reading last summer that was part of the inspiration of this very blog. I love the fact that I can follow what interns do and what the company is working on, and wanted to provide myself the same capacity to reflect on my own story in the future.
It's incredible to see how KA is able to weave a compelling story through its engineers and interns. This facet makes the company just that much more personable and relatable to prospective interns when we can get a clear picture of what it would really look like to work there.
4. Dedication to Mentorship
This was the main criteria that I was really looking for this coming summer. The question I rooted my summer search was:
"How well can the team mentor and support me in my learning and development as an engineer and as a person?"
Talking to previous interns and reading some of Ben's blog posts really convinced me that KA was dedicated and invested in growing and mentoring us students. It's what kept me on the hook as other offer deadlines expired and what helped me ultimately make my decision.
In the end, I was struck by KA's dedication to its interns. My interactions with everyone there repeatedly confirmed that KA's first priority in taking me on as an intern was helping me learn. If the resources and the attention that KA invests in its interns are any indication, I can't think of a better company that embodies their own mission when taking on interns.