Overcoming self-doubt to find a career at Meta

By Meta Careers
Share icon
Facebook share icon
Facebook share dark icon
Whatsapp share icon
Whatsapp share icon
Twitter share icon
Twitter share dark icon
Close icon
Fienny, Furn and Cindy each started their Meta journey as interns. And though they came from different countries, and brought with them different experiences, skills, interests (and choice of super power when asked), they also share a lot in common.
Like many people, they each wrestled with questions of doubt and wondered if they were qualified enough to apply for a role at Meta. Fast forward to today, and they each have completed their internships and found full-time roles, belonging and career growth.

Starting at Meta

Fienny A., now a software engineer at Meta, first heard about a Meta internship opportunity when she was a third year university student in Indonesia. New to computer science, she was intrigued by the opportunity. “In high school, I didn’t have experience. But I was able to explore things online and get into computer science once at university,” she says. “I definitely had doubts. I came from Indonesia, from a regular school, not even a good school,” she admits with a laugh. “I thought you had to come from MIT or Harvard to actually get a job at Meta.”
="Furn T. in the San Francisco office"
Furn T. in the San Francisco office
Like Fienny, Furn T. who is also now a full-time software engineer at Meta didn’t have much experience with computer science until college. Originally from Bangkok, she took a computer science course at university in the United States and fell in love with it. “I liked the problem solving aspect of it. There’s a scientific and logical way of turning nothing into something.” Despite limited coding experience, Furn still applied for a Meta internship and was accepted.“Meta was my first internship in tech.”
Originally from Taiwan, Cindy Yu Hsuan T., came to Singapore for secondary school. While working for a small company in university doing backend development, she found the Meta internship online. She recalls having a positive experience with the application and interview process.“The application process was easy [and] it was a smooth interview process. The recruiter was very welcoming. And you don’t go to the interview blindly. They help you practice and set you up for success. They were not looking for the correct answer, but were wanting to know if you can think critically.”

Intern Life

Despite not having as much experience as they thought they needed to get an internship at Meta, Fienny, Furn and Cindy all accepted offers to the program and thrived as interns. They quickly learned that while Meta is a place of big impact and responsibility, it’s also a culture of collaboration with a strong support system to help them.
="Cindy T."
Cindy T.
“The people are super approachable. And I like that Meta is very trustworthy of interns,” says Cindy. “There’s a good feedback culture too. The managers are always willing to discuss ways to improve,” says Cindy. “And there were times when I had self doubt. I did not think my work was impactful. I spoke to my manager to discuss my concerns, and they encouraged me to make a post to show how useful it actually was.”
“There was a lot of stigma working at a larger company. I thought it might be very restricted, but I found that was not true. Interns were treated with the same respect and trust, no matter what their role is,” adds Fienny.

Culture and career growth in Singapore

While each of their days now look different as full-time employees, each woman shares a similar positive experience when it comes to the culture of support in the Singapore office. It’s a culture that has enabled them to grow in their respective careers.
“Guidance at Meta is great. There’s an open culture that allows you to explore different things and managers are open to their employees trying different things,” says Cindy. “Like right now, I’m not only learning how to code, but also learning about business perspectives.”
="Fienny A. outside the Singapore office"
Fienny A. outside the Singapore office
“Mentorship is also an important part of the Meta culture and individual career growth. “People are kind and brilliant, and are open to sharing their past experiences, failures, and challenges. You can learn a lot from them if you want to,” says Fienny. “There are a lot of mentorship opportunities that are specific on the skill you want to improve on. These mentorship opportunities have helped me grow my career.”
“People are very supportive here,” adds Cindy, who just celebrated one year at Meta and is now an intern manager herself. “You can turn anywhere for help. Your teammates. Resources online. And I like the feedback system we have. It’s a good way to get constructive feedback.”
While the environment at Meta is fast-paced and dynamic, an element that Furn says has helped her grow, people are still valued more than the work. “Meta puts a lot of emphasis on work-life balance,” says Furn. “Even in our fast-moving culture, teammates and managers still check on you regularly and they are always open to discuss your workload.”

For those who are hesitant to apply

Self-doubt is natural. Each of the women spoke of feeling self-doubt when applying to Meta and even feelings of imposter syndrome during their day-to-day activities. But each learned that what makes them successful is not their resume, background or even their education. Instead it’s their ability to learn, solve problems and seek help from the community around them when they need it.
For those who are hesitant about applying for an internship or job at Meta, Cindy and Furn offer some advice.
“My friends are asking the same question: ‘are we good enough to even join Meta?’” shares Cindy. “Meta gives you amazing training and sets you up to succeed. Don’t feel like you are disqualified. Meta recognizes your ability. They know that you will learn really fast if you’re training here.”
“The biggest risk is not taking one. It’s normal to feel like you’re underqualified,” adds Furn. “And it’s completely okay to fail. Everything is a learning opportunity.”

Interested in a career at Meta?

Meta is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, reproductive health decisions, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, political views or activity, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. You may view our Equal Employment Opportunity notice here. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. We may use your information to maintain the safety and security of Meta, its employees, and others as required or permitted by law. You may view Meta Pay Transparency Policy, Equal Employment Opportunity is the Law notice, and Notice to Applicants for Employment and Employees by clicking on their corresponding links. Additionally, Meta participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations, as required by law.

Meta is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at accommodations-ext@fb.com.
Let us know you're interested.
Share your resume or LinkedIn profile with our recruiting team and create personalized job alerts.