Overview
Large enterprise hiring refers to companies with 50+ engineers—typically Series B+ startups, established tech companies, or engineering teams within large organizations. This stage is unique because you're competing with FAANG and other big tech companies while building specialized teams and established processes.
The dynamics are distinct:
- Established culture - You have a defined engineering culture and values
- Specialization - You can hire specialists for specific domains (ML, security, infrastructure, etc.)
- Process and structure - You have established hiring, onboarding, and career development processes
- Resources - You can invest in tooling, infrastructure, and team development
- Scale - You're solving problems at scale that most engineers never see
Large enterprises compete best when they emphasize impact at scale, technical challenges, career growth, and the resources to do great work.
The Large Enterprise Advantage
Why Large Enterprises Win
Large enterprises have unique advantages:
| Enterprise Strength | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Impact at scale | Your code affects millions of users |
| Technical challenges | Problems at scale (performance, reliability, architecture) |
| Resources | Can invest in tooling, infrastructure, and team development |
| Stability | Established company with proven business model |
| Career growth | Clear paths from IC to leadership, multiple teams and domains |
| Specialization | Can work on deep technical problems in specific domains |
The Challenge
Large enterprises also face constraints:
- Competing with FAANG - Big tech can outbid you on salary
- Process overhead - Risk of bureaucracy slowing things down
- Culture drift - Risk of losing startup agility and culture
- Hiring velocity - Need to hire fast, but process can be slow
- Brand perception - Some engineers prefer startups or mid-size companies
Hiring Strategy for Large Enterprises
1. Emphasize Impact at Scale
Engineers want to work on problems that matter:
How to pitch impact:
- "Your code will affect [X] million users"
- "You'll solve problems at scale that most engineers never see"
- "You'll work on systems that handle [X] requests per second"
- "You'll make architectural decisions that affect millions of users"
Examples:
- Scaling systems to handle growth
- Building reliable infrastructure
- Optimizing performance at scale
- Implementing complex features
2. Show Technical Challenges
Large enterprises tackle interesting technical problems:
Examples:
- Distributed systems and microservices
- Machine learning at scale
- Security and compliance
- Infrastructure and platform engineering
- Data engineering and analytics
How to pitch:
- "You'll work on [specific technical challenge]"
- "You'll solve problems that don't have established solutions"
- "You'll work with cutting-edge technology"
3. Define Clear Career Paths
At this stage, engineers want to see clear career progression:
IC Path:
- Junior → Mid → Senior → Staff → Principal → Distinguished
- Clear expectations at each level
- Technical leadership opportunities
- Industry recognition
Management Path:
- Senior IC → Tech Lead → Engineering Manager → Director → VP
- Transition support and training
- Clear expectations for each role
- Leadership development
Why this matters: Engineers at this stage are thinking about their careers. Show them where they can go.
4. Invest in Team Development
Large enterprises can invest in their teams:
What to invest in:
- Comprehensive onboarding programs
- Mentorship and pairing
- Technical training and conferences
- Career development support
- Internal tech talks and learning
Why this matters: Engineers want to grow. Show them you're invested in their development.
5. Build Specialized Teams
At this stage, you can build specialized teams:
Common specialized teams:
- ML/AI Engineering
- Security Engineering
- Infrastructure/Platform Engineering
- Mobile Engineering
- Data Engineering
- DevOps/SRE
How to pitch:
- "You'll work with experts in [domain]"
- "You'll dive deep into [specific area]"
- "You'll work on problems that require deep expertise"
Where to Find Enterprise Engineers
Best Sources
- Your network - Referrals from current team members
- Technical communities - Conferences, meetups, online communities
- daily.dev - Developers actively learning and growing
- LinkedIn - More effective now that you have a brand
- Recruiting agencies - Can help with specialized roles
- University partnerships - For junior engineers
- Internal transfers - Engineers moving between teams
Avoid These Sources
- Mass job boards - Too much noise, low quality
- Cold outreach without context - Better to build relationships first
The Hiring Process
Structured and Thorough
Large enterprises need more structure than startups:
Target timeline:
- Week 1: Initial screen (30 min)
- Week 1-2: Technical assessment (take-home or pair programming, 3-4 hours)
- Week 2: Team fit + culture conversation
- Week 2-3: Technical deep dive (system design for senior roles)
- Week 3: Final round (leadership/team fit)
- Week 3-4: Offer and close
Total: 4-6 weeks (vs. 2-3 weeks for startups)
Technical Assessment
At this stage, you can invest more in assessment:
Option 1: Take-home (preferred)
- 3-4 hour project that mirrors real work
- Review together and discuss trade-offs
- See how they think about architecture and design
Option 2: Pair programming
- 2-3 hour session building something together
- See how they think and communicate
- More authentic than whiteboard coding
Option 3: System design
- For senior roles, discuss system architecture
- See how they think about scale and reliability
- More relevant than algorithm questions
Option 4: Technical deep dive
- Discuss past projects in detail
- See how they think about technical decisions
- Understand their experience and expertise
Culture Fit Assessment
At this stage, culture fit matters:
Ask about:
- What they want in a team culture
- How they handle ambiguity vs. structure
- What excites them about large enterprises
- How they want to grow their career
Share:
- What your culture is
- How decisions get made
- What growth paths exist
- What challenges you're facing
Common Enterprise Hiring Mistakes
1. Over-Process
Don't add process just because you're big. Every process should solve a real problem.
Signs you're over-processing:
- 6+ interview rounds
- Hiring committees for every role
- 8-hour take-home projects
- Multiple technical assessments
- Long delays between rounds
Better: Keep it to 4-5 touchpoints, make each one count.
2. Losing Startup Agility
As you scale, don't lose what made you special:
What to preserve:
- Fast decision-making (where possible)
- Direct impact
- Autonomy and ownership
- Mission-driven work
What to add:
- More structure (onboarding, career paths)
- Better processes (code reviews, testing)
- More resources (tooling, infrastructure)
The balance: Add structure without losing agility.
3. Competing Only on Salary
You can't always outbid FAANG on salary. Compete on what you offer that they can't:
- Impact at scale
- Technical challenges
- Career growth
- Culture and mission
- Resources and support
4. Not Defining Growth Paths
Engineers at this stage want to see clear career progression. If you don't define it, they'll leave.
Better: Define IC and management paths. Show clear expectations at each level.
5. Ignoring Culture Fit
At this stage, culture fit matters more than ever. Don't hire just for skills—hire for fit.
Better: Assess culture fit explicitly. Make sure candidates align with your values.
Building Specialized Teams
When to Hire Specialists
Signs you need specialists:
- You're spending too much time on a specific domain
- You need expertise that generalists can't provide
- You have enough work to justify a full-time specialist
Common specialist roles:
- ML/AI Engineer
- Security Engineer
- Infrastructure/Platform Engineer
- Mobile Engineer
- Data Engineer
- DevOps/SRE
Building the Team
Start with generalists:
- They can work across domains
- They're more flexible as you iterate
- They can grow into specialists
Add specialists as you scale:
- When you have enough work to justify it
- When you need expertise generalists can't provide
- When you want to invest in a domain
Scaling Culture
Preserve What Works
What to preserve:
- Fast decision-making (where possible)
- Direct impact
- Autonomy and ownership
- Mission-driven work
Add Structure
What to add:
- Comprehensive onboarding programs
- Career paths and growth plans
- Technical practices (code reviews, testing)
- Better processes (deployment, monitoring)
- More resources (tooling, infrastructure)
The Balance
Add structure without losing agility. Every process should solve a real problem, not add bureaucracy.
Growth Paths
IC Path
Junior → Mid → Senior → Staff → Principal → Distinguished
Expectations at each level:
- Junior: Learning, following patterns, shipping features
- Mid: Independent work, making technical decisions, mentoring juniors
- Senior: Leading projects, influencing architecture, mentoring team
- Staff: Cross-team impact, technical strategy, mentoring seniors
- Principal: Technical vision, industry impact, mentoring staff
- Distinguished: Industry leadership, technical innovation, mentoring principals
Management Path
Senior IC → Tech Lead → Engineering Manager → Director → VP → CTO
Expectations at each level:
- Tech Lead: Technical leadership, mentoring, project ownership
- Engineering Manager: People management, team development, delivery
- Director: Multiple teams, strategy, organizational impact
- VP: Organization-wide impact, strategic leadership
- CTO: Technical vision, company-wide impact
Transition support:
- Training and mentorship
- Clear expectations
- Support during transition