- Vishakha Sadhwani landed a job at Google as a cloud architect with three years of experience.
- Her first internship in cloud migrations sparked her interest in the field.
Vishakha Sadhwani was set on becoming a hardware engineer after earning a bachelor's degree in electronics and telecommunications.
Designing chips seemed like a pretty cool gig, so she enrolled in a master's in computer engineering, focusing on hardware, at the University of Maryland.
But after hearing stories about the challenging job market, she decided to have a backup plan — pursuing a graduate degree in software engineering alongside her master's, hoping to get a broader understanding of the tech world.
Sadhwani landed her first internship as a software engineer working on cloud migrations, which she said sparked her interest in the field.
"Trust me when I say this: internships can be life-changing as they give you a taste of the real world and can open doors you never imagined, so go out there and get that experience," she said.
That experience with a cloud migration project Sadhwani worked on during her first internship helped her land her first job as a DevOps engineer at Brightspot. After gaining experience in the field for a year and a half, she landed a cloud engineer role at Amazon Web Services (AWS), which she described as a "pivotal moment" in her career.
After two years at AWS, a Google Cloud recruiter contacted Sadhwani, who then embarked on its comprehensive interview process.
Preparing for interviews
Sadhwani was worried that she would be underprepared, so spent considerable time revisiting fundamental cloud concepts and building up her hands-on experience.
She practiced explaining complex technical topics in simple terms as if she were speaking to a non-technical customer. "I even rehearsed my introduction in front of the mirror multiple times to ensure a confident start."
For the technical whiteboard interview round, which assesses a candidate's technical skills, Sadhwani dove deep into the Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) and Certified Kubernetes Application Developer (CKAD) material, even though it wasn't a formal requirement.
"This was mainly due to my fear of encountering challenging questions about Kubernetes during the interview," she said.
What she would change on her CV
Sadhwani said if she could go back and rewrite her CV before applying for the job at Google, she'd make it laser-focused on the specific role.
"Think of it like a movie trailer — you want to highlight the most exciting parts that make you a perfect fit," she said. She'd also add a short summary showcasing her key skills, such as cloud and DevOps enthusiasm.
She'd also use the "STAR" method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to highlight her achievements and craft a narrative around how she's tackled challenges and made an impact in her previous roles.
"It's like adding a little bit of storytelling magic to your résumé to make it truly stand out."
DevOps skills
Sadhwani said anyone interested in DevOps should focus on building a strong foundation to boost their employability.
They can do this through master infrastructure management, continuous integration or continuous deployment (CI/CD), and containerization.
"These are the bread and butter of any DevOps engineer and from there, you can explore specializations like DevSecOps, Cloud technologies, Infrastructure as Code [IaC], or even the trendy realm of MLOps, where AI and DevOps intersect," she said.
Sadhwani also suggests honing essential skills such as configuration management, automation, version control, and release management to make you stand out in interviews.
Top 3 Google tips
- Don't be intimidated about applying
"For beginners, internships and co-ops are invaluable and count for a lot," she said. "For career changers, analyze your current skills and how they align with Google's diverse areas of focus."
- Define your goals and personal brand
The Big Tech job market is competitive, and building a personal brand is important. Sadhwani did this by engaging in public speaking engagements and publishing articles on DevOps.
"It's about showcasing your unique value proposition, establishing yourself as an expert in your field, and creating a lasting impression on potential employers."
- Explore Google's diverse teams and products
Understand how your skills fit into the broader picture. For Sadhwani, exploring Google Cloud led her to find the perfect role.
Do you have a career journey to share? Contact this reporter at jmann@businessinsider.com