How to get a job at Deloitte: Bekhzod Tair's experience

Bekhtiyor Tayer, City — Pittsburgh, Senior Software Engineer, LinkedIn

About Me

I am from Tashkent. I graduated from Westminster International University in Tashkent in 2016 and have been developing my career in the IT field ever since. Currently, I am a Senior Software Engineer at the consulting company Deloitte, where I develop software for one of the largest financial asset management systems in the world. At Deloitte, I work on modernizing internal systems across several sub-projects.

My path in IT was unconventional. I started as a web developer, creating websites and internal systems for small businesses. I quickly grew into a department head, but in a small company — a retail store chain. Over two years, we successfully launched a project, and half of my time was spent not only on development but also on management.

However, the business faced losses, and we were laid off. At that point, I decided to return to programming and joined a company developing CRM systems. After about a year, I realized that in the future I wanted to move toward new growth opportunities where modern technologies, such as cloud services, were used. I wanted to work in a large corporation, learn about security processes, logging, and handling thousands of requests per second — everything related to distributed systems.

The next step was working at EPAM Uzbekistan. I worked remotely for a fairly large client from the US.

In 2022, I won the green card. After moving, I faced difficulties in finding a job: in 2023, there was a peak in layoffs and a high unemployment rate.

After obtaining the green card, I seriously prepared for the move, realizing that I would be entering a highly competitive environment where people literally "live" for their work. I solved problems on LeetCode in advance. The interviews at the companies I applied to varied. Therefore, I focused on deeply studying Java and the fundamental principles of the language on which I wrote code.

How to Get into Deloitte

The hiring process began with LinkedIn Outreach — a recruiter from Deloitte contacted me directly. We agreed on a call a week later, but due to external circumstances, the first attempt to conduct an interview failed. There were no significant difficulties in obtaining an offer.

The first stage was a phone screen with basic technical questions. The second stage was a technical interview, which included two LeetCode-style problems, as well as questions on theoretical foundations. In addition to the problems, an engineer from the company asked questions about OOP and the principles of the Java language, which I use for coding. I expected the interview to focus solely on LeetCode, but it turned out that fundamental knowledge was also being tested. The final stage was a behavioral interview.

I did not have a clear goal of getting into a consulting company specifically; it was important to get a job. After moving, I did not start looking for work immediately — I first traveled and got to know America. The active search took one and a half to two months. During this time, I sent 400-500 resumes, conducted more than 50 touchpoints — calls, email communication, and went through 10-15 interviews.

At the time of receiving the offer from Deloitte, I also had an offer from Bank of New York Mellon in Pennsylvania. I was waiting for the final answer from Deloitte, and, having received both offers, I chose Deloitte because the conditions were better.

Tips for Those Who Want to Get into an International Company Located in the US

1. Give yourself time and set yourself up for the process
Job hunting in the US is a competition in one of the most competitive markets, where salaries are significantly higher than in other countries. It is important not to set unrealistic deadlines — for example, getting employed in two weeks. Be prepared for a long process, allocate at least three months depending on your level of preparation.

2. Optimize your LinkedIn and work on profile visibility
LinkedIn is a key tool for job searching. To ensure recruiters find your profile, carefully work through keywords in the description of your experience and skills. Analyze every word, as it can affect the appearance of your profile in search results.

3. Work on the number of applications
Based on my experience, I focused on quantity. I submitted more than 400–500 applications, sometimes up to 20 applications per day. When submitting an application, it is useful to tailor your resume to the specific vacancy, taking into account the key skills listed in the job description. This increases the chance of passing the screening, as the resume becomes more relevant.

4. English language and preparation for behavioral interview
For international companies, the behavioral interview is just as important as the technical one. It assesses not only your experience but also your problem-solving, teamwork, and adaptation skills. Be prepared for clarifying questions. If a story is fabricated, you need to be able to detail it. Use the STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, Result, to answer questions in a structured way.

5. Be careful with personal data
To avoid spam, do not include your full name on LinkedIn. You can use a nickname or an English name that will be easier for recruiters to pronounce.

6. Solve problems on LeetCode
At first, I was skeptical about LeetCode, not understanding its usefulness for work. Currently, I have solved more than 1500 problems, and I continue to train.

Initially, I thought that any problem could appear in an interview, so I approached preparation chaotically — solving any problems without a system. I did not have the goal of getting a job in two months, so I chose problems randomly. But if your interview is coming up soon, it is worth focusing on the problems that occur most often.

Another important point is that you need to know your programming language well. If you write code in a text editor without the help of an IDE, you have to memorize basic constructs, which helps to better consolidate the material.

Also, do not use ChatGPT when solving problems. Simply reading a ready-made solution does not mean you understand it. During an interview, you will already be under stress, which reduces the probability of correctly solving even a problem you have solved 10 times. Therefore, the skill needs to be polished to automatism — so that, waking up in the middle of the night, you could solve this problem.

No matter who the interviewer is, you must be ready for any question. But is this really useful in the real work of programmers? This question is left to the judgment of the readers.

Before I started regularly solving problems, I just looked through some of them out of interest. For example, when I wrote code in Java and used HashMap, I did not quite understand how it was structured internally.

About a year before starting active preparation for LeetCode, I took a full course on the C language and data structures. We wrote data structures from scratch — implemented Linked List, connected nodes, created head nodes, and other basic elements. This gave me a solid foundation and helped me understand the internal structure of data structures more deeply.

At first, it was difficult — it could take a whole day even for an easy-level problem. The first month was real stress, and I thought: "Why did millions manage, and why is it so hard for me?". But with practice, confidence came. If I did not understand a problem or did not know the necessary algorithm, I first studied the theory, and then tried to solve it on my own.

Work Features

My project, although not considered one of the largest within the company, plays an important role in the field of capital management, helping with tax calculation and accounting. We use a technology stack on Java and cloud solutions.

I have been working in the team for half a year. Our team consists of 9-10 people, of which 7 are engineers, and the rest are business analysts and Scrum managers.

A programmer's job essentially combines two professions. By this point, programming knowledge and technical skills become second nature, but in addition to this, it is necessary to have a good understanding of the field in which the company operates. To develop software that meets business requirements, one must understand the theoretical foundations just as well as specialists in that industry.

When I started, I was confident in my technical skills, but I was not ready in terms of business knowledge, especially in understanding the domain. Since I work with taxes, I had to dive deeply into the topic, studying US rules and standards.

The second challenge is language. English is my third language, and at first, it was difficult for me even with basic things.

The third is working with different time zones and interacting with colleagues working on outsourcing. Communication with employees from countries such as India, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan can be difficult.

In addition, in consulting companies, there are always two managers: one from Deloitte, and the other within the project, and each of them has their own expectations. Sometimes their requirements may differ, which creates additional difficulties.

Today, Deloitte has more than 500,000 employees worldwide. The company annually allocates a certain budget for employee well-being. There is also an opportunity to get certifications for free, for example, AWS. Inside the company, there are many training courses available for self-study. The company creates all conditions for professional development.

Working at EPAM, I noticed that the main difference lies in the scale of the company compared to Deloitte. At EPAM, we did not have such bonuses as an annual well-being budget, but the company paid for obtaining certifications. The work was remote, and the salary was competitive. In addition, access to free courses on LinkedIn and other internal training programs was provided.

Overall, I liked everything at EPAM, as there were also many opportunities for professional growth there. The main difference, perhaps, is only in the scale of the companies.

About Life Abroad

If you are not employed yet, it is important to prepare a financial cushion in advance to give yourself time to find a job. Competition in the market is high — other candidates with similar skills and experience are applying along with you. Companies always strive to choose the "best product," so be prepared for possible rejections.

Rejections are not always your fault, so it is important to maintain psychological resilience. Stock up on patience and do not forget about hobbies. Active job hunting takes a lot of energy, and it must be replenished. For me, such a source of energy was LeetCode — it may sound strange, but after two years of solving problems, it became my hobby and helped me stay in shape. Also, walks with family, wife, communication — any activities that help distract and replenish energy are useful.

At this stage, submitting applications turns into a full-fledged job: interview preparation, writing resumes, and cover letters require significant effort. It is important to be able to distribute energy properly to maintain motivation.

And finally, remember that there is always someone better than you. If you were the best in school or university, it does not guarantee success in the labor market. Corporate culture values hard work, and there will always be someone who spends more time preparing. This "game" has its own rules, and if you want to participate in it, you must follow them.