The insider playbook on landing $200K+ mechanical engineering roles in big tech! Whether you're a student or a professional looking to pivot from another industry, this video delivers insider knowledge I wish I'd had years ago. Chapter Timestamps [Sections are generally application unless labeled MechE specific!] 0:00 MechLead Intro 0:34 Chapter 1 - Hiring Pipeline 1:01 Networking and Referrals 1:18 Three Types of Referrals 2:20 How to Network Better 2:48 The Value of Guidance 3:15 Chapter 2 - Standing Out 3:26 Portfolios 3:58 Domain Specific Experience 4:21 Passion Projects 4:54 For Students 5:22 Big Tech uses NX for CAD 5:47 For Working Professionals Pivoting 6:16 Preparing for Your Interview 6:20 Technical Questions 7:16 Behavioral Questions 7:42 Vibe Check! 8:18 Chapter 4 - Job Offer and Salary Negotiations 8:56 Negotiations 9:50 Big Tech’s Attrition Problem 10:47 Afterword My website: www.LeonExMachina.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/LeonExMachina My Referral Links (using these supports my channel!) My vibey music and dope b-roll footage from Artlist.io: https://artlist.io/referral/74ce8076-7028-4bc2-8346-1cbd40571bd0 Need parts made? Try Jiga.io https://bit.ly/3RVogE0 Referenced Links: Tolerance Stack Analysis https://waykenrm.com/blogs/what-is-tolerance-stacking https://www.fiveflute.com/guide/introduction-to-root-sum-squared-rss-tolerance-analysis/ https://enventive.com/tolerance-analysis-resources/worst-case-rss-and-monte-carlo-simulation-calculations-for-tolerance-analysis/ GD&T https://formlabs.com/blog/gdt-geometric-dimensioning-and-tolerancing/ https://www.gdandtbasics.com/gdt-symbols/ Common injection molding defects https://www.starrapid.com/blog/the-top-5-plastic-injection-molding-defects-and-how-to-solve-them/ https://www.fictiv.com/articles/the-ten-most-common-injection-molding-defects https://sybridge.com/injection-molding-defects/ Employee retention and tenure in Tech: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/employee-tenure-retention-tech-leaders-2024-centum-search-fmtse/ https://www.builtinseattle.com/articles/-Why-These-Employees-Have-Stayed-at-Their-Employer-for-the-Long-Haul Mechanical engineer salaries (estimate) https://www.levels.fyi/companies/apple/salaries/mechanical-engineer?country=254 https://www.levels.fyi/companies/facebook/salaries/mechanical-engineer?country=254 Siemens NX CAD Student Version & Academic Partner Grant: https://resources.sw.siemens.com/en-US/fact-sheet-nx-academic-edition/ https://www.sw.siemens.com/en-US/academic/academic-partner-grant/ I'll be a speaker at Product Development Expo (PDX), October 21-22, 2025! $50 Off your ticket with my discount code: LEM50 https://reg.eventmobi.com/product-development-expo-2025