How I Got Into Series: Palantir

The text below is a summary of a video in our How I Got Into Series.

Who is this person?

Alejandro Davila is a Software Engineer at Palantir Technologies and is also the co-founder of the company InternMakers. After graduating from the University of Texas with a degree in Computer Science. Alejandro went on to pursue even greater pastures in the world of technology — applying to Palantir and gaining his sought after position in Software Engineering.

How did this person get into their company?

After his first internship in IT, Alejandro wanted to explore a job in software and consulting which led him to apply to Palantir online. When the recruiter reached out to him, Alejandro was given an extremely difficult coding challenge. Although he did not complete the challenge with ease — Alejandro didn’t give up and sent the company a follow-up email explaining how his experience in extracurriculars still made him a suitable applicant. The recruiter ended up taking Alejandro on his offer and told him to apply for the Palantir Path internship. After completing another challenge, Alejandro was invited to the on-sight interview where he competed with engineers from other universities — a week later Alejandro began his internship as a Software Engineer at Palantir.

How to get into that position?

As a Forward Deployed Software Engineer, Alejandro advises those who want to have a career in that field to work in data science (such as technologies like Spark or Python) and web development programs like Javascript. Additionally, people skills are also a major plus when applying for this position. This job requires you to interact with clients and help them find solutions to any problems they might have, therefore communication skills are a necessary requirement for each applicant.

Tips for anyone who wants to join the company?

Alejandro suggests going on to the website and learning as much as you can about the company. Research about Palantir’s mission statement, the products they sell, and what’s most important to them. At Palantir, they want someone who strives to make an impact on software engineering. Since their technology is used by various organizations, Palantir is looking for applications with a passion for creating a new code that can cater to the plethora of clients and organizations worldwide.

Any additional advice?

Alejandro’s number one advice: it’s never too late to start. When Alejandro started his second internship he was 24 working with a team of engineers that were all younger than him. Despite, being the older intern he didn’t let that get to him and continued to put in the work necessary to achieve his goals. No matter what age you are, if you work hard then you can always get the internship and job that you desire.