I just spoke with the HR person in charge of Facebook's DC office and wanted to share some information with you all.

First of all, to avoid any misunderstanding, let me clarify that I only contacted them out of curiosity to find out what Facebook was planning to do in DC, and it was the other party who made the first move (facepalm). The HR contacted me on LinkedIn, and I just scheduled a call.

History, Current Status and Future

Facebook has had an office in Washington, D.C. since 2007, though it's not very large, currently employing around 120 people, including about 20 engineers. The office is primarily divided into three departments: Data Security, Pravicy and Safty, and User Investigation, focusing on data security, account security, user privacy, content, and user investigation (counter-terrorism, fake accounts, etc.). I speculate that due to this year's privacy breaches and the implementation of GDPR, they've started to prioritize this area. It's rumored that they plan to expand from the current 120 people to 400. HR has informed me that the Engineer Team will be scaled up in increments of 20, 40, 80, and then 150 people.

Job Requirements

As seen in the three departments above, most have some involvement in Machine Learning and Data Mining, but their requirements don't necessarily require this background (because they know it's not easy for data centers to find people with this background). They prefer people with potential who can learn after joining. Regarding hiring levels, it's said to be "all ages," with all levels available, but I estimate they currently favor senior positions, given the team's recent expansion and need for core members. The demand for junior positions may increase next year. They have needs for front-end, back-end, and full-stack positions, and it seems they prefer full-stack candidates with a back-end bias.

Interview process

Although it appears to be a large-scale expansion, the interviews are anything but sloppy. There are two rounds of phone interviews (medium or hard), followed by an onsite interview in San Francisco. Note, it's a flight to San Francisco! So, their interview process is essentially the same as Facebook's, not a process specifically designed for DC.

It's worth mentioning that after being hired, they will undergo six weeks of learning and training to familiarize newcomers with the various departments and products. After the six weeks, they will choose which team they will be on and what their responsibilities will be. It sounds good, and this confirms to me that their interview process follows standard Facebook procedures.

Conclusion

If you're interested, keep practicing your coding problems! If you can't find their HR's contact information, feel free to contact me, and I'll connect you.

By the way, Facebook's office is in DC, you read that right, in DC!!! I forgot to ask about their culture here; if they can't work from home, I bet a lot of people will be stressed out... However, if Apple and Amazon also announce plans to come to the DC area by the end of the year, then this place will get interesting!