Every week, thousands of candidates apply to OpenAI, Notion, Stripe, and Figma. A handful get interviews. A smaller handful get offers. The difference between the candidates who get through and the ones who do not is not raw intelligence — it is process.
Here is the exact playbook.
Step 1: Find the Right Role (This Is Not as Simple as It Sounds)
Top tech companies post the same job titles across 15 different job boards, often with slightly different descriptions. The canonical source is always the company's own careers page — not LinkedIn, not Indeed. Start there.
Some companies use specific ATS platforms you may not know about. Stripe and Shopify use Greenhouse. Notion and OpenAI use Ashby. Figma and Vercel use Lever. These platforms sometimes have roles listed that have not yet been cross-posted to LinkedIn.
Gaply's Company Job Finder pulls live openings directly from each company's ATS — so you see every open role at OpenAI, Notion, Stripe, and dozens of other top companies in one place, updated in real time.
Step 2: Get Referred — This Is Not Optional
At companies like Stripe, referred candidates are 4–5x more likely to receive an interview than cold applicants. The referral is not a shortcut — it is the actual path for most successful hires.
How to get a referral even if you do not know anyone:
- Search LinkedIn for "[Company Name] engineer" or "[Company Name] PM" — filter by 2nd-degree connections
- Send a specific, brief message: "I have been following [Company]'s work on [specific thing] and am applying for the [Role]. I noticed we are both connected to [Mutual Connection]. Would you be open to a 15-minute chat? Happy to return the favour anytime."
- Do not ask for a referral in the first message. Build a brief rapport first. The referral request comes naturally once there has been a conversation.
Step 3: Tailor Your Resume to Their Specific Hiring Bar
Each of these companies has a distinct hiring bar and culture. Do your research:
- OpenAI: Research background in ML, systems thinking, and mission-driven reasoning. They care deeply about safety-conscious thinking across all roles.
- Stripe: Emphasis on precision writing and structured thinking. Their documentation is legendary — if you write clearly, show it.
- Notion: Product sense, simplicity, and deep care about user experience. Teardown their product in your cover note.
- Figma: Design-adjacent thinking even for engineering roles. Demonstrate taste and craft.
Step 4: Prepare for Their Specific Interview Format
These companies do not run generic interviews. Research their specific format:
- Stripe is known for a "writing exercise" round where you write a structured document on a given topic — often more rigorous than the technical rounds
- Notion runs collaborative sessions where you discuss product decisions with the actual team, not a panel
- OpenAI interviews often include a research discussion round, regardless of your role
- Figma design critiques apply to PM and engineering roles, not just design
Look up "Stripe interview experience," "Notion interview process," or "[Company] interview Glassdoor" to find current, specific accounts from people who have been through it in the last 6 months.
Step 5: Follow Up Professionally
After each interview, send a brief thank-you note within 24 hours. Reference something specific from the conversation — a problem you discussed, a product decision they mentioned, a piece of feedback they gave. Make it clear you were listening and thinking.
Most candidates skip this step. It takes four minutes and makes a genuine impression at the margin — which at a company that rejects 98% of applicants is exactly what you need.