[praneshp]

When I graduated, Google/Amazon/FB/MS, I knew people were smart and the job would be okay at the very least. How should I have gone about figuring out which ones are "a startup with smart leadership". I remember being overwhelmed by everyone, everyone came across as smart.

So I counter your advice by saying the best opportunity for a young engineer is likely a large company that is well-known for having generally smart people. At least I learned what I wanted and didn't in the rest of my career.

[funkymike]

Interviews are a two way street. For most companies you should be able to talk to the hiring manager and other developers that you would be working with. Ask yourself whether as a junior developer if you will be able to learn from them. This includes technical skills, soft skills, and personality.

From my own experience I interviewed with a small company right out of school where I would have been the second or third developer (I forget now). One reason I did not pursue it is that I seemed to know more about development best practices than their existing developers; for example they did not use source control at all. While I would have had the opportunity to make a big impact on the product, I don't believe I would have grown much.