[QuercusMax]

I actually got a major raise after 6m, and then another major raise 1y into my career, because my boss recognized my value.

Sadly this is not as common as it should be - but I've also mentored folks at FAANGs who got promoted after 1y at the new-hire level because they were so clearly excelling. The first promotion is usually not very hard to attain if you're in the top quartile.

[johnnyanmac]

>not very hard to attain if you're in the top quartile.

No biggie, just be the best in the interview stage and continue to be the best for years after that. It's that simple.

[QuercusMax]

I used to sit on a Google / Alphabet promo committee (more than half a decade ago, so things have changed a bit). The bar for L3 (newgrad) to L4 promotions is not high. It's certainly not a rubber stamp, but we were looking for:

  - Gets things done fast enough with high quality 
  - Works mostly independently 
  - Has recommendations from more senior peers who can speak to what they've done
  - Is starting to show several of the expected marks of a Senior (L5)

I had at least one, maybe two new grads who I mentored get promoted to L4 within a year of starting full time; they had both done internships at Google so they didn't have as much ramp up time.

[supportengineer]

"Winner take all" environment