What is the hiring process like at Applied Materials?

There is no fixed time to go office. Flexible Work timings.

It had never heard of Applied Materials before, so I just Googled it and joined based on the reviews. Even though I had several offers at the time, that was the worst decision of my life. From the outside, the applied materials appear attractive. I worked on the software side of it.Only the good news is that nobody will say anything unpleasant about you directly, and you won't even receive any unfavorable feedback during your one-on-one or evaluation session. But all of a sudden, your manager shows up there and tells you that things aren't going as planned. Additionally, every year, 5–10% of employees are required to be fired in the name of poor performance. They really play with the life of a guy who joined with passion but ended disappointed. Without a plan, they hire a lot of people, then fire them when they can't be justified to the upper management. The company has a large appearance and is well-known in the semiconductor sector but not in the software sector. Data about the company's size is displayed during the hiring process, but ideally the software portion is extremely small. They pay average wages and add stocks that you will eventually receive in the name of compensation. (They will fire you before it got vested.) There is nothing new to learn about. They have legacy monolith systems (If you enjoy the newest technology, don't join.). . A small group of people oversee the entire PDC and make all decisions about the expansion of the division. They continue to work on the trial-and-error concept and have no notion how software companies operate. And if they make an unwise decision, they will save face by dismissing naive new personnel without cause.Because of their own job uncertainty, they never allow any new managers or higher-ranking individuals to settle in on a project. A laptop, monitor, keyboard, headphones, and other equipment are shipped home prior to the joining day. However, I was instructed to deliver everything to the office as I departed. The entire experience was awful. I won't suggest somebody for a manager or higher position; it's better to join proper IT companies.

Professional Development Flexibility Professional Relationships Opportunity to Advance Become creative

Difficulty balancing personal life As A contractor, the hiring process can take a long time It seems like it takes forever to get things done

Unlimited PTO and that’s about it

I used to work at Applied Materials as a Manufacturing Engineer and was excited to join such a large, well-known company. Unfortunately, my experience was far from positive. Despite consistently meeting performance expectations and being genuinely committed to my role, I was laid off without meaningful warning or support. The company talks a lot about innovation and employee value, but in practice it feels like you’re just a number. Decisions seem heavily driven by short-term financial optics rather than investing in skilled people who make long-term impact. The layoff process was impersonal, and I left feeling undervalued and disappointed. On top of that, the work environment is often bureaucratic, and communication from leadership down to the teams is inconsistent. It’s hard to feel secure or truly part of the organization when priorities shift quickly and people are let go with little consideration. Overall, I would caution anyone considering a role here to weigh the risks. The brand name is impressive, but don’t expect loyalty or stability and be prepared for sudden organizational changes that could impact your career.

Market-based salary according to the role

Managers, not leaders, profit over people, processes are broken, the company is complex to navigate, and the culture is atrocious—no growth opportunities for new talent. You get buried in unnecessary training, everything is mandatory. It's a dog-eat-dog place to work.

Strong benefits package and the opportunity to build a solid professional network.

Training could be improved, and work-life balance can be challenging. Advancement opportunities may feel influenced by favoritism, along with micromanagement, unexpected shift changes, and physically demanding work. While there are training resources available, much of the learning process requires gathering information on your own and navigating complex tasks with minimal guidance. In some cases, support from experienced team members may be inconsistent, which can make the onboarding process more challenging. If you are not truly interested in the nature of the work and are only doing it for the paycheck, the physical and mental demands of the role can quickly lead to burnout.

Good pay, good opportunity, located in a major city

Horrible interview process, lasted 10 mins, interviewers didn’t care about the interview.

Culture, flexibility, salary, Location, diversity

workload, interview process, industry, work, roles

Peers are friendly and generally work well together. Company growth, Projects keep one busy and fulfilled.

Communication doesn't filter down. Work Life balance leans heavy towards work, and don't tell leadership you are reducing OT. Documentation is poor, change management is forced. Culture shift is tops down approach instead of a blend. Attrition is a huge issue. You can feel you work in a silo. Exec leadership will smile with you and rip you apart behind closed doors. Hiring to politics instead of qualified personnel. A lot of it's for me and not we mentality. DEI rating of 5 stars is not a good thing.

1. Develop project management skills 2. Team is open to pursuing new tech - computer vision, new sensor development, process improvement softwares 3. Opportunities to travel outside India and work with various stakeholders directly 4. weekends are completely off

1. Work timings are difficult as there needs to be overlap with US team 2.growth is slow, good place to start career