Cracking the Tech Career: Insider Advice on Landing a Job at Google, Microsoft, Apple, or any Top Tech Company

0.3 MB·English

by  Gayle Laakmann McDowell

Contents Page: v
Chapter 1: Life at the World’s Greatest Tech Companies Page: 1
Life at Infinite Loop and Microsoft Way Page: 2
Youthful Page: 2
Perks Page: 2
Work/Life Balance Page: 3
Moving Up: Individual Contributors Page: 3
The Differences Page: 4
Big versus Little: Is a Start-Up Right for You? Page: 5
The Good Page: 5
The Bad Page: 6
The Ugly Page: 7
The Job Title: What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up? Page: 8
What Do You Need? Page: 9
How Do You Enjoy Working? Page: 9
What Are You Good At? Page: 10
It’s Not for Everyone Page: 11
Chapter 2: Advanced Positioning and Preparation Page: 12
A Positioning Framework Page: 12
Relevant Skills Page: 13
Prestige/Credibility Page: 14
Technical Connection Page: 14
Something Special Page: 15
University Page: 16
Elite Schools: What’s in a Name? Page: 16
Majors Page: 16
Minors Page: 17
Learn to Code Page: 17
Get Project Experience Page: 17
Grade Point Average: Does It Matter and What Can You Do? Page: 18
Doctor Who? Getting to Know Professors Page: 20
Graduate School Page: 21
The True Cost of Graduate School Page: 21
Career Graduate Degrees Page: 22
Preparing Now Page: 22
The MBA Page: 23
What’s an MBA Worth? Page: 23
Should You Get an MBA? Page: 25
Preparing Now Page: 25
Your “Story” Page: 26
Part-Time Graduate Programs Page: 27
Work Experience Page: 28
Make an Impact Page: 28
Become a [Half a] Generalist Page: 29
Size Matters: Quantify Your Impact Page: 29
Part-Time Jobs and Internships Page: 29
Extracurriculars Page: 30
Volunteering Page: 31
Start Something Page: 31
Questions and Answers Page: 33
Well, There Go the College Hires Page: 33
Will Code for Food Page: 34
The Un-manager Page: 35
Chapter 3: Getting in the Door Page: 37
The Black Hole: Online Job Submission Page: 37
Making the Best of the Black Hole Page: 38
Getting a Personal Referral Page: 39
The Informational Interview Page: 39
Reach Out to Recruiters Page: 40
Alumni Network and Beyond Page: 41
Career Fairs Page: 41
Professional Recruiters Page: 42
When Things Get Ugly: What to Watch Out For Page: 43
Additional Avenues Page: 44
Start Elsewhere Page: 44
Contract Roles Page: 44
Get Creative Page: 45
Official Groups Page: 46
Networking Page: 46
Attributes of a Good Network Page: 46
How to Build a Great Network Page: 47
Where to Network Page: 48
Social Networking Page: 49
LinkedIn Page: 49
Facebook Page: 50
Twitter Page: 50
Build an Online Portfolio Page: 50
Questions and Answers Page: 51
Applying from Afar Page: 51
Distant Relations Page: 52
Just Following Instructions Page: 53
Chapter 4: Resumes Page: 55
How Resumes Are Read Page: 55
Nine Hallmarks of a Powerful Resume Page: 55
1. Short and Sweet Page: 56
2. Accomplishment Oriented Page: 56
3. Quantifiable Results Page: 57
4. Well Targeted Page: 58
5. Universally Meaningful Page: 59
6. Professional Page: 59
7. Well Formatted Page: 60
8. List Your Projects and Extracurriculars Page: 61
9. Be Different (If You Want) Page: 62
The Structure Page: 63
The Objective Page: 63
Summary (or Key Accomplishments) Page: 64
Work Experience Page: 65
Projects and Leadership Experience Page: 66
Education Page: 66
Skills Page: 68
Awards and Honors Page: 69
How Do I Shorten My Resume? Page: 69
Resume Action Words Page: 70
Questions and Answers Page: 73
It’s a Family Matter Page: 73
On the Up and Up Page: 74
But Seriously Page: 75
Chapter 5: Deconstructing the Resume Page: 77
Resume #1 Page: 77
Sample Resume Page: 77
Assessment Page: 78
Improved Resume Page: 78
Resume #2 Page: 78
Sample Resume Page: 78
Assessment Page: 79
Improved Resume Page: 79
Resume #3 Page: 79
Sample Resume Page: 80
Assessment Page: 80
Improved Resume Page: 80
Resume #4 Page: 81
Sample Resume Page: 81
Assessment Page: 81
Improved Resume Page: 82
Chapter 6: Cover Letters Page: 83
Why a Cover Letter? Page: 83
The Three Types of Cover Letter Page: 84
Solicited Cover Letter Page: 84
Unsolicited Cover Letter/Cold Call Letter Page: 84
Broadcast Letter Page: 85
The Structure Page: 85
Part 1: Introduction Page: 85
Part 2: Who You Are Page: 85
Part 3: Why You Want the Position Page: 86
Five Traits of a Strong Cover Letter Page: 87
1. Tailored Page: 87
2. Supported with Evidence Page: 88
3. Structured and Concise Page: 88
4. Simple, Direct Writing Page: 88
5. Professional Page: 88
The Daring A+ Cover Letter Page: 89
The Traditional A+ Cover Letter Page: 90
The So-So Cover Letter Page: 91
Questions and Answers Page: 92
New Form, Same Great Content Page: 92
Optional Page: 92
Additional Resources Page: 93
Chapter 7: References Page: 94
How References Are Used Page: 94
Whom You Should Select as a Reference Page: 95
Make a Good Reference Great Page: 96
When Things Go Wrong Page: 97
What If Your Bad Reference Is Your Former Boss? Page: 98
Questions and Answers Page: 99
Full Disclosure Page: 99
Chapter 8: Interview Prep and Overview Page: 102
Interview Questions Page: 102
The Tech Interview Culture Page: 103
Do Your Homework Page: 104
Company Page: 105
Interviewer Research Page: 106
Prepare Questions Page: 106
Working with Your Recruiter Page: 107
Getting the Recruiter on Your Side Page: 108
Communication and Behavior Page: 109
What Your Interviewer’s Attitude Really Means Page: 109
Controlling the Interview Page: 110
Six Ways to Keep the Interviewer’s Attention Page: 111
Projecting Confidence Page: 112
Special Interview Types Page: 113
The Phone Interview Page: 113
The Human Resources Screening Interview Page: 114
Follow-Up Interviews Page: 116
After the Interview Page: 116
The “Thank You” Note Page: 117
Following Up with Your Recruiter Page: 118
Dealing with Rejection Page: 119
Questions and Answers Page: 119
Run for the Hills Page: 119
Too Much Information or Just Enough? Page: 120
Playing Hard to Get Page: 121
Additional Resources Page: 122
Chapter 9: Define Yourself Page: 123
The Pitch Page: 123
Part 1: Introduction Page: 124
Part 2: Chronological Resume Walk-Through Page: 124
Part 3: What You’re Doing Now Page: 125
Part 4: Extracurriculars Page: 125
Why Should We Hire You? Page: 126
Why Shouldn’t We Hire You? Page: 126
Why Do You Want to Work Here? Page: 128
Why Are You Leaving Your Job? Page: 128
Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years? Page: 129
What Are Your Strengths? Page: 130
What Are Your Weaknesses? Page: 131
Layoffs, Firing, and Unemployment Page: 131
Layoffs Page: 132
Being Fired Page: 132
Unemployment Page: 133
Questions and Answers Page: 134
Barrier to Entry Page: 134
Just Joking Page: 134
Chapter 10: Behavioral Questions Page: 136
Evaluation Page: 136
Mastering the Content Page: 137
What Interviewers Look For Page: 137
Review Your Resume Page: 137
Preparation Grid Page: 138
Five Key Stories Page: 139
Mastering the Communication Page: 140
Nugget First Page: 141
Situation, Action, Result Page: 141
Common Mistakes Page: 143
Too Much “We,” Not Enough “I” Page: 143
Simple Actions Page: 143
Where’s the “Why”? Page: 144
Five Example Questions Page: 144
1. Tell Me About a Time When You Gave a Presentation to a Group of People Who Disagreed with You Page: 144
2. Tell Me About the Biggest Mistake You Made on a Past Project Page: 145
3. Tell Me About a Time When You Had to Deal with a Teammate Who Was Underperforming Page: 146
4. Tell Me About a Time When You had to Make a Controversial Decision Page: 147
5. Tell Me About a Time When You had to Use Emotional Intelligence to Lead Page: 149
Questions and Answers Page: 150
Misleading Information Page: 150
Overly Specific Page: 151
Chapter 11: Problem Solving Page: 153
Types of Problem-Solving Questions Page: 153
Estimation Questions Page: 154
What They’re Looking For Page: 154
How to Approach Estimation Questions Page: 155
How Many Books Are Sold Every Year in the United States? Page: 155
How Many Basketballs Would It Take to Fill a Basketball Gym? Page: 157
Example Questions Page: 159
Design Questions Page: 160
What They’re Looking For Page: 160
How to Approach Design Questions Page: 161
Example Questions Page: 162
Brainteasers Page: 162
What They’re Looking For Page: 163
How to Approach Brainteasers Page: 163
Example Questions Page: 165
Questions and Answers Page: 170
It’s a Numbers Game Page: 170
The Great Unknown Page: 171
Additional Resources Page: 172
Chapter 12: The Programming Interview Page: 173
What’s the Point? Page: 173
What’s Expected—And What’s Not Page: 174
How They Differ: Microsoft, Facebook, Google, Amazon, Yahoo, and Apple Page: 175
How to Prepare Page: 176
What If I Hear a Question I Know? Page: 177
Must-Know Data Structures, Algorithms, and Topics Page: 177
Memory Usage Page: 178
Coding Questions Page: 178
Step 1: Understand the Question Page: 179
Step 2: Draw an Example Page: 180
Step 3: Design a Brute Force Algorithm Page: 181
Step 4: Optimize the Brute Force Page: 181
Step 5: Understand the Code Page: 182
Step 6: Implement the Code Page: 183
Step 7: Test Page: 183
Algorithm Questions: Four Ways to Create an Algorithm Page: 184
Approach 1: Pattern Matching Page: 184
Approach 2: Simplify and Generalize Page: 185
Approach 3: Base Case and Build Page: 186
Approach 4: Data Structure Brainstorm Page: 186
Object-Oriented Design Page: 188
Scalability Questions Page: 188
Preparation Page: 189
How to Approach Page: 189
Testing Interviews Page: 190
Testing a Real-World Object Page: 190
Testing a Piece of Software Page: 192
Testing a Method Page: 192
Questions and Answers Page: 193
Too Much Prep, Too Little Time Page: 193
Know It All Page: 194
Misleading Information Page: 195
Additional Resources Page: 196
Chapter 13: Getting into Gaming Page: 197
The Culture: Is It All Fun and Games? Page: 197
Job Positions: What Can You Do? Page: 198
Software Engineering Page: 198
Production Page: 198
Art Page: 199
Design Page: 200
Other Roles Page: 200
College Candidates Page: 201
Don’t Be Afraid of Entering Low Page: 201
Find Your Niche Page: 202
Create a Portfolio Website Page: 202
Get Out There Page: 202
Reaching Out and Getting In Page: 202
College and Professional Recruiting Page: 203
Online Networks Page: 203
Events Page: 203
Personality Fit Page: 204
Young at Heart Page: 204
Likable Page: 205
Creative/Imaginative Page: 205
Work Ethic Page: 205
Strong Communication Skills Page: 205
The Gaming Interview—Three Tips to Doing Well Page: 206
1. Play the Game Page: 206
2. Show Confidence (but Not Too Much) Page: 206
3. Be Likable Page: 207
Questions and Answers Page: 207
Making the Jump Page: 207
Value Added Page: 208
It’s the Little Things That Count Page: 209
Chapter 14: Women in Tech Page: 211
On Men and Allies Page: 211
The Harsh(ish) Reality of Being a Woman in Tech Page: 212
Variation Across the Industry Page: 214
Advice for Women from Women (and Allies) Page: 214
Mentors and Support Networks Page: 215
It’s Okay to Be You Page: 215
It Has a Name: Imposter Syndrome Page: 216
Fight the Battles You Want Page: 216
Ask for Help Page: 216
Ask for More Page: 217
Find the Right Culture Page: 217
Leverage the Positive Page: 217
It’s Friction, Not Obstacles Page: 218
Questions and Answers Page: 219
Misleading Information Page: 219
Maternity Leave Page: 219
Chapter 15: The Offer Page: 221
How to Evaluate an Offer Page: 221
Your Career Development Page: 222
The Financial Package Page: 226
The Happiness Factor Page: 227
How Can You Negotiate an Offer? Page: 228
Should You Negotiate? Page: 229
But What If the Company Hates Me for It? Page: 229
What Can You Negotiate? Page: 229
Answering Questions about Your Current Salary Page: 230
Negotiating the Nonnegotiable Page: 231
How to Negotiate Page: 232
Tricky Issues: Deadlines, Extensions, and Declining Offers Page: 233
Deadlines and Extensions Page: 233
Reneging Page: 235
Declining an Offer (and Building a Connection) Page: 236
Questions and Answers Page: 237
Au Revoir, Vacation Days Page: 237
Representative Representatives Page: 238
Big or Little Page: 240
Chapter 16: Crafting Your Career Page: 242
Define Your Career Path Page: 242
Plan Ahead Page: 243
A Little Something on the Side Page: 243
Being Great Page: 243
Be Great to Your Boss Page: 244
Know What the Criteria Are for Success Page: 244
Ask for Forgiveness, Not Permission Page: 244
Manage the Review Process Page: 244
1. Make Your Successes Known Page: 245
2. Track Your Accomplishments as You Go Page: 245
3. Quantify the Results Page: 246
4. Ask Early for Feedback—and Get It in Writing Page: 246
Play a Bit of Politics: Build Strong Relationships Page: 247
Identify a Mentor Page: 248
Promotions and Raises Page: 249
How to Get Promoted Page: 249
How to Negotiate a Raise Page: 250
How to Handle Rejection Page: 251
How and When to Quit Page: 252
Leave When It’s Not Working Page: 252
Leave When You Stop Growing Page: 252
Leave When You Want to Quit Page: 253
How Soon Is Too Soon to Quit? Page: 253
How to Not Burn Bridges Page: 253
Should I Find a New Job First? Page: 254
Questions and Answers Page: 255
Shakespeare Can Write Page: 255
In Name Only Page: 256
Newbie Wants Out Page: 257
Chapter 17: On Luck, Leverage, and You Page: 259
Index Page: 261
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