How to Land a Job at a Top Tech Company

1. How to Land a Job at a Top Tech Company Gayle Laakmann McDowell Author of The Google Resume

2. My Background • Engineer at Google, Microsoft and Apple • Top 1% of interviewers at Google • Member of Google Hiring committee • Founder / CEO of CareerCup.com • MBA from Wharton, BSE / MSE in CS • Author of The Google Resume

3. Tech Culture (The Good) • Perks galore! • Casual, fun culture • Innovation driven • Smart coworkers • Always driven to build the “Next Big Thing.” But… Google Zurich

4. Tech Culture (The Not So Good) • Innovation Driven • Engineers can be favored, since they’re the ones who actually build the product • Smart coworkers Some arrogance Over-emphasis of raw intelligence And, yes, lots of geeks

5. But… firms differ • Very engineering focused • Flat hierarchy  hard to move up • Lack of strong management • Wants immediate results • Retail, not tech  thin margins • Lack of consistent culture across groups Apple • More “businessy” • Slower, more bureaucracy • More risk averse • “Fanboy” culture • Highly secretive – even internally • Do skills transfer?

6. Landing a Job in “4 Easy Steps” • Develop the right experience. • Build a kick-ass resume. • Get someone to actually notice you. • Do a great interview.

7. Developing the Right Experience

8. What do tech companies look for? • Intelligence • GPA, School, etc. • Field Expertise • Finance, marketing, etc. • Ability to “make an impact” • Leading projects • Specific accomplishments • Passion for Tech • Showing Initiative Many of the same things as other companies very, very nice to have

9. Becoming a “Techie” • CS / Engineering Major • Keep up-to-date with tech • Read TechCrunch, CNET, and other tech blogs • Explore • Website / Blog / Twitter • Explore Amazon S3 & other tools • Dive in • Learn to code (HTML, JavaScript, etc.) • Launch a tech start-up Be more than “just another MBA” See: codecademy.com

10. Showing Initiative Leading is good; creating is better. • Found a company • iPhone app, etc. • Create a new club, running team, etc. • Launch initiative within existing group • Annual charity auction for club? • Mentoring program? The more specific and tangible the accomplishment, the better

11. Building a Kick-Ass Resume

12. How We Review Resumes • Pull resume out of giant stack • Spot-check: company names, positions, projects, schools • Skim bullets to see if you’ve made an impact “Glanced at,” not read. 15 – 30 seconds Reject Interview • Go to next resume & whine about how many more you have left

13. Building a Resume (Anywhere) • One page only • Real resume template • Multiple columns, use MS Word tables, etc. • Accomplishment-oriented • Quantify! • Universally meaningful • Limit industry technology • Short 1 – 2 line bullets • Paragraphs will not be read • On every bullet, ask yourself, who cares? Sample resumes available at www.TheGoogleResume.com

14. How is tech “special”? • Less rigid culture • more freedom to demonstrate strengths • “Projects” or “Additional Experience”? • Teaching experience? • “Side projects” / start-ups • Informal consulting roles • Technical Experience? • MS Office does not count. • List programming languages (if any) • What did you not include?

15. Getting a Recruiter to Notice You

16. How to Land an Interview • On-Campus Recruiting • Online Applications • Additional strategies: • Build an online presence • Get a personal referral • Expanding your network

17. Build an Online Presence: Why? • Makes you a “person,” not a just a name • (Hopefully) demonstrates writing skills • Demonstrates passion for technology • Offers additional context to experience • Screenshots of your start-up? • Online demos? • Makes you accessible to recruiters • Recruiters DO search online for candidates

18. Build an Online Presence: How • Twitter • Stick to a topic (more or less) • Join the conversation! Don’t just post links. • Blog / Webpage • Professional (preferably technology), not personal • Post (HTML) resume, so that recruiters can find you • Provide link on resume

19. Getting a Personal Referral • Use your friends of friends • Alumni database • Build a relationship with an employee • Comment on blogs, twitter, etc. • Reach out to recruiters directly • LinkedIn • Recruiter’s email addresses are veryaccessible. Search: recruiter *@amazon.com

20. Expand Your Network Most people get jobs not from their friends, but from their friends of friends. • More than just LinkedIn: • MeetUp.com, Facebook, Twitter, etc. • Think long-term: • Give, Don’t Take • Be the Connector

21. Do a Great Interview

22. Interview Research • Questions for Your Interviews • Company Strategy / Future • Product & Industry • Passion / Excitement

23. Questions for Your Interviewer • Prepare 10 questions to ask company • Type 1: Stuff You Want to Know • Ex: “What’s the typical promotion / advancement path?” • Type 2: Qs that Show Your Knowledge • Ex: “Google used approach X, while others used Y. Why? It seems Y was better because…” • Type 3: Qs that Show Your Passion • Ex: “I love learning the technical details of a project. How can marketers do that?”

24. Company Strategy / Future • Challenges: • What are their biggest challenges? How would you solve them? • Success: • Why is this company successful (or not)? • Competition: • Who are their competitors? Who is better in which areas? • Predictions: • What do you predict will happen to this company in 1 year, 5 years, and 10 years?

25. Know the Products & Industry Avoid the superfamous products. • Know two company products • Know two industry products • Understand: • How does it make money? What is its strategy? How does it struggle? • What’s happened with it recently? • How would you improve the product?

26. Passion / Excitement • Find something that excites you! • Crowdsourcing? Cloud infrastructure? • Learn the details so you can discuss it • What’s the history of this field? • Where do you think it’s going? • Who are the leading companies? • How does this company relate to it?

27. Common Interview Questions • Behavioral Questions • Estimation Questions • Product Design Questions • Business Questions

28. Behavioral Questions Tell me about a time when you had to influence a team. Tell me about a time when you faced a hostile attitude from a coworker. Tell me about something you accomplished in an unexpected way. 1 Behavioral Questions

29. Great Responses to Behavioral Qs • Answer the question you were asked • Make you look awesome • Show strong communication skills 1 Behavioral Questions

30. Behavioral Qs: Preparation Download grid at www.thegoogleresume.com 1 Behavioral Questions

31. Behavioral Qs: Preparation Download grid at www.thegoogleresume.com 1 Behavioral Questions

32. Behavioral Qs: Preparation Download grid at www.thegoogleresume.com 1 Behavioral Questions

33. Behavioral Qs: Responding • Be specific – not arrogant “I did all the hard work for the team” “I created a strategy to …, which enabled the company to …” • Be concise and structured • Nugget First • S.A.R.: Situation, Action, Result 1 Behavioral Questions

34. Behavioral Qs: Nugget First • Lead with your “thesis” / nugget • Grabs the listener’s attention • Gives them context for where you’re going. Q: What accomplishment are you most proud of? A: I’m most proud of the work I did on revamping our call-in support system, which ended up saving about $3 million per year. Previously, the company was… 1 Behavioral Questions

35. Behavioral Qs: S.A.R. ituation ction esult S What was the issue? A What did you do about it? R What was the impact? 1 Behavioral Questions

36. Estimation Questions How many tennis balls can fit in an SUV? How much money does Gmail make from ads every year? How much do New Yorkers spend on electricity each year? 2 Estimation Questions

37. Estimation Qs: Why? • Evaluates: • Math skills • Logic skills / problem solving / intelligence • Ability to deal ambiguity • “It’s the journey, not the destination” 2 Estimation Questions

38. Estimation Qs: How to Approach • Ask questions to resolve ambiguity • Don’t make assumptions (yet) • Outline / Structure Your Approach • Break down the components • Assume numbers when necessary • State assumptions explicitly • Round numbers to make your math easier • Sanity Check • Do your numbers make sense? 2 Estimation Questions

39. Estimation Qs: Example How much money does Gmail make from ads every year? Step 1: Ambiguous Information • Just in the US? Or Worldwide? • Side and top ads? • Past year? Or average over gmail history? • Gmail only? Or include Google Apps? 2 Estimation Questions

40. Estimation Qs: Example How much money does Gmail make from ads every year? Step 2: Outline Your Approach • Estimate # of Gmail users • Estimate annual clicks • Top clicks • Side clicks • Estimate $ per click • Top clicks • Side clicks 2 Estimation Questions

41. Estimation Qs: Example How much money does Gmail make from ads every year? Step 3: Break down components Estimate # of Gmail users in the US • Assume 300 million people in the US. • Exclude 0 - 12 years old and 65 - 75 years old •  ~ 200 million • Assume 80% of people use email • But 50% only use their work email acct • Assume 80% use a “major” email provider • Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, AOL, etc. • Assume Gmail has 50% of the <35 market, but 20% of the >35 market … and so on … 2 Estimation Questions

42. Estimation Qs: Example How much money does Gmail make from ads every year? Step 4: Validate Numbers • Suppose you get US rev. = $5 billion. • No, because… • Google’s annual revenue is ~$30 billion • $16 / US citizen (not just gmail users) 2 Estimation Questions

43. Product Design Questions How would you design an calculator for the blind? Design an elevator for a building. Pick a Google product. How would you improve it? 3 Product Design Questions

44. Product Design Questions • Evaluates: • Communication • Ability to understand the user • Creativity • Business instincts / skills 3 Product Design Questions

45. Product Design Qs: Approach • Ask questions to resolve ambiguity • Understand the user • Who is your target user? • What are their problems? • Know your market! • Structure the problem 3 Product Design Questions

46. Product Design Qs: Example How would you design a calculator for the blind? Step 1: Ask Questions • Adults? Children? Professionals? • Where are they using it? • School, work, etc 3 Product Design Questions

47. Product Design Qs: Example How would you design a calculator for the blind? Step 2: Understand the User • What’s important to a blind child? • Keeping up with the rest of the class • Not feeling “different” • Efficient input / output • What about teachers, parents, classmates, etc? 3 Product Design Questions

48. Product Design Qs: Example How would you design a calculator for the blind? Step 3: Structure • Make a list of essential features • Which functions do you support? • Input/output for blind? • Input/output for non-blind? • Design each component • Remember the needs of the users! Be creative – but structured. 3 Product Design Questions

49. Business Questions How would you introduce YouTube to Turkey? How would you calculate the price of an Amazon Prime membership? How would you determine which of two business ideas to pursue? 3 Product Design Questions

50. Business Questions • Heavy overlap with Product Design • Where your MBA comes in handy • The Approach: • Ask questions • Outline a structure • Solve piece by piece 4 Business Questions