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Cracking the Tech Career: Insider Advice on Landing a Job at Google, Microsoft, Apple, or any Top Tech Company
Become the applicant Google can't turn down Cracking the Tech Career is the job seeker's guide to landing a coveted position at one of the top tech firms. A follow-up to The Google Resume, this book provides new information on what these companies want, and how to show them you have what it takes to succeed in the role. Early planners will learn what to study, and established professionals will discover how to make their skillset and experience set them apart from the crowd. Author Gayle Laakmann McDowell worked in engineering at Google, and interviewed over 120 candidates as a member of the hiring committee – in this book, she shares her perspectives on what works and what doesn't, what makes you desirable, and what gets your resume saved or deleted.
Apple, Microsoft, and Google are the coveted companies in the current job market. They field hundreds of resumes every day, and have their pick of the cream of the crop when it comes to selecting new hires. If you think the right alma mater is all it takes, you need to update your thinking. Top companies, especially in the tech sector, are looking for more. This book is the complete guide to becoming the candidate they just cannot turn away.
Discover the career paths that run through the top tech firms Learn how to craft the prefect resume and prepare for the interview Find ways to make yourself stand out from the hordes of other applicants Understand what the top companies are looking for, and how to demonstrate that you're it These companies need certain skillsets, but they also want a great culture fit. Grades aren't everything, experience matters, and a certain type of applicant tends to succeed. Cracking the Tech Career reveals what the hiring committee wants, and shows you how to get it.
Apple, Microsoft, and Google are the coveted companies in the current job market. They field hundreds of resumes every day, and have their pick of the cream of the crop when it comes to selecting new hires. If you think the right alma mater is all it takes, you need to update your thinking. Top companies, especially in the tech sector, are looking for more. This book is the complete guide to becoming the candidate they just cannot turn away.
Discover the career paths that run through the top tech firms Learn how to craft the prefect resume and prepare for the interview Find ways to make yourself stand out from the hordes of other applicants Understand what the top companies are looking for, and how to demonstrate that you're it These companies need certain skillsets, but they also want a great culture fit. Grades aren't everything, experience matters, and a certain type of applicant tends to succeed. Cracking the Tech Career reveals what the hiring committee wants, and shows you how to get it.
275 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2014
191 people are currently reading
823 people want to read
About the author
Gayle Laakmann McDowell
17 books308 followersGayle Laakmann McDowell is the founder / CEO of CareerCup, and the author of Cracking the PM Interview, Cracking the Coding Interview, and Cracking the Tech Career.
Gayle has worked for Microsoft, Apple and Google as a software engineer. She holds a bachelor's and master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania in Computer Science, and an MBA from the Wharton School. She currently resides in Palo Alto, CA.
Gayle has worked for Microsoft, Apple and Google as a software engineer. She holds a bachelor's and master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania in Computer Science, and an MBA from the Wharton School. She currently resides in Palo Alto, CA.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
September 23, 2014
I only know Gayle from reading her answers on Quora, and I'm not easily impressed by people's reputations, but having looked through this book it's very clear that she knows exactly what she is talking about.
I used to work in the technology industry and had a successful career - successful enough that I retired aged 35. Gayle's advice is the kind of information I would have liked to have known when I started, rather than learning by trial and error.
The book is perhaps particularly useful if you are just starting your career (or even still in education - there's a a useful section on 'Advanced Positioning and Preparation')
As you might expect, the bulk of the book is about actually getting that dream job, i.e.:
- Resumes.
- Cover Letters.
- References.
- Interview Prep.
- Refining your personal brand/pitch.
- Behavioural Questions.
- Problem Solving.
- Interviews.
There are also sections on specific 'dream' employers (Google, Apple, start ups, gaming companies, etc)
I'm not really qualified to comment on the chapter on Women in Tech, but as Gayle says, it's not only women who suffer from the “imposter syndrome” that holds many talented people back from the success they deserve, and it certainly seemed like practical advice.
Finally there are a couple of chapters on managing your career and leveraging your current position to work your way up.
The book is written in a clear and engaging style with lots of bullet points, action items and short examples. There are useful real world questions and answers at the end of each chapter, that help to tie the theory and practice together. What it isn't, thankfully, is padded with 'humorous' cartoons, digressions and war stories.
Cracking the Tech Career won't guarantee you that dream job, no book of career advice can, that's your responsibility, but all my life I've found that learning from other people's mistakes and cutting out the schoolboy errors puts me ahead of 90% of people. Who doesn't want to jump straight into the top 10%?
Overall, a solid book, packed with practical advice. I recommend it, particularly to those just starting their career.
I used to work in the technology industry and had a successful career - successful enough that I retired aged 35. Gayle's advice is the kind of information I would have liked to have known when I started, rather than learning by trial and error.
The book is perhaps particularly useful if you are just starting your career (or even still in education - there's a a useful section on 'Advanced Positioning and Preparation')
As you might expect, the bulk of the book is about actually getting that dream job, i.e.:
- Resumes.
- Cover Letters.
- References.
- Interview Prep.
- Refining your personal brand/pitch.
- Behavioural Questions.
- Problem Solving.
- Interviews.
There are also sections on specific 'dream' employers (Google, Apple, start ups, gaming companies, etc)
I'm not really qualified to comment on the chapter on Women in Tech, but as Gayle says, it's not only women who suffer from the “imposter syndrome” that holds many talented people back from the success they deserve, and it certainly seemed like practical advice.
Finally there are a couple of chapters on managing your career and leveraging your current position to work your way up.
The book is written in a clear and engaging style with lots of bullet points, action items and short examples. There are useful real world questions and answers at the end of each chapter, that help to tie the theory and practice together. What it isn't, thankfully, is padded with 'humorous' cartoons, digressions and war stories.
Cracking the Tech Career won't guarantee you that dream job, no book of career advice can, that's your responsibility, but all my life I've found that learning from other people's mistakes and cutting out the schoolboy errors puts me ahead of 90% of people. Who doesn't want to jump straight into the top 10%?
Overall, a solid book, packed with practical advice. I recommend it, particularly to those just starting their career.
January 6, 2015
This book has become one of my reference books.
December 29, 2019
I briefly skimmed through the book. The whole book is created in chapters and it feels like the author was aiming for a complete information on various aspects in the process of getting a job in one of these big companies.
I liked a few ideas in the book but I realized that the book is written more for a software developer. It wasn't clear how much of it applies to an SDET (software tester). So it felt overwhelming and too much. Things like traversing binary trees / algorithms are pretty tough when coding IMO. And it wasn't clear whether testers also need to prepare all that or not.
Another thing that I disliked about the book was how he asks you to do mountains. I almost got a panic attack while reading this book because of various suggestions like:
* Side project: You need to have something that makes you stand out from the crowd. Like perhaps you have created a website with a unique concept that is pretty cool and flourishing. Or you've created a game/application that is successful.
* On the other hand if you have a side project that isn't performing well then don't mention it. That would actually be a hindrance because it would make you appear fickle-minded.
Lots of other suggestions like these where you can be a superman to get into one of these companies.
If I have to invent an entire mountain just to get into one of these companies then I would rather keep trying my own startup ideas. There's no gurantee that I'll get a 9-5 job anyway if I get in or job security. All these "top tech companies" are famous for laying off employees every now and then.
Moreover, if I have to do so much of drama just to get into it there's no telling in what ways the people in these companies are going to judge each other (social status I mean). Somehow I have a feeling that the sense of "social status" is going to be bad in these companies.
Overall, the book was pretty comprehensive but I felt that it didn't give me any shortcuts as such. It just kept asking me to produce mountains after mountains for covering various grounds.
In the end I decided not to try for these companies if there's such a huge effort-payment required for it.
I liked a few ideas in the book but I realized that the book is written more for a software developer. It wasn't clear how much of it applies to an SDET (software tester). So it felt overwhelming and too much. Things like traversing binary trees / algorithms are pretty tough when coding IMO. And it wasn't clear whether testers also need to prepare all that or not.
Another thing that I disliked about the book was how he asks you to do mountains. I almost got a panic attack while reading this book because of various suggestions like:
* Side project: You need to have something that makes you stand out from the crowd. Like perhaps you have created a website with a unique concept that is pretty cool and flourishing. Or you've created a game/application that is successful.
* On the other hand if you have a side project that isn't performing well then don't mention it. That would actually be a hindrance because it would make you appear fickle-minded.
Lots of other suggestions like these where you can be a superman to get into one of these companies.
If I have to invent an entire mountain just to get into one of these companies then I would rather keep trying my own startup ideas. There's no gurantee that I'll get a 9-5 job anyway if I get in or job security. All these "top tech companies" are famous for laying off employees every now and then.
Moreover, if I have to do so much of drama just to get into it there's no telling in what ways the people in these companies are going to judge each other (social status I mean). Somehow I have a feeling that the sense of "social status" is going to be bad in these companies.
Overall, the book was pretty comprehensive but I felt that it didn't give me any shortcuts as such. It just kept asking me to produce mountains after mountains for covering various grounds.
In the end I decided not to try for these companies if there's such a huge effort-payment required for it.
April 24, 2021
Good book for someone who just graduated and needs career advice on starting
This isn’t a book for seasoned executives. It’s a good overview of process and how to answer questions for a beginner out of school or college, or someone who has just moved to the US.
This isn’t a book for seasoned executives. It’s a good overview of process and how to answer questions for a beginner out of school or college, or someone who has just moved to the US.
October 1, 2016
I like this book. Think of it as a 'soft skills' version of CTCI. And having advice from someone who's successfully made it is always invaluable. Would recommend.
December 30, 2021
The author gives meaningful insights on how to approach giving interviews for tech roles.
The advice is sound. I did skip parts which were not relevant for software engineering.
The advice is sound. I did skip parts which were not relevant for software engineering.
January 31, 2022
Good book if you are a first year university student. Ok book if you already know the basics of the tech industry. Interesting read regardless.
February 25, 2023
The book gives you lots of tips, if you are a starter or want to switch jobs between companies in the tech industry. All kinds of areas are covered, starting with MBA, after graduation searching for a job, networking, how to write CV and cover letter, references, conducting interviews, there are also given variety of questions for general tech roles, for developers, for testers, it’s discussed being hired for game development companies, women in tech, how to evaluate a job offer and negotiate it, and tips for review process at a company. The main takeaways for me from the book are:
There are lots of tips on networking, how to get your resume to a company like writing to people in the team you would like to work in, advices on formatting and dos and don’ts for your resume (ask yourself what would differentiate me most from other applicants - figure out your 3 selling points and write them stand out).
Cover letters have generally 3 parts: intro why you are interested in the company, who you are (3 key skills and back it up with evidence, experience from education, work experience), and lastly why you want the position, why you are a good fit.
Research the company - stay on top of news about the company by checking their corporate blog or Twitter. Check their competitors and the problems and successes, who they are, in what way the competitors are doing better and why. Reach out to current and former employees (via Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, your current network). Research your interviewer - their interview styles are influenced on where they worked and also their backgrounds can give you interesting questions to ask. If your interviewer worked in several teams in the company, ask them how the culture varies from team to team. How much of your time you spend in meetings, what are the biggest issues the team face, how decisions process work, who makes the final call, who drives the decision.
Insightful questions - questions that show that you thought deeply of issues facing the team or company (why did Google opt to use an open protocol for this product - is this a PR move or are there actually technological advantages).
Passion questions - I love to learn, what options or sources there are in the company to support learning?
After the interview - you can send thank you notes but this won’t influence the feedback given in tech companies because usually those are sent right after the interview.
When asked about your weaknesses, you want to select an issue that is genuinely a bad thing but not a dealbreaker for the position (eg software tester doesn’t want to admit to poor attention to detail while a manager might be able to get away with it). Eg I am very quantitative person and sometimes I can lose sight of the personal aspects of a decision, who is impacted and why. I learned the hard way that I need to consider who all the stakeholders are in a decision and how they will react. I am too critical of ideas, both my own and sometimes those of others. I have largely masked this by focusing on offering positive feedback but I know I have some room to improve my internal reactions.
For strengths you want to pick 3 attributes that are most relevant to the job, prove-able and unique, eg communication skills, energy, creativity, working well under stress, motivating others, passionate about learning and try to cite a specific example for each skill. Try to state personal attributes (persistence, risk taking, etc) because they will stay with you throughout your life and knowledge skills can be acquired by anyone.
You want to prepare a grid with key word answers of stories to major questions. The grid should have category/ies (leadership, team, etc), thesis (describing the title of the story), situation (that motivated the issue or action), action (what you did to solve the problem), result (describe the final result, best with possible metric). Good templates from the author can be found at https://www.crackingthetechcareer.com...
There are lots of tips on networking, how to get your resume to a company like writing to people in the team you would like to work in, advices on formatting and dos and don’ts for your resume (ask yourself what would differentiate me most from other applicants - figure out your 3 selling points and write them stand out).
Cover letters have generally 3 parts: intro why you are interested in the company, who you are (3 key skills and back it up with evidence, experience from education, work experience), and lastly why you want the position, why you are a good fit.
Research the company - stay on top of news about the company by checking their corporate blog or Twitter. Check their competitors and the problems and successes, who they are, in what way the competitors are doing better and why. Reach out to current and former employees (via Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, your current network). Research your interviewer - their interview styles are influenced on where they worked and also their backgrounds can give you interesting questions to ask. If your interviewer worked in several teams in the company, ask them how the culture varies from team to team. How much of your time you spend in meetings, what are the biggest issues the team face, how decisions process work, who makes the final call, who drives the decision.
Insightful questions - questions that show that you thought deeply of issues facing the team or company (why did Google opt to use an open protocol for this product - is this a PR move or are there actually technological advantages).
Passion questions - I love to learn, what options or sources there are in the company to support learning?
After the interview - you can send thank you notes but this won’t influence the feedback given in tech companies because usually those are sent right after the interview.
When asked about your weaknesses, you want to select an issue that is genuinely a bad thing but not a dealbreaker for the position (eg software tester doesn’t want to admit to poor attention to detail while a manager might be able to get away with it). Eg I am very quantitative person and sometimes I can lose sight of the personal aspects of a decision, who is impacted and why. I learned the hard way that I need to consider who all the stakeholders are in a decision and how they will react. I am too critical of ideas, both my own and sometimes those of others. I have largely masked this by focusing on offering positive feedback but I know I have some room to improve my internal reactions.
For strengths you want to pick 3 attributes that are most relevant to the job, prove-able and unique, eg communication skills, energy, creativity, working well under stress, motivating others, passionate about learning and try to cite a specific example for each skill. Try to state personal attributes (persistence, risk taking, etc) because they will stay with you throughout your life and knowledge skills can be acquired by anyone.
You want to prepare a grid with key word answers of stories to major questions. The grid should have category/ies (leadership, team, etc), thesis (describing the title of the story), situation (that motivated the issue or action), action (what you did to solve the problem), result (describe the final result, best with possible metric). Good templates from the author can be found at https://www.crackingthetechcareer.com...
July 14, 2020
I wish I had read this book years ago. I think the title put me off, but McDowell has come highly recommended for Cracking the Coding Interview book, so I read this much smaller book. This book covers everything from resumes to interviews to negotiations all with the expertise of an experienced technical person at Microsoft. She gives insight about the differences between some top companies.
It gives advice for those currently in college and seeking internships as well. Overall this is a very well rounded book for tech jobs OR jobs at tech companies. I highly recommend and will add to my reference collection.
It gives advice for those currently in college and seeking internships as well. Overall this is a very well rounded book for tech jobs OR jobs at tech companies. I highly recommend and will add to my reference collection.
January 7, 2024
Rating :- 4 stars
This is a really good book, but not a great book. I absolutely loved most of the content except a few things, which I didn't dislike, but it wasn't something that I enjoyed much(bore).
The good thing about this book is that, it is very comprehensive and covers a to z things which one should know before starting their career in tech. This exact thing can be taken as a somewhat negative point that it is more suitable for freshers - young out of University or less experienced folks. I know if I had read this book a couple of years back, I would have liked it even more, but that's just me, full marks to the author for the content.
This is a really good book, but not a great book. I absolutely loved most of the content except a few things, which I didn't dislike, but it wasn't something that I enjoyed much(bore).
The good thing about this book is that, it is very comprehensive and covers a to z things which one should know before starting their career in tech. This exact thing can be taken as a somewhat negative point that it is more suitable for freshers - young out of University or less experienced folks. I know if I had read this book a couple of years back, I would have liked it even more, but that's just me, full marks to the author for the content.
August 26, 2020
There's a lot of good information on this book and I wished I had read it on my 20s. Better latter than never though. I will definitely apply a lot of the advice here.
I highly recommend this book to all people that want a career in tech, specially people still in college. Do yourself a favor, read this book, and save yourself a few years of stumbling around.
I highly recommend this book to all people that want a career in tech, specially people still in college. Do yourself a favor, read this book, and save yourself a few years of stumbling around.
December 30, 2022
Great book for people new to the industry. The book is VERY clearly written. I listened to audible’s version which has good production quality. After a few years you’re gonna know pretty much all this anyway, so I skimmed several sections. Would appreciate a version by the same author but for a more experienced audience.
August 4, 2024
I read this book and applied its principles back when I was applying to internships during undergrad. Looking back on it, having performed hundreds of tech interviews, ans even having administered a few dozen, I still think it’s sound advice. Definitely worth a read for any undergraduate student looking to break into the field.
September 16, 2024
Some good stuff in here, lots that doesn't apply to me though. Interesting skim and perspectives about handling different situations and different angles of tech. Working my way through Cracking the Coding Interview which should be more pertinent to me. Learning is always good though and I respect the time Gayle McDowell put into compiling these scenarios and situations.
September 24, 2019
The book is for those who are ready to begin the search for a new job and interview process soon. The advices are more general (not Google, Apple, etc. related). You can read separated chapters only, like the one with advices how to make your CV great.
July 30, 2020
Pretty good compliment to CTCI although more broad / not as focused toward software engineers. This could easily serve as a handy reference book later on for behavioural interviews, resume tips and offer negotiation for jobs in tech.
July 24, 2022
This book is full of great insights for building a tech career. Particularly for students, junior or mid-career professionals.
From career planning, to interview preparations and offer negotiation, I feel this covers pretty much everything.
From career planning, to interview preparations and offer negotiation, I feel this covers pretty much everything.
August 28, 2017
The book as a whole is pretty good, but the resume section is awesome. That alone is worth a few hundred dollars of resume coaching and editing if you follow it closely.
April 17, 2018
This book will be especially helpful for recent grads.
February 21, 2020
Good summary for growth in the tech career.
April 21, 2020
It is not a technical book but more about technic. I would say it is very good overview
May 4, 2020
It’s a de facto revised “Google Resume” book. Shouldn’t be its own book.
June 20, 2020
A good guideline for fresh graduate, especially for people who want to choose career in technology area.
January 3, 2023
It may be completely accurate, but it’s also forgettable.
August 25, 2024
A few nice tips about crafting a resume, negotiating, landing a job at FAANG, and what to do when you have a job to continue growing.
July 10, 2017
Super quick read. An accurate representation of working in major tech. At least for the Microsoft tidbits, 90+% is accurate today and 100% was accurate at the time of publication - with the main difference being that Windows ships much faster now. Cracking the Tech Career explores positions outside of dev and PM in tech - something I've never seen before.
Highly recommend if you are interested in breaking into the tech field.
Highly recommend if you are interested in breaking into the tech field.
August 14, 2018
I knew most of this stuff but it was still a quick read and a welcome refresher. For people starting out their careers in this field, I would say this book is an essential way to learn the mores and save yourself from having to learn things the hard way.
May 15, 2024
Honestly helpful in better understanding the culture, recruiting process, and mindset of breaking into big tech. Remember that the book was originally published ten years ago (2014), though, so some parts of Chapter 1 may be a bit out of date. Still excellent advice though :)
it worked :D
it worked :D
September 3, 2015
This book is full of create career tips from preparing your resume to negotiation to get promoted, but please take with a grain of salt and read more and ask more on Quora.
August 1, 2016
wonderful for anyone who is serious about his career. its just not about tech job but any jobs in the modern world.
great detailed analysis with research from resume to interviews
great detailed analysis with research from resume to interviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews