Getting a Job in the Tech Industry

Welcome to the Evisors Webinar
Visit us online at www.evisors.com
How to Get that Job at Google – or
any Great Tech Company
featuring
Gayle Laakmann McDowell
Hosted by: Career Advisors on Demand..com/webinars

About Gayle
 Author of The Google Resume and Cracking the
Coding Interview
 Founder/CEO, CareerCup.com
 MBA, The Wharton School
 Software Engineer at Google, Apple and Microsoft
 Member of Google Hiring Committee

How to Get that Job at Google – or
any Great Tech Company
The Culture At Tech Firms
What Firms Looking For
How to Research the Industry
What They Ask in the Interview
Q&A

Culture – As Amazing As It Sounds?
• Lots of perks!
• Innovative
• Brilliant coworkers
• Too engineering driven?
Google Zurich

But… firms differ
• Very engineering focused
• Lack of strong management
• Retail, not tech  thin margins
• Lack of consistent culture
across groups
• More “businessy”
• Slower, more bureaucracy
• “Fanboy” culture
• Highly secretive – even internally

What do tech companies look for?
• Intelligence
• Personality
• Communication
• Position-specific skills
• Passion for Tech
• Showing Initiative
The things
that set you
apart

Becoming a “Techie”
• CS / Engineering Major
• Work experience in tech
• Read about tech
• Explore tech
– Website / Blog / Twitter
– Explore Amazon S3, etc
• Dive in
– Learn to code
– Launch a tech start-up
Be more than
“just another
business
person”
See: codecademy.com

“Glanced at,”
not read.
15 – 30
seconds
1. Pull resume out of giant stack
2. Spot-check: company
names, positions, projects, sch
ools
3. Skim bullets to see if you’ve
made an impact
InterviewReject
How We Review Resumes

Building a Resume (US)
• One page only
• Real resume template
• Accomplishment-oriented
– Quantify!
• Short 1 – 2 line bullets
– Paragraphs will not be read
Sample resumes available at www.TheGoogleResume.com

How is tech “special”?
• Less rigid culture
more freedom to demonstrate strengths
• “Projects” or “Additional 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?
Hosted by:See the rest at evisors.com/webinars/webinar/17

Researching the Industry
• Company Strategy / Future
• Product & Industry
• Passion / Excitement

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?

Know the Products & Industry
• Know two company products
• Know two industry products
• Understand:
– Business model
– Challenges
– Recent events
– How would you improve it?
Avoid the
super
famous
products.

Passion / Excitement
• Find something that excites you!
– Crowdsourcing? Cloud infrastructure?
• Learn:
– History of field?
– Direction of field?
– Leading companies / products?

Common Interview Questions
1. Behavioral Questions
2. Estimation Questions
3. Product Design Questions
4. Business Questions
Don’t believe the
“Impossible”
Google questions
online!

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

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

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

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

2
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?

Estimation Qs: Why?
• Problem Solving / Intelligence
• Quantitative Skills
• Communication
2

Estimation Qs: How to Approach
1. Ask questions to resolve ambiguity
2. Outline / Structure Your Approach
3. Break down the components
4. Sanity Check
2

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

2
Step 2: Outline Your Approach
1. Estimate # of Gmail users
2. Estimate annual clicks
3. Estimate $ per click

2
Step 3: Break down components
Estimate # of Gmail users in the US
1. Assume 300 million people in the US.
2. Assume 80% of people use email
3. Assume 80% use a “major” email provider
4. Assume Gmail has 50% of the <35 market, but 20% of
the >35 market
…

2
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)

3
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?

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

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

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

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

Step 3: Structure
1. Make a list of essential features
– Which functions do you support?
– Input/output for blind?
– Input/output for non-blind?
2. Design each component
– Remember the needs of the users!
3
Be creative –
but
structured.

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?
4

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

Business Questions
How would you price Amazon Prime membership?
Step 1: Ask Questions
• Who?
– Just for US users? Or worldwide?
• “Features”
– What does Amazon Prime offer?
• Price structure?
– Single price point? Or promotions, tiered
pricing, etc.?
4

Business Questions
Step 2: Outline a Structure
• Understand Priorities:
– Short term vs. long term?
– Barriers to entry for competitors?
• Financial impact:
– Short term
– Long term
• Evaluate potential price structures
– Single price point
– Tiered pricing 4

Business Questions
Step 3: Solve Piece by Piece
Step (b): Financial Impact
• Short Term
– Increase in purchases
– Lost revenue from shipping fees
• Long Term
– Improve customer loyalty
– Enhanced barriers to entry 4

The Curve Ball Question
• Remember: Questions come down to:
• So:
1. Ask questions
2. Structure the problem
3. Solve the pieces
• Don’t rush yourself!
when the question is something totally different…
structure communication+

To Review
• Learn 4 products inside & out
– 2 internal, 2 external
• Find something you’re passionate about
• Interview Preparation Grid
• Practice, practice, practice!
• Interview: Ask Questions -> Structure -> Solve

Q&A
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0470927623
The Google Resume
How to Prepare for a Career and Land a Job at
Apple, Microsoft, Google, or any Top Tech Company

Questions & Answers
Question 1:
When are good and bad times to apply for a
tech job?
Hosted by:See the answer at evisors.com/webinars/webinar/17

Questions & Answers
Question 2:
What are general exit options after moving
out of the tech industry?

Questions & Answers
Question 3:
Should interested candidates join a startup
first or a larger tech company?

Questions & Answers
Question 4:
What is your perspective when transitioning
between large tech firms?

Questions & Answers
Question 5:
How do you show initiative and passion
when interviewing for a tech job?

Questions & Answers
Question 6:
Can you share any recommended resources
for enhancing one’s programming skills?

Questions & Answers
Question 7:
What are your suggestions for networking
within this industry?

Questions & Answers
Question 8:
Is there a bias towards people with tech
experience vs. people without a tech
background?

Questions & Answers
Question 9:
What types of people are happy versus
unhappy with tech jobs?

Getting a Job in the Tech Industry

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