The document summarizes a book on job search hacks organized around seven themes: communicating strengths, deleting cover letters, networking effectively, playing the numbers game in applications, scheduling important interviews later, focusing on fit interviews, and asking for and giving feedback. It provides tips on standing out in two minutes during initial applications, using early interviews for practice, and telling a compelling story about yourself throughout the recruiting process. The document includes examples of networking call structures, personal story practices, and answers to common interview questions.

1. jobhack.co Job Search Hacks
Job Search Hacks
Seven steps to help navigate
recruiting with the world’s top
companies
July 2013
2nd edition
Thanks for the help you gave me. You really cut through the crap and told me what I
needed to know. I start at Bain in 6 days and it made me think of you.
Philip Hendrix, Bain & Company
by tony sheng

2. jobhack.co Job Search Hacks
The book is organized around seven themes
2
1 Communicate your strengths p16
2 Delete your cover letters p27
How does a company assess my application? What should I tell
companies about myself? How can I get companies to think I’m
special?
What’s the bare minimum I can prepare for my applications? How
do I apply broadly to a lot of companies without spending all my
time? What do companies look for in a resume? Why do recruiters
hate cover letters?

3. jobhack.co Job Search Hacks
The book is organized around seven themes
3
4 Play the numbers game p51
5 Important interviews last p62
What happens to your resume once you submit? The many
sources of randomness in application review. Stacking the odds in
your favor.
Practice makes perfect. How to use early interviews as practice.
What can I do to schedule my most important interviews later?
3 The point of networking p38
Debunking networking fallacy. How do I get the most out of my
calls? How do I improve my chances of getting an interview
through getting to know people?

4. jobhack.co Job Search Hacks
The book is organized around seven themes
4
7 Ask and give feedback p84
6 Focus on the fit interview p67
What’s the most overlooked part of interview preparation? How to
leave an impression with the personal interview. Practicing
throughout
How do I keep improving throughout the recruiting process? What
can I do to really really stand out in interviews? What do I do with
conflicting advice?

5. jobhack.co Job Search Hacks
Storytelling is the heart of recruiting
At the end of the day, companies must reduce
the complex task of deciding whether they
want to hire you--a living, breathing, complex
human--into a series of quick and systematic
analyses. While it may seem daunting to try
and boil down your entire life into a cover letter
or 1 minute "tell me about yourself" it's actually
an opportunity if you know how to approach it.
Not very many people are good at explaining
why they’re a great fit for a company.
Each touchpoint with the company gives you
an opportunity to tell your story. Every good
story has an arc that takes a character from
point A to point B. Finding point B is easy, it's
working for the company. Figuring out point A
and the stuff in-between can be harder and
may take some "soul searching.”
5
TIME A TOP CONSULTING FIRM
WILL SPEND ON YOUR APPLICATION
2 minutes. Recruiters have seen so
many resumes that they can tell within
a few moments whether the candidate
passes the yes/ no test
APPLIC
ATION
FIRST
ROUND
FINAL
ROUND
So you have roughly three hours (and only 30
minutes per person) to convince a company that
they should invest in you for several years. Sound
hard? Only if you don’t know what story to tell.
1 hour. Typically two 20-30 minute
interviews with mid-level employees
like managers
2 hours. Two or three 30-45 minute
inter views with more senior
employees like partners
Get the scoop on the
inner workings of
recruiting

6. jobhack.co Job Search Hacks
WIWIK1: Kevin Cecala
I wish I’d known the significant power of a referral. We had some
serious attrition related to the merger and a bunch of our guys
quit to the point that we needed to hire a few lateral transfers to
repopulate the team. I don't think this position was ever even
publicly advertised. Each of us was tasked with reaching out to
some contacts and referring anyone who we thought might be
interested and a good fit for the department. I guess the senior
guys have just had bad experiences with headhunters and
wanted to keep it in house.
6
Kevin Cecala
Keefe, Bruyette &
Woods
Amherst College
1 WIWIK = What I wish I knew: I interviewed dozens of colleagues and friends to figure out exactly what worked well
and what they wish they’d known while they were looking for jobs. Their answers are sprinkled throughout the book
Interviews with
expert recruits and
recruiters

7. jobhack.co Job Search Hacks
How to kick off a networking call
7
As you can tell, we want to accomplish a lot in our networking calls. To make sure our partner on the
other side of the line is on the same page as us, we need to set-up the conversation so our networkee
is thinking about specific ways to help us from the get-go.
THE BIG SETUP
Hi, thanks so much for taking the time to
speak with me today, I know you’re really
busy
Greeting
Time
check
Goals
How much time do I have
with you?
I was hoping to cover a few things today:
1. tell you a little bit about my background,
2. hear your story and get your thoughts on
how I can best position myself for this
recruiting cycle,
3. get some feedback from you on how to
improve my chances
Show up appreciative and try to
make a personal connection if there
is one
Get a sense for how much ground
you can cover and prioritize
accordingly
Agreement on these goals ensure
you’re covering the most important
parts of the networking call. And
importantly, you’ve highlighted the
fact that you want feedback, so your
connection will think about it from
the beginning of the call, leading to
more useful thoughts
Detailed how-to
guides to help you
along the way

8. jobhack.co Job Search Hacks
FAQ: Focus on the fit interview
How do I practice my personal story?
Your biggest challenge will be finding the right things to place in your sixty second window and consistently
finding a way to stick to that timeframe. Using the framework outlined in the previous section, draft out your
personal introduction and then practice it with a stop-watch in front of the mirror. Focus on speaking clearly,
loudly, and slowly. If you find yourself short on time, go back and cut out some fat.
Once you feel pretty comfortable with your first pass at the personal introduction, field test it in your
networking calls. Ask specifically for feedback on it at the end of the call or in your thank-you note. Once
you start to interview, do the same thing. Iteration, iteration, iteration. By the time you hit your really
important interviews, you’ll be golden.
You didn’t cover “fit questions.” How do I answer those?
But I did, I just didn’t call it out. Your fit questions follow the same story-arc as your personal story. You’ll
notice in the example vignette I included some light grey text for an expanded version of that story. The
same structure applies, you’ll just expand and contract as appropriate. The messages you want to
communicate are the same.
If they ask you, tell me about a time I failed… you’ll set the context, tell your story explaining how you dealt
with it, and then share a resolution. Even for this kind of question, think hard about what strength you want
to articulate it. Then use the framework to clearly articulate it.
8
Answers to
frequently asked
questions

9. jobhack.co Job Search Hacks
The book is organized around seven themes
9
1 Communicate your strengths
2 Delete your cover letters
3 The point of networking
4 Play the numbers game
5 Important interviews last
6 Focus on the fit interview
7 Ask and give feedback
EXTRASAnd more…