break into tech - the 7 essential secrets of tech recruiting
TRANSCRIPT
W E E V E N PAY $ 1 2 T O W AT C H B A D M O V I E S A B O U T T H E M
A N D T E C H J O B S A R E S O D E S I R A B L E
T H AT N E V E R R E S P O N D E DB U T W A S T E D D O Z E N S O F R E S U M E S O N T E C H C O M PA N I E S
A S A N O N - C S M A J O R , I S TA R T E D T O TA L K M Y S E L F O U T O F J O B S
B E F O R E I E V E N A P P L I E D
G E N E R AT E S 4 N O N - T E C H N I C A L J O B SE V E R Y T E C H N I C A L J O B
L A U N C H I N G A M A J O R A P P R E Q U I R E S : • P R O D U C T M A N A G E R S • D E S I G N E R S • M A R K E T E R S • A N A LY S T S • P R O J E C T M A N A G E R S • H R • A C C O U N TA N T S • C U S T O M E R S U P P O R T • L AW Y E R S
T E C H C O M PA N I E S H AV E 3 X A S M A N Y N O N - T E C H N I C A L W O R K E R S A S T E C H I E S
T H E S U R P R I S I N G R E S U LT ?
T E C H N I C A L R O L E S #
I N F O R M AT I O N T E C H N O L O G Y
6 4 , 2 6 4
E N G I N E E R I N G 3 9 , 3 7 8
O P E R AT I O N S 3 3 , 7 6 6
Q U A L I T Y A S S U R A N C E
5 , 2 0 5
TOTAL 1 4 2 , 6 1 3
N O N - T E C H N I C A L R O L E S #
E N T R E P R E N E U R S H I P 9 0 , 3 3 7
S A L E S 4 4 , 3 1 2
M A R K E T I N G 3 7 , 9 7 8
A R T S A N D D E S I G N 2 6 , 4 8 7
M E D I A A N D C O M M U N I C AT I O N 2 6 , 0 8 7
S U P P O R T 2 2 , 9 2 9
C O N S U LT I N G 2 0 , 4 8 3
B U S I N E S S D E V E L O P M E N T 1 4 , 4 4 7
P R O D U C T M A N A G E M E N T 1 4 , 1 4 1
P R O G R A M A N D P R O J E C T M A N A G E M E N T
1 2 , 1 7 2
A D M I N I S T R AT I V E 1 1 , 4 8 1
F I N A N C E 1 0 , 4 6 4
E D U C AT I O N 9 , 3 6 1
R E S E A R C H 8 , 9 9 4
H U M A N R E S O U R C E S 8 , 3 5 3
C O M M U N I T Y A N D S O C I A L S E R V I C E S
7 , 2 7 2
H E A LT H C A R E S E R V I C E S 5 , 2 0 4
A C C O U N T I N G 4 , 7 6 5
L E G A L 3 , 6 0 0
R E A L E S TAT E 2 , 2 0 4
M I L I TA R Y A N D P R O T E C T I V E S E R V I C E S
1 , 3 7 6
P U R C H A S I N G 1 , 2 0 8
TOTAL 3 8 3 , 6 5 5
Source: LinkedIn, US Internet Workers
T H E B O T T O M L I N E : T E C H J O B S A R E O P E N T O Y O U , E V E N I F Y O U W E R E N ’ T A C S M A J O R . S O D O N ’ T G I V E U P B E F O R E Y O U S TA R T.
S O I D I D N ’ T S E E M O U T O F P L A C E M Y S T R A T E G Y W A S T O H I D E M Y E D U C A T I O N B A C K G R O U N D
W H O F I T I N T O T H E S Y S T E MW H I L E S C H O O L S A N D T Y P I C A L C O M PA N I E S W A N T P E O P L E
T H AT I G O T M Y F I R S T I N T E R V I E W SI T W A S O N LY W H E N I S TA R T E D P L A Y I N G U P M Y C R A Z Y T E A C H I N G E X P E R I E N C E S
My actual cover letter to Apple!
O N T H E P E R F E C T P R E S E N T ?R E M E M B E R W H E N Y O U W E R E A K I D A N D H A D Y O U R H E A R T S E T
S C A R C I T Y M I N D S E TW I T H T E C H R E C R U I T I N G , I T ’ S E A S Y T O G E T I N T H A T S A M E
I C E R TA I N LY D I D
G O O G L E R E J E C T E D M E F O R
T H E 3 R D T I M E . G U E S S I ’ M J U S T N O T C U T
O U T F O R T E C H .
TA L E N T, N O T J O B S I S T H E N E W S C A R C E R E S O U R C E
T H E R E ’ S S O M U C H M O N E Y F L O O D I N G I N T O T E C H T H A T
A N D I F E V E N A T E C H G I A N T L I K E Y E L P I S S T R U G G L I N G ,
H O W D O E S A N E W E N T R E P R E N E U R H AV E A N Y C H A N C E O F F I N D I N G TA L E N T ?
I N T O A S I N G L E B A S K E TI N S T E A D O F P U T T I N G A L L Y O U R E G G S
WA R N I N G : S C A R C I T Y M I N D S E T !
W H O ’ S J U S T B E E N F U N D E D ?W H Y N O T R E A C H O U T T O A N E N T R E P R E N E U R
WA R N I N G : P R I Z E
M I N D S E T AT W O R K !
Y O U C A N G E T A N I N S TA N T I N T E R V I E W
S O F O R T H E P R I C E O F A C O F F E E ,
My email to an edtech startup
T H E B O T T O M L I N E : T E C H E M P L O Y E R S N E E D Y O U . S O H E L P T H E M F I N D Y O U .
C O F F E E , M P 3 P L AY E R S , A N D S O C I A L N E T W O R K S
I N M Y M A R K E T I N G C L A S S , W E S P E N T A L O T O F T I M E L E A R N I N G A B O U T
A L L R E P R E S E N T G E N E R I C P R O D U C T S T H AT B E C A M E D I F F E R E N T I AT E D
B E C A U S E S TA R B U C K S , T H E I P O D , A N D FA C E B O O K
B U T T H E Y C O N V I N C E D C U S T O M E R S T H E Y W E R E B E T T E R T H A N T H E R E S T
N O N E W E R E T H E F I R S T I N T H E I R C A T E G O R I E S ,
W H Y E L S E W O U L D Y O U PAY
$ 6 F O R D I R T Y B E A N WAT E R ? ? ?
S O H O W C O M E W E T U R N O U R M O S T P R I Z E D A S S E T - O U R TA L E N T - I N T O A C O M M O D I T Y ?
C O P Y- A N D - PA S T E C O V E R L E T T E R S , G E N E R I C R E S U M E S , A N D S TA N D A R D I N T E R V I E W A N S W E R S
Y O U K N O W T H E D R I L L :
B U T E S P E C I A L LY I N T E C HW H I C H I S A R E C I P E F O R FA I L U R E I N A N Y I N D U S T R Y,
VS VS
VSI N T H I S
R A P I D LY C H A N G I N G W O R L D ,
D I F F E R E N T I AT I O N R U L E S !
I S TA R T E D D O I N G T H I N G S M Y W AY - M Y O W N F O R M AT S , M Y O W N W AY O F S AY I N G T H I N G S
O N C E I L E A R N E D T H I S L E S S O N ,
I S T O O D O U T F R O M T H E PA C KE V E N T H O U G H , I W A S N ’ T T H E F I R S T O R E V E N M O S T- Q U A L I F I E D A P P L I C A N T
T H E B O T T O M L I N E : D O N ’ T B E A C O M M O D I T Y. D I F F E R E N T I AT E Y O U R S E L F.
M I G H T N E V E R R E A C H T H E G O A LS I N C E I K N E W A N A P P L I C A T I O N B Y I T S E L F
T H E B O T T O M L I N E : P R I O R I T I Z E Y O U R T I M E O N W H AT M AT T E R S - N O T W H AT F E E L S G O O D .
T H AT ’ S B E C A U S E T H E W O R S T M I S TA K E I E V E R M A D E W A S FA L L I N G I N T O T H E O N L I N E A P P L I C AT I O N T R A P
I ’ D D O A D O Z E N I N A R O WO N C E I F I N A L LY S TA R T E D A P P LY I N G F O R J O B S ,
I T ’ S S O E A S Y !
I T W A S O N LY Y E A R S L AT E R , W H E N I W A S H I R I N G AT L I N K E D I N , T H AT I L E A R N E D A B O U T T H E M O S T D I S T U R B I N G F O R C E I N T H E T E C H R E C R U I T I N G G A L A X Y
I B E G A N T O G I V E U PS TA R I N G A T T H E H U N D R E D S O F S I M I L A R A P P L I C A T I O N S ,
U N T I L I L E A R N E D A B O U T T H E 2 N D - M O S T P O W E R F U L T E C H R E C R U I T I N G F O R C E : R E F E R R A L S
M Y J O B B E C A M E E A S YA S S O O N A S M Y C O L L E A G U E S S TA R T E D R E C O M M E N D I N G C A N D I D A T E S ,
A F T E R A L L , W H Y TA K E A R I S K O N A N U N P R O V E N S T R A N G E R W H E N I ’ V E G O T A S U R E T H I N G ?
A N D S U R E E N O U G H , M Y O W N E X P E R I E N C E A S A N A P P L I C A N T B O R E T H AT O U T
W H O C O U L D V O U C H F O R M EA F T E R Y E A R S O F R E J E C T I O N , I F O U N D A N A L U M @ G O O G L E
T H E B O T T O M L I N E : A N A P P L I C AT I O N I S A S H O T. B U T A R E F E R R A L I S A S H O T O N G O A L .
I F I N A L LY M A D E I T T O T H E T E C H P R O M I S E D L A N D
A F T E R Y E A R S I N T H E W I L D E R N E S S
I T ’ S T E M P T I N G T O G O F O R T H E C O M PA N Y T H AT E V E N Y O U R G R A N D M A K N O W S
W H E N T E C H I S S O H O T,
E G O - S T R O K I N G T H A N K S G I V I N G D I N N E R S
B U T W H I L E T H A T M I G H T M A K E F O R
T H AT ’ S B E C A U S E P R E S T I G E D O E S N ’ T:
• Get you out of bed in the morning, excited to get to work
• Keep you motivated in the face of challenge
• Satisfy the hunger to do awesome things that brought you into tech in the first place
T H E O N LY S U R E PAT H T O S AT I S FA C T I O N I S T O :
• Find something that you love doing every single day
• Find people that you love doing it with
T H E B O T T O M L I N E : C H O O S E Y O U R J O B W I S E LY. O P T I M I Z E F O R H A P P I N E S S O V E R S E X I N E S S .
T H E 7 U LT I M AT E S E C R E T S T O T E C H R E C R U I T I N G1. You don’t need tech skills to get a tech job
Tech jobs are open to you, even if you weren’t a CS major. So don’t give up before you start.
2. Tech wants weirdosThis is tech. Let your freak flag fly.
3. You’re the prize Tech employers need you. So help them find you.
4. Think like a marketerDon’t be a commodity. Differentiate yourself.
5. Only shots on goal countPrioritize your time on what matters - not what feels good.
6. The application is just the start An application is a shot. A referral is a shot on goal.
7. Focus on fit over prestige Choose your job wisely. Optimize for happiness over sexiness.
A N D H AV E T H E T I M E O F Y O U R L I F E D O I N G I T ?
W H E R E E L S E C A N Y O U I N V E N T T H E F U T U R E
H E L P A L O N G T H E W AYI ’ M H A P P Y T O
E M A I L M E AT J E R E M Y @ B R E A K I N T O . T E C H
F R E E I N S I D E R S E C R E T SA N D S H A R E M O R E
G E T I T G E T I T
S U B S C R I B E T O T H E N E W S L E T T E RDon’t miss any new reports!
PAY I T F O R W A R DA L L I A S K I S T H A T Y O U
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