What Readers Are Saying About Land the Tech Job You Love Andy Lester has done what no one has ever been able to do. He has written a software manual that teaches techies how to land a great job. Done up with style and insight that speaks clearly to programmers and other technical folks, this how-to guide shows you how to design, code, debug, and run a suc- cessful job-hunting project. Nick Corcodilos asktheheadhunter.com The timing couldn’t be better for Andy Lester’s fantastic new book, Land the Tech Job You Love. In these difficult economic times, a lot more people are competing for a lot fewer jobs, and they’re going to need all the help they can get. Andy’s excellent collection of guidelines and pragmatic advice may be the bible we all depend upon. Ed Yourdon Author of Death March and developer of software methodologies A perceptive, practical, positive, and powerful guide to scoring your next great tech job. Karen Burns Author, The Amazing Adventures of Working Girl: Real-Life Career Advice You Can Actually Use The people who have always stood out to me in interviews were not always the most talented candidates but the most prepared. This book will give you the tools, tips, and real-world experience that are invaluable to getting hired. If you are going to pick up one book on getting hired, this is the one you need. Jason A. Crome Partner, DEVNET, Inc. This is a valuable, readable book that cuts through the normal B.S. of job hunting. If you ever think you will need a job, do yourself a favor and buy a copy of this book now. Johanna Rothman Author and management consultant Land the Tech Job You Love is one part sound advice, one part self-psychoanalysis, and one part wincing as you recognize things you’ve personally done. I wish I’d had this years ago. Dee Ann LeBlanc Technical writer, Renaissoft You don’t have to be unemployed to benefit from reading (studying!) this book. It’s a great book to read before you start looking. Andy thoroughly analyzes the many issues involved in the complex process of finding the job you will love. Ilya Talman President, Roy Talman & Associates Andy has taken the mystery and guesswork out of the technol- ogy career change. Essential stuff. Rob Warmowski Principal, South Loop Digital Land the Tech Job You Love Andy Lester The Pragmatic Bookshelf Raleigh, North Carolina Dallas, Texas Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and The Pragmatic Programmers, LLC was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in initial capital letters or in all capitals. The Pragmatic Starter Kit, The Pragmatic Programmer, Pragmatic Programming, Pragmatic Bookshelf and the linking g device are trademarks of The Pragmatic Programmers, LLC. Every precaution was taken in the preparation of this book. However, the pub- lisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages that may result from the use of information (including program listings) contained herein. Our Pragmatic courses, workshops, and other products can help you and your team create better software and have more fun. For more information, as well as the latest Pragmatic titles, please visit us at http://www.pragprog.com Copyright © 2009 Andy Lester. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy- ing, recording, or otherwise, without the prior consent of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America. ISBN-10: 1-934356-26-3 ISBN-13: 978-1-934356-26-5 Printed on acid-free paper. P1.0 printing, May 2009 Version: 2009-6-12 Contents Appreciations 11 Introduction 14 The Fireman Who Loved His Job ............. 14 How This Book Was Born ................. 15 A Disclaimer of Sorts .................... 16 What’s Inside? ........................ 17 Land the Tech Job You Love Online ............ 19 Go Love Your Job ...................... 19 I The Job Search 20 1 The Foundation of Your Job Search 21 1.1 Be Honest with Yourself .............. 21 1.2 Be Honest with Others ............... 24 1.3 Think Like the Boss ................. 26 1.4 Be a Problem Solver ................. 28 1.5 Sell Yourself ..................... 29 1.6 Tell Stories and Give Samples of Your Work . 31 1.7 Be Positive ...................... 33 1.8 Moving Ahead .................... 35 2 What Do You Want in a Job? 36 2.1 A Crash Course in Work Motivation Theory . 38 2.2 Dig In to What You’re Looking For . 39 2.3 The Motivation Worksheet ............. 41 2.4 What Motivates You? A Dozen Factors to Consider 42 2.5 Now Go Beta Test Your Worksheet . 50 CONTENTS 8 3 Résumé Content: Getting the Words Down 51 3.1 Before You Write Your Résumé... ......... 52 3.2 Writing a Résumé Is Not Speedy ......... 54 3.3 The Sections of Your Résumé ........... 55 3.4 What to Leave Out of Your Résumé . 76 3.5 Moving to Construction ............... 78 4 Building Your Résumé Documents 80 4.1 The Three Versions of Your Résumé . 81 4.2 General Guidelines ................. 82 4.3 Use Word’s Features Correctly and Effectively . 84 4.4 Create an Effective Summary ........... 85 4.5 Check Your Word Document ............ 86 4.6 Build the HTML Version .............. 88 4.7 Build the Text Document .............. 92 4.8 You’re Ready to Move Forward .......... 93 5 Finding Your Job 94 5.1 It’s All About the People .............. 94 5.2 Wherethe Jobs Are ................. 99 5.3 What to Find Out About a Potential Job . 108 5.4 Do Your Detective Work .............. 109 5.5 Headhunters ..................... 118 5.6 Work the Hunt .................... 120 5.7 Summary ....................... 122 6 Applying for the Job 124 6.1 Customize Your Résumé .............. 125 6.2 Create a Cover Letter ................ 127 6.3 Put the Package Together ............. 130 6.4 Never Tell Anyone Your Salary History . 131 6.5 And Now You Keep Looking ............ 134 II The Interview and Beyond 135 7 Preparing for the Interview 136 7.1 Clear Your Schedule ................ 137 7.2 Prepare to Sell the Interviewer on You . 137 7.3 Prepare to Answer Tough Questions . 137 7.4 Prepare a Relevant Portfolio ............ 138 7.5 Prepare Your Questions to Ask .......... 143 Report erratum this copy is (P1.0 printing, May 2009) CONTENTS 9 7.6 Prepare to Get to the Interview .......... 148 7.7 Prepare What You’re Going to Bring with You . 149 7.8 Preparation Is Half the Battle ........... 150 8 The Interview 152 8.1 Work Toward Your Goal of Getting an Offer . 153 8.2 Listen to Everything ................. 154 8.3 Treat Each Person Like the CEO ......... 156 8.4 A Walk Through the Interview ........... 158 8.5 Sell Yourself by Telling Stories ........... 161 8.6 Sell Yourself by Doing the Job ........... 168 8.7 Closing the Interview ................ 170 8.8 Phone Interviews .................. 172 8.9 The End of Your First Day ............. 174 9 Handling the Tough Interview Questions 176 9.1 Never Give B.S. Answers .............. 177 9.2 Never Complain or Disrespect ........... 177 9.3 Know the Red Flags the Interviewer Wants to Uncover ........................ 178 9.4 The Tough Questions ................ 179 9.5 Curveballs ...................... 193 9.6 More Tough Questions: Exercises for the Reader 194 10 Too Much Information 196 10.1 Illegal Topics ..................... 196 10.2 Other Topics to Avoid ................ 200 10.3 Handle Inappropriate Questions Tactfully . 202 10.4 Who Wants to Work for a Company Like That Anyway? ....................... 203 10.5 It’s All About Focus ................. 204 11 After the Interview: The Job Offer and Beyond 205 11.1 Send Thank-You Notes ............... 205 11.2 And Now You Wait... ................ 206 11.3 Go for Further Interviews ............. 208 11.4 Give Solid References ................ 209 11.5 The Job Offer .................... 213 11.6 Leave Your Job Gracefully ............. 219 11.7 Getting Rejected ................... 222 11.8 And the Cycle of Work Continues... ........ 225 Report erratum this copy is (P1.0 printing, May 2009) CONTENTS 10 12 Staying Hirable 226 12.1 Improve Yourself ................... 228 12.2 Improve Your Network ............... 232 12.3 Improve Your Brand ................ 237 12.4 Always Look for Your Next Job .......... 241 12.5 It’s Never the End .................. 245 A Meaningless Clichés to Avoid 246 B Résumé, Cover Letter, and Email Killers 247 C Interview Killers 248 D Web Resources 249 E Bibliography 250 Index 252 Report erratum this copy is (P1.0 printing, May 2009) Appreciations In Behind Closed Doors [RD05], Johanna Rothman discusses what she calls appreciations, simple but powerful messages to let people know how they have affected your life. They take this form: “[Person], I appreciate you for [something]. Its effect on me was [whatever].” They’re a fantastic way to let people know just what they mean to you, and to build relationships, both in business and personal life. I’ve titled this section “Appreciations,” instead of the usual “Acknowledgments,” because acknowledgments is not strong enough a word. Acknowledging someone sounds like rote, mun- dane, minimal. You acknowledge you were informed of your Miranda rights. Herein I’d like to let some very important people know just how much I appreciate their assistance, guidance, and support in bringing this book to you, the reader. If you like this book and you happen to meet or know one of them, please add your voice to mine and share your appreciation. Bill Odom, I appreciate how much common ground we shared when we first talked about the problems of hiring quality people.