How to Join a Tech Company!

I’m fortunate enough to be part of a small and privileged group of individuals who have worked for several of the world’s most desirable technology companies. I am often asked to share my advice, hints, and tips for people hoping to build a career in technology, and so I’ve written this post in the hope that it will be helpful to others.  

There is no single route into working for a tech company, and people come from a variety of backgrounds, and there is a strong focus on diversity among tech companies, but my story follows quite a traditional route and will probably be most useful for students early in their careers.

My journey into technology started young; at the tender age of nine, I was taught to program on a ZX81 by a brilliant teacher at my junior school in London. The first time I saw that blinking cursor transform into a bouncing sprite, I was sold. 

Since then, I’ve been lucky enough to build a successful career in technology, working for IBM, Apple, and now Google, where I am Technical Director in the Office of the CTO. I’ve also had conversations with several other tech companies, for example receiving an offer from Amazon for a senior technology role in Seattle last year.

Getting a tech job in one of these companies is legendarily hard, but I have found the process to be fair, open, and well-structured when compared to other companies. 

Rather than reply to the individual questions that people ask me, I thought that it would be helpful to share my perspectives and experiences both as a candidate and a hiring manager.  

There are five areas that you need to consider before starting the process of applying:

• Cultural Fit
• Qualifications
• Referrals
• Applying
• Interview Process  

I’ll go through each of these in turn in the following sections.

Company Culture

The first thing that you should consider is how well you will fit into the culture of the company that you’re interested in. 

They don’t have monocultures, and the environment that you’ll work in will vary a lot depending on your role or location. However, there are some general characteristics that I have observed throughout my career, and that are well covered if you research them. 

It’s worth noting that all of them have a high level of employee satisfaction compared to similarly-sized non-tech companies, and they are all great places to build and develop your career.

Amazon

This is a really fascinating company that has an ever-expanding business model. It has changed a lot since the company was founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos. I really enjoyed the interview process there, which was incredibly well-structured, thoughtful, and methodical. The people I met had a strong orientation towards process, and I found myself writing on whiteboards a lot, which is something that I enjoy, but doesn’t suit everyone.   

During some of the interviews, it was obvious that my answers were a lot less important than how I got to them; this is definitely a process-oriented culture. There is excitement in innovation as it relates to process improvement and delivering positive outcomes for customers, but primarily where it is solving a specific business problem.

TL;DR summary: Amazon’s culture is serious, intense, process-oriented, and results-obsessed. You’ll be expected to have a strong, hands-on technical background, and there is very little tolerance for ‘spin’ or politics. Expect to commit long-term (4+ years) to realize the full potential of any package that they offer you because it will be heavily based on slowly-vesting stock. You’ll be expected to be a problem solver who can write well, and quickly grasp concepts with a high degree of technical sophistication. Work-life balance is hard to achieve here, with many former Amazon employees reporting 12-hour days as the norm.

Apple

Love it or hate it, Apple has had a huge impact on modern society, first with the introduction of the highly popular Mac, and most recently with the iPhone that helped to define the smartphone era. The company is, of course, incredibly customer-focused, highly secretive and combative. There is a strong emphasis on quality, and the “fail-fast” approach that many contemporary technologists embrace doesn’t sit comfortably with the desire for design perfection.   

Even when it comes to designing digital experiences, during my time at Apple, I saw huge mock-ups of applications and websites printed on huge sheets of paper that people would put hand-written notes on and debate fiercely about to ensure that anything created for customers is perfect. That focus on “perfection” can make it hard to innovate, as many projects and initiatives are carefully crafted by senior executives, and the rest of the organization is expected to execute against this vision.

There is a strong focus on KPIs, and Net Promoter Score (NPS) drives a lot of the decision-making, so this is a great environment if you care about great customer experience. However, very few people describe working there as “fun;” you’ll definitely do rewarding work, but the flatness of the organization and the laser-tight focus on your specific projects and objectives might leave you feeling isolated, constrained and lacking personal development opportunities.

You also need to be a fan of the products; if you don’t use Macs or iPhones, for example, you might find it hard to fit in – reverence for the products is near cult-like within the company. If you don’t believe that Apple products and technology are the best, then this isn’t the place for you.

TL;DR summary: High quality, strong customer focus, limited career progression, tight focus, and not much fun, but rewarding work that will have an impact on millions of customers. You will need to be comfortable with ambiguity and able to be satisfied with being a small cog in a big machine. Worship of the products is a must, and dissenting voices are not welcome. It is very secretive, and you may not know what the person sitting next to you is working on. 

Facebook

The dominant social network has done a good job of diversifying in recent years, and its purchases of WhatsApp, Instagram, and Oculus have all been strategically important in extending the company’s reach. However, the last two years have seen the company placed under an incredible level of scrutiny due to the alleged role that social media played in election interference around the world, and Facebook’s perceived slow response.

Culturally, Facebook is a pretty open and casual environment, but the negative market sentiment may have dented morale, and a strong focus on advertising metrics may not be suitable for everyone. There is a culture of open and direct feedback, which can be hard for those who are introverted and not used to getting direct feedback. The offices have a university campus-like feel with highly-skilled, talented people enjoying a certain level of informality, while always keeping an eye on the traffic and key metrics.

Facebook embraces many of the more contemporary technology approaches. Expect to deliver code within a short time of joining, and to be immersed in a truly agile culture where people are expected to rapidly deploy, test, and respond to feedback. The pace can be fast, and you should have a passion for the work that the company is doing. Facebook technologists are smart, but the company doesn’t have quite the same intellectually-elite atmosphere as Google.

TL;DR: Probably second to Google in terms of its benefits, Facebook has had a tough couple of years in the media, but the open, casual culture, dominant market position, and high level of confidence in the CEO mean that this is a great place to work with an element of fun to balance the tight focus on metrics.

Google

The work environment at Google was immortalized in the 2013 film “The Internship.” While that was a comedy with a great deal of artistic license, it did a good job of providing some insights into the overall culture at the company.   

From its inception in 1998, Google never set out to be a conventional company, and that is still very much the case today. Phenomenally difficult to get into, Google has consistently been in the top ten of the most desirable companies in the world to work for and is known for having a tough interview process with a heavy emphasis on technical ability and intellect. It is very open, with most documents and reports generally shared by default, and with leaders being respectful of the need to share information quickly and freely across the company.

Engineering dominates at Google so, expect to be in an environment where technical skills are highly regarded, and where a lot of other professions have to invest considerable time and effort into influencing people in Engineering. Google employees are highly qualified, often academically-inclined, and like to get deep into the details of things - it is intellectually challenging, but friendly and warm at the same time, as long as you are ‘Googley.’

There is a lot of freedom at Google, but it also has less structure than many other companies; hence, you will have to be comfortable with ambiguity, constant change, and an evolving business model. In return, you’ll get access to industry-leading benefits that others will envy.

TL;DR: Google is a very intellectual environment, where many people come from a very strong academic background; there are many PhDs and Ivy League graduates on the roster, but it still maintains a very open, warm and friendly culture - as long as you’re a high achiever. Engineering rules and people outside of this function often have to influence and cajole engineers to get their buy-in or risk not getting their support.

IBM

‘Big Blue’, as it was once affectionately known, is where I started my career, and I spent a very enjoyable six years there. Although it has changed a lot since the days that I was there, my friends who still work there tell me that many of the cultural norms remain the same. IBM is client-focused; whereas Apple cares a lot about end-users, IBM’s focus is enterprises, and typically, big ones in the Fortune 500. That means that there is a greater level of formality than you’ll find in the Silicon Valley-based companies, but it can be a great training ground if you like the idea of working for a big company.

IBM has a strong sales culture, and while not as aggressive as, say, Oracle, a lot of activity is geared around the generation of revenue and customer satisfaction. IBM is much more dynamic and youthful than it was when I joined, it is still more corporate and structured than the other major tech companies. It is a great training ground for technology executives, and very often, when I meet other technology executives, they’ve spent some time at IBM and share my fondness for the company.

TL;DR: You’ll be working primarily to deliver solutions for IBM’s clients, and many IBM employees work in professional services (e.g., application development) or sales, so skills like consulting, presentations and communication are critical, as are traditional technology skills. Slow compared to its West Coast-based cousins, IBM has struggled to maintain market share and revenue but has benefited from deep relationships with its clients, and well-trained professionals. It’s hierarchical and slow but does important and impactful work that has helped to shape the industry. 

Microsoft

The last few years under CEO Satya Nadella have seen a real turnaround in Microsoft’s fortune. Under the previous CEO, Steve Ballmer, it seemed that Microsoft had lost its way technically, and was more focused on defending its core businesses (Windows and Microsoft Office) than innovating. However, since 2014, Microsoft’s mojo has returned, and at the time of writing, it is the most valuable of all the tech companies, with a market capitalization of over $1.0 trillion.   

Culturally, it is an unusual combination of a product company that has dominated many of the markets that it has been in (e.g., desktop operating systems, server operating systems and office automation), but this strong technology focus has been balanced by a relatively aggressive sales culture that has in the past been called out as ‘locking’ clients into its ecosystems. After a tricky start, the company is now producing excellent hardware. Employees report a very high level of satisfaction with the overall culture, and 96% of them approve of the CEO.

Expect a strong focus on technology (particularly Microsoft technologies), and an environment that is less open and friendly than Google but populated with very smart people who are passionate about the brand and its products.

TL;DR: Resurgent under the current CEO, Microsoft is doing well in all of its markets, and this can be credited to its strong technology background, supported by aggressive and highly-effective sales teams. As it did under Bill Gates, Microsoft plays to win, and while it is not often described as being ‘fun,’ employees there are satisfied and benefit from stability and strong leadership, even if the energy levels are not as high as in Silicon Valley.

Qualifications

These companies are changing rapidly to create even more diverse and inclusive workforces, but there is no getting away from the fact that having excellent academic and technology qualifications will be enormously helpful for any technology role in a tech company.  

Yes, there are self-taught engineers and designers who have thrived in the world of tech and more than a handful of successful university dropouts like Mark Zuckerberg. For the most part, however, you will be competing with other candidates who have top-flight educations.

Typically, for a technology role, this means having gone to an Ivy League (e.g., Harvard or Stanford) or Russell Group (e.g., Cambridge or Oxford) university and having done computer science or a related degree.

However, it’s my belief that a non-technical degree from a top college or university will be better received than a computer science degree from a low-ranking university – an elite education will definitely give you an advantage.

This may not be what you want to hear, but the good news is that for many technical roles, you will have the opportunity to prove yourself during the interview process, as long as you get there.

When reviewing that job posting for the role that you’re excited about, make sure that you understand the criteria fully, and that you meet and exceed the minimum criteria. Far too many candidates apply for roles for which they are not qualified, and then become disillusioned by the inevitable rejections. My advice is to monitor the job boards carefully and wait for a role that is a *really* good fit with your skills, where you meet all of the criteria and can demonstrate that you can do the job.

Referrals & Headhunters

It is still the case that many, many people working in technology actually got their roles through their personal network, or through a relationship with a recruiter. The importance of this cannot be underestimated; it’s one of the reasons that internships are so important—not only do you get to understand the company and its culture, but you also have the opportunity to make personal connections there.  

Based on my experience of hiring hundreds of technologists over the last two decades, I believe that a personal referral from an existing employee increases your chances of being considered by 400% and being introduced by a headhunter 200%. 

Most technology leaders don’t have the time to review hundreds of applications, and the first pass is often done by HR and recruitment professionals who may not have the same detailed understanding of the role as the hiring manager does. To minimize your chances of getting passed over at the first stage, it helps if someone within the company can champion you.

If someone who you know well and who can vouch for your work puts the resumé in front of the hiring manager, you have a much higher chance of being considered, and trusted headhunters can be almost as effective, although they will often submit your resumé with a bunch of others.

The key point is this; blindly applying to roles is a difficult way to get into a tech company, and so you should:

1. Do an internship or placement at the company, if possible, so that you have some people who can refer you later on.
2. Establish relationships with people at the company so that they can make you aware of roles as they come up and potentially refer you.
3. Build connections with headhunters who work with the company so that you are on their radar, and they can submit your resumé to relevant openings.
4. Monitor the company’s job boards several times a day so that you can move quickly when you spot the ideal role.

Applying

Assuming that you’ve identified a company for which you will be a good fit, have some connections there to help you with a referral, and have spotted the ideal role, you will then need to apply through the appropriate channel, which is likely to be the company website or a headhunter.  

Here are my six golden rules for applying that should help you through the process:

Meet the Minimum Criteria

You will be competing against thousands of people from around the globe for one of the most highly sought-after jobs in the world; make sure that you meet the minimum criteria for the role. The recruiters put it there for a reason, and if you don’t have the required level of experience, you’ll be wasting everyone’s time and may actually compromise your chances of getting in when the right role comes up.

Follow the Instructions

In their excitement, many candidates forget to follow the basic instructions and end their process even before it is started by not sticking to the rules:

• If the process asks for a portfolio of work, then make sure that you include it and that it really showcases the things that you are proud of;
• If there is a requirement for a resumé to be in a specific format (e.g., PDF or Word), then don’t deviate or try to innovate – stick to the required format always.
• If they ask for a covering letter, then make sure to write a good one; some of these companies are very particular about written communication (particularly Amazon and Google), and your covering letter will be an important part of the analysis.
• Do not apply for dozens of jobs; this will irritate the recruiters, and make you seem desperate – pick the three roles for which you are best suited, and tailor your applications to those. If there are other roles that you could be a fit for, the recruiters will make that connection for you, but do not make it seem that you are trying to get into the company at all costs.
• Don’t lie. If you cannot code in Python, and the job demands it, don’t pretend that you can – you’ll get caught out and limit your chances of other roles.
• Be prepared to substantiate your educational and technical qualifications – have your course transcripts, certificates, and records readily available for the next stage.
• Don’t forget to include a company referral if one is available; sometimes you will see a hot role and want to apply directly, but you can still add any contact that you have within the company as a referral in some cases, even if they didn’t submit your resumé for you.

Have a Good Looking Resumé

It still blows my mind how often I see boring, tired-looking resumés that are hard to read and uninspiring. While the content is the most important thing, having it presented well comes as a close second. There are many great websites and tools for creating attractive documents, and you must make an effort to create an impressive document.

Some of the online submission processes will strip the design away from what you upload and just parse the text out of it, but if you get through the first pass, you will benefit from having your beautifully-designed resumé on hand.

Clean Up Your Social Media

Whilst recruiters can only use the information that you provide as part of your application when making recruitment decisions, it is not unusual for them to do some initial research by typing your name into Google.

It is critical that your social media footprint is accurate, matches your application 100% and doesn’t include embarrassing photos or posts that create a bad impression of you.

Even if you’re applying for your first job, it’s worth developing a LinkedIn page that mirrors what is on your resumé.

Be Precise

There are no excuses for mistakes, omissions, or typos on your application—it needs to be word-perfect and organized exactly as required.

Apply Before the Deadline

Check the deadlines for this process, and don’t wait for the last minute; recruiters often review the resumés as they come in and applying early on in the process can only help you.

Applying after the process has closed, even if you are a brilliant candidate, can look sloppy and count against you.

Assuming that you have done all of this, you will have maximized the chances of your application and resumé getting in front of the hiring manager, and now you’re ready to prepare for the most exciting part of the process…

The Interview Process

I’m not going to lie; this will be tough, and most people will not get through it.  

That said, preparation is your friend, and if you organize yourself well, you will have a great chance of getting through.

There are several things to consider:

Research the Company

You must, must, must do exhaustive research on the company, and be up to date with the latest product launches, announcements, and personnel changes.

Whenever I’m interviewing someone and they fail to have read the headlines about the company before coming to the offices, I’m always disappointed.

You need to demonstrate a real interest in the company and its culture and have knowledge about it and its products.

You must know the following information before you enter the building:

1. The year the company was founded
2. The names of the founders
3. The name of the CEO
4. The company’s mission and objectives
5. The top three products
6. What technology stack they use
7. The latest financial results
8. The latest news headlines

Even if you think that they are not relevant to your job, if you get asked a question about one of these topics and don’t know the answer, it will throw you and undermine your confidence.

Polish up on Your Skills

Not everyone is at their best when under pressure and, when interviewing for a tech job, you will certainly feel the heat. Many roles require you to do some coding during the interview process, and you will most likely be placed in a lab-like environment and given a specific problem to tackle.

Sometimes this will be finding a bug in some code that is provided to you or creating a program to fulfil a particular task. You should know which language you’re going to use and find out ahead of time if it’s acceptable.

You need to be on your game, and practice makes perfect!

Find out about Your Interviewers

Another pitfall for candidates is not knowing anything about the people they are going to meet, which is terrible for a number of reasons:

• It implies that you are not well-prepared.
• You’ll be much more comfortable meeting people for the first time if you’ve seen some of them online (e.g., a presentation that they gave).
• With enough research, you may be able to find out about your interviewer’s interests, preferences, and even personal facts that will help you to answer their questions better. Without research, you’ll be flying blind.
• If you get the opportunity, it doesn’t hurt to mention their last presentation or talk—they will be impressed that you listened to it and could make them warm up to you. Conversely, if they ask you about the presentation that they gave at a huge industry event the week before, and you don’t know anything about it, that won’t help your cause.  

Get Some Rest

Tech interview processes are arduous; you will often have to meet lots of people (12 to 15 is not unheard of for senior roles), and the interviews themselves are intense. 

Get plenty of sleep the night before, and have a good breakfast so that you’re in top form for the interviews and have peak brainpower.

Whenever I see a candidate who is tired or yawning, it always creates a less than positive impression.

Dress Appropriately

People often get very anxious about what to wear to an interview, but it’s actually pretty straightforward—ask the recruiters, and carefully review the photos on the company’s website to get a feel for what to wear.

It’s important that you are comfortable, relaxed, and feeling like yourself—if you’re wearing uncomfortable shoes for the first time, it will distract you and make you nervous. If you’re too hot or too cold, it can have a similar effect.

Typically, you cannot go wrong with a nice pair of jeans or skirt and a nice, plain-colored shirt or blouse. T-shirts can work, but if you wear one with a particular image or phrase that makes a point that one of your interviewers doesn’t agree with, it might sway their opinion. 

Minimize your risk, and wear something comfortable, unremarkable, and non-controversial. If you have particular health or religious needs that need to be accommodated, you should let your interviewers know beforehand so that this can be arranged. For example, some office buildings have a security policy that prevents people with their faces covered from entering; if you need to cover your face for faith reasons, let them know.

Be Polite

Everyone you speak with will be part of your process, from the researcher who reached out to you in the first place to the valet attendant who helped you park your car through to the receptionist on the front desk.

Treat all of them with the same courtesy and respect that you would expect.

I know a number of situations where candidates were rude to receptionists or administrative staff, and the people involved shared their concerns, derailing the process for some.

Remember to say please and thank you; you might have an advanced computer science degree from Stanford, but out in the real world, “please” and “thank you” carry great weight.

Answer the Question!

This is critically important. When the interviewer asks you a question, there are only three valid responses:

1. Answer the question fully, using examples. Be brief and concise but thorough.
2. Ask them to repeat the question, because you didn’t hear or understand it.
3. Say that you don’t know the answer.

Many smart people find it hard to make the second and third choices here, and so they give responses that don’t answer the question or that are wrong. They often waffle to avoid an awkward silence, instead of just saying that they don’t know.

When this has happened to me as a candidate, saying that you don’t know often prompts the interviewer to rephrase the question or to come at it from a different angle, which will give you more time to think and help them clarify what they are looking for.

In situations where I have been the hiring manager, a candidate who says that he or she has not heard about something that I’ve mentioned and asks me to explain it gets an extra point for honesty and authenticity.

Take Notes

The process is going to be a blur; you might see as many as 10 people in the course of one day, and their names, questions and the discussion will often fade quickly from memory, so take notes as the interviews go on.

Later on, these notes will not only help you to understand how you did during the interviews but will also give you things to follow up on and the names of the people you need to send a thank-you note to.

Say Thanks!

Once the interview is over, remember that your interviewers will probably be getting together not long afterwards to compare notes and help the hiring manager to make a decision.

Send them a brief note (LinkedIn is fine), saying something like:

“Hi, Jane.

Thank you very much for meeting with me today.

I enjoyed our discussion and hope that we will have the opportunity to talk again soon.”

Conclusion

If you have followed all of these steps, then you will be well on your way to joining a tech company and having one of the most coveted roles available in the world today!