BREAK INTO TECH

THE 7 ESSENTIAL SECRETS

OF TECH RECRUITING

T H E R E S N O D E N Y I N G I T:
TECH IS HOT

WE WAKE UP WITH IT

IN OUR BEDS

WEVE ADDED IT

TO OUR DICTIONARIES

AND TECH JOBS ARE SO DESIRABLE

W E E V E N PAY $ 1 2 T O W AT C H B A D
MOVIES ABOUT THEM

ITS NO WONDER:
BREAKING INTO TECH IS HARD

AND IM LIVING PROOF

I BEGAN MY CAREER AS A

KINDERGARTEN TEACHER

B 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

T H AT N E V E R R E S P O N D E D

 U N T I L I F I N A L LY
CRACKED THE CODE

N O W, F O R T H E F I R S T T I M E ,
LET ME SHARE THE SECRETS

THAT TOOK ME

FROM HERE

TO

HERE

SECRET #1:
YOU DONT NEED TECH SKILLS TO
GET A TECH JOB

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
MYSELF OUT OF JOBS

BEFORE I EVEN APPLIED

BECAUSE EVERY DAY ID WAKE UP TO

HEADLINES LIKE THESE

BUT HERES THE

DIRTY LITTLE SECRET OF TECH

EVERY TECHNICAL JOB

G E N E R AT E S 4 N O N - T E C H N I C A L J O B S

LAUNCHING A MAJOR APP

REQUIRES:
PRODUCT MANAGERS
DESIGNERS
MARKETERS
A N A LY S T S
PROJECT MANAGERS
HR
A C C O U N TA N T S
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
LAWYERS

T H E S U R P R I S I N G R E S U LT ?

T E C H C O M PA N I E S H A V E 3 X A S M A N Y
NON-TECHNICAL WORKERS AS TECHIES
TECHNICAL
ROLES
I N F O R M AT I O N
TECHNOLOGY
ENGINEERING

O P E R AT I O N S
QUALITY
ASSURANCE
T O TA L

64,264

39,378

33,766

5,205

142,613

Source: LinkedIn, US Internet Workers

NON-TECHNICAL ROLES

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

90,337

SALES

44,312

MARKETING

37,978

ARTS AND DESIGN

26,487

M E D I A A N D C O M M U N I C AT I O N

26,087

SUPPORT

22,929

C O N S U LT I N G

20,483

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

14,447

PRODUCT MANAGEMENT

14,141

PROGRAM AND PROJECT

MANAGEMENT
A D M I N I S T R AT I V E

12,172

FINANCE

10,464

E D U C AT I O N

9,361

RESEARCH

8,994

HUMAN RESOURCES

8,353

COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL

SERVICES
H E A LT H C A R E S E R V I C E S

7,272

ACCOUNTING

4,765

LEGAL

3,600

R E A L E S TAT E

2,204

M I L I TA R Y A N D P R O T E C T I V E
SERVICES
PURCHASING

1,376

T O TA L

383,655

11,481

5,204

1,208

THE BOTTOM LINE:

TECH JOBS ARE OPEN TO YOU,
EVEN IF YOU WERENT A CS MAJOR.
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.

SECRET #2:
TECH WANTS WEIRDOS

REMEMBER ALL MY RESUMES

T H AT N E V E R W E N T A N Y W H E R E ?

MY STRATEGY WAS TO HIDE MY EDUCATION BACKGROUND

SO I DIDNT SEEM OUT OF PLACE

TURNS OUT I WAS APPROACHING TECH

ALL WRONG

W 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

WHO FIT INTO THE SYSTEM

T E C H C O M PA N I E S W E R E F O U N D E D B Y P E O P L E

W H O H AT E D T H E S Y S T E M

SO SUBMITTING A BLAND COVER LETTER SAYS:

I DONT BELONG

I 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

T H AT I G O T M Y F I R S T I N T E R V I E W S
My actual cover letter to Apple!

THE BOTTOM LINE:

THIS IS TECH.
L E T Y O U R F R E A K F L A G F LY.

SECRET #3:
YOURE THE PRIZE

REMEMBER WHEN YOU WERE A KID AND HAD YOUR HEART SET

ON THE PERFECT PRESENT?

AND NOTHING ELSE

WOULD DO?

WITH TECH RECRUITING, ITS EASY TO GET IN THAT SAME

SCARCITY MINDSET

I C E R TA I N LY D I D
GOOGLE
REJECTED ME FOR
THE 3RD TIME. GUESS
IM JUST NOT CUT
OUT FOR TECH.

BUT HERES THE TRUTH

THERES SO MUCH MONEY FLOODING INTO TECH THAT

TA L E N T, N O T J O B S I S T H E N E W
SCARCE RESOURCE

AND IF EVEN A TECH GIANT LIKE YELP IS STRUGGLING,

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 ?

T H AT S W H E R E
THE PRIZE MINDSET COMES IN

INSTEAD OF PUTTING ALL YOUR EGGS

INTO A SINGLE BASKET

WARNING:
SCARCITY
MINDSET!

WHY NOT REACH OUT TO AN ENTREPRENEUR

WHOS JUST BEEN FUNDED?

WARNING:
PRIZE
MINDSET
AT W O R K !

C H A N C E S A R E T H E Y N E E D G R E AT P E O P L E ,

PRONTO

SO FOR THE PRICE OF A COFFEE,

Y O U C A N G E T A N I N S TA N T
INTERVIEW

My email to an edtech startup

IN OTHER WORDS

DONT BE JUST ANOTHER

S C A R C I T Y- B O T

BE

THE PRIZE

THE BOTTOM LINE:

TECH EMPLOYERS NEED YOU.
SO HELP THEM FIND YOU.

SECRET #4:
THINK LIKE A MARKETER

IN MY MARKETING CLASS, WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME LEARNING ABOUT

C O F F E E , M P 3 P L AY E R S , A N D S O C I A L
NETWORKS

WHY?

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 F A C E B O O K

ALL REPRESENT GENERIC PRODUCTS

T H AT B E C A M E D I F F E R E N T I AT E D

NONE WERE THE FIRST IN THEIR CATEGORIES,

BUT THEY CONVINCED CUSTOMERS

THEY WERE BETTER THAN THE REST

WHY ELSE
W O U L D Y O U PAY
$6 FOR DIRTY
B E A N W AT E R ? ? ?

SO HOW COME WE TURN OUR MOST

P R I Z E D A S S E T - O U R TA L E N T INTO A COMMODITY?

YOU KNOW THE DRILL:

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

SOON ENOUGH,

E V E R Y C A N D I D AT E I S T H E S A M E

W H I C H I S A R E C I P E F O R F A I L U R E I N A N Y I N D U S T R Y,

B U T E S P E C I A L LY I N T E C H

VS

VS

VS

IN THIS
R A P I D LY C H A N G I N G
WORLD,
D I F F E R E N T I AT I O N
RULES!

ONCE I LEARNED THIS LESSON,

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

E 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

I S T O O D O U T F R O M T H E PA C K

WHICH EARNED ME A SHOT TO BE

PA R T O F T H E T E A M

THE BOTTOM LINE:

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.

SECRET #5:
O N LY S H O T S O N G O A L C O U N T

S O M U C H ( D I G I TA L ) I N K I S S P I L L E D

A B O U T T E C H T H E S E D AY S

ITS EASY TO CONFUSE

RESEARCH WITH PROGRESS

ID SPEND WHOLE WEEKS

WORKING ON GETTING A TECH JOB

WITH NOTHING TO
SHOW FOR IT

THATS WHEN I REALIZED:

Y O U O N LY S C O R E W H E N Y O U S H O O T

SO I REPRIORITIZED MY TIME
TO MAXIMIZE SHOTS ON GOAL

I S E T Q U O TA S F O R B O T H S H O T S :

A P P L I C AT I O N S / D AY

AND SHOTS ON GOAL:

N E T W O R K I N G C H AT S / D AY

SINCE I KNEW AN APPLICATION BY ITSELF

MIGHT NEVER REACH THE GOAL

IN A MONTH, I WENT FROM ZERO INTERVIEWS

TO FIVE

THE BOTTOM LINE:

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 .

SECRET #6:
T H E A P P L I C AT I O N I S J U S T T H E
S TA R T

REMEMBER HOW I DISTINGUISHED

BETWEEN SHOTS + SHOTS ON
GOAL?

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 F A 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

O 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 ,

ID DO A DOZEN IN A ROW

ITS SO
EASY!

THERE WAS JUST

ONE PROBLEM

I NEVER

HEARD BACK
T H E O N LY
RESPONSE I
EVER GOT!

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
THE MOST DISTURBING FORCE IN THE TECH
RECRUITING GALAXY

THE ONLINE APPLICATION

BLACK HOLE

S 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 ,

I BEGAN TO GIVE UP

UNTIL I LEARNED ABOUT THE 2ND-MOST

POWERFUL TECH RECRUITING FORCE:
REFERRALS

A 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 ,

MY JOB BECAME EASY

A F T E R A L L , W H Y TA K E A R I S K O N A N
UNPROVEN STRANGER WHEN IVE
GOT A SURE THING?

AND SURE ENOUGH, MY OWN

EXPERIENCE AS AN APPLICANT BORE
T H AT O U T

AFTER YEARS OF REJECTION, I FOUND AN ALUM @ GOOGLE

WHO COULD VOUCH FOR ME

A N D T H E N E X T D A Y,

G U E S S W H AT W A S I N M Y I N B O X ?

WHICH ALLOWED ME TO SEND

A REJECTION LETTER OF MY OWN :)

THE BOTTOM LINE:

A N A P P L I C AT I O N I S A S H O T.
BUT A REFERRAL IS A SHOT ON GOAL.

SECRET #7:
FOCUS ON FIT OVER PRESTIGE

AFTER YEARS IN THE WILDERNESS

I F I N A L LY M A D E I T T O T H E T E C H
PROMISED LAND

SO WHY WAS I SO
MISERABLE?

M Y F I N A L M I S TA K E W A S
PRIORITIZING PRESTIGE OVER FIT

W H E N T E C H I S S O H O T,

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

BUT WHILE THAT MIGHT MAKE FOR

EGO-STROKING THANKSGIVING
DINNERS

I T S A L O U S Y PAT H T O
HAPPINESS

T H AT S B E C A U S E
PRESTIGE
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 F A C T I O N I S
TO:

Find something that you

love doing every single

day
Find people that you love

doing it with

PEOPLE SAID I WAS CRAZY

W H E N I G AV E U P A L L T H I S

BUT WORKING WITH AN AWESOME

T E A M O N T H I N G S T H AT I C A R E
ABOUT?

T H AT S
T H E U LT I M AT E P E R K

THE BOTTOM LINE:

C H O O S E Y O U R J O B W I S E LY.
OPTIMIZE FOR HAPPINESS OVER SEXINESS.

S O T H E R E Y O U H A V E I T.

T H E 7 U LT I M AT E S E C R E T S T O T E C H
RECRUITING
1. You dont need tech skills to get a tech job

Tech jobs are open to you, even if you werent a CS major. So dont give up before you start.

2. Tech wants weirdos

This is tech. Let your freak flag fly.

3. Youre the prize

Tech employers need you. So help them find you.

4. Think like a marketer

Dont be a commodity. Differentiate yourself.

5. Only shots on goal count

Prioritize 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.

THE JOURNEY TO TECH IS A LONG, HARD ONE

B U T I T S S O W O R T H I T.

WHERE ELSE CAN YOU INVENT THE FUTURE

A N D H AV E T H E T I M E O F Y O U R L I F E
DOING IT?

IM HAPPY TO

H E L P A L O N G T H E W AY

E M A I L M E AT
JEREMY@BREAKINTO.TECH

AND SHARE MORE

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As a former teacher,
I believe in sharing everything Ive learned.
So, in that spirit, please share!

HERES WISHING YOU

GOOD LUCK ON THE JOURNEY!