Why should you read this book?
If you type any job search-related term into Google, you’ll find thousands of articles proclaiming to have the solutions to your career search problems. If I was in your shoes, reading this book for the first time, my first big question would be “Why should I take the time to read and understand this material, instead of some other book?”. So, I’m going to take two pages to explain my background and who this book is for.
My name is Matt Du Pont, and in 2008 I wanted to work for a think tank in Washington, D.C. To try and get a job, I did what most people do—I put together a resume, found places with open positions, researched and personalized applications for each, and applied. But then, instead of getting the many interviews I expected, only 2 out of 38 of the places I applied to sent me a non-automated reply! Over 90% of the places where I was excited to work completely ignored me, which made me upset and started me looking for better ways to get a job.
After that failure, I decided that the next time would be different. I started intensely practicing my interview skills, talking with hundreds of people about how they got their jobs, and helping my friends with their own searches. This turned into years of understanding more and more about how hiring worked and how to beat the system.
Because of all this extra work, between 2009 and 2018 (when I wrote this book), I converted over 70% of my first-round interviews into job offers. These were often highly competitive positions, like product management at Google and OkCupid or consulting at BCG. I got these offers not because I was a special candidate, but because I used the systems recorded in this book to be much more prepared than the other applicants.
But more importantly to you than my personal record, I’ve systematically observed and influenced hundreds of other people’s job searches as well. During the last decade, I’ve:
- Been either the hiring manager or an interviewer for several positions, which let me see hundreds of applicants and how they’re evaluated. These roles include:
- Software teams: Developer, Product Manager, QA tester, UX Designer
- Sales teams: Business Development Representative, Account Executive, Account Manager
- Other: Recruiter, Startup Cofounder
- Subbed in as the only recruiter for a few months at a 50-person company, to learn more about the job search process
- Worked 1:1 with dozens of people to help them succeed in their job searches
About a year ago, I started surveying the people I spoke with about which part of the job search they struggled with most. Over half of the people I surveyed reported that getting first-round interviews was their biggest problem in job searching. This book is my attempt to help, based on my and my clients’ experiences with tech-focused careers in the United States.
You should read this book if you want a very detailed look at the process of how to get first-round interviews. This material is more in-depth, and thus takes more work, than most resources on job searching. But if you’re prepared to work hard, and just need to know where to direct that effort in order to get the job you want, this book is for you.