Programming Interviews Exposed, 4th Edition

2The Job Application Process

Interviewing and recruiting procedures are similar at most tech companies, so the more prepared you are for what you will encounter, the more successful you will be. This chapter familiarizes you with the entire job-search process, from contacting companies to starting your new job, so you won’t need to write off your first few application attempts as learning experiences. Hiring procedures at technical companies are often substantially different from those followed by more traditional firms, so you may find this information useful even if you’ve spent some time in the working world.

FINDING AND CONTACTING COMPANIES

The first step to getting a job is to find and make contact with companies you’re interested in working for. Although referrals are the best way to land a job, you can also work with headhunters or contact a company directly.

Finding Companies

You can better target your search if you know which companies you’re most interested in working for. Big companies are easy to find—you can probably name a dozen national and international tech companies off the top of your head. You can identify candidate medium-sized (as well as large) companies through articles in trade and local business press. Many magazines and newspapers regularly compile lists of successful companies and rankings of the best places to work. (Take these rankings with a grain of salt: there’s often a lot of variation in quality of work life across large companies.) Most ...