The Google Résumé: How to Prepare for a Career and Land a Job at Apple, Microsoft, Google, or any Top Tech Company

Chapter 7. Interview Prep and Overview

Think you've got it rough? Look at it from the company's perspective. A good hire is incredibly valuable, bad hires are even more costly, and interviews are a not-terribly-cheap way to cut their costs.

A typical Microsoft on-site interview for an entry-level software engineer costs the company over $1,000 in plane flights, hotels, and "man-hours." Multiply that by the number of candidates who don't get hired and you're looking at over $10,000 just for the interviews. We haven't even taken into account the paperwork process, signing bonuses, relocation, and all the recruiter overhead it takes to manage this process.

Hire someone bad and the company's costs go up even more. Not only did the company waste money on this person's salary, but the employee was likely a distraction to their team as well. Then—worst of all—in the United States, the company faces the risk of wrongful termination lawsuits. No wonder companies give so many interviews!

In the end, a company wants people who "get things done," and résumé screening and interviews are a way to analyze you from this perspective. It wants people who are more than just smart; it wants people who motivate those around them, who set lofty goals and accomplish them, who act ethically and honestly.

While these are largely "fundamental" attributes of you or your background, the way that you communicate and respond to questions determines how a company reads such attributes. The eager candidate can—and ...