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

Chapter 13. Final Thoughts: Luck, Determination, And What You Can Do

I used to be a big believer in the importance of luck and felt that much of life is up to chance. What would I have been if I weren't born into a family that pushed education—and technology? If I hadn't been raised with the expectation of having a successful, ambitious career? Or if I hadn't been born in a country and at a time where these opportunities are available? No doubt these are some of the greatest strokes of luck that I—or any of us—have had.

As we pass through grade school, then high school, then university, and out into the job market, our luck becomes a bit more controllable. Yes, the people we meet shift our goals and open us up to new opportunities, but we are also in charge of these meetings. How do we connect with people and build on these chance encounters? How do we ask for help or give help to others? How do we develop the skills and resources, so that when we have an opportunity, we can vigorously pursue it?

This book was intended to teach you all those things. You have hopefully learned what skills you need and how to prepare academically and professionally for acareer. You now know how to get noticed by a tech company and what elements of a résumé will make them pick it up—or put it down. You understand that you shouldn't just wing it in an interview, that you should even prepare for questions on the topic you know the most about: yourself. You know how to handle the unfortunate rejection, ...