How do you get hired by a tech giant like Apple, Microsoft or Google?
Gayle Laakmann McDowell worked for all three companies and wrote a book, The Google Resume, with tips for job seekers.
No, you don't need to have a perfect GPA, says McDowell. But if you graduated from an elite university that will help.
Here are a few things big tech companies look for on resumes. These could be the difference between an interview and a non response.
To purchase a copy of The Google Resume, head over to Amazon.
If you graduated from an elite college, your chances of getting an interview vastly improve
Yes, where you went to school does matter to the tech giants. Of course there are exceptions, but McDowell says an Ivy League or other top university will get you noticed.
If you went to a lesser-known college, she suggests searching the alumni database, networking, or asking professors for help finding another way in.
The Googles and Apples like to see relevant internship experience. If you waited tables when you were 19, that isn't attractive.
Most students who want to graduate with jobs know they need to get a relevant internship while they're in school.
But freshman year? McDowell says that's the time to start.
"Your path to getting your dream internship junior year starts freshman year, or even before," says McDowell.
"Some students lift boxes at the university mail room during the year and bus tables during the summer; others go do something a little more...'interesting.' I don't think I need to tell you which role will help you more."
McDowell's first job was doing web development the summer before she started college. She encourages Google hopefuls to find similar work experience, whether it's working for a relevant professor or calling a startup interning for free.
Your major matters. Sorry liberal arts people or chemical engineers, you'll need another way in to Google or Apple.
Sure, it sounded fun to be an art history major when you were in college. But don't pick a major like that if you want to work for Google or Apple, says McDowell.
"This is where I'm supposed to say, 'It doesn't matter what you major in, as long as you find something you love!' But I'm an honest person and I have to tell you: It does matter."
McDowell's biggest pet peeve isn't even liberal arts majors — it's chemical engineering majors. "Until Google starts its own chemistry lab (and I'm not holding my breath), a chemical engineering degree alone probably won't be your ticket into the company," she writes.
She encourages students to pick majors that are directly relevant to Google or Apple. Finance, accounting, marketing or computer science majors have the best shot of being noticed by a tech recruiter. At the very least, minor in one of those fields.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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