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Chapter 1: The PMP ExamChapter Objectives✓ The PMP exam blueprint

✓ The exam domains

✓ The application process

✓ Taking the exam

So you decided to take the Project Management Professional

Certification Exam. That’s a big step in moving forward in your

profession.

The Project Management Professional (PMP) certification is developed

by the Project Management Institute (PMI), which has more than 400,000

members worldwide. Its credentialing program is designed to ensure com-

petence and professionalism in the field of project management. PMI offers

several credentials, and the PMP certification is the most well known by far.

In fact, the PMP is the most widely recognized project management certifica-

tion in the world, and there are more than 500,000 certified PMPs around

the globe.

Adding this certification to your resume is important in the growing and

competitive field of project management. A PMP certification gives employ-

ers confidence that existing employees have the level of knowledge to do

their jobs well. It also gives employers a yardstick with which to measure

new hires. And your project stakeholders can have confidence in your

proven knowledge and experience when you have a PMP credential.

Bottom line: With a PMP certification, you have more opportunities in

your career path.

Before spending the next 700 or so pages helping you prepare, I want to

walk you through some information about the exam and the application

process.

05_9781118540121-bk01ch01.indd 1105_9781118540121-bk01ch01.indd 11 8/15/13 2:30 PM8/15/13 2:30 PM

12 The PMP Exam Blueprint

The PMP Exam BlueprintThe exam content is based on an exam blueprint that defines the domains

that should be tested as well as the percentage of questions in each domain.

The domains and percentages for the current exam are

Initiating the project 13%

Planning the project 24%

Executing the project 30%

Monitoring and controlling the project 25%

Closing the project 8%

Total 100%

Knowledge and skillsEach domain has tasks associated with it as well as the knowledge and skills

needed to carry out the task successfully. For example, you might see some-

thing like this:

Task

Analyze stakeholders to identify expectations and gain support for the project.

Knowledge and skills

✦ Stakeholder identification techniques

The tasks for each domain have been translated into the exam objectives

you see at the beginning of each chapter, starting in Book II. At the end of

How the PMP exam is developedTo develop a valid exam, you have to start by identifying the knowledge and skills that a certified professional should be able to demonstrate. This is done by conducting a role delineation study, which ensures that the

content on the exam is valid and actually tests skills and knowledge that a certified profes-sional should have. Based on the information from the role delineation study, an exam blue-print is developed.


The PMP Exam

Book IChapter 1

13The PMP Exam Blueprint

the final chapter for each domain, a sidebar summarizes the knowledge and

skills needed for that domain and provides the location where you can find

information related to the knowledge and skills. Here is the minibook and

chapter where you find each domain’s required knowledge and skills.

Initiating Book II, Chapter 3

Planning Book V, Chapter 3

Executing Book VI, Chapter 3

Monitoring and controlling Book VIII, Chapter 4

Closing Book IX, Chapter 1

Cross-cutting skillsIn addition to knowledge and skills specific to a domain, you need cross-

cutting skills. A cross-cutting skill is one that goes across all domains (such

as active listening, problem solving tools and skills, and leadership tools and

techniques). At the start of the first chapter in a domain, I identify certain

cross-cutting skills that you should pay particular attention to in domain.

Always keep in mind that cross-cutting skills go across all domains. I just

give specific examples in certain domains so you have a concrete example

of the cross-cutting skill. Specifically, you can find the cross-cutting skill

examples listed in the following minibooks and chapters.

Initiating Book II, Chapter 1

Planning Book III, Chapter 1

Executing Book IV, Chapter 1

Monitoring and controlling Book VII, Chapter 1

Closing Book IX, Chapter 1

Code of ethics and professional conductThe PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (“the Code”) identifies

four ethics standards — responsibility, respect, honesty, and fairness — and

divides them into aspirational standards (those that we, as project manag-

ers, should strive to achieve) and mandatory standards (those that we must

follow). Both standards use statements that describe behavior, such as, “We

negotiate in good faith” or “We listen to other’s points of view, seeking to

understand them.”


14 The Exam Domains

The PMP exam does not test on the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct

explicitly although the standards are integrated into the test questions;

therefore, you must be familiar with the Code to do well on the exam. To help

you understand how the Code can show up on exam questions, I identify

where specific content from the Code could be integrated into test questions

throughout the book. Additionally, the final chapter (Book IX, Chapter 2)

addresses the Code specifically. By spending time with the Code, you will be

familiar with the ethical context of the questions you encounter on the exam.

Exam scoringThe PMP exam has 200 questions, and you are allowed four hours to com-

plete all 200 questions. “Pre-test” questions are not scored. Therefore you

will only be scored on 175 questions. In addition to receiving a pass/fail

for the exam overall you will attain one of three proficiency levels for each

domain:

✦ Proficient: Your performance is above the average for the domain.

✦ Moderately proficient: Your performance is average for the domain

✦ Below proficient: Your performance is below the average for the

domain.

The Exam DomainsThe five domains on the exam have specific topics that they test. Here is a

summary of the topics by domain.

Pre-test questionsOf the 200 test questions, only 175 are scored. The other 25 questions are “pre-test” questions, which is a bit of a misnomer because they don’t come before the other questions but are sprin-kled in with them. Those 25 unscored questions are a trial. PMI is looking at the performance of those questions to see whether they can

eventually be integrated into the exam as scored questions. That’s actually a good qual-ity control process and good news for you because you can be assured that only ques-tions that have been through a rigorous valida-tion process are actually on the exam.


The PMP Exam

Book IChapter 1

15The Exam Domains

Initiating the projectThe initiating domain is worth 13% of the exam score. This domain com-

prises the initial project definition, identifying stakeholders, and getting proj-

ect approval. You will see information about

✦ Evaluating project feasibility

✦ Defining high-level scope and related success criteria

✦ Analyzing stakeholders

✦ Proposing an implementation approach

✦ Completing a project charter

✦ Gaining project charter approval

Planning the projectThe planning domain is worth 24% of the exam score. Topics in this domain

cover all aspects of planning the project from scope, time and cost to risks,

change, and holding the kick-off meeting.

✦ Gathering and documenting requirements

✦ Documenting assumptions and constraints

✦ Creating a work breakdown structure (WBS)

✦ Estimating and budgeting costs

✦ Developing a project schedule

✦ Defining project team roles and responsibilities and the organizational

structure

✦ Developing a communication management plan

✦ Planning project procurements

✦ Defining how to engage and communicate with stakeholders over the life

of the project

✦ Creating a change management plan

✦ Identifying risks and risk strategies

✦ Developing the project management plan

✦ Obtaining project management plan approval

✦ Conducting a project kick-off meeting


16 The Exam Domains

Executing the projectThe executing domain is worth 30% of the exam score. These questions deal

with the day-to-day management of the project after the majority of the plan-

ning is done.

✦ Managing internal and external resources and stakeholders to perform

project activities

✦ Creating deliverables on time and in budget

✦ Following the quality management plan

✦ Following the change management plan

✦ Employing risk management techniques

✦ Providing leadership, motivation, and other skills to maximize team

performance

Monitoring and controlling the projectMonitoring and controlling questions make up 25% of the test. The questions

are about managing performance and controlling change.

✦ Measuring project performance

✦ Applying change management

✦ Controlling quality for project deliverables

✦ Conducting risk management

✦ Managing issues

✦ Communicating status

✦ Managing procurements

Closing the projectThis domain makes up 8% of the questions. The questions deal with closing

a phase, a procurement, or the overall project.

✦ Closing contracts

✦ Gaining final acceptance

✦ Transferring ownership and management

✦ Conducting a project review

✦ Documenting lessons learned


The PMP Exam

Book IChapter 1

17Applying for the Exam

✦ Writing the final project report

✦ Archiving project records

✦ Measuring customer satisfaction

Applying for the ExamThe PMP Credential Handbook has all the information you need to apply for,

pay for, and schedule the exam. It includes information on cancelling and

rescheduling, the audit and appeals processes, and the continuing certifi-

cation requirements. In this section, I touch on a few highlights from the

handbook, but I don’t cover everything. For that, you need to download and

review the handbook. Go to www.pmi.org and click the Certification tab.

In the Quick Links box on the right, click Project Management Professional

(PMP). Using the Quick Links box again, select PMP Handbook.

To take the exam, you need to meet the following qualifications:

✦ A four-year college degree

If you don’t have a four-year degree, you can take the exam if you have

7,500 hours of project management experience over at least five years.

✦ At least three years of experience managing projects

✦ At least 4,500 hours of experience managing projects

✦ 35 contact hours of project management education

PMI audits a percent of the applications submitted for the exam. If your

application is selected for audit, PMI may call your employer to validate your

hours, or you may have to produce evidence to validate the information on

the application. If you cannot validate the information, you cannot take the

exam.

The application processYou can fill out your application online at the PMI website (www.pmi.org).

Enter PMP Application in the Search field to get where you need to go.

Filling out the entire application is time consuming. The easy stuff is the

demographics and contact information. Even the education and training

sections are relatively quick to fill out. But then you need to document your

4,500 hours of experience. That’s right: You have to answer questions about

projects you’ve worked on, and fill in the number of hours until you reach

that 4,500-hour milestone. That can take a long time, so be prepared!


18 Applying for the Exam

Then there is that not-so-small issue of payment. If you’re a PMI member,

your exam fees are currently $405 US or €340 European. If you’re not a PMI

member, you pay $555 US or €465 European.

To become a PMI member, just go the PMI website (www.pmi.org). Click

the Membership tab to get all the information you need to join. The price for

a one-year membership is currently $129.

After you start your application process, you have 90 days to submit the appli-

cation. Then, PMI has five days to review your application for completeness.

To make sure your application isn’t returned to you, follow these steps:

1. Write your name exactly as it appears on your government-issued identification that you will present when you take the examination.

Read more about the acceptable forms of ID in the upcoming section,

“Exam day.”

2. Ensure the application includes your valid e-mail address.

This is PMI’s primary way of communicating with you throughout the

credential process.

3. Document your attained education and provide all requested information.

4. Document 35 contact hours of formal project management education in the experience verification section of the application.

You must have completed the course(s) you’re using for this eligibility

option before you submit your application.

5. Affirm that you have done the following:

• Read and understand the policies and procedures outlined in the

credential handbook.

• Read and accept the terms and responsibilities of the PMI Code

of Ethics and Professional Conduct. This is included in the PMP Credential Handbook.

• Read and accept the terms and responsibilities of the PMI Certificate

Application/Renewal Agreement.

6. Affirm that you provided true and accurate information on the entire application, understanding that misrepresentations or incorrect infor-mation provided to PMI can result in disciplinary action(s), including suspension or revocation of your examination eligibility or credential.

Make sure you fill out your application early enough to leave yourself time to

go through the application and acceptance process and schedule your exam.

I recommend giving yourself at least six weeks prior to when you want to

take the exam.


The PMP Exam

Book IChapter 1

19Taking the Exam

Scheduling your examAfter your application is accepted and you submit payment for the exam,

you can schedule your exam. You have one year from the date your applica-

tion is approved to take your exam.

PMI will send you scheduling instructions and direct you to the Prometric

website (www.prometric.com) to schedule your exam date. Prometric is a

global testing service that administers the PMP exam for PMI. You will need

to go to a Prometric testing center to take the exam, but don’t worry, there

are hundreds of exam centers.

Scheduling your exam is a simple process. On the Prometric website, select

the exam you want to take from the For Test Takers drop-down menu, select

the country and state, and follow the prompts from there. The scheduling

process should take less than five minutes.

Do not misplace the unique PMI identification code you receive when PMI

notifies you that your application was approved. This code will be required

to register for the examination. In addition, you should print and save all

examination scheduling verifications and correspondence received from

Prometric for your records.

Because PMI cannot guarantee seating at the testing centers, PMI recom-

mends that you schedule your exam six weeks prior to when you want to

take the test and at least three months before your eligibility expires.

If you’re scheduling your exam around the time a new exam is coming out,

you should give yourself at least four months prior to the exam cut-over

date. Many people try to get in before the new exam comes out!

Taking the ExamTaking the PMP exam can be stressful, to say the least. To help ease the stress

a bit, here are five tips to keep in mind for the 24 hours before the exam.

✦ Don’t cram. The night before the exam, you should know everything you

need to know for the exam. Try to have a nice evening.

✦ Get plenty of sleep. “Have a nice evening” doesn’t mean you should go

out and stay up late. Your mind will be much clearer if you get a good

rest.

✦ Leave plenty of time to arrive at the exam site. You cannot take the

exam if you are late. Build in plenty of time for traffic snarls, getting lost,

and so forth. Beforehand, perhaps take a practice test drive at the time

of day you’re scheduled to take the exam, just to see how long it takes.


20 Taking the Exam

✦ Don’t drink too much caffeine. Or any kind of liquid for that matter.

✦ Use the restroom before you start the exam. After you start the exam,

don’t count on leaving the room until you finish.

Exam dayWhen you get to the exam site, you need to show a valid and current form of

government-issued identification with your photograph and signature. The

name on the ID must exactly match the name on your application. You also

have to show them your unique PMI identification number. The following are

acceptable forms of government-issued identification:

✦ Valid driver’s license

✦ Valid military ID

✦ Valid passport

✦ Valid national ID card

The following are not acceptable forms of identification:

✦ Social Security cards

✦ Library cards

There are serious restrictions on what you can bring into the testing areas.

You may not bring anything into the testing area or to the desk where you

take the exam, including

✦ Purses

✦ Food and beverages

✦ Book bags

✦ Coats or sweaters

✦ Luggage

✦ Calculators

✦ Eyeglass cases

✦ Watches

✦ Pagers

✦ Cellular telephones

✦ Tape recorders

✦ Dictionaries

✦ Any other personal items


The PMP Exam

Book IChapter 1

21Taking the Exam

Also, you may not bring anyone into the testing area, including

✦ Children

✦ Visitors

Calculators are built into the computer-based training (CBT) exam. The test-

ing center administrator provides scrap paper and a pencil to all credential

candidates on the day of the exam.

You take the exam on a computer. When you go into the exam testing area,

you have the opportunity to take a tutorial and a survey. These are optional.

You have 15 minutes to do this.

Use this time to do a memory dump on your scratch paper. Write down

equations, tips, the process matrix, and any other memory joggers that will

help you during the exam.

During the exam, you have the opportunity to flag questions to come back to

them. Make sure to first go through and answer all the questions you’re sure

about and relatively sure about. For those questions that you’re not sure

about, flag them to return to later.

Types of questionsThe exam has several types of questions:

✦ Situational: The majority of questions are situational. In other words,

you need the experience to know what they are talking about. These

can be difficult. I include many of these in the test prep questions in this

book, and they start something like this:

Assume you are the PM on a project to upgrade the physical security on a university campus.

Then you review a situation:

The Dean of Students wants to make sure that all campus housing can only be accessed by the student, faculty, or staff ID cards. The Security Director states that the only way to provide 100% security is to use a biometric scanner. The Finance Director doesn’t care what you do as long as you reduce the current operating costs by 15%.

Finally, the question:

What document should you use to record the expectations of each of these stakeholders?


22 Taking the Exam

✦ Only one possible correct answer: Some questions appear to have two

correct answers; however, the exam allows only one correct answer

per question. For those questions, ask yourself, “What is the first thing

I would do? What is the best thing to do?” Remember that the PMBOK

Guide is the source for many exam questions, so think of the PMBOK-ish

response.

✦ Distracters: Distracters are a technique that test questions writers use

to, well, distract you. In other words, they put in extra information that

you don’t need to answer the question.

✦ MSU (made stuff up): You might see some cool words slung together

and think it makes sense. If you haven’t heard of it before, it probably

doesn’t exist: for example, “charter initiation process.” There are initi-

ating processes, and one of the outputs of the initiating processes is a

charter, but there is no charter initiation process.

✦ Calculations: There are a fair number of calculation questions. About 8 to

10 questions will have earned value (EV) information and equations, and

about 8 to 10 questions will have other types of calculations. If you know

your equations, these are some of the easiest questions on the test.

✦ Identifications: Expect about 20 to 25 questions where you have to

know a specific process name, input, tool, technique, or output.

Some tests are adaptive. That is, the more questions you get right, the

harder the questions become. If you miss questions, the easier the questions

become. However, the PMP is not adaptive. The questions are not adjusted

based on your answers.

Exam-taking tipsThese tips should help you when the going gets tough:

✦ Keep moving. Don’t spend a lot of time trying to figure out one question.

You could lose the opportunity to answer many others.

✦ Skip to the end of a question. If you get a lengthy question, read the

end of the question first. That usually tells you the question you need to

answer. The rest of the information is just background.

✦ Go with your instincts. Your first choice is usually correct, so don’t

second-guess yourself! Change your answer only if you’re certain that it

should be changed.

✦ Think in broad terms. The exam is global and across all industries. If

you apply too much of what you do on a day-to-day basis, you could

miss some of the questions. Think about the questions from a global

cross-industry perspective.


The PMP Exam

Book IChapter 1

23Preparing for the Exam

Getting your resultsWhen you’re done with the exam, you submit your test at the computer. This

is a scary moment! To make it worse, the computer will ask you whether you

are sure. (And, no, the computer isn’t hinting that you failed.) Select Yes,

and voilà! You’re informed whether you passed or failed. (I know you will

pass!) The exam administrator will hand you a printout of your exam results,

indicating your pass/fail status. The printout will also give you an analysis of

your results indicating by area whether you are proficient, moderately profi-

cient, or below proficient.

About six to eight weeks after passing the exam, you will receive a congratula-

tions letter, a certificate, and information on how to maintain your certification.

In the unlikely event that you do not pass the exam, you may take the test

up to three times during your one-year eligibility period. If you do not pass

within three attempts, you need to wait for a year to reapply. There is more

information on this in the PMP Credential Handbook.

Preparing for the ExamIn addition to the PMP certification, PMI also puts out the Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, or the PMBOK Guide. While information in

the exam blueprint overlaps information in the PMBOK Guide, the exam blue-

print identifies tasks, knowledge, and skills, and the PMBOK Guide identifies

the artifacts, or the “what” of project management. Let me show you what I

mean.

Earlier in this chapter, I demonstrate how the exam blueprint might address

information about stakeholders:

Task

Analyze stakeholders to identify expectations and gain support for the project.

Knowledge and skills of

✦ Stakeholder identification techniques

The PMBOK Guide doesn’t discuss knowledge and skills the same way that

the exam blueprint does. The PMBOK Guide identifies the outputs needed to

fulfill the task, such as a stakeholder register and a stakeholder management

strategy.


24 Preparing for the Exam

Although the PMBOK Guide isn’t the only source of information for the PMP

exam, it is the primary source. The PMBOK Guide describes project man-

agement practices that, generally, are considered good for most projects.

That means there is wide agreement that the outputs from the processes

are appropriate and that the tools and techniques used to develop the out-

puts are the correct tools and techniques. It does not mean, though, that

you should use every input, tool, technique, or output on your project. The

PMBOK Guide is just a guide, not a methodology or a rulebook.

Additionally, the PMBOK Guide provides a common vocabulary for project

management practitioners. For example, when you want to “decompose”

your project into a set of deliverables, you use a “work breakdown struc-

ture” (WBS). You don’t use a “scope management plan” or a “requirements

traceability matrix.” By having a common set of terms with an agreed-upon

meaning, you can communicate better with your project stakeholders. By

becoming familiar with the PMBOK Guide and using this book to help you

study, you’ll be in good shape to pass the exam.

It’s time to get started. The next chapter covers some of the foundational

principles you have to be familiar with to pass the exam.

Good luck!


Chapter 2: Foundations of Project ManagementChapter Objectives✓ Define key project management terms to provide an understanding of

foundational concepts

✓ Compare projects, programs, and portfolios

✓ Introduce the competing demands that project managers have to manage to achieve a successful project

✓ Describe the functions of Project Management Offices (PMOs)

✓ Introduce enterprise environmental factors and their affect on projects

Before discussing the project management process, you need a founda-

tion of key project management definitions and concepts. In this chap-

ter, I discuss how projects relate to programs, portfolios, and the PMO. I

also introduce the important concept of competing demands.

Understanding how competing demands require you to balance time, cost,

scope, quality, risk, and resources is important before looking at those

topics individually in later minibooks.

Competing demands can constrain your project, but they aren’t the only

things that you have to keep in mind when managing a project. You need

to consider your internal and external environment. In this chapter, I also

discuss enterprise environmental factors (EEFs) and their effect on your

project.


26 Quick Assessment

Quick Assessment 1 A project is unique and ______.

2 Balancing scope, schedule, cost, quality, resources, and risk is manag-ing the ______ ______.

3 Deciding how much rigor to apply to each process is ______.

4 (True/False). A portfolio is a group of related projects, subprograms, and program activities managed in a coordinated way to obtain bene-fits and control not available from managing them individually.

5 Market conditions and regulations are ______ ______ ______ that con-strain how you can manage your project.

6 Successive iterations of planning where each iteration gets into more detail is ______ ______.

7 Managing one or more portfolios to meet a strategic objective is ______ ______.

8 (True/False). This following is an example of a technical advance: Your organization initiates a project to improve the efficiency in operations.

9 (True/False). In an administrative PMO, you will find a place that devel-ops policies, procedures, templates, and forms to support project managers.


27Answers

Answers 1 Temporary. Projects have a distinct beginning and end, as opposed to

operations that are ongoing. Look over the “Definition of a project” section.

2 Competing constraints. Balancing scope, schedule, cost, quality, resources, and risk is managing competing constraints, which are also known as competing “demands.” For more on this topic, see the “Competing constraints” section.

3 Tailoring. You will tailor the project management process and tools you use to fit the needs of your project. Check out the “What makes a suc-cessful project manager” section.

4 False. A program, not a portfolio, is a group of related projects, subpro-grams, and related program activities managed in a coordinated way to obtain benefits and control not available from managing them individu-ally. See the “Projects, programs, and portfolios” section for more information.

5 Enterprise environmental factors. Market conditions and regulations are enterprise environmental factors that constrain how you can manage your project. Look over the “Understanding Environmental Constraints” section.

6 Progressive elaboration. Progressive elaboration is a technique used to provide more detail when more information is known. You can find more information on progressive elaboration in the “What makes a suc-cessful project manager” section.

7 Portfolio management. A portfolio of projects is grouped so that organi-zations can achieve strategic objectives. The projects can be indepen-dent or interconnected. Review the “Projects, programs, and portfolios” section for more information.

8 False. Improving operations is a business need. Automating them would be a technological advance. You can find out more in the “Projects and organizational strategy” section.

9 True. The administrative PMO creates processes and documents to pro-vide a consistent way of applying project management in the organiza-tion. Find more in the “The Project Management Office” section.


28 Grasping the Terminology

Grasping the TerminologyThe PMBOK Guide and the PMP exam use terms very specifically. Therefore,

you should be familiar with the definitions I call out throughout this book.

Definition of a projectStarting with the term “project,” I identify important terms with the

Definition icon. You should understand the specific way these terms are

defined because they apply to the PMP exam. The majority of the definitions

come from the Glossary in the PMBOK Guide.

For the exam, you need to distinguish between projects and operations:

✦ Project: A project is temporary and has a beginning and an end.

Additionally, a project creates something unique.

✦ Operations: Operations are ongoing and produce identical or similar

outputs.

Project. A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, ser-

vice, or result.

Frequently, a project is used to launch something that’s eventually taken

over by operations. A project that launches a new product or a new prod-

uct line is temporary and unique. After the product goes into production,

though, it belongs to operations.

Another aspect about a project is that it creates a unique product, service,

or result. Here are some examples of each:

✦ Product: An artifact or a component of an artifact

• A new computer component

• A new office park

• A new factory

✦ Service: A function or a series of steps and actions that supports the

business or a stakeholder

• Process improvement

• Supply chain management

• Online support capabilities


Book IChapter 2

Foundations of Project

Managem

ent

29Grasping the Terminology

✦ Result: An outcome, information, or knowledge

• Market research

• Clinical trials

• Annual studies

The PMBOK Guide doesn’t define service, but it does define product, result, and deliverable.

Product. An artifact that is produced, is quantifiable, and can be either an

end item unto itself or a component item. Additional words for products are

material and goods.

Result. An output from performing project management processes and

activities. Results include outcomes (integrated systems, revised process,

restructured organization, tests, trained personnel, and so on) and documents

(policies, plans, studies, procedures, specifications, reports, and so on).

Deliverable. Any unique and verifiable product, result, or capability to per-

form a service that is required to be produced to complete a process, phase,

or project.

Projects, programs, and portfoliosI want to talk about some close relatives of projects: programs and portfolios.

A program is a group of projects. It might have an aspect of ongoing opera-

tions as part of the program.

Program. A group of related projects, subprograms, and program activities

managed in a coordinated way to obtain benefits and control not available

from managing them individually.

Program Management. The application of knowledge, skills, tools, and tech-

niques to a program to meet the program requirements and obtain benefits

and control not available by managing projects individually.

Programs aren’t just giant projects. Rather, they are a collection of projects

that supports a common goal. Here are some examples:

✦ Building a ship or an aircraft

✦ Producing a large event, such as the Olympics

✦ Developing a new product line with multiple products and distribution

channels



Program management includes managing the integration of multiple proj-

ects, the integration of projects with ongoing operations, governance

throughout the program, and realizing the benefits the program was initi-

ated to deliver.

Portfolios are more strategic than projects. They are a group of projects or

programs that are grouped together to meet strategic business objectives.

Portfolio. Projects, programs, subportfolios, and operations managed as a

group to achieve strategic objectives.

Portfolio Management. The centralized management of one or more portfo-

lios to achieve strategic objectives.

An organization may have a portfolio of development projects and a portfo-

lio of maintenance projects. Another way to group portfolios is by product

line or geography.

Project managementSome additional definitions you need to be aware of are project management and, of course, project manager.

Project Management. The application of knowledge, skills, tools, and tech-

niques to project activities to meet the project requirements.

Project Manager (PM). The person assigned by the performing organization

to lead the team that is responsible for achieving the project objectives.

Shortly, I talk about some fundamentals of what makes a successful project

manager.

The three main aspects of project management are

✦ Identifying requirements

✦ Managing stakeholder expectations

✦ Managing the competing constraints (or demands)

I cover requirements and stakeholders extensively in later chapters. For

now, I want to discuss the concept of competing constraints.

Competing constraintsFor years, project management was taught around the concept of balanc-

ing scope, schedule, and cost. Then project managers started asking, “Well,


Book IChapter 2


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scope is fine, but what about quality? What about risk?” While you are at it,

you might as well ask about resources and stakeholder satisfaction, too.

In essence, you’re balancing competing constraints or demands. In real-

ity, your project will have its own unique constraints. Consider safety as

a constraint upon a construction site, or regulatory constraints for a new

drug. Therefore, part of your job as a project manager is to first identify the

competing constraints and then manage your project to balance them appro-

priately. The PMBOK Guide explicitly lists the following six constraints, as

shown in Figure 2-1:

✦ Scope

✦ Quality

✦ Schedule

✦ Budget

✦ Resources

✦ Risk

Figure 2-1: Competing constraints.

When any constraint changes, it affects one or more additional constraints.

For example, a team losing a key resource will probably affect quality, sched-

ule, and risk. If budget is reduced, that should affect scope and/or quality;

if it doesn’t, then the risk increases. A shortened schedule usually affects

scope, quality, budget, and/or risk.



What makes a successful project managerIt isn’t enough to know what’s in the PMBOK Guide, or pass the PMP exam, to

be a successful project manager. You also need subject matter knowledge,

the appropriate personality, and good performance. Beyond that, you need

to master progressive elaboration and the fine art of tailoring.

✦ Knowledge: Think about it: Without the requisite subject matter knowl-

edge, how would you know whether an estimate a team member gives

you is reasonable or out in left field? You have to know something about

the type of project you’re managing. How else can you expect people to

respect you and your expertise?

✦ Personality: Another key aspect in project success comprises your per-

sonal traits. Your attitude, personality, and leadership ability are key

aspects in your success. It might not seem fair that personality plays a

role, but really, this job is not for everyone. Someone who is withdrawn

or hypercritical won’t do well in this job.

✦ Performance: You can know everything about project management

and your industry and technical area, and you can be well liked and

respected, but if you can’t deliver or perform, you won’t be successful.

Don’t be surprised if you run into a question that indicates that the project

manager has to be knowledgeable about the technical and professional

aspects of the project.

Progressive elaboration and tailoringOne of the key techniques that project managers use to ensure success is

progressive elaboration. There is no way you can know everything about a

project when it’s first handed over to you. The planning process helps you

learn more about the scope and requirements of the project. This in turn

helps you develop more detailed and refined cost and time estimates as well

as build more accurate schedules and budgets.

Progressive Elaboration. The iterative process of increasing the level of

detail in a project management plan as greater amounts of information and

more accurate estimates become available.

All areas of your project are progressively elaborated from assumptions to

risks and requirements to resources.

Another critical aspect in being successful is what I call “tailoring.” You have

to figure out how formally you will apply the various project management

processes. You might do a very robust and thorough job of gathering and

documenting requirements. However, you might not spend as much time in

the procurement processes if you have a long-standing strategic relationship


Book IChapter 2


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with a vendor who is familiar with your organization. Your ability to tailor

the degree of rigor you bring to the project is one way you can make your

job easier.

Although there are no exam objectives that tie directly to the information

in this chapter, you still need to know all the concepts. The concepts and

definitions in this chapter are integrated into exam questions. For example,

a question may present a scenario that requires a risk response. Information

in the question may indicate the priorities between the competing demands

that you need to understand to answer the question correctly. Therefore,

even though you aren’t expected to name the competing demands, you need

to understand the concept to be successful on the exam. The same applies

to the definitions of project, programs, portfolios, progressive elaboration,

and so forth.

Projects and organizational strategyI mention earlier that projects are initiated to meet strategic objectives. The

PMBOK Guide lists these strategic reasons for initiating a project:

✦ Market demand: This includes new products and updating existing

products.

✦ Business need: This can include projects to make operations more effi-

cient and thereby increase net profits.

✦ Social need: Projects that improve the quality of life, such as improving

literacy, drinking water, or reducing disease.

✦ Environmental consideration: This includes projects such as environ-

mental remediation, improving air or water quality, or projects that

reduce waste and environmental impact.

✦ Customer request: A customer request can occur via a bid process, or

an existing customer can approach you and ask you to perform work.

✦ Technological advance: Anything that helps automate operations or

helps your company do things better, faster, or less expensively.

✦ Legal requirements: When a new law or regulation is passed, you need

to understand the implications and make sure your organization can

comply.

The word “objective” is frequently misunderstood.

Objective. Something toward which work is to be directed, a strategic posi-

tion to be attained, or a purpose to be achieved; a result to be obtained, a

product to be produced, or a service to be performed.


34 The Project Management Office

Did you notice that the definition has three of the key words from the defi-

nition of project? It talks about a product, service, or result. We undertake

projects to achieve objectives. Objectives are enumerated in the project

charter, which I talk about in Book II. When you initiate a project, you usu-

ally have scope and quality objectives: in other words, what you want to

accomplish. And, generally, there are some expectations for schedule and

budget objectives as well. These objectives guide the project manager in

making decisions and trade-offs throughout the project.

The Project Management OfficeA Project Management Office (PMO) is common these days. PMOs can have

all different functions, depending upon the needs of the organization.

Project Management Office (PMO). An organizational structure that stan-

dardizes the project-related governance processes and facilitates the shar-

ing of resources, methodologies, tools, and techniques.

The responsibilities of a PMO can range from providing project management

support functions to actually being responsible for the direct management

of a project.

Here are the three basic types of PMOs:

✦ Supportive: A supportive PMO develops policies, procedures, tem-

plates, forms, and reports for project management in the organization.

The supportive PMO also serves as a project repository for project man-

agement resources. It has a low degree of control.

✦ Controlling: A controlling PMO also provides develops policies, pro-

cedures, templates, forms, and reports for project management in the

organization; however, they require compliance with the project man-

agement methodology, the usage of the forms, policies, templates, and

so forth. This type of PMO has a moderate level of control.

✦ Directive: Some large projects have a PMO set up to manage a specific

project. The degree of control is high.

Of course, PMOs can provide multiple functions, or a little bit of each, but

those in the preceding list are the general descriptions of the most common

services that PMOs provide. You may also see a PMO that is a home for

project managers. In this type of PMO, all project managers (PMs) report to

the director or head of the PMO. The head of the PMO assigns PMs to proj-

ects, monitors progress, and serves as the functional manager for project

management. This PMO also serves as a communication hub and allocates

resources across multiple projects.


Book IChapter 2


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35Understanding Environmental Constraints

Understanding Environmental ConstraintsAll projects are constrained by the environment in which they are per-

formed. If you think about it, your company culture has a lot to do with how

you manage your project. If you’ve managed projects in only one company,

you might not see this as clearly as if you had worked with several different

companies. Think about where you work. Do you have lots of policies, proce-

dures, forms, rules, and so forth that guide how you manage projects? Or do

you work somewhere that has very little formal structure, and you use your

personal influence and ingenuity to get things done? Do PMs have a lot of

position power or very little?

A company’s culture includes

✦ Shared vision, values, and beliefs

✦ Policies and procedures

✦ Authority relationships, leadership, and hierarchy

✦ Work ethic, code of conduct, and work hours

✦ Risk tolerance

✦ Reward and motivation systems

Enterprise environmental factors Enterprise Environmental Factors. Conditions, not under the immediate

control of the team, that influence, constrain, or direct the project, program,

or portfolio.

The company culture, as described earlier, is an example of an enterprise

environmental factor (EEF). EEFs can be the result of any or all the enter-

prises involved in the project; and in addition to company culture, include

✦ Standards, codes, and regulations

✦ The organizations infrastructure, such as IT systems, supply chains, and

organizational structure

✦ Marketplace conditions, including the availability of material and techni-

cal skills

✦ Stakeholder risk tolerances and the ability to work with uncertainty

✦ Extreme geography and weather

Generally, EEFs are considered to be a constraint. They might be almost

transparent, but you need to keep them in mind while you plan and execute


36 Key Terms

your project. You will see EEFs as an input to many of the project manage-

ment processes throughout this book.

When you see EEFs as an input to a process, take some time to think about

the various things in both the internal and external environment that could

influence how you perform the process. This will get your brain used to

thinking about how EEFs affect projects rather than being a bunch of words

strung together.

The following responsibility standard from the Code of Ethics and

Professional Conduct relates to EEFs:

We inform ourselves and uphold the policies, rules, regulations and laws

that govern our work, professional and volunteer activities.

Project governanceThe organization’s governance structure can also be considered a constrain-

ing factor. Project governance follows the organization’s governance struc-

ture, but it is focused on the project life cycle. Governance is a framework

for conducting the project and includes

✦ Guidelines for aligning organizational and project governance

✦ Project life cycle and phase reviews

✦ Decision-making processes

✦ Issue resolution procedures

✦ Change management procedures

✦ Project organizational chart and the relationship among the team, the

organization, and external stakeholders

Key TermsThese terms are foundational to understanding the rest of the information in

this book. Make sure you understand them well enough to be able to explain

them to a novice project manager.

✦ Project

✦ Product

✦ Result

✦ Deliverable

✦ Project manager

✦ Project management


Book IChapter 2


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37Chapter Summary

✦ Progressive elaboration

✦ Program

✦ Program management

✦ Portfolio

✦ Portfolio management

✦ Objective

✦ Project Management Office (PMO)

✦ Enterprise environmental factor (EEF)

Chapter SummaryThe main points in this chapter are defining projects, project management,

competing demands, PMOs, and enterprise environmental factors (EEFs).

You will see these concepts repeated throughout this study guide, so make

sure you are comfortable with them.

✦ A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique

product, service, or result. Projects produce deliverables to project

requirements.

✦ Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and

techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements.

✦ To manage projects successfully, you need to identify and balance the

competing constraints. You will also need to practice progressive elabo-

ration and tailor the various project management processes to meet the

needs of your specific project.

✦ Programs manage a group of projects, subprograms, and program activi-

ties in a coordinated way to obtain benefits and control not available

from managing them individually.

✦ Portfolios are projects, programs, subportfolios, and operations man-

aged as a group to achieve strategic objectives.

✦ Projects are initiated to meet the organization’s strategic objectives. An

objective is a position to be attained or a purpose to be achieved.

✦ A Project Management Office (PMO) can have various structures and pro-

vide various roles to support project management in the organization.

✦ An organization’s culture, infrastructure, organizational structure, IT

systems can constrain (or enhance) the way a project is managed. These

are enterprise environmental factors (EEFs). Other EEFs include regula-

tions, market conditions, and available skill sets.


Foun

datio

ns o

f Pro

ject

Man

agem

ent Prep Test

1 Performing routine maintenance for a company campus is an example of

A ❍ Project management

B ❍ Operational management

C ❍ Functional management

D ❍ Program management

2 Which of the following is not one of the PMI-identified competing constraints?

A ❍ Market conditions

B ❍ Quality

C ❍ Schedule

D ❍ Resources

3 Your project sponsor wants to know why the schedule you gave her has mile-stones listed with only the first 90 days worth of work defined in detail. You explain to her that you can provide a more detailed schedule as the project pro-gresses, when you can have a greater understanding of what is involved. You tell her that this concept — common in project management — is

A ❍ Planning

B ❍ Life cycle planning

C ❍ Progressive elaboration

D ❍ Progressive estimating

4 You are tasked with completely updating your organization’s communication infrastructure. You decide to break this into several components: one each for telephones, IT, and radio communication. Each will have its own manager. This is an example of

A ❍ A project

B ❍ A portfolio

C ❍ A program

D ❍ Operations

5 The centralized management of one or more portfolios — including identifying, prioritizing, authorizing, managing, and controlling projects, programs, and other related work to achieve strategic business objectives — is

A ❍ Program management

B ❍ Portfolio management

C ❍ Strategic management

D ❍ Forecasting


Foundations of Project Managem

ent

6 Your company won a contract to update the security system for the local court-house. This project is an example of

A ❍ A market demand

B ❍ A business need

C ❍ A customer request

D ❍ A legal requirement

7 Your company works with a number of chemical compounds. Your project is to update the handling and disposal of all chemicals to ensure that everyone is handling them correctly. You are doing this because of

A ❍ A market demand

B ❍ A business need

C ❍ A customer request

D ❍ A legal requirement

8 A PMO that develops policies and procedures and ensures compliance with the project management processes is what kind of PMO?

A ❍ Administrative

B ❍ Supportive

C ❍ Project specific

D ❍ Bureaucratic

9 You work for a commercial roofing contractor. You are asked to do a job in Barrow, Alaska. Which EEF do you need to pay closest attention to?

A ❍ Company culture

B ❍ Infrastructure

C ❍ Weather

D ❍ Availability of resources

10 The custom homebuilder you work for has a contract to build a 10,000–square foot home. The customer wants marble from Florence, Italy. To work with the tile, you need extremely skilled craftsmen with special tools. This EEF is an example of

A ❍ Company culture

B ❍ Infrastructure

C ❍ Weather

D ❍ Availability of resources


Foun

datio

ns o

f Pro

ject

Man

agem

ent Answers

1 B. Operational management. Routine maintenance is an example of operations. Review “Definition of a project.”

2 A. Market conditions. Market conditions might be an enterprise environmental factor, but they’re not one of the competing constraints. Look over “Competing

constraints.”

3 C. Progressive elaboration. Progressive elaboration is continuing to provide more detail as more is known about the project. Check out “Progressive elabora-

tion and tailoring.”

4 C. A program. This is a program. Each component is a project. Look at “Projects,

programs, and portfolios.”

5 B. Portfolio management. This is the definition of portfolio management. See

“Projects, programs, and portfolios.”

6 C. A customer request. The fact that you won this from a bid on a contract defines it as a customer request. Go to “Projects and organizational strategy.”

7 D. A legal requirement. Ensuring the correct handling and disposal of chemicals is a regulatory requirement. Look over “Projects and organizational strategy.”

8 A. Administrative. Setting policies and procedures and ensuring compliance is the role of an administrative PMO. Check out “The Project Management Office.”

9 C. Weather. In Alaska, weather is always an EEF! Review “Understanding

Environmental Constraints.”

10 D. Availability of resources. The material and the labor to work with it are con-straints associated with the availability of resources. Go back to “Understanding

Environmental Constraints.”


Contents at a Glance

Introduction ................................................................ 1

Book I: PMP Foundation ............................................... 9Chapter 1: The PMP Exam .............................................................................................. 11

Chapter 2: Foundations of Project Management ......................................................... 25

Chapter 3: Project Life Cycles, Organizational Structures, and Organizational

Process Assets ............................................................................................................... 41

Chapter 4: It’s All about the Process ............................................................................. 61

Book II: Starting Off Right ......................................... 91Chapter 1: OMG! It’s a Project! ....................................................................................... 93

Chapter 2: Chartering Your Project ............................................................................. 113

Chapter 3: Identifying Project Stakeholders............................................................... 133

Book III: Planning Integration, Scope, and Schedule .... 151Chapter 1: Constructing the Project Management Plan ........................................... 153

Chapter 2: Defi ning Project Scope ............................................................................... 175

Chapter 3: Creating Your Schedule ............................................................................. 211

Book IV: Planning Cost, Quality, Human Resources, and Communication ................................. 261Chapter 1: Estimating the Price Tag ............................................................................ 263

Chapter 2: Planning for Quality .................................................................................... 289

Chapter 3: Identifying Your Team Members .............................................................. 313

Chapter 4: 90 Percent of Your Job Is Communication .............................................. 329

Book V: Planning for Risks, Procurement, and Stakeholder Management ......................................... 347Chapter 1: Identifying What Could Go Wrong ............................................................ 349

Chapter 2: Getting Help — Procuring Project Scope ................................................ 395

Chapter 3: Who Are All These People? Planning Stakeholder Management .......... 419

Book VI: Managing Your Project ............................... 433Chapter 1: Managing the Work and Assuring Quality ............................................... 435

Chapter 2: Managing the People Side of Your Project .............................................. 459

Chapter 3: Getting the Word Out to Stakeholders and Contractors ....................... 493

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Book VII: Controlling Scope and Schedule .................. 519Chapter 1: Monitoring, Controlling, and Managing Change ..................................... 521

Chapter 2: Controlling Project Scope .......................................................................... 555

Chapter 3: Controlling Your Schedule ........................................................................ 573

Book VIII: Controlling Cost, Quality, and More .......... 591Chapter 1: Controlling Cost and Using Earned Value ............................................... 593

Chapter 2: Controlling Quality ..................................................................................... 623

Chapter 3: Controlling Communications and Stakeholders ..................................... 647

Chapter 4: Managing Your Risks and Procurements................................................. 661

Book IX: Closing Your Project and the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct ............................ 687Chapter 1: Closing Your Contracts and Your Project ............................................... 689

Chapter 2: The PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct ................................ 713

Appendix A: What’s on the Website ........................... 733

Appendix B: Practice Test ......................................... 737

Appendix C: Lab Work .............................................. 765

Appendix D: Exam Objective Cross Walk .................... 791

Appendix E: Glossary ............................................... 803

Index ...................................................................... 843

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Table of Contents

Introduction ................................................................. 1About This Book .............................................................................................. 1

Foolish Assumptions ....................................................................................... 2

How This Book Is Organized .......................................................................... 3

Book I: PMP Foundation ........................................................................ 3

Book II: Starting Off Right...................................................................... 3

Book III: Planning Integration, Scope, and Schedule ......................... 3

Book IV: Planning Cost, Quality, Human Resources, and

Communication .................................................................................. 3

Book V: Planning for Risks, Procurement, and Stakeholder

Management ........................................................................................ 4

Book VI: Managing Your Project .......................................................... 4

Book VII: Controlling Scope and Schedule ......................................... 4

Book VIII: Controlling Cost, Quality, and More .................................. 4

Book IX: Closing Your Project and the Code of Ethics and

Professional Conduct ......................................................................... 4

Appendixes ............................................................................................. 4

Icons Used in This Book ................................................................................. 5

Beyond the Book ............................................................................................. 6

Where to Go from Here ................................................................................... 7

Book I: PMP Foundation ............................................... 9

Chapter 1: The PMP Exam. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

The PMP Exam Blueprint .............................................................................. 12

Knowledge and skills ........................................................................... 12

Cross-cutting skills .............................................................................. 13

Code of ethics and professional conduct ......................................... 13

Exam scoring ........................................................................................ 14

The Exam Domains ........................................................................................ 14

Initiating the project ............................................................................ 15

Planning the project ............................................................................ 15

Executing the project .......................................................................... 16

Monitoring and controlling the project ............................................ 16

Closing the project .............................................................................. 16

Applying for the Exam ................................................................................... 17

The application process ..................................................................... 17

Scheduling your exam ......................................................................... 19

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PMP Certification All-in-One For Dummies, 2nd Editionvi

Taking the Exam ............................................................................................ 19

Exam day ............................................................................................... 20

Types of questions .............................................................................. 21

Exam-taking tips ................................................................................... 22

Getting your results ............................................................................. 23

Preparing for the Exam ................................................................................. 23

Chapter 2: Foundations of Project Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Grasping the Terminology ............................................................................ 28

Defi nition of a project .......................................................................... 28

Projects, programs, and portfolios .................................................... 29

Project management ............................................................................ 30

Projects and organizational strategy ................................................ 33

The Project Management Offi ce .................................................................. 34

Understanding Environmental Constraints ................................................ 35

Enterprise environmental factors ...................................................... 35

Project governance .............................................................................. 36

Key Terms ....................................................................................................... 36

Chapter Summary .......................................................................................... 37

Chapter 3: Project Life Cycles, Organizational Structures, and Organizational Process Assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

The Project Life Cycle ................................................................................... 44

Project phases ...................................................................................... 44

Predictive life cycles............................................................................ 45

Iterative and incremental life cycles ................................................. 46

Adaptive life cycles .............................................................................. 48

Phase reviews ....................................................................................... 49

Product versus project life cycle ....................................................... 49

Organization Structures ................................................................................ 49

Functional organization ...................................................................... 50

Matrix organization ............................................................................. 50

Projectized organization ..................................................................... 51

Comparing organization types ........................................................... 51

Leveraging Your Organization’s Assets ...................................................... 53

Key Terms ....................................................................................................... 54

Chapter Summary .......................................................................................... 55

Chapter 4: It’s All about the Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61

Managing Your Project Is a Process ............................................................ 64

Understanding Project Management Process Groups .............................. 65

Before the Project Begins ............................................................................. 67

Initiating processes ............................................................................. 68

Planning processes .............................................................................. 69

Executing processes ............................................................................ 74

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Table of Contents vii

Monitoring and Controlling processes ............................................. 75

Closing processes ................................................................................ 77

The Ten Knowledge Areas ............................................................................ 79

Project Integration Management ....................................................... 79

Project Scope Management ................................................................ 79

Project Time Management .................................................................. 80

Project Cost Management ................................................................... 80

Project Quality Management .............................................................. 81

Project Human Resource Management ............................................. 81

Project Communications Management ............................................. 81

Project Risk Management ................................................................... 82

Project Procurement Management .................................................... 82

Project Stakeholder Management ...................................................... 83

Mapping the 47 Processes ........................................................................... 83

Key Terms ....................................................................................................... 86

Chapter Summary .......................................................................................... 87

Book II: Starting Off Right.......................................... 91

Chapter 1: OMG! It’s a Project! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93

Knowledge and Skills for the Initiating Processes ..................................... 96

Internal Needs or External Infl uences ......................................................... 96

Organizational need............................................................................. 97

Market demand .................................................................................... 97

Customer request ................................................................................ 97

Technological advance ....................................................................... 98

Legal requirement ................................................................................ 99

Ecological impacts ............................................................................... 99

Social need ............................................................................................ 99

Selecting the Right Projects ....................................................................... 100

Project portfolio committee ............................................................. 100

Project Management Offi ce (PMO) .................................................. 101

Criteria for project selection ............................................................ 101

Alphabet Soup: ROI, NPV, FV and Other Project-Selection Metrics ...... 102

Financial metrics ................................................................................ 102

Financial terms ................................................................................... 105

Nonfi nancial metrics.......................................................................... 106

Key Terms ..................................................................................................... 107

Chapter Summary ........................................................................................ 107

Chapter 2: Chartering Your Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113

What a Project Charter Is and Why You Need One ................................. 116

Develop Project Charter: Inputs ................................................................ 117

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PMP Certification All-in-One For Dummies, 2nd Editionviii

Project statement of work ................................................................ 117

Business case ..................................................................................... 119

Agreements ......................................................................................... 119

Enterprise environmental factors .................................................... 119

Organizational process assets ......................................................... 120

Develop Project Charter: Tools and Techniques .................................... 121

Develop Project Charter: Outputs ............................................................. 122

Key Terms ..................................................................................................... 128

Chapter Summary ........................................................................................ 128

Chapter 3: Identifying Project Stakeholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133

Who Cares about Your Project? ................................................................ 136

Identify Stakeholders: Inputs ..................................................................... 136

Project charter ................................................................................... 136

Procurement documents .................................................................. 137

Enterprise environmental factors .................................................... 137

Organizational process assets ......................................................... 137

Common stakeholders ...................................................................... 138

Identify Stakeholders: Tools and Techniques ......................................... 139

Stakeholder analysis .......................................................................... 139

Expert judgment ................................................................................. 142

Meetings .............................................................................................. 143

Identify Stakeholders: Outputs .................................................................. 143

Stakeholder register .......................................................................... 143

Key Terms ..................................................................................................... 146

Chapter Summary ........................................................................................ 147

Book III: Planning Integration, Scope, and Schedule ... 151

Chapter 1: Constructing the Project Management Plan . . . . . . . . . . .153

Knowledge and Skills for the Planning Processes ................................... 156

The Project Management Plan ................................................................... 156

Develop Project Management Plan: Inputs .............................................. 157

Planning for change ........................................................................... 160

Introduction to confi guration management ................................... 162

Develop Project Management Plan: Tools and Techniques ................... 162

Expert judgment ................................................................................. 162

Facilitation techniques ...................................................................... 164

Develop Project Management Plan: Outputs ........................................... 165

The Project Management Plan and the Executing, Controlling, and

Closing Processes .................................................................................... 167

Project documents............................................................................. 168

Project management plan approval ................................................ 169

The project kick-off meeting ............................................................. 169

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Table of Contents ix

Key Terms ..................................................................................................... 170

Chapter Summary ........................................................................................ 170

Chapter 2: Defi ning Project Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175

Project and Product Scope ......................................................................... 178

Plan Scope Management ............................................................................. 179

Plan Scope Management: Inputs ...................................................... 179

Plan Scope Management: Tools and Techniques .......................... 180

Plan Scope Management: Outputs ................................................... 180

Collect Requirements .................................................................................. 181

Collect Requirements: Inputs ........................................................... 182

Collect Requirements: Tools and Techniques ............................... 183

Collect Requirements: Outputs ........................................................ 190

Defi ne Scope ................................................................................................. 192

Defi ne Scope: Inputs .......................................................................... 192

Defi ne Scope: Tools and Techniques .............................................. 193

Defi ne Scope: Outputs ....................................................................... 194

Create WBS ................................................................................................... 197

Create WBS: Inputs ............................................................................ 197

Create WBS: Tools and Techniques ................................................ 197

Create WBS: Outputs ......................................................................... 201

Key Terms ..................................................................................................... 205

Chapter Summary ........................................................................................ 206

Chapter 3: Creating Your Schedule. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .211

Planning Schedule Management ............................................................... 214

Plan Schedule Management: Inputs ................................................. 214

Plan Schedule Management: Tools and Techniques ..................... 215

Plan Schedule Management: Outputs ............................................. 215

Defi ne Activities ................................................................................. 216

Defi ne Activities: Inputs .................................................................... 216

Defi ne Activities: Tools and Techniques ........................................ 216

Defi ne Activities: Outputs ................................................................. 217

Sequence Activities: Inputs ........................................................................ 220

Sequence Activities: Tools and Techniques ................................... 221

Sequence Activities: Outputs ........................................................... 224

Estimate Activity Resources: Inputs ......................................................... 225

Estimate Activity Resources: Inputs................................................ 225

Estimate Activity Resources: Tools and Techniques ............................. 226

Estimate Activity Resources: Outputs ............................................ 227

Estimating Activity Durations .................................................................... 229

Estimate Activity Durations: Inputs................................................. 231

Estimate Activity Durations: Tools and Techniques ..................... 232

Estimate Activity Durations: Outputs ............................................. 235

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Developing the Schedule ............................................................................ 235

Develop Schedule: Inputs ................................................................. 235

Develop Schedule: Tools and Techniques ..................................... 236

Develop Schedule: Outputs .............................................................. 247

Key Terms ..................................................................................................... 252

Chapter Summary ........................................................................................ 254

Book IV: Planning Cost, Quality, Human Resources, and Communication .................................. 261

Chapter 1: Estimating the Price Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .263

Plan Cost Management ............................................................................... 266

Plan Cost Management: Inputs ......................................................... 266

Plan Cost Management: Tools and Techniques ............................. 266

Plan Cost Management: Outputs ..................................................... 267

Estimate Costs ............................................................................................. 268

Estimate Costs: Inputs ....................................................................... 269

Estimate Costs: Tools and Techniques ........................................... 270

Estimate Costs: Outputs ............................................................................. 275

Determine Budget ........................................................................................ 276

Determine Budget: Inputs ................................................................. 277

Determine Budget: Tools and Techniques ..................................... 278

Determine Budget: Outputs .............................................................. 280

Key Terms ..................................................................................................... 282

Chapter Summary ........................................................................................ 283

Chapter 2: Planning for Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .289

Basic Quality Concepts ............................................................................... 292

Basic Statistics ............................................................................................. 295

Plan Quality Management ........................................................................... 299

Plan Quality Management: Inputs .................................................... 299

Plan Quality: Tools and Techniques................................................ 300

Plan Quality Management: Outputs ................................................. 306

Key Terms ..................................................................................................... 307

Chapter Summary ........................................................................................ 308

Chapter 3: Identifying Your Team Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .313

Plan Human Resource Management ......................................................... 316

Plan Human Resource Management: Inputs ................................... 317

Plan Human Resource Management: Tools and Techniques ....... 318

Plan Human Resource Management: Outputs................................ 322

Key Terms ..................................................................................................... 323

Chapter Summary ........................................................................................ 324

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Table of Contents xi

Chapter 4: 90 Percent of Your Job Is Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . .329

Communication Building Blocks ................................................................ 332

Formal and informal, written and verbal ........................................ 332

Words, tone, and body language ..................................................... 333

Communication skills ........................................................................ 334

Plan Communications Management .......................................................... 334

Plan Communications Management: Inputs ................................... 335

Plan Communications Management: Tools and Techniques ....... 335

Plan Communications Management: Outputs ................................ 339

Key Terms ..................................................................................................... 341

Chapter Summary ........................................................................................ 341

Book V: Planning for Risks, Procurement, and Stakeholder Management .......................................... 347

Chapter 1: Identifying What Could Go Wrong . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .349

Projects Breed Uncertainty ........................................................................ 352

Plan Risk Management ................................................................................ 353

Plan Risk Management: Inputs ......................................................... 354

Plan Risk Management: Tools and Techniques ............................. 354

Plan Risk Management: Outputs ...................................................... 355

Identify Risks ................................................................................................ 358

Identify Risks: Inputs ......................................................................... 358

Identify Risks: Tools and Techniques ............................................. 360

Identify Risks: Outputs ...................................................................... 362

Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis ............................................................. 363

Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis: Inputs ...................................... 363

Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis: Tools and Techniques .......... 364

Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis: Outputs ................................... 367

Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis .......................................................... 368

Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis: Inputs .................................... 368

Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis: Tools and Techniques ........ 369

Scenarios, modeling, and simulations ............................................. 370

Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis: Outputs ................................ 376

Plan Risk Responses .................................................................................... 377

Plan Risk Responses: Tools and Techniques ................................. 377

Plan Risk Responses: Outputs .......................................................... 382

Key Terms ..................................................................................................... 386

Chapter Summary ........................................................................................ 387

Chapter 2: Getting Help — Procuring Project Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . .395

Procurement Basics .................................................................................... 398

Plan Procurement Management ................................................................ 398

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Plan Procurement Management: Inputs ................................................... 399

Picking the right contract type ........................................................ 400

Plan Procurements: Tools and Techniques ................................... 405

Plan Procurements: Outputs ...................................................................... 406

The procurement management plan ............................................... 406

Source selection criteria ................................................................... 409

Procurement statement of work ...................................................... 410

Procurement documents .................................................................. 411

Key Terms ..................................................................................................... 411

Chapter Summary ........................................................................................ 412

Chapter 3: Who Are All These People? Planning Stakeholder Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .419

Plan Stakeholder Management .................................................................. 422

Plan Stakeholder Management: Inputs ............................................ 422

Plan Stakeholder Management: Tools and Techniques ................ 423

Plan Stakeholder Management: Outputs ........................................ 424

Key Terms ..................................................................................................... 426

Chapter Summary ........................................................................................ 428

Book VI: Managing Your Project ................................ 433

Chapter 1: Managing the Work and Assuring Quality. . . . . . . . . . . . .435

Knowledge and Skills for the Executing Processes ................................. 438

Direct and Manage Project Work ............................................................... 438

Direct and Manage Project Work: Inputs ........................................ 440

Direct and Manage Project Work: Tools and Techniques ............ 443

Direct and Manage Project Work: Outputs ..................................... 444

Perform Quality Assurance ........................................................................ 446

Perform Quality Assurance: Inputs ................................................. 447

Perform Quality Assurance: Tools and Techniques ...................... 448

Perform Quality Assurance: Outputs .............................................. 451

Key Terms ..................................................................................................... 452

Chapter Summary ........................................................................................ 453

Chapter 2: Managing the People Side of Your Project . . . . . . . . . . . .459

Acquire Project Team ................................................................................. 462

Acquire Project Team: Inputs .......................................................... 462

Acquire Project Team: Tools, Techniques, and Outputs ............. 463

Develop Project Team ................................................................................. 465

Develop Project Team: Inputs, Tools, and Techniques ................ 466

Develop Project Team: Outputs ....................................................... 474

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Table of Contents xiii

Manage Project Team ................................................................................. 475

Manage Project Team: Inputs ........................................................... 475

Manage Project Team: Tools and Techniques ............................... 476

Manage Project Team: Outputs........................................................ 483

Key Terms ..................................................................................................... 484

Chapter Summary ........................................................................................ 486

Chapter 3: Getting the Word Out to Stakeholders and Contractors . . .493

Manage Communications ........................................................................... 496

Manage Communications: Tools and Techniques ......................... 496

Manage Communications: Outputs ................................................. 501

Manage Stakeholder Engagement .............................................................. 501

Manage Stakeholder Engagement: Inputs ....................................... 502

Manage Stakeholder Engagement: Tools and Techniques ........... 502

Manage Stakeholder Engagement: Outputs .................................... 503

Conduct Procurements ............................................................................... 507

Conduct Procurements: Inputs ........................................................ 507

Conduct Procurements: Tools and Techniques ............................ 508

Conduct Procurements: Outputs ..................................................... 512

Key Terms ..................................................................................................... 513

Chapter Summary ........................................................................................ 514

Book VII: Controlling Scope and Schedule .................. 519

Chapter 1: Monitoring, Controlling, and Managing Change. . . . . . . .521

Knowledge and Skills for the Monitoring and Controlling Processes ... 524

Monitor and Control Project Work ............................................................ 525

Monitoring versus controlling.......................................................... 525

Monitor and Control Project Work: Inputs ..................................... 526

Monitor and Control Project Work: Tools and Techniques ......... 528

Monitor and Control Project Work: Outputs .................................. 533

Taking responsibility for project performance .............................. 540

Perform Integrated Change Control .......................................................... 541

A Change Control process ................................................................ 543

Confi guration management .............................................................. 546

Comparing Control Processes ................................................................... 549

Key Terms ..................................................................................................... 550

Chapter Summary ........................................................................................ 550

Chapter 2: Controlling Project Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .555

Validate Scope ............................................................................................. 558

The fl ow of deliverables .................................................................... 559

Validate Scope: Inputs ....................................................................... 560

Validate Scope: Tools, Techniques, and Outputs .......................... 560

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PMP Certification All-in-One For Dummies, 2nd Editionxiv

Control Scope ............................................................................................... 563

Creep versus change ......................................................................... 563

Control Scope: Inputs ........................................................................ 566

Control Scope: Tools and Techniques ............................................ 567

Control Scope: Outputs ..................................................................... 567

Key Terms ..................................................................................................... 568

Chapter Summary ........................................................................................ 569

Chapter 3: Controlling Your Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .573

Control Schedule ......................................................................................... 576

Control Schedule: Inputs ............................................................................ 577

Control Schedule: Tools and Techniques ................................................ 578

Performance reviews ......................................................................... 578

Resource optimization ...................................................................... 580

Modeling techniques ......................................................................... 580

Leads and lags .................................................................................... 580

Schedule compression ...................................................................... 580

Project management software and scheduling tool ...................... 584

Control Schedule: Outputs ......................................................................... 584

Key Terms ..................................................................................................... 586

Chapter Summary ........................................................................................ 586

Book VIII: Controlling Cost, Quality, and More ........... 591

Chapter 1: Controlling Cost and Using Earned Value . . . . . . . . . . . . .593

Control Costs ............................................................................................... 596

Control Costs: Inputs .................................................................................. 597

Control Costs: Tools and Techniques ....................................................... 599

Earned value management ............................................................... 599

Planning with EVM ............................................................................. 600

Monitoring with EVM......................................................................... 604

More cost control techniques .......................................................... 613

Control Cost: Outputs ................................................................................. 614

Key Terms ..................................................................................................... 616

Chapter Summary ........................................................................................ 617

Chapter 2: Controlling Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .623

Quality Control Basics ................................................................................ 626

Control Quality: Inputs ............................................................................... 626

Validating change requests .............................................................. 627

Example of validating change requests .......................................... 628

Control Quality: Tools and Techniques .................................................... 628

Flow charts ......................................................................................... 629

Cause-and-effect diagrams ................................................................ 631

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Table of Contents xv

Checksheets........................................................................................ 632

Histograms and Pareto charts ......................................................... 632

Run charts and control charts ......................................................... 634

Scatter diagrams ................................................................................ 637

Control Quality: Outputs ............................................................................ 640

Key Terms ..................................................................................................... 642

Chapter Summary ........................................................................................ 643

Chapter 3: Controlling Communications and Stakeholders . . . . . . . .647

Control Communications ............................................................................ 650

Control Communications: Inputs ..................................................... 650

Control Communications: Tools and Techniques ......................... 650

Control Communications: Outputs .................................................. 652

Control Stakeholder Engagement .............................................................. 652

Control Stakeholder Engagement: Inputs ....................................... 653

Control Stakeholder Engagement: Tools and Techniques ........... 654

Control Stakeholder Engagement: Outputs .................................... 656

Key Terms ..................................................................................................... 656

Chapter Summary ........................................................................................ 656

Chapter 4: Managing Your Risks and Procurements. . . . . . . . . . . . . .661

Control Risks: Inputs ................................................................................... 664

Control Risks: Tools and Techniques ....................................................... 665

Risk reassessment ............................................................................. 666

Analysis ............................................................................................... 667

Risk audit ............................................................................................ 668

Control Risks: Outputs ................................................................................ 670

Control Procurements ................................................................................ 670

Control Procurements: Inputs .......................................................... 672

Control Procurements: Tools and Techniques .............................. 672

Control Procurements: Outputs ...................................................... 677

Key Terms ..................................................................................................... 679

Chapter Summary ........................................................................................ 680

Book IX: Closing Your Project and the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct ............................ 687

Chapter 1: Closing Your Contracts and Your Project. . . . . . . . . . . . . .689

Knowledge and Skills for the Closing Processes ..................................... 692

Closing Your Procurements ....................................................................... 692

Terminating a contract ..................................................................... 692

Close Procurements: Tools and Techniques ................................. 695

Close Procurements: Outputs .......................................................... 698

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PMP Certification All-in-One For Dummies, 2nd Editionxvi

Close Project or Phase ................................................................................ 699

Close Project or Phase: Inputs ......................................................... 699

Close Project or Phase: Tools and Techniques ............................. 700

Close Project or Phase: Outputs ...................................................... 700

Key Terms ..................................................................................................... 707

Chapter Summary ........................................................................................ 708

Chapter 2: The PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct . . . . .713

About the Code ............................................................................................ 716

Responsibility .............................................................................................. 717

Responsibility aspirational standards ............................................ 717

Responsibility mandatory standards .............................................. 718

Respect ......................................................................................................... 719

Respect aspirational standards ....................................................... 719

Respect mandatory standards ......................................................... 720

Fairness ......................................................................................................... 721

Fairness aspirational standards ....................................................... 721

Fairness mandatory standards ........................................................ 722

Honesty ......................................................................................................... 723

Honesty aspirational standards ....................................................... 723

Honesty mandatory standards......................................................... 724

Key Terms ..................................................................................................... 725

Chapter Summary ........................................................................................ 725

Appendix A: What’s on the Website. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .733

System Requirements ................................................................................. 733

Accessing the Prep Exam on the Website ................................................ 733

What You’ll Find on the Website ............................................................... 734

Troubleshooting .......................................................................................... 734

Customer Care.................................................................................... 735

Appendix B: Practice Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .737

Sample Test Answers .................................................................................. 757

Appendix C: Lab Work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .765

Knowledge Area and Process Groups ....................................................... 765

PMP Foundation ........................................................................................... 766

Project Integration Management ............................................................... 767

Project Scope Management ........................................................................ 769

Project Time Management ......................................................................... 770

Project Cost Management .......................................................................... 771

Earned Value ................................................................................................ 772

Project Quality Management ...................................................................... 772

Project Human Resource Management .................................................... 774

Project Communications Management ..................................................... 774

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Table of Contents xvii

Project Risk Management ........................................................................... 775

Project Procurement Management ........................................................... 776

Project Stakeholder Management ............................................................. 777

Appendix C Answers ................................................................................... 778

Appendix D: Exam Objective Cross Walk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .791Domain Tasks ............................................................................................... 791

Domain-Specifi c Knowledge and Skills ..................................................... 796

Initiating Knowledge and Skills ........................................................ 796

Planning Knowledge and Skills ......................................................... 797

Executing Knowledge and Skills ....................................................... 797

Monitor and Control Knowledge and Skills ................................... 797

Closing Knowledge and Skills ........................................................... 798

Cross-Cutting Skills and Knowledge .......................................................... 798

Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct ................................................ 800

Appendix E: Glossary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8031. Inclusions and Exclusions ...................................................................... 803

2. Common Acronyms ................................................................................. 804

3. Defi nitions ................................................................................................. 805

Index ....................................................................... 843

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Before the Search

Before starting your job search, you need to prepare yourself. You shouldn’t apply for jobs without knowing what kind of job you want. Just being a good coder isn’t enough; you must understand what the market wants and how you can improve and package your own skills to make sure that the company with the job you want will want you.

Know Yourself

Stereotypes to the contrary, all programmers are not alike. Knowing what kind of programmer you are is crucial to finding the right kind of job. Although you can probably do many different kinds of programming tasks, you probably don’t find them all equally engaging. Doing some-thing you don’t enjoy is fine on a short-term basis, but you need to be interested in and excited by what you’re doing for it to sustain you over the long term. The best programmers are passion-ate about their work, and you can’t truly be passionate about something that’s only moderately interesting to you.

If you’re not sure what you like or dislike, ask yourself some questions:

➤➤ Are you a systems programmer or an application developer? Systems programmers work on the code that keeps computer systems running: frameworks, tools, compilers, drivers, servers, and so on. Other programmers are their primary audience, so little interaction occurs with non-programmers — and usually the job involves little or no user interface work. Application developers, on the other hand, work on the pieces that those non-programmers use to do their own work, and often more interaction occurs with non-technical people. Many programmers find interacting with non-technical people about technical topics to be frustrating; on the other hand, you may enjoy creating appli-cations that are seen and used by an audience that extends beyond other programmers.

➤➤ Do you like coding user interfaces? User interface design — also referred to as user experience (UX) or human computer interaction (HCI) — is a role that draws on a diverse set of skills, including programming, graphic design, and psychology. This

1

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2 ❘ CHAPTer 1 Before the Search

work is high profile because the user interface is the most visible part of any application. User interface design is particularly important in mobile application development, where the restrictions of the device require even greater creativity and innovation. If you have the necessary skills and enjoy this work, you’re in elite company: Many programmers find it finicky, hard to do well, and easy to criticize, especially when you take internationalization and accessibility issues into account.

➤➤ Are you a good debugger? If you think finding problems in your own code is difficult, imag-ine what it’s like to fix problems with someone else’s code. It requires strong analytical and problem-solving skills. Finding and fixing bugs can be extremely rewarding in its own right. You need to know if you’d be happy doing primarily maintenance work. (Of course, you should always expect to maintain your own code — all programmers need debugging skills.) In many cases, particularly in older companies, maintenance programming jobs involve working primarily with older technologies now considered outdated or no longer in fashion. Developing your experience and skills with older technologies may narrow the range of jobs that you’re suited for, but because expertise in older technologies is hard to find, you may be highly sought after by the smaller number of companies dependent on older programs.

➤➤ Do you like testing? Testing — also referred to as quality assurance or QA for short — requires a combination of meticulous attention to detail to ensure that tests cover every conceivable use of a program and outside-the-box creativity to find bugs in the program by generating com-binations of inputs that the program’s developers never considered. Skilled testers are hard to find, and good programming skills are required to write tools and automated test cases.

➤➤ Are you an architect or a coder? Every coding job includes some kind of design aspect, but certain jobs lean more one way than the other. If you enjoy designing, particularly design-ing the large-scale structure of big projects, a position as a software architect might be more appealing than a coding-focused job. Although you need a good understanding of how to code to be an effective architect, architecture positions can involve a lot of meetings and interpersonal interactions and little or no coding. Unless you have formal training in software architecture, the usual route to becoming an architect is to code first and to then display an aptitude for designing and fitting together different pieces of a project.

The preceding questions deal with different kinds of programming, but you should also consider non-programming responsibilities that might interest you and the work environment that you prefer:

➤➤ Does management interest you? Some coders have a long-term goal to become a manager, but others shiver at the very thought. If management is your goal, you need to develop leadership skills and demonstrate that you can manage the human parts of the software development equation as well as the technical pieces. If management is not your goal, look for companies with good technical career paths, so you’re not forced to manage people to be promoted. (You still need leadership skills to get promoted no matter which career path you choose, but leadership skills are separate from people management skills.)

➤➤ Do you want to work for a big company? There are advantages and disadvantages to work-ing at big companies. For example, a large company may offer more job stability (although layoffs during downturns are common) and some kind of career path. It may also have a name brand that non-techies recognize. On the other hand, you may feel stifled by the bureaucracy, rigidness, and intracompany rivalry often found in bigger companies.

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Know the Market ❘ 3

➤➤ Do you want to work for a small company? The pay may be less, but getting in on the ground floor at a new company can create opportunities for future advancement (and possibly substantial remuneration) as the company grows and succeeds. Also, the work environment at small companies is often more informal than at larger organizations. The downside, of course, is that most new ventures fail, and you may be out of a job within a year or two, most likely without the kind of severance package you might expect from a large company.

➤➤ Do you want to work on open source projects? The vast majority of programming jobs have historically involved proprietary, closed-source projects, which some programmers don’t like. A shift has occurred in some companies in favor of more open software development, which provides opportunities for people to work on open-source projects and still be paid for that participation. If it’s important to you that your work project is open source, it’s best to seek out companies already involved in open source. Trying to champion open source in traditional software companies is often a frustrating and fruitless undertaking.

➤➤ Do you want long-term or short-term projects? Some programmers crave change, spending a few months at most on each project. If you like short-term projects and don’t mind trav-eling, a gig with a consulting company might make more sense than a more conventional corporate job.

Realize that there are no universal answers to these questions, and no right or wrong way to answer them. The more truthful you are in answering them, the more likely you’ll find the kind of program-ming job you truly enjoy.

Know THe MArKeT

Knowing what you’d like to do is great, but don’t box yourself in too narrowly. You also need to understand the current job market and how it constrains your search for the “ideal” job, especially during an economic downturn like the one that burst the Internet bubble of the late ’90s or the global real estate and banking meltdown of the late 2000s.

Basic Market InformationA number of sources of information exist about what’s hot and what’s not in the developer job mar-ket, including the following:

➤➤ Social networks — The tremendous growth of social networks, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Google+, have transformed social networks into virtual recruiting grounds for all types and sizes of organizations. LinkedIn is particularly important. The other social networks can provide an indirect “pulse” of the market and also valuable leads for new and even unannounced job postings.

➤➤ Online job sites — Visit two kinds of job sites as part of your research. Job listing sites such as Dice (which specializes in technology-related career listings) and Monster (a general job listing site) enable you to see what kinds of jobs are currently in demand. Review sites such as Glassdoor and CareerBliss discuss working conditions, salaries, bonuses, perks, and other information useful for finding the right kind of company for you.

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➤➤ Bookstores — Even though more and more programmer documentation is available online, professionally published books are still important, whether printed or downloadable. The number of books published on any given topic is a good indication of the level of interest the programming community has in that topic. Look especially for niche topics that are sud-denly going mainstream, but beware that in most companies, mainstream use of technolo-gies lags the interest levels represented in books by a few years.

➤➤ Professional development courses — Colleges and universities try to keep abreast of what companies want and create professional development courses around those needs.

If you’re not in college or university, find out what languages and technologies the local institutions and your alma mater require of their computer science students; although academic needs don’t always coincide with what employers want, educational institutions try to graduate students with practical skills that employers can use.

what About outsourcing?Outsourcing and offshoring — contracting tasks to other companies or foreign divisions or com-panies — is an important part of the technical employment landscape. Outsourcing of ancillary business activities such as payroll administration and property maintenance has been around for decades. More recently, this has expanded to programming, driven by the advent of inexpensive computers, cheap long distance communication provided by the Internet, and the recognition of technically educated workforces in low-wage developing countries. There was a flurry of outsourc-ing, particularly offshoring, in the mid-2000s. This has become less topical in the past several years because most companies that intend to outsource have already outsourced whatever they can. In addition, the costs of offshoring have risen as wages rise in the developing world, particularly in India and China. This coupled with recognition of the hidden costs of coordination with workforces from different cultures on very different schedules have led some companies to insource roles they previously outsourced. Nevertheless, outsourcing and offshoring remain a possibility for expanding companies that think they may cut costs, as well as established companies wondering if they’re pay-ing too much by keeping their work local.

If outsourcing (and offshoring in particular) is something that worries you, consider taking steps to avoid landing a job that might be outsourced at some point in the future. The following are some suggestions:

➤➤ Work for software development firms — A software firm’s raison d’être is the intellectual property it develops. Although medium and large firms may open development centers in other parts of the world, the smart ones are unlikely to move their entire operations to other countries or entrust their future to outside firms. That said, some companies outsource all or substantial parts of a project to other countries for cost or other reasons, so it pays to research a company’s behaviors and policies.

➤➤ Work for an outsourcer — Oddly enough, many outsourcing firms hire personnel in coun-tries such as the United States.

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Develop Marketable Skills ❘ 5

➤➤ Move up the programmer food chain — Design-oriented jobs are less likely to be outsourced. Coders are relatively cheap and plentiful, but good designers are much harder to find. (This assumes that your company recognizes that good design skills are separate from good coding skills.) Another way to make yourself more difficult to replace is to acquire domain specific knowledge: expertise related to the programs you write but outside of the field of program-ming. For example, if you develop financial software, it’s much more difficult to outsource your job if it involves the application of accounting skills in addition to programming than if you’re purely a coder.

➤➤ Take a management job — Management can be a refuge from outsourcing, so a management-oriented career path is one option to consider.

Of all these options, moving up the food chain is usually the best approach. The more non-program-ming knowledge your job requires, or the more interaction with customers, the less likely you are to be outsourced. There’s no guarantee you’ll never be outsourced, of course, or that you’ll always keep your job. Your company may shutter or downsize the project you’re working on at any point, after all, and put you back on the street. This is why developing reusable and marketable skills through-out your career is extremely important.

DeveloP MArKeTABle sKIlls

In the appendix we discuss your résumé as a marketing tool to get you job interviews. The easiest thing to sell is something that people want, so it’s important that you have marketable skills to offer a prospective employer.

To stand out from the crowd both on paper and in the interviews you need to develop skills and accomplishments, especially if you’re entering the job market for the first time. The following are some approaches you can take:

➤➤ Upgrade your credentials — Companies such as Google are well known for favoring job applicants with graduate degrees. Getting a master’s or doctorate degree is one way to upgrade your credentials. You can upgrade your credentials in other ways, such as taking university or professional development courses or participating in programming contests.

➤➤ Get certified — Certification is a contentious issue in the software development profession, but some jobs either prefer or require candidates to be certified in specific technologies, especially IT jobs. Consider surveying job listings to see whether certifications are required for the jobs that interest you before you invest time and money in certifications.

➤➤ Work on a side project — A great way to expand your skill set is to work on a project not directly related to your primary work or study focus. Starting or joining an open-source development project is one way to go. Or if you work at a company, see if it will let you spend time on an ancillary project.

➤➤ Do well in school — Although grades aren’t everything, they are one measure that companies use to rank new graduates with little job experience. The better your grades, especially in computer science and mathematics courses, the more you can impress a potential employer.

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➤➤ Keep learning — The end of formal education doesn’t mean you should stop learning, espe-cially when so much information about programming is available from a wide variety of sources. Whether it’s books or blogs, there’s always a way to keep current, no matter what type of programming you do. It’s also a great way to expand your horizons and discover other areas of interest. This kind of learning doesn’t show up on your résumé, but it’s some-thing you can highlight in your technical interviews.

➤➤ Be an intern — New graduates who manage to secure employment during their non-school terms — especially those that participate in cooperative education programs — have a huge advantage over their peers who haven’t yet ventured into the real world. Software develop-ment in the field is often different from software development in an academic setting, and potential employers are cognizant of this.

The key is to keep learning, no matter the stage of your career. You can’t develop marketable skills overnight; they take some effort and initiative on your part but can have long-lasting effects on your career.

GeT THInGs Done

Companies look for software developers who get things done. You may look great on paper in terms of skills and education, but credentials and knowledge don’t make products or services that a company can sell. It’s your ability to accomplish something that truly sets you apart from the other candidates.

Getting an advanced degree such as a Ph.D., becoming a trusted contributor to a widely used open source project, or carrying a product through from start to launch are all big accomplishments. But small accomplishments can be just as important, such as adding a feature to a product, making a mea-surable improvement to the product’s performance, starting and completing a side project, or creating a useful application for a class project. These all show that you can get things done.

Recruiters and hiring committees like to see that you have multiple accomplishments — a pattern of getting things done. This is especially true for more senior and experienced developers. You need to show those accomplishments on your résumé and your online profile. Whether your accomplish-ments are big or small, always be ready to talk intelligently and confidently about each one. This is incredibly important! Make sure you can clearly and succinctly describe the underlying problem and how your project solved it, even to a non-technical person. Displaying a passion for programming is always positive; clearly communicating how your passion produces products and services that other people can use makes you really stand out from the other candidates.

MAnAGe Your onlIne ProfIle

Your online profile — everything public about you online — is just as important as your résumé. Recruiters use online profiles to find desirable candidates. Screeners use them to weed out undesir-able applicants. Interviewers use them to prepare in-depth interview questions when résumés lack details.

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Manage Your Online Profile ❘ 7

An online profile consists of any or all these things:

➤➤ LinkedIn profile — LinkedIn is a social network for tracking professional connections. It’s free to join, and you can create a detailed profile about yourself, including your jobs and your education — essentially an online résumé. Colleagues and customers can publicly endorse you or your work, which can be quite valuable.

➤➤ Other social network profiles — Other social networks such as Facebook or Google+, depending on your privacy settings.

➤➤ Personal website — This is a potential source of more in-depth information about you.

➤➤ Articles and blog posts — If you write about programming-related topics, this is a good way for recruiters to assess your experience.

➤➤ Comments and forum posts — These provide another way to gain some insight into your programming skills and your general attitude toward technology and technology companies.

The impression employers get from your online profile can affect your chances of being hired. If your résumé lists extensive experience with C# but they find a forum posting you made only 6 months ago asking how to open a file in C#, they’ll probably conclude that you’re exaggerating your experience level, putting your whole résumé into doubt. Or if they see disturbing or inflammatory material that they think you’ve authored, they may decide to pass you over for an interview, no mat-ter how well your résumé reads or how long ago you wrote those things. No one’s proud of every-thing they ever did in high school or college, but those who have grown up in the post-Internet era see things follow them that they’d rather forget about, something the older generations rarely had to contend with.

At some point before you apply for a job, take a good look at your online profile. Put yourself in a company’s shoes to see how much information — good or bad — they can find about you, or link to you. If your online profile is possibly going to prevent you from being hired, take some steps to sani-tize your profile. If possible, remove questionable material from the web and from the search engines.

Spend some time developing the positive aspects of your profile. This is particularly important if there’s unfavorable material about you on the web that you’re unable to remove. You may want to read a little about search engine optimization (SEO) and apply some of these techniques to get the positive aspects of your profile to appear before older, less favorable items in search results. If you don’t have a LinkedIn profile, create one, and make it as detailed as possible; if you already have one, make sure it’s up to date. Consider creating a profile on Stack Overflow or a similar Q&A site, and spend some time answering questions relating to your areas of expertise.

wArnInG One caveat about updating your LinkedIn profile: By default, all your contacts are notified of your updates. Many people have learned to interpret these notifications as de facto announcements that someone is looking for a new job. That might help you get the word out, but if your contacts include people at your current company and you don’t want them to know you’re looking for a new job, disable these notifications before you make your updates.

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Develop an online profile that doesn’t throw any red flags in front of the screeners and shows you in the best possible light. Finding a good job is hard enough — why make it harder?

suMMArY

What you do before a formal job search is critical to finding the right kind of job. With that in mind, you should consider the following things:

➤➤ Know your likes and dislikes as a programmer and a prospective employee.

➤➤ Understand the market to find and apply for the best jobs.

➤➤ Develop the marketable skills that employers look for and that can enhance your career.

➤➤ Manage your public profile to show you in the best possible light and make sure there are no surprises to turn off potential employers.

Once you’ve worked through all these points, you’re ready to begin your job search.

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The Job Application Process

Interviewing and recruiting procedures are similar at most tech companies, so the more pre-pared 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 head-hunters or contact a company directly.

Finding CompaniesYou 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 news-papers 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 companies of this size also advertise at least some of their job openings on online job boards; these postings can help you identify companies to investigate even if the specific job posted isn’t right for you.

Small companies, especially early-stage startups, can be much more challenging to find. Often these companies are too small, too new, or too secretive to get much press. They may lack the resources to advertise their openings beyond their own website, which you can’t find unless

2

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10 ❘ CHapteR 2 The Job ApplicATion process

you know the name of the company. One good way to find these companies is asking friends and acquaintances if they know of startups that are hiring. Another technique is to use online social net-works. You can use some sites, such as LinkedIn, to search for people by profession within a region. Most people on these sites list the name of their company, so you can build a list of companies in a particular region by going through the results of this search. This can be laborious, but part of the payoff is that if you can’t find these companies any other way, neither can anyone else, so you’re likely to be competing with fewer applicants.

getting ReferralsReferrals are the best way to find a job. Tell all your friends about what kind of job you’re looking for. Even if they don’t work for the kinds of companies that might hire you, they may know people who do. Coming from “Susan’s friend” or “Bill’s neighbor,” your résumé is sure to receive more careful consideration than the hundreds (or thousands) of anonymous résumés that come flooding in from online postings, job fairs, and other recruitment activities. Be sure to use your social networks, both real and virtual, to identify potential job opportunities.

Don’t feel you’re imposing on your friends and acquaintances. Companies often reward employees with big bonuses — as much as several thousand dollars — for successful referrals of talented software engineers. Your friends have a financial incentive to submit as many résumés as possible! (This is why referral bonuses are paid only after the referred person has been hired and has started working for the company.)

After you have a contact at a company, it’s up to you to make the most of it. Your approach depends on how well you know the contact.

If the contact is not a close friend, e-mail the person to arrange a time to speak. When you speak to the person, ask about the company and the work environment. Then ask about any existing job openings. The person might not know of any — many employees know only about job openings in their immediate workgroup — but if you know jobs are available, point the person to the job listings. Explain why you’d be a good match for one of those openings. Then ask the person to submit your résumé. Before you end your conversation, always thank people for their time.

If the contacts are close friends, you can be more casual and just ask about job openings and if they’d refer you.

The best referrals are from people who have worked with you before. A current employee who vouches for your skills and accomplishments is the strongest type of referral. That’s why you need to keep track of former co-workers — you might want to work with them again one day.

Working with HeadhuntersParticularly when labor markets are tight, some firms use outside recruiters known as headhunters to help them find candidates. In addition, you may find it useful to seek out a headhunter and provide her with your information.

If you list yourself with a headhunter, she can assist you with your job search and call you when she learns of an opening that matches your skill set. It may take a while, so don’t be discouraged.

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Finding and Contacting Companies ❘ 11

Some headhunters are more helpful than others, so ask around to see if anyone you know has rec-ommendations. If you can’t locate a headhunter this way, you can search the web for headhunters, recruiters, or staffing services. You can check out a prospective headhunter by asking for references, but be aware that headhunters deal with so many people that even those who frequently do a poor job probably have 5 or 10 satisfied clients who serve as references.

When you work with headhunters, you must understand their motivation: headhunters are paid only when an applicant they’ve referred is hired. It is therefore in a headhunter’s interest to put as many people as possible into as many jobs as possible as quickly as possible. A headhunter has no financial incentive to find you the best possible job — or to find a company the best possible applicant, for that matter. If you recognize that a headhunter is in business for the purpose of making a living and not for the purpose of helping you, you are less likely to be surprised or disappointed by your experi-ences. This is not to suggest that headhunters are bad people or that as a rule they take advantage of applicants or companies. Headhunters can be helpful and useful, but you must not expect them to look out for your interests above their own.

When you get a potential lead from a headhunter, she will usually send you a job description and a vague description of the type of company but not the name of the company. This is to make sure that if you apply for the job, you do it through the headhunter so that she gets her commission. It’s unethical to independently apply for a job that comes to you through a headhunter, but sometimes you might like to have more information about the job or company before you proceed. For example, you may determine that it’s a job you’ve already applied for, or at a location that would involve too long of a commute. The job description that the headhunter sends you is often copied verbatim from the company’s website so by pasting it into your favorite search engine you can often find the original job listing.

Some companies don’t work with headhunters in any capacity, so don’t limit yourself by conducting your entire job search through a headhunter. As a corollary of this, avoid working with any head-hunter who insists on being your exclusive representative. Finally, be aware that “headhunter” is a widely used term by people outside of this profession, but considered pejorative by most of the people who do this work, so it’s best not to use the word “headhunter” when you speak to one of them.

Contacting the Company directlyYou can also try contacting companies directly. The Internet is the best medium for this approach. Most companies’ web pages have instructions for submitting résumés. If the website lists specific open-ings, read through them and submit your résumé specifically for the openings that interest you. If you don’t have a contact within the company, it’s best to look for specific job openings: In many companies, résumés targeted at a specific job opportunity are forwarded directly to the hiring manager, whereas those that don’t mention a specific opening languish in the human resources database. A tech-oriented job site is a good place to start your search if you don’t have a specific company already in mind.

If a site doesn’t provide any directions for submitting your résumé, look for an e-mail address to which you can send it. Send your résumé as both plain text in the body of the e-mail (so the recipient can read it without having to do any work) and, unless there are instructions to the contrary, as an attached file so that the recipient can print a copy. A PDF file is ideal; otherwise, attach a Microsoft Word file. Do not send a file in any other format unless specifically requested. Be sure to convert the

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file so that it can be read by older versions of Word, and scan it with an antivirus program (you can easily do this by mailing the resume to yourself as an attachment) to be absolutely certain that your résumé isn’t carrying any macro viruses.

Approaching a company directly like this is a bit of a long shot, especially when the résumé is sent to a generic human resources e-mail address. Many companies use automated screening software to filter incoming résumés, so if your résumé lacks the right buzzwords, a human probably won’t even see it. Consult the appendix for tips to get your résumé past automated screeners. With a good résumé in hand it takes so little time and effort to apply that you have nothing to lose.

Job FairsJob fairs are an easy way to learn about and make contact with a lot of companies without much effort. Your chances of success with any one particular company at a job fair are low because each company sees so many applicants. However, given the number of companies at a job fair, your over-all odds may still be favorable. If you collect business cards at the job fair and follow up with people afterward, you can separate yourself from the rest of the job fair crowd.

In addition, if they are available to you, college career centers, alumni organizations, and profes-sional associations can also be helpful in finding jobs.

tHe inteRvieW pRoCess

If someone is sufficiently impressed by your résumé to want to talk to you, the next step is one or more screening interviews, usually followed by an on-site interview. Here, we prepare you for the stages of the interview process and help you dress for success.

screening interviewsScreening interviews are usually conducted by phone and last anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour. You should take the interview in a quiet room with no distractions and keep pen and paper handy to take notes. Screening interviews may also take place on the spot at a job fair or on campus as part of a college recruiting process.

The initial screening interview is with a company recruiter or human resources representative. The recruiter wants to make sure that you’re interested in doing the job the company is hiring for, that you have the skills needed for the position, and that you’re willing to accept any logistical require-ments of the position, such as relocation or travel.

If you make it past the recruiter, there’s normally a second screening interview in which a technical person asks you a few knowledge-based questions. These questions are designed to eliminate appli-cants who have inflated their résumés or are weak in skills that are key to the position. During the technical interview you may be asked to write some code using some kind of cloud-based document-sharing tool such as Google Docs. This gives the interviewer a firsthand look at your coding skills.

You should treat the phone interview as seriously as an on-site interview. It is an interview.

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The Interview Process ❘ 13

If the feedback from the technical interviewer is positive, the recruiter will get back to you, usually within a week, to schedule an on-site interview at the company’s office.

on-site interviewsYour performance in on-site interviews is the biggest factor in determining whether you get an offer. These interviews consist mostly of a variety of technical questions: problems requiring you to imple-ment a simple program or function; questions that test your knowledge of computers, languages, and programming; and sometimes even mathematics and logic puzzles. The majority of this book focuses on helping you answer these questions to succeed in your interviews.

Your on-site interviews usually last either a half day or a full day and typically consist of three to six interviews of 30 to 60 minutes each. Arrive early and well rested at the company’s office, and take a restroom break if at all possible before any of the interviewing starts. Turn off any phones or pagers you carry. Under no circumstances should you interrupt your interview to read or answer a text, page, or call. You’ll likely be greeted by either the recruiter you’ve been dealing with or the hiring manager. You may get an informal tour before the actual interviewing starts, which is a good way to see what the working conditions are like at that location.

Your interviewers may be the members of the team you’ll work with if you are hired, or they may be engineers chosen at random from other groups within the company. Most companies have a rule that any interviewer can block an applicant from being hired, so all your interviews are important. Sometimes you may interview with two separate teams on the same day. Usually each group you interview with makes a separate decision about giving you an offer.

The company usually takes you out for lunch midway through your interview day. A free lunch at a nice restaurant or even at the company cafeteria is certainly enjoyable, but don’t let your guard down completely. If you make a negative impression at lunch, you may lose your offer. Be polite, and avoid alcohol and messy foods. These general guidelines apply to all company outings, including evening recruiting activities. Moderate drinking is acceptable during evening outings, but show restraint. Getting drunk isn’t likely to improve your chances to get an offer.

At the end of the day, you may meet with the boss; if he or she spends a lot of time trying to sell you on working for the company, it’s a pretty strong indication that you’ve done well in your interviews and an offer will follow.

dressJob applicants traditionally wear suits to interviews. Most tech companies, though, are business casual — or even just casual. The running joke at some of these companies is that the only people who wear suits are job candidates and salespeople.

This is one area in which it’s critical to do some research. It’s probably not to your advantage to wear a suit if nobody else at the company is wearing them, not even the salespeople. On the other hand, if you wear jeans and a T-shirt, interviewers may feel you’re not showing sufficient respect or serious-ness, even though they may be wearing jeans. Ask around to see what’s appropriate for the company. Expectations for dress vary by location and nature of business. For example, programmers working

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for a bank or brokerage may be expected to wear suits. You should aim to dress as well as or slightly more formally than you would be expected to dress for the job you’re interviewing for.

In general, though, a suit or even a jacket and tie is overkill for most technical job interviews. A standard technical interviewing outfit for men consists of non-denim cotton pants, a collared shirt, and loafers (no sneakers or sandals). Women can dress similarly to men. No matter what your sex, go light on the perfume or cologne.

a ReCRuiteR’s Role

Your interviews and offer are usually coordinated by a company recruiter or human resources rep-resentative. The recruiter is responsible for the scheduling and logistical aspects of your interview, including reimbursing you for travel or lodging expenses. Recruiters aren’t usually involved in the hiring decision but may pass on information about you to those who are. They are also usually the ones who call you back about your offer and handle compensation negotiations.

Recruiters are usually good at what they do. The vast majority of recruiters are honorable people deserving of your respect and courtesy. Nevertheless, don’t let their friendliness fool you into think-ing that their job is to help you; their job is to get you to sign with their company as quickly as possible for as little money as possible. As with headhunters, you need to understand the position recruiters are in so that you understand how they behave:

➤➤ Recruiters may focus on a job’s benefits or perks to draw attention away from negative aspects of a job offer. They generally tell you to come to them with any questions about your offer. This is fine for benefit and salary questions, but ill-advised when you have questions about the job. The recruiter usually doesn’t know much about the job you’re being hired to do. When you ask a specific question about the job, the recruiter has little incentive to do the work to find the answer, especially if that answer might cause you to turn down the offer. Instead, recruiters are likely to give you a vague response along the lines of what they think you want to hear. When you want straight answers to your ques-tions, it’s best to go directly to the people you’ll be working for. You can also try going directly to your potential manager if you feel the recruiter is being unreasonable with you. This is a somewhat risky strategy — it certainly won’t win you the recruiters’ love — but often the hiring manager has the authority to overrule decisions or restrictions that a recruiter makes. Hiring managers are often more willing to be flexible than recruiters. You’re just another applicant to recruiters, but to the hiring manager, you’re the person she chose to work with.

➤➤ After the decision is made to give you an offer, the recruiter’s job is to do everything neces-sary to get you to accept the offer at the lowest possible salary. A recruiter’s pay is often tied to how many candidates he signs. To maneuver you, a recruiter sometimes might try to play career counselor or advisor by asking you about each of your offers and leading you through a supposedly objective analysis to determine which is the best offer. Not surprisingly, this exercise always leads to the conclusion that the offer from the recruiter’s company is clearly the best choice.

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Offers and Negotiation ❘ 15

➤➤ Some recruiters are territorial enough about their candidates that they won’t give you your prospective team’s contact information. To protect against this possibility, collect business cards from your interviewers during your interviews, particularly from your prospective managers. Then you’ll have the necessary information without having to go through the recruiter.

oFFeRs and negotiation

When you get an offer, you’ve made it through the hardest part: You now have a job, if you want it. However, the game isn’t over yet. You’re looking for a job because you need to make money; how you play the end game largely determines how much you get.

When your recruiter or hiring manager makes you an offer, she may also tell you how much the company plans to pay you. Perhaps a more common practice, though, is for the recruiter or hiring manager to tell you that the company would like to hire you and ask you how much you want to make. Answering this question is covered in detail in Chapter 17.

After you’ve been given a specific offer that includes details about salary, signing bonus, and stock options, you need to decide whether you’re satisfied with it. This shouldn’t be a snap decision — never accept an offer on the spot. Always spend at least a day thinking about important decisions such as this; it’s surprising how much can change in a day.

dealing with Recruiter pressuresRecruiters often employ a variety of high-pressure tactics to get you to accept offers quickly. They may tell you that you must accept the offer within a few days if you want the job, or they may offer you an exploding signing bonus: a signing bonus that decreases by a fixed amount each day. Don’t let this bullying rush your decision. If the company wants you (and it probably does if it made you an offer), these limits and terms are negotiable, even when a recruiter claims they aren’t. You may have to go over the recruiter’s head and talk to your hiring manager if the recruiter refuses to be flexible. If these conditions are non-negotiable, you probably don’t want to work for a rigid company full of bul-lies anyway.

negotiating Your salaryIf, after careful consideration, the offer meets or exceeds your expectations, you’re all set. On the other hand, if you’re not completely happy with your offer, you should try to negotiate. All too often, applicants assume that offers are non-negotiable and reject offers without negotiation or accept offers they’re not pleased with. Almost every offer is negotiable to some extent.

You should never reject an offer for monetary reasons without trying to negotiate. When you negoti-ate an offer that you would otherwise reject, you hold the ultimate high card. You’re ready to walk, so you have nothing to lose.

Even when an offer is in the range you were expecting, it’s often worthwhile to negotiate. As long as you are respectful and truthful in your negotiations and your requests are reasonable, you’ll almost

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never lose an offer just because you tried to negotiate it. In the worst case, the company refuses to change the offer, and you’re no worse off than before you tried to negotiate.

If you decide to negotiate your compensation package, here’s how you do it:

➤➤ Figure out exactly what you want. You may want a signing bonus, better pay, or more stock options.

➤➤ Arrange a phone call with the appropriate negotiator, usually the recruiter. Your negotiator is usually the same person who gave you the terms of your offer. Don’t call the negotiator blind because you may catch him at an inconvenient time.

➤➤ Explain your case. Say you appreciate receiving the offer and explain why you’re not com-pletely happy with it. For example, you could say, “I’m pleased to have received the offer, but I’m having a hard time accepting it because it’s not competitive with my other offers.” Or you could say, “Thank you again for the offer, but I’m having trouble accepting it because I know from discussions with my peers and from talking with other companies that this offer is below market rates.” If the negotiator asks you to go into greater detail about which other companies have offered you more money and how much, or where your peers work, you’re under no obligation to do so. You can easily say, “I keep all my offers confiden-tial, including yours, and feel that it’s unprofessional to give out that sort of information.”

➤➤ Thank the negotiator for his time and help and say that you’ re looking forward to hearing from him again. Negotiators rarely change an offer on the spot. The company’s negotiator may ask you what you had in mind or, conversely, tell you that the offer is non-negotiable. Claiming that the offer is non-negotiable is often merely a hardball negotiation tactic, so in either case you should respond by politely and respectfully spelling out exactly what you expect in an offer and giving the negotiator a chance to consider what you’ve said.

Many people find negotiation uncomfortable, especially when dealing with professional recruiters who do it every day. It’s not uncommon for someone to accept an offer as close enough just to avoid having to negotiate. If you feel this way about negotiation, try looking at it this way: You rarely have anything to lose, and even modest success in negotiation can be rewarding. If it takes you a 30-minute phone call to get your offer increased by $3,000, you’ve made $6,000 per hour. Even lawyers aren’t paid that much.

Remember that the best time to get more money is before you accept the job. When you’re an employee, the company holds all the power.

accepting and Rejecting offersAt some point, your negotiations will be complete, and you will be ready to accept an offer. After you inform a company you’re accepting its offer, be sure to keep in touch to coordinate start dates and paperwork. The company may do a background check on you at this point to verify your iden-tity and your credentials.

Be professional about declining your other offers. Contacts are important, especially in the computer business where people change jobs frequently. You’ve no doubt built contacts at all the companies that made you offers. It’s foolish to squander your contacts at other companies by failing to inform

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Summary ❘ 17

them of your decision. If you had a recruiter at the company, you should e-mail her with your deci-sion. (Don’t expect her to be overjoyed, however.) You should also personally call the hiring manag-ers who made you an offer to thank them and let them know what you decided. For example, you can say, “I want to thank you again for extending me the offer. I was impressed with your company, but I’ve decided it’s not the best choice for me right now. Thank you again, and I appreciate your confidence in me.” Besides simply being classy, this approach can often get a response such as, “I was pleased to meet you, and I’m sorry that you won’t be joining us. If things don’t work out at that company, give me a call, and maybe we can work something out. Best of luck.”

This gives you a great place to start the next time you look for work.

summaRY

You can find prospective jobs in various ways, but networking through friends and acquaintances is usually the best method. If that’s not possible, find and contact companies directly. You may also engage the services of a headhunter; be aware that the headhunter’s motivations aren’t always aligned with yours.

The interviews are the most important part of the job application process. There are one or two screening interviews, usually by phone, to ensure that you’re applying for the right job and that you are actually qualified. After the screening interviews, there are usually a series of on-site technical interviews that ultimately determine whether a job offer comes your way. Be sure to dress appropri-ately for the interviews, and turn off any electronic gadgets you might have with you.

During the interview process you’ll frequently interact with one of the company’s recruiters, especially if a job offer is made. Be sure to understand the recruiter’s role during this process.

When an offer is made, don’t accept it immediately. Give yourself time to consider it. Look over the offer, and try to negotiate a better deal because most offers aren’t fixed in stone, no matter what the recruiter says. After accepting a job offer, be sure to contact anyone else who has made you an offer to thank them for their interest in you.

261361c02.indd 17 10/5/12 8:36 AM

Contents

Preface xxv

IntroductIon xxix

Chapter 1: Before the searCh 1

Know Yourself 1Know the Market 3

Basic Market Information 3

What About Outsourcing? 4

Develop Marketable Skills 5Get Things Done 6Manage Your Online Profile 6Summary 8

Chapter 2: the JoB appliCation proCess 9

Finding and Contacting Companies 9Finding Companies 9

Getting Referrals 10

Working with Headhunters 10

Contacting the Company Directly 11

Job Fairs 12

The Interview Process 12Screening Interviews 12

On-Site Interviews 13

Dress 13

A Recruiter’s Role 14Offers and Negotiation 15

Dealing with Recruiter Pressures 15

Negotiating Your Salary 15

Accepting and Rejecting Offers 16

Summary 17

261361ftoc.indd 17 12/20/12 12:56 PM

xviii

CONTENTS

Chapter 3: approaChes to programming proBlems 19

The Process 19The Scenario 19

The Problems 20

Which Languages to Use 20

Interactivity Is Key 21

Solving the Problems 22The Basic Steps 22

When You Get Stuck 23

Analyzing Your Solution 24Big-O Analysis In Action 25

How Big-O Analysis Works 26

Best, Average, and Worst Cases 27

Optimizations and Big-O Analysis 27

How to Do Big-O Analysis 28

Which Algorithm Is Better? 28

Memory Footprint Analysis 29

Summary 30

Chapter 4: linked lists 31

Why Linked Lists? 31Kinds of Linked List 32

Singly Linked Lists 32

Doubly Linked Lists 34

Circular Linked Lists 34

Basic Linked List Operations 34Tracking the Head Element 34

Traversing a List 36

Inserting and Deleting Elements 36

Linked List Problems 38Stack Implementation 38

Maintain Linked List Tail Pointer 43

Bugs in removeHead 48

Mth-to-Last Element of a Linked List 50

List Flattening 53

List Unflattening 56

Null or Cycle 58

Summary 60

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xix

CONTENTS

Chapter 5: trees and graphs 61

Trees 61Binary Trees 63

Binary Search Trees 64

Heaps 66

Common Searches 66

Traversals 67

Graphs 68Tree and Graph Problems 68

Height of a Tree 69

Preorder Traversal 70

Preorder Traversal, No Recursion 71

Lowest Common Ancestor 73

Binary Tree to Heap 75

Unbalanced Binary Search Tree 77

Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon 79

Summary 83

Chapter 6: arrays and strings 85

Arrays 85C and C++ 86

Java 87

C# 87

JavaScript 88

Strings 88C 89

C++ 89

Java 90

C# 90

JavaScript 91

Array and String Problems 91Find the First Nonrepeated Character 91

Remove Specified Characters 94

Reverse Words 97

Integer/String Conversions 101

Summary 105

261361ftoc.indd 19 12/20/12 12:56 PM

xx

CONTENTS

Chapter 7: reCursion 107

Understanding Recursion 107Recursion Problems 111

Binary Search 111

Permutations of a String 113

Combinations of a String 116

Telephone Words 119

Summary 124

Chapter 8: sorting 125

Sorting Algorithms 125Selection Sort 126

Insertion Sort 127

Quicksort 128

Merge Sort 130

Sorting Problems 131The Best Sorting Algorithm 132

Stable Selection Sort 134

Multi-Key Sort 137

Make a Sort Stable 138

Optimized Quicksort 139

Pancake Sorting 142

Summary 144

Chapter 9: ConCurrenCy 145

Basic Thread Concepts 145Threads 145

System Threads versus User Threads 146

Monitors and Semaphores 146

Deadlocks 147

A Threading Example 147

Concurrency Problems 150Busy Waiting 150

Producer/Consumer 152

The Dining Philosophers 155

Summary 158

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xxi

CONTENTS

Chapter 10: oBJeCt-oriented programming 159

Fundamentals 159Classes and Objects 159

Inheritance and Polymorphism 160

Construction and Destruction 162Object-Oriented Programming Problems 162

Interfaces and Abstract Classes 162

Virtual Methods 164

Multiple Inheritance 165

Summary 166

Chapter 11: design patterns 167

What Are Design Patterns? 167Why Use Design Patterns? 167

Design Patterns in Interviews 168

Common Design Patterns 168Creational Patterns 168

Behavioral Patterns 171

Structural Patterns 172

Design Pattern Problems 172Singleton Implementation 172

Decorator versus Inheritance 175

Efficient Observer Updates 176

Summary 176

Chapter 12: dataBases 177

Database Fundamentals 177Relational Databases 177

SQL 178

Database Transactions 182

Database Problems 183Simple SQL 183

Company and Employee Database 184

Max, No Aggregates 186

Three-Valued Logic 188

Summary 189

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xxii

CONTENTS

Chapter 13: graphiCs and Bit manipulation 191

Graphics 191Bit Manipulation 192

Binary Two’s Complement Notation 192

Bitwise Operators 193

Optimizing with Shifts 194

Graphics Problems 194Eighth of a Circle 195

Rectangle Overlap 197

Bit Manipulation Problems 200Big-Endian or Little-Endian 201

Number of Ones 203

Summary 205

Chapter 14: Counting, measuring, and ordering puzzles 207

Tackling Brainteasers 207Beware of Assumptions 208

Don’t Be Intimidated 209

Beware of Simple Problems 210

Estimation Problems 210

Brainteaser Problems 211Count Open Lockers 211

Three Switches 213

Bridge Crossing 214

Heavy Marble 218

Number of American Gas Stations 222

Summary 223

Chapter 15: graphiCal and spatial puzzles 225

Draw It First 225Graphical and Spatial Problems 226

Boat and Dock 226

Counting Cubes 228

The Fox and the Duck 231

Burning Fuses 234

Escaping the Train 235

Summary 237

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xxiii

CONTENTS

Chapter 16: knowledge-Based Questions 239

Preparation 239Problems 240

C++ versus Java 241

Friend Classes 241

Argument Passing 242

Macros and Inline Functions 243

Inheritance 245

Garbage Collection 245

32-Bit versus 64-Bit Applications 247

Network Performance 247

Web Application Security 248

Cryptography 250

Hash Tables versus Binary Search Trees 251

Summary 251

Chapter 17: nonteChniCal Questions 253

Why Nontechnical Questions? 253Questions 254

“What Do You Want to Do?” 254

“What Is Your Favorite Programming Language?” 255

“What Is Your Work Style?” 256

“What Can You Tell Me about Your Experience?” 256

“What Are Your Career Goals?” 256

“Why Are You Looking to Change Jobs?” 256

“What Salary Are You Expecting?” 257

“What Is Your Salary History?” 259

“Why Should We Hire You?” 260

“Why Do You Want to Work for This Company?” 260

“Do You Have Any Questions for Me?” 260

Summary 261

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xxiv

CONTENTS

appendix: résumés 263

The Technical Résumé 263A Poor Example 263

Sell Yourself 267

Keep It Short 267

List the Right Information 268

Be Clear and Concise 269

Relevant Information Only 270

Use Reverse Chronological Ordering 271

Always Proofread 271

The Improved Example 271

Managers and Senior Developers 273

Tailor the Résumé to the Position 279

Sample Résumé 279

ConClusion 283

Index 285

261361ftoc.indd 24 12/20/12 12:56 PM

1

C H A P T E R

1

Hiring Prograammers:The Inside Storyide Story

When I was a young boy, making new friends seemed easy. I had grown up with

the surreal humor of Monty Python and my usual approach to a potential new

friend would be something like “I am a knight who says Ekki-Ekki-Ekki-PTANG!”

I thought it was hilarious. I made a few great friends (one is still a friend 30

years later), but I also had a lot of misses. Actually, mostly I had misses, nearly

all the time. Sometimes my approach would generate open hostility. I couldn’t

understand it.

What my young self didn’t realize was that enthusiasm for the absurd was not

a universal constant. Not all kids my age had seen Monty Python, and even if

they had, not everyone loved and appreciated it like I did. I was seeing the world

through my own Python-shaped glasses, and I did not appreciate the diversity

of other childhood experiences. Not everyone was on the same wavelength.

As naïve as this might seem, many hiring managers make the same basic

mistake when interviewing. Perhaps they suppose that because they have a lot

of hard-won experience in a certain area then of course everyone with experi-

ence in that area will see things the same way. Further, they might assume that

their thought process will be similar. At the interview the hiring manager might

abruptly open the conversation with the equivalent of my Python-inspired

icebreaker:

“Nice to meet you; now, could you please describe a situation where it would be inappropriate to normalize a set of database tables into Boyce-Codd normal form.”

2 Chapter 1 ■ Hiring Programmers: The Inside Story

It might be that you love Monty Python and, for you, meeting an interviewer

who quotes from Python might seem like a dream come true. If that is the case,

then I wish you all the best; just be careful how you respond when the inter-

viewer asks you to “Please, e walk this way.”

For the rest of us, establishing a level of communication that is easy and

familiar will take some preparation and effort.

It might have occurred to you that I’m hinting at the concept of rapport. Rapportis an excellent word; it describes feelings of harmony, of sympathy, and of being

on the same wavelength. I hesitate to use this word only because it has been

somewhat hijacked in recent times and now comes loaded with connotations

of insincerity, like the fake grin of a novice salesman.

But for an interview to be really effective, to have the ideal degree of com-

munication, and to put yourself on common ground with the interviewer, you

really do need to work on establishing a rapport.

One of the simplest and most effective ways to start building rapport is to

try to see things from the interviewer’s perspective. If you understand the

motivations of the interviewer, establishing a common ground and adapting

your responses appropriately becomes much easier. You can quickly home in

on what the interviewer is looking for, in both a positive and negative sense.

In this chapter, I will take a thorough look at the process of fi nding a pro-

gramming job including:

■ What motivates a hiring manager, and how to tailor your approach

appropriately

■ How to prepare a CV that will get you to an interview

■ How to use job sites

■ Understanding recruitment agencies; how they work and how to work

effectively with them

■ How to fi nd jobs without a recruitment agency (it can be done!)

Let’s start by taking a look at some of the most common reasons why a com-

pany might want to hire a programmer.

Reasons They Recruit

Without exception, a company hiring a programmer will have a reason for hir-

ing. If you know what that reason is and understand the motivation for it, then

you can optimize your approach accordingly.

Chapter 1 ■ Hiring Programmers: The Inside Story 3

Planned expansionA common scenario—one that will become increasingly common as the major

world economies resume growing—is for companies to make medium- to long-

term plans for expansion that require them to take on more programmers in

accordance with their plans for business growth.

The interviewer’s motivation and approach

Because the role is part of longer term plans, the interviewer is unlikely to feel

a great sense of urgency. Well-prepared interviewers will have a job profi le,

perhaps also a person profi le, and be comparing candidates to these. With time

on their side, they are less likely to compromise their pre-determined require-

ments, and although they might not realistically expect to perfectly match every

aspect, they will probably be less open to considering candidates who deviate

by any signifi cant degree.

Your approach

Your approach should be to highlight areas where your skill and experience

matches well with the advertised job profi le. That is the easy part.

What about skills that aren’t a good fi t? For example, suppose you apply for

the role of a .NET programmer and during the interview it becomes appar-

ent that the interviewer has an expectation that the ideal candidate will have

experience of a certain component library, which happens to be one you’ve not

used. In areas where your background is not such a good fi t, you have three

basic options.

Play it down

Your fi rst option is to downplay the perceived gap in skills—including the option

of substituting other experience as being of equivalent value. If you decide to

play it down, you might say:

“It’s been my experience that it never takes long to learn the basics of a new compo-nent library, since, as programmers, we face an endless supply of new components and frameworks both open source and from the major vendors.”

You might also comment that learning is part of the job:

“One thing I really like about programming is the experience of learning new technologies and platforms. It’s part of the ongoing attraction of the job.”


The biggest risk in taking this approach is that you might appear evasive, so

be wary of overdoing it. After all, it is unlikely the interviewer chose the require-

ment at random, and if you push too hard at downplaying the requirement you

might inadvertently maneuver yourself into an argument. Be sure to avoid that.

Take it on the chin

Your second option is to take it on the chin, so to speak. Take ownership of

the “development opportunity” and perhaps talk briefl y about how you have

acquired other, similar skills or experiences.

If you decide to take it on the chin, simply agree with the interviewer’s obser-

vation and at the same time show your enthusiasm for learning something new:

“I don’t have experience of that particular technology but I would really enjoy learning it.”

If the interviewer persists, you might feel it appropriate to ask how other

developers in the team might learn new skills:

“Could you describe how the developers in your team generally learn new skills?”

Each example of learning given by the interviewer is an opportunity to show

how, as a part of the team, you would benefi t from the same approach and so

acquire the necessary skill.

Understand the requirement

Your third option is to explore the interviewer’s motivation, to gently probe the

motives underpinning the requirement.

Exploring the underpinning motivation of the requirement gives you the best

chance of looking good, but to take this approach you must have established

a reasonable rapport; otherwise, you risk appearing argumentative. The basic

idea is that you explore the requirement looking to show that you understand

and can meaningfully address the underlying requirement despite lacking a

specifi c skill or certain experience.

For instance, you might lack experience of a particular IoC container, let’s

say Microsoft Unity. You might ask the reason for using that particular imple-

mentation of IoC:

“I know there are a few good reasons for using an inversion of control pattern; could you describe how the Microsoft Unity framework helps with the kind of work you do here?”

If the answer is to encourage loose-coupling of components, then this gives

you an opening to talk about your understanding of dependency injection prin-

ciples. If the answer is to encourage the writing of code that is structured in a

way that better supports unit testing, then you can talk about your experience


of refactoring legacy code to add unit tests, or you could talk about your under-

standing of dependency injection without using an IoC container.

If the interviewer asks a pointed question, or simply makes a challenging

statement regarding the relevance of your experience in a certain area, your

response should be respectful but equally forthright. Often the case is that an

interviewer with a blunt approach is looking for a similarly direct approach in

the interviewee.

Challenge: “I don’t see any experience of Microsoft Unity in your CV VV We use that,tso your experience doesn’t match our job spec.”

Response: “Is that a deal-breaker?”

The principle at work here is mirroring the behavior of the interviewer (refer

to the section on establishing rapport in Chapter 3 for a discussion of this

powerful technique).

Whatever approach you take, keep in mind that you should not dwell on any

particular mismatch. In particular, keep your comments brief and to the point.

The more you talk about it, the more prominence it will have in the interviewer’s

memory of the interview when they refl ect afterward. There’s not much you can

do if the interviewer appears to be stuck on an apparent mismatch—just keep

your comments brief and resist the temptation to ramble on the topic.

Specifi c projectsWhen a company spots an opportunity in the market, it might scramble to put

together a development team focused on delivering a solution to capitalize on

the opportunity. There could be pressure to be fi rst to market, or perhaps the

commercial opportunity is constrained to a limited window of time.


The interviewer wants to know that you can work under some pressure, and

that you are someone who fi nishes what you start. Sometimes that pressure to

hire can relax the strictness with which the interviewer will match your expe-

rience against the details of the job specifi cation, although of course you can’t

assume that will be the case.

Your approach

Be aware that although you need to demonstrate how your skills and experience

are a good match for the job as advertised, the interviewer also probably has

the needs of a specifi c project in mind. The company might have adopted the

job specifi cation to suit the project, but more often than not interviewers reuse

a standard job description and look for the “extras” at the interview.


Your enthusiasm and ability to adapt might count for more than usual. Showing

an ability to quickly grasp key aspects of the project gives you an advantage

over applicants who stick to the published job specifi cation.

Many consulting and service-oriented companies routinely put new software

development teams together to respond to customer demand, so the chances

are higher that this type of company will recruit with a specifi c project in mind.

If you aren’t sure of a company’s motivation for hiring, there’s absolutely no

harm in asking directly:

“Could I ask why you are recruiting? Is it for a specifi c project?”

Replacing someoneA third common reason for hiring a programmer is simply to replace someone

who is leaving or who has left the company.


The interviewer will have similar motivation as in the planned expansion sce-

nario. They will probably be under some time pressure, but not as much as if

they were recruiting for a specifi c project.

An interesting aspect of this situation is that they will probably have experience

of a previous person fi lling this role, for better or for worse, and will therefore

have a list (written or not) of things they want to ensure the next person will

and won’t bring to the role. For example, perhaps the previous person was

a stickler for detail, and this might, therefore, be high on the list of personal

characteristics the interviewer wants to confi rm in you.

Your approach

Obviously, unless you’re very lucky, you’re unlikely to gather insight into what

the interviewer liked and disliked about the person you hope to replace prior to

the interview. What you can do at the interview is ask about unique challenges

of the role, things for which you might to need to be on guard, and so on:

“Could you tell me a bit about the challenges of this role that might make it differ-ent from the usual programming job?”

Experienced interviewers are unlikely to volunteer much information about

the previous person, but they might give you clues along the lines of how certain

attributes are important; for instance, “the ability to get along with the team.”

If you ask the right kind of question, you might get vital clues about the things

you need to highlight with regard to your experience and ability:


“Can I ask whether there have been issues about how the team has been working together that make this ability particularly important?”

Talking to Managers

It is a story often told. A capable and bright programmer impresses everyone

and is promoted to team leader or manager. The newly promoted manager

takes on the responsibility of hiring new programmers and uses his awesome

interpersonal skills to hire more bright programmers.

The problem is that this is almost never how it happens. Many otherwise

excellent programmers simply don’t have awesome interpersonal skills, and

sometimes these are the people who will be running the interview and inter-

viewing you.

Is that a good thing, or is it bad? It depends. It could mean you suffer a ter-

rible interview experience—in which case, count yourself lucky you won’t be

working for a poor communicator—or it could be a huge advantage. Think

of it like this: In every human relationship, having things in common helps,

and the more you have in common the easier breaking the ice and enjoying a

conversation will be.

Now, as one programmer talking to another programmer (even if the manager

isn’t currently working as a programmer) what might you have in common? The

answer is “lots.” Have you ever spent hours or days tracking down a diffi cult

bug? Sure you have—and almost certainly the manager has, too. What do you

like about a particular programming language? The manager might feel the

same. Do you regularly visit a website for programmers? The manager might,

too. Do you have a favorite XKCD cartoon? Do you visit http://thedailywtf

.com? What is your favorite programming book? Have you ever used the word

“nullable” in conversation with a non-techie? What annoys you about the IDE

you use? There are lots of topics you can discuss together.

Tech talk—don’t hold backIt might become apparent during the interview that the interviewer is not as

technical as you might have assumed. He might have a background in project

management or product marketing, for example. How should you react? Don’t

make the mistake of thinking you need to “dumb it down” for the interview.

The problem with “dumbing it down” is that you put yourself at a disadvan-

tage when the interviewer compares your responses to another candidate. He

might not understand everything you say, but his impression of your response

will be colored by the language you use, and if you talk purely in metaphors

(for example) then you risk giving the impression that you don’t actually know


the subject as well as the other candidate who talks about specifi c language or

framework features using their proper names.

If a non-technical interviewer asks you a technical question then he expects

a technical answer. The case might be that he has a “cheat sheet” of his own, a

list of questions and answers, for example.

Don’t hold back—answer the question fully and as you would if talking to

a technical interviewer. If the non-technical interviewer wants you to explain

something in non-technical terms, then you could use a metaphor (see the next

section “Using metaphors”). As a rule, keep your answers grounded in reality

using real names and proper terms for things.

Using metaphorsSometimes a non-technical interviewer wants to assess how well you can explain

a technical subject to someone who is non-technical. In this case, a metaphor

is your best bet.

For example, suppose you are asked to explain the concept of an IP address

in non-technical terms. Here is the defi nition from Wikipedia:

An Internet Protocol address (IP address) is a numerical label assigned

to each device (e.g., computer, printer) participating in

a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for

communication.

The fi rst metaphor that might occur to you is that an IP address is much like

a mailing address. A mailing address is used to deliver mail, and an IP address

is used to deliver packets of information, so the metaphor seems to work. On

the other hand, mailing addresses vary widely in format and local conventions,

whereas an IP address conforms to a strict set of rules that are consistently and

globally applied. Perhaps a better metaphor would be latitude and longitude?

While metaphors might conveniently help a non-technical person relate to

an aspect of a technical subject, they are almost by defi nition an imperfect

representation. They have limits, and you should never cling to an imperfect

metaphor after reaching those limits. For example, if you use latitude and longi-

tude as a metaphor for an IP address, presumably you don’t mean to imply that

IP addresses are assigned purely due to the physical location of the computer

or device.

Preparing Your CV

A good CV (also known as a resumé) gets you past the fi lters of recruitment

agencies and human resource (HR) departments. A good CV will mean your

application is not rejected out of hand, and it could give you an opportunity to


talk to someone about the job role. A CV by itself is never going to win you the

job. In other words, no hiring manager ever decides to hire someone purely on

the strength of her CV alone.

Include relevant keywords but keep them in contextKnowing that, in most cases, non-technical agents will fi lter your CV has one

very important implication—you need to be sure to include keywords that are

relevant to the job and in particular to the job advertisement. The technical hiring

manager might well understand that working on the ECMAScript specifi cation

means you have excellent knowledge of JavaScript, but the typical recruiter

will not see the connection unless you spell it out and include the keyword

“JavaScript” in your CV. Of course, you also want to avoid the appearance of

insincerely stuffi ng your CV full of keywords, so ensure that any list of key-

words is presented in proper context.

Write as well as you canPoor writing puts you at a severe disadvantage. What you write must be clear

and concise. You must proofread (or have a friend proofread) and ruthlessly

rewrite or delete anything that isn’t clear or relevant.

When I am unsure how to write something, I fi nd that pretending to tell it

to a friend is helpful. If you have no friends, tell it to your hand, and then write

down the words you used. It doesn’t matter what they are at fi rst because the

next step is to revise those words into shape. Showing a bit of personality is

good, but don’t ramble. Also keep in mind that what might seem funny to you

while writing your CV might not necessarily look so clever to everyone who

reads it. A much better strategy is to let your personality show at the interview

after you’ve established a rapport. If in doubt, always err on the side of plain

and simple writing.

Some managers don’t care so much about spelling and grammar, but others

(like me) care a great deal. I think my distaste stems from years of reviewing

poor code that is often full of spelling errors. Using the spelling checker in

your word processor or browser doesn’t take a lot of extra effort. Don’t ignore

the red squiggly lines!

Most people fi nd that writing well takes a bit of effort and discipline, so be

realistic and allow yourself plenty of time to write and revise.

Justify your claims of experienceIf you claim to have experience in an area, or if you claim knowledge of a par-

ticular technology, the hiring manager needs to understand how you acquired

it. If your CV doesn’t show how you got “fi ve years of experience of ASP.NET”


then you risk appearing insincere. If you claim to have the experience then the

hiring manager will to want to see where you got it. If I don’t see it, I won’t

necessarily assume you’re lying, but you will be at a disadvantage when I have

another CV that clearly shows where the experience was obtained.

If you claim to be good at anything, it should be refl ected in the details of

your employment or education history. You need to be explicit. Also be aware

that job titles today are almost meaningless. Being an “analyst” could mean just

about anything and doesn’t necessarily imply analysis skill of any kind. A “web

developer” could mean someone with programming skills or someone with

Photoshop skills. A “programmer” should mean someone who produces code,

but I’ve seen it used for jobs where the work amounted to confi guring systems

via drop-down lists. You need to describe the technology, and how you used it.

Ignore anyone who tells you “strictly one or two pages”Ignore all the advice about keeping a CV short. That’s for people with short

attention spans and for recruiters who in many cases don’t care for details. If you

have lots of experience it should be refl ected in your CV. As a hiring manager

I want to see it, and more importantly you should be proud of it, not ashamed.

This is not an excuse to ramble—the advice about being clear and concise still

applies, and you still need to make effective use of keywords and summaries.

Emphasize skills that match the job advertisementThere’s nothing wrong with emphasizing certain skills to match a job advertise-

ment. As a candidate, it took me a long time to appreciate that emphasizing dif-

ferent skills depending on the job in question is perfectly fi ne. I used to think it

was deceptive, but I don’t think that any more. See it from the hiring manager’s

point of view—if a CV clearly calls out skills that match the job description then

that CV will appeal more than some other CV that contains the same skills but

buries them among other, less-relevant skills.

In other words, highlighting relevant skills helps everyone.

If you have experience in a variety of areas, consider writing more than one

CV, each one emphasizing different areas. You might write one that targets

database-centric roles, and another that emphasizes your business analysis skills.

Having these prepared and ready to send means you can respond quickly to

job advertisements without the need to revise your CV before applying.

Don’t leave unexplained gaps between jobsDon’t leave gaps in your CV, especially big ones. It risks making you appear

shifty or evasive. If you were volunteering in Africa, that’s great. If you took

time off to retrain, or to pursue a start-up idea, or to raise a child, that’s all good.

The only thing you have to prove is that you can do the job. Yes, in some cases,


a gap in your experience might mean you have to accept a lesser salary, but

a savvy employer will see that as an opportunity rather than a problem, and

savvy employers also know that life experience counts for something.

“Reading, music, and cinema”My estimate, based on reading many hundreds of CVs, is that 80 percent of

CVs contain a “personal interests” section, and that 80 percent of these sections

contain the exact same list of things; reading, music, and cinema.

You really don’t need this section in a CV, especially if it contains the same

interests listed by everyone else. If you do happen to be a Tiddlywinks world

champion, maybe that is something to show off, but in general, rather than try-

ing to show how well-rounded and interesting you are in this odd little corner

of your CV, try to let that show through in the rest of your CV, through your

experience, and at the in-person interview.

On the other hand, if you have (for instance) used your programming skills

to support a non-profi t organization, perhaps a charity, then you should men-

tion it. I know a person who worked with inner-city kids at one point, and as a

hiring manager I would defi nitely be interested to read that. Anything you’ve

done that demonstrates enthusiasm, altruism, or any other noble quality is

worth including. Just avoid being boring because you felt compelled to include

this section—better to leave it out.

Use a logical layoutIn general, the layout of your CV should be easy to scan and arranged logically.

A key goal of any CV is to make it easy for someone to check boxes off when

comparing your experience and skills against a job specifi cation. I recommend

starting your CV with a well-written summary that includes an overview of

your key skills and signifi cant experiences. The next section should be your job

history shown in reverse chronological order, followed by a section for projects

including any voluntary or unpaid work experience, and the fi nal section should

be education and training.

Every page of your CV should contain your contact information—your name,

e-mail, and phone number, for example, within the header and footer areas.

Contact information does not need to be a dominant feature but you do need to

ensure that employers or recruiters have no trouble fi nding your contact details

when they want to contact you.

Graduate CVsWith a relatively small amount of work experience, you will need to show off

your abilities by listing projects, at or out of school, and the role you played in

each. If you led a project, played a key role, solved a diffi cult problem, or designed


a complicated component, then be sure to highlight that as an accomplishment.

Testimony from someone who assessed your work or benefi ted from it in some

way adds authenticity.

CVs containing more experienceExperience is wonderful, and there is no substitute. However, a lot of experi-

ence can be interpreted in a number of ways and not all the ways are fl attering.

Twenty years with a single employer might give the impression, right or wrong,

that you have never been challenged professionally. No doubt within those

twenty years you overcame many tough challenges, so you should ensure that

these are made visible in your experience. You should include subheadings for:

■ Major projects where you had signifi cant responsibility

■ Different roles or major responsibilities

■ Organizational changes that required you to adapt

CVs of those returning to workIf you’ve taken time off to raise children, travel, or study, then you’ve absolutely

nothing to hide or to cover up. Be honest in your CV about why you have not

been working. A single sentence is probably enough. Also, be honest with your-

self about areas in which you might be somewhat out of date.

If you’ve been out of work due to redundancy—perhaps a down-sizing due to

poor economic conditions—or if you were outright fi red then, please, be honest

in your CV. You don’t need to use the word “fi red” (if you were), but you don’t

want to hide your circumstances or pretend it was according to some plan.

Hiring managers are hyper-vigilant for this kind of deception, and (trust me

on this point) if a manager feels you are being deceptive in any way, you will

have zero chance of landing the job.

Redundancies happen, and now and then people are fi red. A simple and

honest summary of the situation is by far the best strategy.

If you were fi red, you may fi nd some doors are closed. I can’t pretend oth-

erwise. The most practical advice I can give is to omit your “fi ring” from your

CV, and be prepared with a good answer when asked why you left that job. A

good answer is something like:

“I was fi red following a disagreement with my team leader. We fell out after I took an initiative she disagreed with. It was diffi cult, but I feel I learned a lot from the experience.”

You may have strong feelings about a fi ring and that is, of course, quite natu-

ral. What you mustn’t do, even if the interviewer encourages it, is to complain

about your past employer. Let the facts speak for themselves, and allow the

interviewer to come to their own conclusion.


Think of it this way: If you are composed, dignifi ed, and reasonable at an

interview, the interviewer will be more inclined to believe your side of the story.

If you are emotional and allow yourself to vent, the interviewer may be more

inclined to sympathize with your past employer.

It is diffi cult, but be sure to consider how you will answer this question, before

the time comes (as it surely will).

Avoiding common CV blundersIt is a sad truth that many hours of good work can be undone by a moment of

carelessness. The fi rst impression a hiring manager will have of you is based

on your CV. Not only that, but your CV will sit alongside a stack of other CVs.

Most hiring managers sift this stack into a smaller “short list” stack, and to do,

that they must somehow discriminate. All other things being equal, the small

mistakes in your CV could result in rejection. Let’s go over some of these “small”

things so you are sure to avoid them.

Poor spelling or grammar

Poor spelling or grammar can ruin an otherwise good CV. It happens so often

that it is almost a cliché. Be sure to proofread your CV, or better, have an eagle-

eyed friend check it for you. If English isn’t your fi rst language then you really

should have a native English speaker review your CV, even if it means paying

for it.

Vague or nonspecifi c accomplishments

When describing accomplishments, you need to keep two things in mind:

Be specifi c, and describe the accomplishment in terms that most people can

understand. For example, if you discovered and fi xed a performance issue in a

framework component, someone unfamiliar with that component (but otherwise

technically informed) will fi nd it more impressive if you describe the impact of

your performance tweak rather than the mechanics of the tweak itself. Describing

a “200 percent performance improvement” is much better than describing how

you implemented a custom sort method. You will have plenty of opportunity

to show off your technical skills in more detail at the interview.

Unclear or cluttered Layout

Of all the mistakes, fi xing a cluttered layout is the easiest to detect and to fi x.

Simply hold up the page—without trying to read it—and let your eyes focus on

whatever leaps out of the page. If nothing leaps out, it’s too cluttered—or too

empty! If the wrong things leap out then the CV isn’t arranged well enough.


Don’t be afraid to add whitespace around things you want to highlight, and

whatever you do, don’t use a tiny font hoping to cram in more information.

Unprofessional e-mail address

No matter how hilarious your friends think it is, “[email protected]” is

never going to be appropriate on a CV. Think how this address looks to some-

one who’s never met you and is trying to form an opinion based purely on the

presentation in your CV.

Domains are cheap to register and easy to maintain, and unless you have

a very common name then yourfi [email protected] or a variation like

@yourname.info will probably be available.

If you don’t want to spend any money then at least consider signing up for a

more “professional” e-mail from one of the many free providers such as Google

or Yahoo!.

Using Job Sites

All online job sites function similarly. You can upload your CV and thereby make

it searchable by employers (or more likely, by recruiters), browse and search for

jobs, subscribe to receive e-mailed notifi cations of new jobs, and apply for jobs.

For the job seeker, these sites are always 100 percent free to use. They all have

a huge following of recruiters and employers. From a purely statistical point

of view, you have a better chance of making contact with a potential employer

than if you go it alone.

Some of the search tools on these sites make them truly useful. For example,

you can limit your search to a very specifi c location, salary, or job title.

The sheer volume of users on job sites means that your CV is less likely to

be noticed. You join a very large crowd of job seekers, and it is harder to dif-

ferentiate your CV from the many thousands of others. It can be disheartening

to send your CV and hear nothing back.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t take much time reading through job advertisements

to realize that almost all the jobs posted on these sites are posted by recruiting

agencies. This means you’re almost never going to be dealing directly with an

employer. This can sometimes (though rarely) work in your favor should the

agency take a special interest in your application, but, for the most part, these

agencies represent another layer of obstacles between you and the interviewer.

Also, it doesn’t take too much imagination to see how these job boards might

potentially be abused by unscrupulous agencies who post fake job adverts in

order to gather CVs from applicants, CVs which are then redacted and forwarded

to prospective clients as the agents tout for business. This may not be common

but it would be naïve to think it never happens.


Be on your guard, and don’t invest too much mental or emotional energy in

the “perfect” job after submitting your application. If you don’t hear back soon

after submitting an application for which you are obviously suited, the job may

never have existed in the fi rst place.

Comparison of major job boardsAll job sites operate similarly and have the same pros and cons, so how you

choose which site to use is a question of personal preference. It might be helpful

to see which sites post the most jobs for programmers, in which case refer to the

numbers in Tables 1-1 and 1-2. The search query used to obtain these numbers

was “programmer OR software developer” and the search was limited to “posted

within the past seven days.” The query was run in June 2012.

Table 1-1: Job Listings on Major U.S. Sites

SITE NUMBER OF JOBS LISTED

CareerBuilder.com 1,950

Monster.com 1,000+

Jobserve.com 718

ComputerJobs.com 685

Dice.com 152

Table 1-2: Job Listings on Major UK Sites

SITE NUMBER OF JOBS LISTED

CWJobs.co.uk 3,018

Reed.co.uk 2,439

Jobserve.co.uk 930

Monster.co.uk 531

Recruitment Agencies

All recruitment agencies work on behalf of employers to fi nd and match job

seekers to vacancies. While all agents will initially appear very interested in your

career prospects, the extent to which they are committed to fi nding you a job is

limited by how likely they think it is that they can “sell” you to an employer. If

they don’t have a live vacancy that matches your profi le, you might never hear

from them after the initial contact.


Almost all agencies work on a contingency basis, which means they charge

their clients (the employers) a percentage of the salary they will pay to the per-

son they hire following an introduction. If the agency doesn’t place someone

with that employer then it gets nothing. The fees of recruiting agencies vary

a lot, but are usually somewhere between 10 and 30 percent of the new hire’s

fi rst-year salary. This might seem like a lot of money for very little work, but the

uncertain nature of this work—and the fact that many employers are willing

to pay these fees—appears suffi cient justifi cation for the recruiters to continue

charging what they charge.

Job seekers are not normally asked to pay any fees to recruitment agencies

so you should treat any such request with great suspicion.

In exchange for the promise of this contingent fee, the agency might advertise

the job vacancy on a number of online job sites and will probably also search

its database of candidates looking for a match between candidate skills and the

skills listed in the job description provided by the employer. Most recruiters will

also put the word out via their network of contacts, hoping to attract suitable

candidates they can then introduce to their client.

Interestingly, almost all recruiting agents involved with sourcing and placing

software developers have no signifi cant fi rst-hand (and sometimes not even

second-hand) experience with software development. When working with

employers and programmers, their role is purely sales and (social) networking.

Inevitably some of the more experienced agents will pick up a basic vocabulary

of technical and programming terms that enable them to communicate a bit less

awkwardly, but as a programmer you might occasionally fi nd yourself explain-

ing the most elementary programming terms to a recruitment agent. What you

need to remember is that although agents might lack technical comprehension,

whatever you say to them will (hopefully) be replayed to a potential employer.

To minimize the chance of Chinese whispers, avoiding the temptation to relate

your experience in great detail is usually the best strategy. Save that information

for when you talk directly with the employer. Good agents will ensure that the

most relevant aspects of your experience are relayed to the potential employer.

They will also be aware of their own limited technical knowledge when com-

municating with employers, and, for the most part, they will (and should) refer

technical questions to you. If you ever fi nd that an agent has “made stuff up”

about your experience (and incredibly some do) then you should distance your-

self from that agent as soon as possible. He or she won’t be helping you fi nd the

right employer and might even damage your reputation.

Some agencies want to interview you prior to making an introduction to

any employer. This is an interesting and sometimes amusing affair, where the

agent, who knows next to nothing about the technologies in your CV, asks you

questions about your experience with those technologies. Pragmatic agents

will recognize their own limitations and restrict themselves to asking generic

interview questions such as those related to your motivation, your aspirations,


your attendance, and sickness-absence record, and so on. One important thing

to remember is that apart from a routine confi rmation of your background and

experience, the agent also wants to gain a clear impression of your “personality,”

which he or she can then relate to the potential employer. This is one way agen-

cies and agents “add value,” though the actual value added from this subjective

assessment is perhaps questionable.

Working effectively with a recruiterRemember that recruiters are paid by employers, and so their motivation to help

you can vary depending on the prospects currently on their books. Investing

too much emotional energy with any individual agent or agency, regardless

of how exciting the job on offer might be, is generally not advisable. Certainly

never be tempted to rely exclusively on a single recruiting agency, regardless

of how effective it might appear.

Also remember that agents act as middlemen, and that whatever you say

might be replayed to a potential employer. Although you need to convince the

agent that your credentials and experience are genuine and relevant, being

somewhat guarded in disclosing anything that isn’t clearly advantageous to

your application also makes sense. You can’t avoid obvious questions, such

as gaps in employment, but avoid volunteering unfl attering or “complicated”

information that might be misrepresented to the employer.

When waiting for news from an agent, don’t waste your time and energy fret-

ting if she doesn’t return your calls. Be assured that an agent will waste no time

in contacting you when she has news—she doesn’t get paid unless she places

you. Remember, too, the agent is at the mercy of the employer and is therefore

just as likely as you to be anxious when waiting for news. Keeping in touch

with the agency doesn’t hurt—perhaps do a weekly “check in” call to ensure

the agency has you in mind and is aware of your continued enthusiasm—but

avoid pestering agents. It doesn’t help.

Searching for Jobs Yourself

An alternative to relying on recruitment agencies is to fi nd and contact employ-

ers yourself. This task isn’t as hard as you might think. After all, most employ-

ers want to spread the news of a job vacancy as widely as they can, and many

have an area on their website dedicated to advertising current vacancies. Very

large employers might have an arrangement with a number of preferred sup-

plier agencies or have a dedicated team in their Human Resources department

that handles all incoming employment queries, but—and I cannot stress this

enough—most hiring managers still welcome direct approaches from suitable

candidates, provided, of course, that the contact is respectful and personalized.


If you make contact with a hiring manager who then refers you to the HR

department, don’t be disheartened. The manager is very probably obliged due

to corporate rules of “effi ciency and uniformity” to send you through to HR.

Unless you feel that the contact was unwelcome then nothing prevents you from

remaining in touch with the hiring manager as your application progresses

through the necessary HR channels. Remember that the corporate “rules” don’t

apply to you unless and until you’re an employee. Always remain respectful and

forthright in all your communication, and don’t be put off by the bureaucracy.

A word of caution—don’t be tempted to send a generic letter or e-mail. To

the potential employer this approach puts you in the same category as the

bothersome agencies that send out unsolicited and unwelcome junk mail about

“exciting opportunities” or “hot candidates.” Always personalize your message

as much as you can, including addressing the letter or e-mail to the hiring man-

ager rather than “To whom it may concern,” and mention specifi c and genuine

reasons why you are interested in joining the company. If you are stuck for

ideas then ask yourself these questions: Does the company produce a product

you’ve used? Is it working in an area with potential that excites you? Have you

heard something interesting about the company from friends or in the news?

One of the best ways to fi nd a potential employer is through your own per-

sonal network of friends and contacts. Perhaps you’re lucky and have naturally

built up a large social network over the years, or perhaps (more likely) as a pro-

grammer you don’t have a particularly large social network. Many of us know

intellectually that having a large network can be a tremendous asset, especially

when looking for a new job, but how many of us (and I sheepishly include

myself in this number) have failed to invest time and energy into establishing

and maintaining this kind of network?

If you don’t have a signifi cant network of contacts because you are—and let’s

call a spade a spade—an introvert, then don’t despair. This next section is espe-

cially for you. I only wish I had followed this advice myself from an earlier age.

Networking for introvertsThe problem with most of the advice you may have read about networking is

that it was written by extroverts for extroverts. If, like many programmers, you

are not particularly extroverted by nature, most of this advice is wasted on you.

What’s even worse is you might feel guilty or stressed about not being able to

follow what is presented as “simple and easy” advice for networking.

Don’t feel guilty. Instead, play to your strengths as an introvert.

Introverts are often quite thoughtful, preferring to spend time thinking

about a topic rather than talking about it. This trait can be a major advantage

when “preparing to network.” If you want to make contact with someone, set


yourself a goal of making a list of thoughtful questions to ask that person when

the opportunity arises. Most people love talking about themselves and sharing

their opinions. This is not a cynical view; it’s just basic human psychology—

the sharing of personal experience is fundamental to any human relationship.

Thoughtful, open-ended questions asked at the right time break the ice and set

the relationship off to an excellent start.

Introverts are often more comfortable talking to individuals rather than to

groups of people. It also happens that communicating one-on-one is much more

effective in terms of exchanging ideas and building relationships. Look for situ-

ations where you can engage a new contact one-on-one, even if that interaction

happens in a public place. Perhaps ironically, the open and public space of Twitter

is a good environment for an introvert to make contact. The 140-character limit

works well for those who prefer thoughtful and concise exchanges over wordy

and extended conversations, and after you’re followed by a Twitter user you can

send him direct (and private) messages. You’ll learn more about using Twitter

and other social networking tools later in this chapter.

Many introverts fi nd the job of building a network somewhat daunting. It

needn’t be. The trick is to think of it as a game with a well-defi ned goal—to

make new contacts and build meaningful relationships with them. The hardest

part for introverts is that the “rules of engagement” are vague. “Exactly how,” an wintrovert might wonder, “do“ I go about building a network?” If you’re introverted,

these vagaries are annoying and off-putting—“What on earth should I do next?” If

you’re extroverted these vagaries are exciting—“I“ can do whatever I wish!” (Though

if you’re extroverted you’ve probably skipped this section or are reading it out

of curiosity.) For introverts, here’s a cheat sheet for how to build a network:

■ Make a list of potential contacts.

■ Sort the list into order, from “most desirable and probable” to “least

desirable and improbable.”

■ Starting at the top, think about what kind of questions the contact might

fi nd interesting, and write down a short list of questions.

■ In a suitable environment, ask those questions of up to fi ve potential con-

tacts (more than fi ve might be diffi cult to do, depending on your personal

capacity and energy).

■ Engage with those who respond.

■ Keep adding to your list so you always have fi ve potential new contacts.

■ Repeat!

Finally, if you fi nd that networking drains your energy, be sure to protect

your energy reserves by pacing yourself. Take time out to refl ect and process


information gathered from social exchanges, and in this way prepare yourself

for the next opportunity to build and maintain your network. It’s a marathon,

not a sprint.

Finding potential employersPotential employers are out there. Unfortunately, many of them are unthinkingly

patronizing recruitment agencies, or perhaps (more fairly) they exclusively use

agencies because they don’t know of any better way.

Consider the problem of fi nding candidates from the hiring manager’s per-

spective—wouldn’t it be nice if a suitable candidate contacted the company

directly? Wouldn’t it save the company a lot of money and time? Too right, it

would! With that in mind, here are some of the channels you can use to unearth

these potential employers:

■ Your personal network of contacts, including Twitter, Facebook, and

LinkedIn

■ Regional business directories

■ Chambers of commerce job fairs

■ Job sites, limiting your search to jobs that have been “posted by employer”

■ Web search for “careers” + “employer name”

■ Professional journals

Searching for a job is no time to be bashful. Add a note to your online profi les

that you’re available; you never know who might see it.

Approaching potential employersApproaching a potential employer “cold” is probably the hardest aspect for many

job seekers, and I won’t pretend otherwise. If you can, having someone (other

than a fee-seeking agency) introduce you is much better. If you use LinkedIn,

check to see whether anyone in your network can help, and of course, ask

around and make use of your other social networks. You’ve probably heard

of the idea that everyone is on average six steps away, by way of introduction,

from any other person.

If you don’t have a connection then you’ll need to contact the hiring manager

without an introduction. Don’t panic; this isn’t necessarily a problem. The fi rst

thing to do is to fi nd out as much as you can about the company, the depart-

ment, and the people who infl uence and make hiring decisions. I say “as much

as you can,” but I don’t mean you should spend an unlimited amount of time

researching a company. Set yourself a reasonable limit, perhaps a few hours


at most, by which time you will have all the useful information you need plus

some insight into how the company is structured and who makes the decisions.

Obviously, you need to look at the company website where, quite often, you

will fi nd most of the information you need. At the very least you will fi nd a

contact telephone number. Call it. Don’t pretend to be anything other than a job

seeker, and ask the person who answers the phone whether he or she can help

you. You only need a few bits of information, and if you are up-front and hon-

est most people are happy to help. It doesn’t hurt that many receptionists have

been in your position (job seeking) and therefore have some sympathy for job

seekers. Be warned, though: The fi rst hint of deception or evasiveness will cut

your conversation short. Having had the benefi t of sitting near receptionists, I’ve

heard this happen over and over. Companies receive endless cold calls from sales

people and recruiting agencies, and most receptionists have developed fi nely

tuned senses to detect these types of calls. A naïve sales person will call asking

to speak to the software development manager about “a business opportunity”

and, inevitably, he achieves nothing but having his details taken on a Post-It

note that is soon discarded. Don’t let that happen to you!

I do not recommend that your very fi rst contact should be via e-mail. Think

of what happens to the unsolicited e-mails that land in your own inbox. You

need to call up and talk to someone. The aim of the fi rst call is very simple:

You want to get the name and contact details of the person who makes hiring

decisions in whichever department hires programmers. Ideally you will also

fi nd out a bit about the structure of the company and whether or not it is hiring,

but at minimum you must obtain the name and e-mail address of the hiring

manager. If the fi rst-contact conversation goes well, you might ask the person

you talk to if he or she will pass on a message to the hiring manager that you’re

a software developer, you’re available, and that you’re hoping to have a chat.

Don’t fret about the possibility of the message being lost or ignored. That might

happen, but more than likely this message will serve as a kind of introduction

in lieu of one from a common connection in your social network.

Being persistentOne thing that is drilled into trainee sales people is that persistence can pay off.

This is a double-edged sword, for although it is true that persistence can pay off

it can also taint your reputation and result in you being labeled as a pest. A fi ne

line exists between persistence and pestering but, at its most basic, persistence

is the idea that you should not give up at the fi rst hurdle.

This can mean that you need to make more than one phone call to get the

information you desire. It can mean that you need to send follow-up e-mails

rather than assuming the worst. It might mean that your e-mail was accidentally


fi ltered into a “junk mail” folder and you need to send a personally addressed

letter, which is something I recommend in any case. Ultimately, you must be

the judge of when your efforts have crossed the line, but remember that if you

have consistently been polite, respectful, and direct in all your communication

then there is no good reason why anyone would consider you a pest.

TimingMany large companies are constantly in the news for various reasons. If you

have an ambition to join one of these companies, you should keep a lookout for

any news that suggests expansion plans are afoot. For instance, many publicly

traded service companies announce whenever they win major new contracts or

business. Submitting (or resubmitting) your application after learning of news

like this might provoke a favorable response, when otherwise the answer would

have been “no current vacancies.”

Also, most companies make plans for expansion that coincide with their fi nan-

cial year. If you fi nd out when this fi nancial year starts—and this information

is readily available for all publicly listed companies—then you might stand an

improved chance if you submit an application just as the hiring process kicks off.

Emerging Alternatives

If you’ve spent much time online then almost certainly you have heard of or

are active on one or more social networking sites. Here’s a quick overview of

some of the more popular sites, and how suited they are (or can be) to fi nding

your next job as a programmer.

Using TwitterTwitter is a social networking service where users can post and exchange mes-

sages. These messages are known as “tweets” and they are limited to 140 char-

acters. Twitter claims to have more than 140 million active users who collectively

post 340 million tweets daily.

When you’re looking around for potential employers, don’t forget that the

reason most people join and use Twitter is to exchange funny tweets, interesting

thoughts, and useful information. A steady stream of similar-sounding tweets

won’t gain you many followers, and neither will tweets that are impersonal

and stuffy. To be interesting, you also need to be a little bit vulnerable, sharing

your ideas even if they won’t necessarily be universally popular. This is not to

suggest you should continually air your unpopular opinions (should you have


any), but rather that you should not be afraid to—always respectfully—say

what you think. A monotonous repetition of dull links to your website won’t

gain you many followers.

If you are new to Twitter, spend the fi rst few days reading the tweets of others,

noting what kind of tweets are popular and retweeted, and also noting what

kind of tweets are less popular or ignored.

You can pay to gain followers, but I don’t advise you do this. The followers

you gain won’t be at all interested in you, and they won’t be interesting to follow.

You can also pay for software that automates the “following” and “unfollowing”

process in order to gain a large number of followers. You might fi nd this helpful,

perhaps as a minor ego boost, but again I don’t recommend you do this. You

can distinguish these robotic accounts from real users because they will inex-

plicably follow you one day, and if you don’t reciprocate they will unfollow you

in short order. Real relationships in Twitter, just like in life, are not something

you want a robot attending to, at least not if you want real, potentially helpful

connections with real, potentially helpful people.

In summary,

Do:

■ Engage with others, including retweeting tweets you fi nd interesting or

relevant.

■ Update your profi le to include mention of your availability.

■ Include a link in your profi le to your CV (or better, your website where

your CV can be found along with other interesting material you’ve writ-

ten or compiled).

Don’t:

■ Post unprofessional or offensive tweets (this includes not retweeting the

potentially offensive tweets of others).

■ Limit your tweets to just advertising yourself and your job search. Tweet

about what you fi nd interesting or amusing.

■ Follow obvious spammers or “follow back” robots. Yes, this increases

your number of followers but at the same time it taints your account by

association.

Using FacebookFacebook is probably the best known and most widely used of all social net-

works. You might have seen the fi lm The Social Network, and the chances are kyou have a Facebook account no matter where in the world you happen to live.


The popularity and the ubiquity of Facebook is a double-edged sword; a

potential employer might have a presence on Facebook, which can give you

some insight into their company and culture. On the other hand, consider the

sobering thought that every potentially embarrassing thing you’ve ever posted

on Facebook is at risk of being discovered by that employer. You should also be

aware that the U.S. Federal Trade Commission recently came to an agreement

with Facebook over their accusation that Facebook “deceived consumers by

telling them they could keep their information on Facebook private, and then

repeatedly allowed it to be shared and made public.” You could assume that this

agreement between Facebook and the FTC will lead to better privacy controls

at Facebook, or you could take a more cynical view that Facebook is unlikely to

care for your privacy unless it is forced to by external regulation.

There is another privacy aspect to Facebook, although perhaps it has been

exaggerated in the popular media. It has been reported that employers and

academic institutions have begun asking for access to the accounts of Facebook

users, or to become Facebook “friends” with potential employees or students.

Whether this is right or wrong or even legal is largely irrelevant; the implica-

tions for many job seekers faced with this kind of request is unpleasant. At the

very least, this gives many people a reason to hesitate before freely posting

social updates.

Ultimately, Facebook is great for purely social networking, but not so great

for the job seeker.

Using LinkedInIf you had to choose exactly one networking site for the purpose of fi nding a

programming job, you are well-advised to choose LinkedIn. More than any

other networking site, LinkedIn clearly targets professionals; that is, those in

paid employment and employers. LinkedIn’s mission statement makes it clear

beyond any doubt that this is the site for connecting with other professionals.

The mission of LinkedIn is to connect the world’s professionals to enable

them to be more productive and successful.

Using LinkedIn is mostly self-evident. You connect with people you know,

join groups that interest you, keep your employment history up to date, and

post occasional updates. You can also interact with other LinkedIn users by

sending “InMail,” which is handy if you don’t have any other contact details

for that person.

LinkedIn also provides a convenient way to showcase recommendations

from your colleagues and business associates. You can display (or hide) these

recommendations in your profi le.


For a monthly fee LinkedIn also offers a number of extra features for job

seekers, including:

■ Five “InMails,” which allow you to contact anyone on LinkedIn (normally

you are limited to contacting just your immediate network).

■ Information about who has viewed your profi le (normally you can see

just limited information).

■ Your profi le displays a “job seeker” badge, though this is optional.

■ When you apply for a job via LinkedIn, your profi le appears as a “featured

applicant” at the top of the list as viewed by the job poster.

■ Recruiters (in fact, anyone on LinkedIn) can send you messages via

“OpenLink,” which appears as an icon displayed in your profi le. This is

an optional feature.

Writing a blogWriting a blog is incredibly effective as a way to connect you with potential

employers. If you write well, and have interesting or amusing things to say, you

can reach a very large audience who will return to your blog or sign up for your

RSS feed. Over time, you can develop a group of loyal readers, and the value of

that loyalty for the job seeker is huge.

That’s the good news.

The reality is that many blogs are started with the best of intentions, and then

fall silent after an initial burst of enthusiasm. Why is this so? It’s because writ-

ing takes time, accumulating readers takes time, and building up a signifi cant

following can take months or even years.

If you regularly post on Twitter or any social network then blogging might

be the option for you, in the sense that every interesting thing you might post

to a social network can instead be posted to your blog. If not, then you have to

ask yourself whether you have the capacity to sustain a blog. The content has to

come from somewhere, and if your heart isn’t in it, then it will probably show

in your writing—and consequently you won’t gain many readers.

Getting started blogging is easy, and many free services are available to get

started with. I don’t recommend these. Hosting your blog on your own domain

and with a paid hosting provider lends credibility to your blog but perhaps

more important, gives you ultimate control over your blog and your content. In

contrast, anything you post on a “free” site is subject to terms that detract from

a professional image. For example, some free sites adorn your blog with unre-

lated advertising. Similarly, if you post your content on one of the well-known

social networks, you probably don’t have much control over that content, and

depending on the terms and conditions you agreed to when signing up (you


do remember those, right?) then the possibility exists that you might not even

own the content you’ve created.

If you decide to set up a blog, here’s what I recommend:

■ Choose a topic for your blog that is relevant to your career interest.

Programmers are lucky—we have an enormous number of very interesting

topics to talk and write about. Resist the temptation to blog about random

unrelated things—a focused blog is more likely to attract loyal readers.

■ Pay for hosting and buy a suitable domain name.

■ Set yourself a reasonable schedule for writing, one that is regular and to

which you can realistically commit over the long term.

■ Try to build up a buffer of blog posts for those inevitable times when for

whatever reason (for example, holiday or sickness), you can’t write new

material.

■ Use blogging software. If you don’t know which blogging software to use

then I recommend WordPress as a good starting point.

■ Enable comments on your blog posts. Yes, this attracts spammers, but

the benefi t of engaging with your readers far outweighs the hassle of

fi ltering spam comments. People love being heard, so don’t ignore them

when they leave comments.

Careers at Stack Overfl owAt some point, most programmers fi nd themselves searching the Web for answers

to a diffi cult or obscure problem. Many of these programmers fi nd the answer

on Stack Overfl ow, a relatively new site that has become a mecca for program-

mers and a truly valuable resource. Most programmers reading this will know

of Stack Overfl ow and will have visited it many times.

What isn’t quite as well-known is that the good people at Stack Overfl ow

have branched out from their initial programming Q&A site and now also run

a site for employers and job seekers at http://careers.stackoverflow.com/.

The operation of this site is similar to most job sites: You can submit your

details to allow employers and recruiters to fi nd your profi le, and employers

and recruiters can search for profi les using keyword and location. The unique

aspect of http:// careers.stackoverflow.com lies in its connection with Stack m

Overfl ow. If you have contributed answers to Stack Overfl ow then your “top

answers” display in your profi le along with how you rate in various subjects.

Your Stack Overfl ow reputation will also be on display.

Whether your involvement with Stack Overfl ow is seen as a signifi cantly

positive aspect of your application depends on the attitude of the potential

employer. Tech-savvy employers might be impressed, and some might even

browse your contributions (including your questions!) to gain insight into your


style of communication and to see how well you can express yourself. On the

other hand, the possibility exists that some employers won’t see your involve-

ment with Stack Overfl ow in quite the same light. For example, they might

understandably have concerns about the time you might spend on this site

versus actually working for them. If you have a particularly high reputation,

this might be an issue you must prepare to address during a phone or in-person

interview. If your involvement with Stack Overfl ow was during a period of

unemployment, the time you’ve spent on Stack Overfl ow probably won’t be an

issue, but otherwise you should consider how you can credibly respond to the

question when it is asked.

Skills matter: “Find Your Ninja”An interesting alternative to the usual approach to matching employers with

programmers is the Find Your Ninja project run by the training company Skills

Matter, London.

The basic idea is that employers who want to hire a programmer pay a fee to

attend, and pitch their company and project to an audience of programmers.

Programmers attend the event for free.

This event sounds similar to a traditional job fair, but an important differ-

ence exists. Because the audience consists mostly of experienced programmers

who have heard about the event while attending training at Skills Matter, the

presentations (that is, the “pitches”) are more technical than usual. Rather

than emphasizing general benefi ts, employers focus more on the technology

and programming environment in addition to the usual information about the

company. Employer presentations are usually given by technical leads within

the company rather than by recruiting representatives.

Fundamentally, the Find Your Ninja project and other similar events are

based on the assumption that the audience is fi lled with highly motivated and

competent programmers. If you see yourself in that category and you live in or

live close to London, then perhaps this kind of event is for you.

If you don’t live near London then contact technical/programmer training

companies near where you live, or near where you want to work, to see if they

run similar events.

xv

Introduction xxiii

Chapter 1 Hiring Programmers: The Inside Story 1Reasons They Recruit 2

Planned expansion 3

The interviewer’s motivation and approach 3

Your approach 3

Specifi c projects 5


Your approach 5

Replacing someone 6


Your approach 6

Talking to Managers 7Tech talk—don’t hold back 7

Using metaphors 8

Preparing Your CV 8Include relevant keywords but keep them in context 9

Write as well as you can 9

Justify your claims of experience 9

Ignore anyone who tells you “strictly one or two pages” 10

Emphasize skills that match the job advertisement 10

Don’t leave unexplained gaps between jobs 10

“Reading, music, and cinema” 11

Use a logical layout 11

Graduate CVs 11

CVs containing more experience 12

CVs of those returning to work 12

Avoiding common CV blunders 13

ContentsContents

xvi Contents

Poor spelling or grammar 13

Vague or nonspecific accomplishments 13

Unclear or cluttered layout 13

Unprofessional e-mail address 14

Using Job Sites 14Comparison of major job boards 15

Recruitment Agencies 15Working effectively with a recruiter 17

Searching for Jobs Yourself 17Networking for introverts 18

Finding potential employers 20

Approaching potential employers 20

Being persistent 21

Timing 22

Emerging Alternatives 22Using Twitter 22

Using Facebook 23

Using LinkedIn 24

Writing a Blog 25

Careers at Stack Overfl ow 26

Skills matter: “Find Your Ninja” 27

Chapter 2 Handling the Phone Interview with Confi dence 29Knowing What to Expect 30

Preparing your cheat sheets 32

Relating your experience 32

Answering hard questions 33

Asking good questions 34

Having a phone interview checklist 35

Using a phone interview cheat sheet template 35

Chapter 3 In-Person Interviews 39Preparing for the Interview 39

Knowing what to expect 40

Doing your homework 41

Dressing appropriately 42

Handling different types of interview questions 42

Fielding social and behavioral questions 43

Handling design problems 43

Tackling technical pop-quiz questions 43

Fielding the general intelligence test 44

Dealing with the stress test question 44

The Most Important Thing 45Establishing rapport 46

It takes work 47

Be a good listener 47

Ask good questions 47

Contents xvii

Mirror your interviewer 47

Look for ways to interact 47

The Second Most Important Thing 48Speaking up 48

Being aware of how much time you have 48

Stories are good, evidence is better 49

Communicating Effectively 49Using your passion to combat nerves 49

Using your hands 49

Speaking slower than usual 50

Starting and fi nishing clearly 50

Repeating your main point 50

Spontaneity improves with practice 51

Chapter 4 Negotiating a Job Offer 53Understanding the Market 54Doing the Numbers 54

Considering the whole package 55

Must have, should have, could have 56

Must have 56

Should have 56

Could have 57

Won’t have 57

The Role of the Recruiting Agent 57Start as You Mean to Go On 57

Avoid overcommitting 58

Realism and idealism 58

Evaluating a Contract 59Intellectual Property (IP) 59

Non-compete clauses 60

Non-solicitation clauses 60

What to Do If Things Go Wrong 60“It’s a standard contract” 60

The silent treatment 61

Escalation and ultimatums 61

Summary of Negotiating Tips 61

Chapter 5 Programming Fundamentals 63Understanding Binary, Octal, Hexadecimal 64

Converting hexadecimal to binary 66

Using unicode 67

Understanding Data Structures 68Using arrays 68

Using hash tables 69

Using queues and stacks 70

Using trees 70

Using graphs 72

Understanding graph traversal 72

xviii Contents

Sorting 73Working with Recursion 75Modeling with Object-Oriented Programming 76

Understanding classes and objects 76

Untangling inheritance and composition 78

Exploring polymorphism 78

Data-hiding with encapsulation 80

Thinking Like a Functional Programmer 81Understanding SQL 81

What is ACID? 81

Set-based thinking 82

Full-Stack Web Development 82Decipering Regular Expressions 83

Finding content with anchors and word boundaries 85

Matching character classes 86

Constraining matches with quantifi ers 88

Working with groups and captures 89

Avoiding gotchas 90

More reading 92

Recognizing Hard Problems 92Questions 93Answers 95

Chapter 6 Code Quality 109Writing Clear Code 110Writing Expressive Code 112Measuring Effi ciency and Performance 112

Big-O notation 113

Constant, O(1) 113

Logarithmic, O( log n ) 114

Linear, O(n) 114

Quadratic, O(n2) 116

Using big-O 116

Measure performance 117

Consider context 118

Have a goal 118

Measure more than once, take an average 118

Divide and conquer 118

Try the easy things fi rst 119

Use a profi ler 119

Understanding What “Modular” Means 119Understanding the SOLID principles 121

Single Responsibility Principle 121

Open/Closed Principle 123

Liskov Substitution Principle 123

Interface Segregation Principle 124

Dependency Inversion Principle 125

Contents xix

Avoiding Code Duplication 126Questions 128Answers 134

Chapter 7 The Usual Suspects 157Concurrent Programming 158

Race conditions 160

Locks 160

Deadlocks 165

Livelocks 166

Relational Databases 167Database design 167

Normalization 168

First normal form: “No repeated values” 168

Second normal form: “No partial dependencies” 169

Third normal form: “No transitive dependencies” 169

Boyce-Codd normal form 169

Beyond BCNF 170

Denormalization 170

Populating a normalized database 170

Pointers 171Functions in C receive arguments by value 173

Arrays in C are handled like pointers 174

Passing values and references 175

Design Issues 177YAGNI is not an excuse to take shortcuts 177

Design for performance 178

Do not trade common sense for a methodology 178

Bad Habits 179Mishandling exceptions 179

Not being paranoid enough 180

Being superstitious 181

Working against the team 182

Copying and pasting too much 182

Eager loading 183

Questions 184Answers 186

Chapter 8 Quirks and Idioms 193Binary Fractions and Floating Point Numbers 194Questions 195JavaScript 195Questions 195C# 198Questions 198Java 200Questions 200

xx Contentsx

Perl 201Questions 202Ruby 205Questions 205Transact-SQL 206Questions 206Answers 208

Chapter 9 Testing — Not Just for Testers 245Unit Tests 246Test-Driven Development 246

Behavior-driven development 247

Red, green, refactor 247

Writing Good Unit Tests 247Run quickly 247

Be simple 248

Be self-evident 248

Be helpful when failing 248

Be self-contained 248

Testing Slow Things 249Unit Testing Frameworks 249Mock Objects 251Questions 253Answers 256

Chapter 10 The Right Tools 265Exploring Visual Studio 266Questions 266Exploiting Command-Line Tools 268Questions 269Understanding PowerShell 271Questions 271Troubleshooting with Utilities from Sysinternals 272Questions 272Managing Source Code 272

Source control with Team Foundation Server 273

Questions 273Source control with Subversion 273

Questions 274Source control with git 274

Questions 275Answers 275

Chapter 11 Notorious Interview Questions 303Estimating on the Spot 303Questions 304Solving Puzzles and Brain-Teasers 304Questions 304

Contents xxi

Solving Probability Problems 306Questions 306Coping with Concurrency 307Questions 307Doing Tricks with Bits 308Questions 309Devising Recursive Algorithms 309Questions 309Understanding Logic Gates 311Questions 313Writing Code to…Prove You Can Code 315Questions 315Answers 316

Chapter 12 Programming Wisdom 351Questions 352Answers 357

Appendix Preparing Your Cheat Sheets 395General and Behavioral 396Programming, General 397Programming Concepts 397Work History 398Questions to Ask, If Given the Opportunity 399

Index 401

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Contents at a GlanceIntroduction ................................................................ 1

Part I: Cover Letters and So Much More! ....................... 7Chapter 1: News Flash: Cover Letters Are Grown Up and Have Kids ......................... 9

Chapter 2: Creating Images Online for Now and Tomorrow ...................................... 23

Chapter 3: Special Marketing Messages Outrun Rivals............................................... 31

Part II: Creating Compelling Communications .............. 47Chapter 4: Writing Your Way to a Job ........................................................................... 49

Chapter 5: Language That Snap-Crackle-Pops ............................................................. 59

Chapter 6: Great Lines for Success ................................................................................ 75

Chapter 7: Job Seeker’s Skills Finder ............................................................................. 91

Part III: Job Letters: Sample the Best ........................ 111Chapter 8: Job Ad Reply Letters .................................................................................. 113

Chapter 9: Broadcast and Prospecting Letters .......................................................... 151

Chapter 10: Networking Letters ................................................................................... 183

Chapter 11: Resume Letters ......................................................................................... 197

Chapter 12: Thank-You and Follow-Up Letters .......................................................... 213

Part IV: Online Messages: Sample the Best ................ 233Chapter 13: Branding Statements and Online Profi les ............................................. 235

Chapter 14: E-Mail Cover Notes ................................................................................... 249

Part V: The Part of Tens ........................................... 263Chapter 15: Ten Urban Legends to Toss..................................................................... 265

Chapter 16: Ten Tips for Top-Rated Online Profi les ................................................. 271

Appendix: Directory of Job Letter Writers................... 277

Index ...................................................................... 285

Table of ContentsIntroduction ................................................................. 1

About This Book .............................................................................................. 1

Conventions Used in This Book ..................................................................... 2

Foolish Assumptions ....................................................................................... 2

How This Book Is Organized .......................................................................... 3

Part I: Cover Letters and So Much More! ............................................ 3

Part II: Creating Compelling Communications ................................... 4

Part III: Job Letters: Sample the Best................................................... 4

Part IV: Online Messages: Sample the Best ........................................ 4

Part V: The Part of Tens ........................................................................ 4

Appendix ................................................................................................. 4

Icons Used in This Book ................................................................................. 5

Where to Go from Here ................................................................................... 5

Part I: Cover Letters and So Much More! ........................ 7

Chapter 1: News Flash: Cover Letters Are Grown Up and Have Kids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

A New Age of Self-Promotion Is Here! ......................................................... 10

Cover Letters Are Alive and Sell .................................................................. 11

Looking good at fi rst light ................................................................... 12

Targeting the employer’s needs ........................................................ 12

Showcasing your attractive personality ........................................... 13

Closing gaps in your work record ...................................................... 13

Highlighting your skills and accomplishments ................................ 13

Demonstrating your communication skills ...................................... 14

Taking the wheel .................................................................................. 14

Meet the Letters Family ................................................................................ 14

Job ad reply letter ................................................................................ 15

Prospecting letter ................................................................................ 15

Broadcast letter ................................................................................... 15

Networking letter ................................................................................ 15

Resume letter ....................................................................................... 16

Job fair cover letter ............................................................................. 16

Thank-you letter ................................................................................... 16

Follow-up letter .................................................................................... 16

Professional branding statement ....................................................... 17

Online profi le ........................................................................................ 17

E-mail cover note ................................................................................. 18

Cover Letters For Dummies, 3rd Edition xPulling Out the Stops with Special Marketing Messages .......................... 18

Sing, Cover Letter, Sing ................................................................................. 18

Customize and use names .................................................................. 19

Speak the right language ..................................................................... 19

State the reason you’re writing .......................................................... 20

Explain why you’re a top candidate .................................................. 20

Tell them why you admire them ........................................................ 20

Declare what’s next ............................................................................. 21

Read and reread .................................................................................. 21

Be a savvy submitter ........................................................................... 21

A Different Kind of Cover Letter Book ........................................................ 22

Chapter 2: Creating Images Online for Now and Tomorrow . . . . . . . .23Web 2.0: A New Online Jobscape ................................................................ 23

The Great Connecting: Online Networking Services ................................. 25

Downsides to social networking ........................................................ 26

A secret garden of informal references ............................................. 28

Start Spinning Your Web .............................................................................. 29

Chapter 3: Special Marketing Messages Outrun Rivals. . . . . . . . . . . .31Running Through Extra-Credit Job Search Documents ........................... 32

Accomplishment sheet........................................................................ 32

Request-for-promotion letter ............................................................. 32

Leadership addendum ........................................................................ 33

Checklist comparison .......................................................................... 33

First 90 days forecast .......................................................................... 33

Reference commentary ....................................................................... 34

Part II: Creating Compelling Communications ............... 47

Chapter 4: Writing Your Way to a Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49Advantages of Stand Out Cover Letters ..................................................... 50

Disadvantages of Stand Out Cover Letters ................................................ 52

Many Job Hunters Have Writer’s Block ...................................................... 52

Ugly Typos, Ugly Letters, Fewer Offers ...................................................... 53

Overcoming What-If Worries ........................................................................ 54

The Anatomy of a Cover Letter .................................................................... 55

Contact information ............................................................................ 55

Date line and inside address .............................................................. 55

Salutation .............................................................................................. 55

Introduction .......................................................................................... 56

Body ....................................................................................................... 56

Conclusion ............................................................................................ 56

Closing, signature, and enclosure line .............................................. 57

Get Ready to Write ........................................................................................ 57

xi Table of Contents

Chapter 5: Language That Snap-Crackle-Pops. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59Refreshing Your Language ........................................................................... 59

So why are you writing? ...................................................................... 60

So what? How does it matter? ............................................................ 60

Technical versus nontechnical language .......................................... 60

Concise but thorough .......................................................................... 61

Active voice versus passive voice ..................................................... 66

Past/present tense ............................................................................... 66

Fundamentals of Grammar and Punctuation ............................................. 67

Sentence fragments ............................................................................. 67

Run-on sentences ................................................................................. 67

Dangling participles ............................................................................. 68

Misplaced modifi ers ............................................................................ 68

Semicolons ............................................................................................ 68

Punctuation in parenthetical expressions ........................................ 69

Hyphenating words for clarity ........................................................... 69

Abbreviations ....................................................................................... 70

Consecutive numbers .......................................................................... 70

A number at the beginning of a sentence ......................................... 71

Commas................................................................................................. 71

Commas in a series .............................................................................. 71

Capitalization........................................................................................ 71

Capitalize titles of departments, companies, and agencies ........... 72

Formats for Organization ............................................................................. 73

Read for Smoothness .................................................................................... 74

Chapter 6: Great Lines for Success. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75Starting Your Letter ....................................................................................... 76

A Sampling of Grand Openers ..................................................................... 77

Avoid Leadoff Losers ................................................................................... 80

Skip Salutation Snoozers .............................................................................. 81

Power Phrases to Use Anywhere ................................................................. 82

Keep Control with an Action Close ............................................................. 86

Action close .......................................................................................... 86

Action close plus .................................................................................. 87

No-action close ..................................................................................... 87

Examples of the Action Closes ..................................................................... 88

P.S. A Final Important Point ......................................................................... 89

Great Lines Woo Reluctant Readers ........................................................... 90

Chapter 7: Job Seeker’s Skills Finder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91Decoding the Skills Lineup ........................................................................... 91

Foundation skills .................................................................................. 92

Where There’s a Skill, There’s a Way .......................................................... 94

Speaking Out about Your Skills ................................................................... 95

Foundation skills checklist ................................................................. 96

Crossover skills checklist ................................................................... 99

Cover Letters For Dummies, 3rd Edition xiiPopular Skills that Employers Want .......................................................... 106

Personal Qualities That Employers Want ................................................. 107

Give Serious Thought to Certifi cations ..................................................... 107

Crash course on certifi cation ........................................................... 107

What’s certifi cation worth? .............................................................. 108

Good Luck on the Great Skills Search ....................................................... 109

Part III: Job Letters: Sample the Best ........................ 111

Chapter 8: Job Ad Reply Letters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113Watch for Smooth Moves ........................................................................... 113

Magic connectors............................................................................... 114

P.S. winners ........................................................................................ 114

Fast starters ........................................................................................ 114

Praise starters .................................................................................... 115

Design arts .......................................................................................... 115

Chart champs ..................................................................................... 115

Attention grabbers............................................................................. 116

Memorable storytellers ..................................................................... 117

Blue standard-bearers ....................................................................... 118

Internal achievers .............................................................................. 118

Main points ......................................................................................... 118

Feast Your Eyes ........................................................................................... 119

Chapter 9: Broadcast and Prospecting Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151Send Postal Mail or E-Mail? ........................................................................ 152

Techniques to Notice ................................................................................. 152

On with the Letters! ..................................................................................... 156

Chapter 10: Networking Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183 Short Key Points about Job Networking .................................................. 184

Networking Letters to Note ........................................................................ 184

Watch Out — Samples Ahead .................................................................... 186

Chapter 11: Resume Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .197Don’t Let Your Great Design Be Ambushed ............................................ 197

Keep an Eye Peeled for Good Writing ....................................................... 199

Unveiling the Resume Letter Samples ...................................................... 200

Chapter 12: Thank-You and Follow-Up Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .213The Mechanics of Sales Power .................................................................. 213

Letters to Remember You By ..................................................................... 214

Set Your Eyes on Stand Out Samples! ....................................................... 216

xiii Table of Contents

Part IV: Online Messages: Sample the Best ................ 233

Chapter 13: Branding Statements and Online Profi les . . . . . . . . . . . .235Styling Your Professional Brand ................................................................ 235

Professional branding for the little guy .......................................... 236

Bringing on the branding samples ................................................... 237

Creating Your Online Profi le ...................................................................... 241

Short stories ....................................................................................... 241

Long stories ........................................................................................ 241

Chapter 14: E-Mail Cover Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .249Cover Notes Offer Spanking Smart Start ................................................... 250

Part V: The Part of Tens ............................................ 263

Chapter 15: Ten Urban Legends to Toss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .265It’s Okay to Send Your Resume without a Cover Letter ......................... 265

Your Cover Letter Summarizes Your Resume ......................................... 266

A Cover Letter Merely Transmits Your Resume ...................................... 266

You Can Routinely Use a Generic Greeting — “Dear Employer” ........... 266

Keep Your Cover Letter Really, Really Short ........................................... 267

A Handwritten Cover Letter Is Best — It’s Personal ............................... 267

If You Can’t Find a Job, the Letter Is at Fault ........................................... 268

The Letter Is Your Chance to Discuss Your

Personal Life and Feelings ...................................................................... 268

Include Salary History and Expectations in Your Cover Letter ............. 269

After You Send a Letter, the Ball Is in the Employer’s Court ................. 269

Chapter 16: Ten Tips for Top-Rated Online Profi les. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .271Do Establish Your Expertise ...................................................................... 271

Do Captivate Your Audience ...................................................................... 272

Do Write Outside the Box ........................................................................... 272

Do Rightsize, Not Supersize ....................................................................... 273

Do Write Robust Headlines ........................................................................ 273

Don’t Oversell Your Versatility .................................................................. 274

Don’t Overdo Overused Self-Praise ........................................................... 274

Don’t Regurgitate Your Resume ................................................................ 274

Don’t Be a Victim to Perilous Posting ....................................................... 275

Don’t Play Hide and Seek ............................................................................ 276

Cover Letters For Dummies, 3rd Edition xivAppendix: Directory of Job Letter Writers ................... 277

A Glossary of Professional Certifi cations ................................................. 282

Professional Organizations ........................................................................ 283

Index ....................................................................... 285

Introduction

Welcome to the newly retooled Cover Letters For Dummies, 3rd Edition.

Compared to its last incarnation a decade ago, this revision is a dif-

ferent creature. Times change. Communications change. Job-clinching tech-

niques change.

Even if you’re an experienced job hunter, you’ll find in this book a wealth of

fresh ideas about how to robustly present yourself online or on paper. And

you’ll be surprised by the uncommonly wide scope of content that extends

far beyond classic cover letters. In a nutshell, you haven’t read this book

before.

As career management expert and writer Don Orlando commented upon seeing

the updated manuscript — “It definitely is not the umpteenth edition of Miss Penelope Swain’s Letter Writing Guide for Young Ladies and Gentlemen.”

No, it isn’t. In the digital era, cover letters that deliver are vigorous and viva-

cious, assertive in asking for that all-important interview. What’s more, the

new-style cover letters partner with a strike-up-the-band parade of creative,

hard-hitting career management documents that are anything but sleepy let-

ters of transmittal.

Letters that have no higher ambition than merely to serve as wraps for

resumes won’t move your hopes and dreams where you want to go in today’s

fast-changing job market, one that seems to evolve with every sunrise.

In the spirit of providing something for everyone, both new-style and tradi-

tional letters are represented in the book’s 126 documents. This forward-

leaning edition is a milestone for cover letter books. I hope you enjoy reading

it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

About This BookThe book you are about to read also marks a milestone in the 13 editions of

For Dummies books that I’ve written: It’s the first one crafted with a wide col-

laboration by professional writers in the career management industry. The 57

professionals whose work appears here are among the very best in the busi-

ness. Their names appear beneath their work and in the appendix.

2 Cover Letters For Dummies, 3rd Edition

I’m a big believer in the Community of Intelligence, the school of “everyone’s

better than anyone,” and so I’m immensely proud that this work features

top cover letter writers whose samples show you how to know a great letter

when you see one or write one.

Conventions Used in This BookTo help you navigate this book, I’ve established the following conventions:

✓ Italic is used for emphasis and to highlight new words or terms that are

defined.

✓ Monofont is used for Web addresses.

✓ Sidebars, which are shaded boxes of text, consist of information that’s

interesting and, while not necessarily critical to your understanding of

the topic, add to your learning rewards in the book.

Further, in the sample documents throughout the book, I substitute a

reminder to add the relevant dates in your document with the word date or

dates enclosed in editorial brackets — [dates] — instead of actual years to

keep your attention focused on key career marketing concepts. Similarly,

I sometimes substitute such terms as inside address and salutation to con-

serve page space for the heart of the message.

Also in the interest of space, I left out handwritten signatures in the letters,

but including a handwritten signature on paper or a cursive signature online

is an important and highly recommended practice.

Foolish AssumptionsI assume you picked up this book for at least one of the following reasons:

✓ You’ve never written a cover letter — or any type of career management

document — and you’d like to see how the pros do it. You’re thinking:

“If they can do it, why not me? How hard can it be to string sentences

together and sound smart?”

✓ You have written a cover letter, but it must not have lit up the sky (or else

your resume was a goose) because you’re still waiting to hear back — four

months later.

3 Introduction

✓ You’re happily employed but worried about the economy. If you’re

forced to pack up and leave on short notice, you want to be ready. You

discovered that your resume is a teardown, and so you’re rebuilding it

from the ground up but have the nagging feeling that your cover letter

is a few tactics short of a strategy. You ask yourself: What is an action

close? Why is a postscript a killer sales tactic? When should I be as

subtle as an infomercial?

✓ You’re ready to move up in rank, and you’ve heard buzz about some

new-style letters you can write to network for leads, or to follow up after

an interview to make sure an employer comes back to you with an offer.

And you heard that gasp! some audacious soul actually wrote a letter

asking for a promotion.

✓ You’ve aware of blazing-fast, technology-based changes in the way

people and jobs hook up, and how they post their profiles on social net-

working Web sites. You want to be sure your career marketing messages

are working with you — not against you — in the newest technology

sense. You don’t want the world to pass you by.

How This Book Is OrganizedBeing tapped for an interview or series of interviews — and being hired after

that — depends on more than merely being qualified for the position you

seek. Many talented people have figured that out and are improving their

odds with robust cover letters and other career marketing documents. The

following five parts give you an arsenal of written ammunition you can use

to your advantage.

Part I: Cover Letters and So Much More!This part reviews the role cover letters play in a successful job search and

introduces a dramatic and rich variety of other career marketing documents

that may be unfamiliar to you. You also discover or refresh your memory

about the impact of online social networking in communicating career-

charging messages. More adventures: Almost a dozen uncommon docu-

ments, including six samples, help you make the margin of difference in a

highly competitive contest for a great job.

4 Cover Letters For Dummies, 3rd Edition

Part II: Creating Compelling CommunicationsThese four chapters help you jump through the writing hoops to come up

with Stand Out work. This part shows how your cover letters should look

and read, with suggestions on image, content, and language. You get ideas

on writing great opening lines and closes that keep your hands on the wheel.

You also find tips on identifying and selling your marketable skills.

Part III: Job Letters: Sample the BestHere’s the proof in the power-pudding: A collection of 86 samples — written

by the best of America’s and Canada’s professional career management docu-

ment writers — show you how to apply the strategies I describe in this book.

You see job ad replies and letters for prospecting, networking, and following

up after interviews. I bet you’ll never look at job letters the same way again.

Part IV: Online Messages: Sample the BestThis part contains 34 more outstanding samples. These messages show you

how to impress with branding statements, online profiles, and online cover

notes.

Part V: The Part of TensIn these short chapters, I give you quick bits about job letters. I offer guid-

ance on avoiding unnecessary mistakes and tips on how to score at the top of

the class when you’re writing online profiles.

AppendixHere you find a directory of the professional writers whose work appears in

this book. Following the directory, I explain what the initials after their names

mean, as well as recognize the five professional cover letter and resume writ-

ers’ organizations whose members contributed to this work.

5 Introduction

Icons Used in This BookFor Dummies signature icons are the little round pictures you see in the mar-

gins of the book. I use them to laser-guide your attention to key bits of infor-

mation. Here’s a list of the icons you find in this book and what they mean.

This icon directs your full attention to compelling messages that make you

stand out from the crowd.

Advice and information that can spark a difference in the outcome of your

career message are flagged with this icon.

Some points in these pages are so useful that I hope you keep them in mind as

you read. I make a big deal out of these ideas with this icon.

No move or technique achieves the job letter-interview connection every

single time. This icon reminds you to think through an issue and try to make

the best choice for your situation.

Watch out for deep waters filled with things that bite. This icon signals there

could be trouble ahead if you don’t make a good decision.

Where to Go from HereEvery author wishes you would start at the beginning and savor every word

in lock step until you reach the end of the book. In real life, where you start

depends upon your current needs:

✓ When you’ve just spotted an advertised job opening you want, immedi-

ately read Chapters 1, 4, 5, 6, and 8.

✓ When you want to do most of your searching online, hit your bull’s eye

with Chapters 1, 2, 13, 14, and 16.

✓ When you’re at the starting gate and have a couple of weeks to learn your

way around career management documents, grant the author’s wishes

and read this book cover to cover. As I said in Job Interviews For Dummies, 3rd Edition, practice recommended strategies, tactics, and techniques.

“After you master the information in these pages, you own a special kind

of insurance policy that pays off for as long as you want to work.”

Part ICover Letters and So Much More!

In this part . . .

Are your cover letters puny pages that do nothing

but sit atop your resume or are they bringing full-

force strength to a well-crafted marketing message? In

this part, you find out how a cover letter can bring the

right kind of attention your way. And there isn’t just one

way to go about it, so this part runs down the many

kinds of messages that fit the cover letter bill, including

the all-important online communiqué.

Chapter 1

News Flash: Cover Letters Are Grown Up and Have Kids

In This Chapter▶ Busting unemployment with revolutionary letter power

▶ Surveying the robust family of career management documents

▶ Using cover letters to accomplish specific purposes

▶ Customizing compelling messages for each job you want

▶ Staying clear of spam filters

Once upon a job-hunting time long ago, the term cover letters brought to

mind drab documents like this one:

Dear Sir/Madam,

Please accept this letter and resume for the Payroll Manager position as refer-enced in the Louisiana Times, Nov. 5. My work history and educational back-ground make me an outstanding candidate. I am available for an interview at your earliest convenience. Thank you.

That style of transmittal letter has become a museum piece.

In this century’s brave new world of hypercompetitive job searches, cover

letters have not only been reinvented, they’ve spawned a family of career management documents like these:

✓ Intrigue-inducing e-mail cover notes

✓ Deal-closing thank-you letters

✓ Interest-reviving follow-up messages

✓ Star-power bios and branding statements

✓ Image-brightening reference blurbs

✓ Qualifications-matching candidate checklists

10 Part I: Cover Letters and So Much More!

✓ Humanizing audio and video bites in profiles

✓ Eye-popping accomplishment sheets

And there’s much more in the new cover letter family. All together, today’s

family of career management documents — which I also call job letters —

delivers a spectacular array of self-marketing tools for people who want to be

seen, noticed, and hired for the best jobs. That’s you, isn’t it?

A New Age of Self-Promotion Is Here!Looking for and landing the job you want is always a challenge, especially in

uncertain times. But — lucky you — in one important way, your timing hits

the jackpot!

You’re in the right century at the right time with the right tools to better

manage your career than any generation before.

By seizing the opportunity to capitalize on 21st-century opportunities, you can

✓ Change to creative and high-impact letters that bring interviews

✓ Switch to gutsy but polite letters that generate hires

✓ Shift to persuasive and content-rich letters that position you to win

career rewards that matter to you

You live in nothing less than a revolutionary age for career self-promotion. How did you get so lucky? This empowering new age is upon us for two main

reasons:

✓ Society’s changing expectations in message style. In this era of mass-

marketing and media overload, people are so accustomed to vivid,

sparkling advertising and creative, clever marketing in every corner of

their lives that they no longer pay much attention to feeble, uninteresting

messages from job seekers who merely go through the motions. The

family of new-style letters is hard to ignore in an atmosphere where

HDTV gets attention, but black-and-white TV is ho-hum.

The new-style letters vary in approach from elegant to elementary, but

their missions are the same — picking up the cue from contemporary

advertising and marketing, all the best ones are sales letters.

✓ Emergence of a technology-rich environment. In previous centuries,

cover letters were joined at the hip with the post office. In this century,

the Internet’s vast and powerful e-mail and social networking services

supply unprecedentedly wide vistas to carry new-style messages.

11 Chapter 1: News Flash: Cover Letters Are Grown Up and Have Kids

For clarity, I pause to emphasize that despite the loosening of collars in the

new wave of job letters, conservatively styled cover letters aren’t dead. They

continue to be preferred in certain buttoned-down industries, such as banking,

medicine, and government service. Why? Because they’re persuasively and

expertly written to satisfy the tastes of executives in those industries. (See for

yourself the conservatively styled cover letters that appear in Parts 3 and 4.)

As creativity and technology turn new pages in recruiting circles, the cover

letter has morphed into an extended family of hard-hitting messages that

influence how the working world sees you and treats you.

Cover Letters Are Alive and SellConsidering our digital world in which millions of people send their resumes

off to online boarding schools without cover letter guardians, you may ask

whether the cover letter model (new- or old-style) continues to lead the

parade of written job docs. More bluntly, are cover letters still valuable?

The answer is a resounding yes! These resume sidekicks pack far too much

firepower to be left on the sideline, according to two 2008 surveys:

✓ You leave interviews on the table when you skip cover letters: so con-

cluded a survey I developed with talent selection expert Alise Cortez, PhD.

Three-fifths (60 percent) of a cross-section of 83 American employers,

human resource specialists, and recruiters sampled say they read cover

letters always, often, or sometimes. Two-fifths (40 percent) read resumes

rarely or never. Dr. Cortez is a founding partner of ImprovedExperience.

com, a third-party research firm headquartered in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida,

that specializes in surveys for the human resource industry.

✓ Big company managers overwhelmingly prefer their resumes with cover

letters. A poll of 150 executives in major U.S. companies reveals that a

whopping 86 percent rate cover letters as valuable, with only 14 percent

calling cover letters not valuable. Moreover, 80 percent of polled execu-

tives say cover letters accompany resumes they receive electronically.

The poll was developed by OfficeTeam, a leading staffing company head-

quartered in Menlo Park, California.

In summing up widely held opinion among people in the employment busi-

ness, OfficeTeam executive director Dave Willmer explains why your resume

should never leave home without a cover letter at its side:

Submitting a resume without a cover letter is like not shaking hands when meeting someone for the first time. Those who aren’t including cover letters with their resumes are missing an opportunity to make a good first impression and set themselves apart from other job applicants.


A Stand Out cover letter does much more than keep your resume warm during

its long trip to a hiring manager. Cover letters done right can step up and

accomplish a number of important getting-you-noticed purposes, which the

following sections outline.

Looking good at first lightUse a cover letter to immediately position yourself as a most valuable

person. First impressions are very hard to change. And your cover letter

often is an employer’s first inkling that you’re on the planet and for hire. You

can use your cover letter to show yourself to be alert and attentive by editing

out all the typo goofs for which your high school English teacher would have

given you a big fat F.

Targeting the employer’s needs The resume focuses on you and the past. The cover letter focuses on the

employer and the future. Tell the hiring professional what you can do to ben-

efit the organization in the future.

Failure to understand this simple principle is a critical mistake, advises

career grand master John Lucht, CEO of RiteSite.com, a respected Web site

for professionals seeking jobs at six figures and up. Lucht explains:

Will your cover letter save the day?When a rookie recruiter, who hasn’t yet been taught the finer points of analyzing data-packed resumes, doesn’t know what to make of yours but doesn’t want the boss to know that he or she doesn’t know, your resume’s new address can be the reject pile.

A cover letter treatment is the recommended therapy to save your resume from certain candidate death merely because a rookie can’t measure its value. Why? Letters are easier to analyze than resumes. The rookie reads the

letter and immediately knows what you bring to the table. Wanting to look like a savvy judge of talent, the rookie recruiter is now likely to pass your package of letter and resume up the line to a senior recruiter who does know how to evaluate resumes and who can extend interview invitations.

The takeaway: Attaching a cover letter that zings with your qualifications for the job can keep your resume (and job hopes) alive.


Lots of people figure that the cover letter is about them and what they want. Wrong! It should be about what the employer wants that they provide. Dump the ‘I’m looking for’ — both the attitude and the words. Instead say, ‘Do you need?’ And make the ‘need’ one that you — as your attached resume clearly spells out — are the ideal person to fill.

Showcasing your attractive personalityYour cover letter is a chance to bring more personality to your application

than a resume can carry. It suggests, even subliminally, whether you’re open

to new ideas, results driven, energetic, a people person, cheerful, agreeable,

and cooperative, to name but a few premium employer-pleasing qualities.

Most chief executives say that employee turnover is one of their biggest

headaches. Personality is a key ingredient (along with knowledge and skill) in

being a good fit for a job, which is why some employers give personality tests

to candidates. Your cover letter offers early clues to your personality fit for

the job.

Closing gaps in your work recordYour cover letter is the ideal vehicle to explain — on your terms — any

disruption in your work history. The basic strategy explains the gap as a pos-

itive achievement: You studied further, gained business-related transferrable

skills while raising children, served in the military, undertook volunteer activ-

ities, moved to a new location for a good reason, or resolved a non-recurring

health problem.

When your resume has time holes in it and you don’t explain how you

productively filled the time and kept your skills current, yoking your past and

your future is very difficult. In that case, entry-level offers are the most likely

outcome. (Followed closely by no offers.)

Highlighting your skills and accomplishmentsYour cover letter is the perfect place to emphasize the high-interest factors

that whet a hiring authority’s interest in knowing more.


This is your chance to connect the dots for hiring authorities and recruiters,

counsels Lynne Sarikas, director of the MBA career center at Northeastern

University’s College of Business Administration:

Most likely you have not done this exact job in this exact industry before and don’t assume they will figure out how your experience is transferable. Show them how you meet their specific needs and the unique value you bring to the table.

By the way, don’t sabotage this purpose by merely repeating your resume

using different words and mixing them up a bit. That’s a time waster, and you

don’t want to be thought of as one of those.

Demonstrating your communication skillsEvery survey of employers’ most-wanted skills seems to include the ability to

communicate well. By a strange coincidence, almost every professional-level

job seeker claims the ability to communicate well — without offering proof.

An impeccable and robust cover letter provides that proof. It’s your chance

to show that you have the chops to communicate clearly, that you’re

downright articulate.

Taking the wheel An action close on a Stand Out cover letter tells the recipient that you’ll

proactively call to set up an interview. It establishes that you have initiative

and aren’t one to sit around and wait for interview manna to fall in your lap.

Of course, an action close isn’t always possible in a digital exchange when

you don’t know to whom you’re applying. Or when you don’t know who’s

in charge of a task force selection committee. In situations where you can’t

take the interview initiative, maintain your image of a “person of action” by

encouraging the hiring authority to quickly contact you.

Meet the Letters FamilyLike all the best families, the job letter clan has its share of first and second

cousins and an occasional odd uncle. The following sections show you how

the relatives line up.


Job ad reply letterThe head of the letters family is the category of cover letters written in

reaction to a published job opening in print or online. Responding to

published job openings is the most common job search letter activity. Pay

the job ad reply letter the courtesy of customizing it to point out how you

match the requirements of the position it addresses.

You find everything you want to know about writing job ad reply letters in

Chapter 8.

Prospecting letterSent selectively to a relatively small number of potential employers with

whom you have some sort of connection (same industry, personal meet-

ing, affinity group), these self-marketing, direct-mail messages are similar to

broadcast letters and may overlap with networking letters. Call them pros-

pecting, broadcast, or networking letters: Whatever you call them, you need

them. I dissect and illustrate prospecting letters in Chapter 9.

Broadcast letterA type of self-marketing direct mail, the biggest differences between broadcast

and prospecting letters are scale and relationships. You send broadcast letters

to big numbers of potential employers with whom the sender has virtually no

connection. In fact, job seekers often use commercial mailing lists to develop

their broadcast letter address book. True believers in the pay-off for broadcast

letters insist that their secret to success is the distribution by postal mail or

online of large numbers of enticing letters (“a numbers game”), with persistent

follow-up by phone or e-mail. Find out more in Chapter 9.

Networking letter Most networking letters ask for job leads, not for job interviews. They’re

addressed to human networks, requesting that members respond by phone,

e-mail or Twitter. (Twitter is a Web site and service that lets users send short

text messages from their cell phones to a group of individuals.) Networking

letters typically reach out to those with whom you have some kind of affinity —

fellow alumni, members of your church, civic organization, or buddy group, and

so on. Additionally, you may send a networking letter for other reasons — to a

hiring authority with whom you’ve recently met, for example; in such situations,

you do ask for a job interview. Find networking letters in Chapter 10.


Resume letterAn odd uncle in the letters family, this direct postal or online mail document

doesn’t contain a separate resume per se. (However, you may attach a

separate accomplishment sheet.) A storytelling approach weaves the facts

of your work history into a narrative describing your objective. A resume

letter is a good choice when your fundamental qualifications are sound but

you need to gloss over gaps or other problems. When interestingly written,

the letter pulls in readers because everyone likes a good story well told. A

resume letter can be categorized as a subset of a broadcast or prospecting

letter. Find samples in Chapter 11.

Job fair cover letterDeciding in advance which companies you want to target at a job fair enables

you to write attention-getting cover letters to leave with your resume at the

land booth or send online to a virtual job fair. View a job fair sample letter in

Chapter 9.

Try a twist by pairing a cover letter with an accomplishment sheet instead of

a resume; see Chapter 11.

The vast majority of fair visitors don’t make the extra research effort

and instead just hand over generic documents, which gives you a huge

opportunity to Stand Out from the crowd.

Thank-you letterThink of a letter written ostensively to thank a hiring authority for an

interview as what it really should be: another turn at bat to drive home your

winning run, not merely an extension of your mother’s etiquette lessons to

show your good manners. Focus on facts and comments that advance your

candidacy for selection. Chapter 12 contains chapter and verse on thank-you

letters and includes great samples, as well.

Follow-up letterAlso an after-interview communication, a follow-up letter is designed to spur

decision action or even serve as a comeback effort to revive your candidacy

after a period of thundering silence from the employer. Chapter 12 hosts

super follow-up letters.


Professional branding statementHow will prospective employers, clients, and customers perceive you

professionally — as Sam Slacker or Sam Superstar? As Betty Boob or Betty

Best? That’s what personal branding is all about — your image and your

reputation. What you deliver for the money, you expect to be paid. Chapter 13

is home base for crafting professional branding statements based on

accomplishments and specializations that make you memorable in the job

chase or on the consulting scene.

You can use a professional branding statement in letters, online profiles,

accomplishment sheets, resumes, interviews, blog biographies, and elevator

speeches. Even if you never get around to weaving a branding statement into

a document, the mere act of writing one is a great way to concentrate your

mind on what you’re selling.

Online profileGrowing more popular by the minute, this second cousin in the job letters

family ranges from short and sweet (executive bio, described in Chapter 13)

to a Yao-Ming-tall Web portfolio stuffed with links — photos, blogs, vlogs

(video blogs), lists of publications, certifications, licenses, audio or video

sound bites, and more. You name it, online profiles have it! Chapter 13 is

your destination for online profiles.

How important are the quality of your online profile and other mentions

of concern about you on social networking sites? Very! To cite a single

but typical late 2008 survey of 3,169 hiring managers by online job site

CareerBuilder.com, 22 percent screened potential staff members by using

social networking profiles. This figure was up from 11 percent just two years

earlier. An additional 9 percent said they plan to start using online profiles. In

sum, almost a third of recruiting and staffing professionals are using or plan

to use social networking sites to check up on potential hires.

About a third of hiring managers said that they had dismissed a candidate

after what they discovered on social networking sites. Biggest offenses:

information posted about drinking or using drugs, provocative subjects, or

inappropriate photographs. More turnoffs: poor communication skills, lying

about qualifications, candidates using discriminatory remarks related to race,

gender or religion, and an unprofessional screen name.

The good news is that the survey found that 24 percent of hiring managers

said that they found content on social network pages helped seal their

decisions to hire candidates.


E-mail cover noteCover notes, which you find aplenty in Chapter 14, are kid brothers and

sisters to cover letters. They’re short and to the point. Typically, you send

them in text in the body of an e-mail to introduce your attached resume,

which usually is presented as an MS Word or PDF document.

Pulling Out the Stops with Special Marketing Messages

One of America’s iconic comedians, the late George Burns, told audiences

how he defined happiness. “Happiness,” Burns said, “is having a large, loving,

caring, close-knit family in another city.”

That quip works as a metaphor for an elite branch of career management

documents. The documents in this group, described in Chapter 3, may as

well be in another city because they come out only for special occasions,

which are:

✓ When the job you want is master of the universe and you’re thinking “fat

chance that will happen”

✓ When the job is exactly what you hope to find, and you can’t bear the

thought of it slipping through your hands

✓ When the job is madly desired by so many competitors that you need to

do something really special that makes you Stand Out

Special marketing messages generally are extra, load-bearing documents you

take along to interviews, leaving them behind to remind decision-makers of

your worthiness. Turn to Chapter 3 to find out what I’m talking about.

Sing, Cover Letter, SingCall upon your inner muse before desperately resorting to sending out a

skimpy, generic cover letter that brings you neither glory nor notice. Pledge

to write cover letters that employers actually read; inspire intrigue by

creatively using the right words and sending the right facts. Although Part II

contains this book’s mother lode of writing advice, here’s a digest of tips to

paste on your copyholder.


Customize and use namesIs your job search stalling after you submit a cover letter and resume

package but before you’re offered an interview? If that’s your experience,

why keep repeating failure?

Realize that, like the dearly departed all-purpose resume, the era of the

generic cover letter is gone. Switch to a best practice of customizing each

cover letter you send — not only in content, but addressed to the specific

hiring manager instead of the threadbare approach of “Dear Employer ” or

“Dear Sir/Madam.”

When you can’t discover the hiring manager’s name (by calling the company

or through research), you’re stuck with using a generalized introduction

that’s better than nothing but not as effective as “Dear Ms. Carmel,” or “Dear

Mr. Alvarez.”

Speak the right languageConsider the recipient of your information. If the organization is conservative

and traditional, keep the presentation of your information conservative and

traditional. By contrast, when the targeted organization is creative and

entrepreneurial, the addition of a splash of gifted words or a flourish in

design tempts the doorkeeper to let you in.

I explain in Chapter 6 that the opening of your letter has to hook the reader,

selling him or her on your abilities. One of many devices employed to hook

readers is the use of a quotation. But here’s the danger: Don’t risk being

perceived as a poet without a point by leading off with a nice but unrelated

quotation that goes nowhere. Connect inspirational quotations with your

strengths, or skip the quotation.

You can take more chances in approach and language when you really know

your audience. To illustrate that principal, career coach Don Orlando in

Montgomery, Alabama, passed along a high-risk real letter he wrote some

years ago for a client who wanted to become chief of staff to a U.S. senator.

She used her network to gain understanding of the senator’s personality and

preferred standard operating procedures. Discovering that he was known

for giving curt answers, had a short fuse, and preferred take-charge staffers,

here’s the letter Orlando wrote for her:


Your job search for a chief of staff is over. Please tell your secretary to expect my call at 10:30 EDT, Monday, 28 July, to arrange an interview. I will need twelve minutes of your time on the day that is best for you.

During that short meeting, if I cannot convince you that I can arm you with bulletproof information that moves your agendas forward among all your constituencies, I will leave your office at once.

But if I can, I will start work the following Monday.

She was hired.

State the reason you’re writingAlways tell the reader why you’re writing, but be tactical about it. To reply

to an advertised job, name the position title and where you saw the ad,

but don’t squander valuable real estate doing so in the opening paragraph.

Instead, accomplish the same thing by positioning that information in the

upper right-hand corner in the subject line “regarding” space. Other ways to

handle the reason you’re writing are presented in samples throughout this

work.

Explain why you’re a top candidateYour basic message should be: “Here are examples of work I’ve done and

accomplishments I’ve achieved that match what you’re looking for.” Because

you research the company online, you’re able to show why your skills and

competencies are right for the job and can benefit the company. You explain

any gaps in a positive way.

Accomplishments are job-offer magnets. Employers hire for results, not

responsibilities. And they like numbers — percentages, dollar amounts, or

other key measures wherever possible to quantify achievements and

accomplishments.

Tell them why you admire themYou needn’t gush with insincere praise when explaining why you’d like to

work for a company, but intelligent compliments are a staple of effective

cover letters. You won’t be believable unless you get a line on the company

before writing your letter. Why bother? Because your appreciation of the

workplace where he or she toils makes the hiring manager feel important.


Declare what’s nextIn closing your letter, reprise your enthusiasm, confirm your desire for an

interview, and state what the next step will be. Preferably, you use an action

close, telling the recipient that you will follow up and when that will happen.

In some instances, you will have to wait for them to contact you. Find out all

about the action close in Chapter 6.

Read and reread Go beyond using your computer’s spell checker tool to review your job

letters for typos and grammatical errors. Ask a friend or mentor to look over

your letters as a backstop. Your words are going out into the hiring world as

your only representative. If they don’t go out in first-rate order, you never

get to show off your stuff in person. Chapters 4 and 5 give you writing tips

that enable you to write with the skills of a grammar snoot without actually

having to be one.

Be a savvy submitterWhen you plan to send your application package of cover letter and resume

online, bear in mind the advice I received from Susan P. Joyce, editor and

Webmaster of Job-Hunt.Org.

Spam filters have been called into service seemingly everywhere because

spam messages now comprise an estimated 78 percent of all e-mail received.

That means that up to 10 percent of your messages won’t make it through to

the intended recipient. Susan Joyce explains how to up your odds:

✓ Be very careful with the message subject. Be precise and concise,

while avoiding the “unsafe” words below. When you’re responding to a

specific posting, the job title is the safest, clearest, and most helpful

subject for the recipient.

Stay away from words like free, testing, money, urgent, payment, and investing. Look at the spam messages you get and avoid their terminology

and methods. Find synonyms or use a completely different approach to

the subject.

Avoid using all caps and punctuation, particularly exclamation points

and dollar signs.

✓ Watch the words you use in the body of your message. Spam filters

check the bodies of messages as well the subjects, so similar problems

apply.


✓ Know that you are usually safest using unformatted text, rather than

rich text or HTML. If you do use formatted text, be wary of using colored

text and backgrounds, and avoid including fancy technology (Flash or

other animation) unless the technology is related to a job requirement.

✓ For a really important message, you can add a line that requests

confirmation of receipt. When confirmation doesn’t come through, you

can follow up. This can be a good excuse to call.

A Different Kind of Cover Letter BookAs this first chapter explains, career management docs are becoming important

success drivers in a digital era. Cover letters now head up an entire family of

new-style job letters, online profiles, and amazing self-marketing creations you

can’t afford to ignore. Visit the family reunion in the following pages, illustrated

by 126 great new samples from professional cover letter writers.

Keeping everything straightWhen you send resumes and cover letters in an MS Word document, send them to yourself first to be sure that they survive their electronic journey formatted the way they left home. You may find that some portions of the text slip and slide around, winding up in the strangest

places. Here’s an easy solution: Send each Word doc as a PDF (portable document format) attachment. PDFs arrive looking identical to the way you send them. You can quickly con-vert any document into a PDF for free at www.pdf95.com.


Part I: And the Interview Winner is … You!................... 7Chapter 1: Job Interviews Are Show Biz. Seriously! ...................................................... 9Chapter 2: Tryouts: Getting Past Screening Interviews .............................................. 29Chapter 3: 21st-Century Video Interview ...................................................................... 39Chapter 4: Interviewing on the Global Stage ................................................................ 51Chapter 5: A Chorus Line of Interviews by Type ......................................................... 57

Part II: Backstage Researching and Rehearsing ........... 77Chapter 6: Research Is Your Ticket Inside ................................................................... 79Chapter 7: Your Close-Up: Personality Tests ............................................................... 89Chapter 8: Showing You the Money ............................................................................ 101Chapter 9: Costuming Yourself for a Starring Role ................................................... 119Chapter 10: Beat Stage Fright with the R-Word: Rehearse ....................................... 133Chapter 11: Looking Good with Questions You Ask ................................................. 143Chapter 12: Closing the Show ...................................................................................... 149

Part III: Actors’ Studio: Casting Your Character ......... 165Chapter 13: Opening Acts for Younger Talent ........................................................... 167Chapter 14: Selling Scripts for Career Switchers ....................................................... 173Chapter 15: Star Turns for Prime-Timers.................................................................... 181

Part IV: Lights, Camera, Talk! Answering Questions....... 191Chapter 16: What Can You Tell Me About Yourself? ................................................. 193Chapter 17: What Do You Know about This Job and Our Company? ..................... 213Chapter 18: What Are Your Skills and Competencies? ............................................. 217Chapter 19: How Does Your Experience Help Us? ..................................................... 225Chapter 20: What Education Do You Have? ............................................................... 233Chapter 21: What about Your Special Situation? ....................................................... 243Chapter 22: How Should You Answer a Questionable Question? ............................ 259

Part V: The Part of Tens ........................................... 267Chapter 23: Ten Tips to Avoid Rotten Reviews ......................................................... 269Chapter 24: Ten Tricky Questions to Watch Out For ................................................ 273Chapter 25: Tens of Lines on the Cutting Room Floor .............................................. 279

Appendix: Questions by Career Fields and Industries ...285

Index ...................................................................... 305


What Exactly Is a ShowStopper in Job Interviewing? ................................. 1About This Book .............................................................................................. 2Conventions Used in This Book ..................................................................... 2Terms Used in This Book ............................................................................... 2Foolish Assumptions ....................................................................................... 3How This Book Is Organized .......................................................................... 4

Part I: And the Interview Winner Is . . . You! ....................................... 4Part II: Backstage Researching and Rehearsing ................................. 5Part III: Actors’ Studio: Casting Your Character ................................ 5Part IV: Lights, Camera, Talk! Answering Questions ......................... 5Part V: The Part of Tens ........................................................................ 5

Icons Used in This Book ................................................................................. 6Where to Go from Here ................................................................................... 6

Part I: And the Interview Winner is … You! ................... 7

Chapter 1: Job Interviews Are Show Biz. Seriously! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9Interviewing As Theater ................................................................................ 10

Why “be yourself” can be poor advice .............................................. 10Why “be natural” can be poor advice ............................................... 11

New Faces, New Factors in Interviewing .................................................... 12Curtain going up on tech trends ........................................................ 12Expect new kinds of interviewers ...................................................... 13Overcome job-hopping objection ...................................................... 13Cut out the loyalty oath ...................................................................... 14Learn new lines for small-business jobs ........................................... 15Get ready for the global job interview .............................................. 15Polish your storytelling skills ............................................................. 16Focus on fitting in ................................................................................ 16

Seven Concepts to Make You a Star ............................................................ 17Go all out in planning ahead ............................................................... 17Distinguish screening from selection interviews ............................. 17Verify early what they want and show how you deliver................. 18Connect all your qualifications with a job’s requirements ............ 19Memorize short-form sales statements about yourself .................. 19Win two thumbs up from the hiring manager, and you’re in! ........ 20Try not to talk money until you know they want you ..................... 21

Job Interviews For Dummies, 4th Edition xTake Home an Oscar from Any Interview ................................................... 21

Play the likeability card ...................................................................... 21Style your body language.................................................................... 22Be a treat: Act upbeat .......................................................................... 22Start your interview on the right foot ............................................... 23Remember that you have a speaking part ........................................ 23Revisit the dramatic pause ................................................................. 23Agree to take pre-employment tests ................................................. 24Flesh out your story beyond a college degree ................................. 25Bring a pen and notebook with you .................................................. 25Keep your ears up and your eyes open ............................................ 27

Building Lifetime Confidence ....................................................................... 28

Chapter 2: Tryouts: Getting Past Screening Interviews . . . . . . . . . . . .29Two Basic Steps in Job Interviewing ........................................................... 29Hot News about Screening Interviews ........................................................ 30Learning Your Lines for Screening Questions ........................................... 31Short Script of Screening Styles ................................................................... 32Sounding Qualified on the Phone ................................................................ 32

Stock your back-stage office with essentials .................................... 33Make phone appointments ................................................................. 33Project your winning image ................................................................ 34

Acing Automated Phone Screens ................................................................ 36Pushing the Right Buttons: Computer Screens ......................................... 37Screening Survival Skills Are Now a Must-Have ........................................ 38

Chapter 3: 21st-Century Video Interview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39Casting Calls for Video Shoots ..................................................................... 39

Working with third-party vendors ..................................................... 40Chatting through Skype ...................................................................... 40Videoconferencing services ............................................................... 41

Determining Video’s Upside and Downside ............................................... 42Rock the Video Job Interview ...................................................................... 43

Getting ready to video interview ....................................................... 44During the interview ............................................................................ 46

Not the Same Thing — Video Interview vs. Video Resume ...................... 47Weighing In on Video Resumes .................................................................... 48

Checking out the objections ............................................................... 48Seeking exceptions .............................................................................. 50Viewing the bottom line ...................................................................... 50

Keep Smiling: You’re on Camera ................................................................. 50

xi Table of Contents

Chapter 4: Interviewing on the Global Stage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51A Changing Face of Global Interviewing ..................................................... 51Looking at Remaining Cultural Norms ........................................................ 52Interviewing across Cultures ....................................................................... 53Tracking Down Country Research ............................................................... 54

International websites ......................................................................... 54International social networking ......................................................... 55

Preparing for the Global Job Interview ....................................................... 56

Chapter 5: A Chorus Line of Interviews by Type. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57Mastering Interviews by Objective .............................................................. 57

Screening interview ............................................................................. 58Selection interview .............................................................................. 58Combination interview ........................................................................ 60Promotion interview ............................................................................ 60Recruiter courtesy interview.............................................................. 61Recruiter general screening interview .............................................. 61Recruiter search interview ................................................................. 62Second interview.................................................................................. 63

Mastering Interviews by Interviewer .......................................................... 64One-to-one interview ........................................................................... 65Group interview ................................................................................... 65Serial interview..................................................................................... 66

Mastering Interviews by Technique ............................................................ 66Behavior-based interview ................................................................... 67Directive interview .............................................................................. 69Nondirective interview ........................................................................ 70Stress interview .................................................................................... 71

Mastering Interviews at Remote Locations ................................................ 72Mealtime interview .............................................................................. 73On-campus interview........................................................................... 74Job fair interview ................................................................................. 74

What’s Playing on the Interview Scene? ..................................................... 75

Part II: Backstage Researching and Rehearsing ............ 77

Chapter 6: Research Is Your Ticket Inside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79Investigate Like a Quiz-Show Winner .......................................................... 79Here’s What Online Search Tells Us ............................................................ 80

Job Interviews For Dummies, 4th Edition xiiAsking Questions about Potential Employers ........................................... 80

Size and growth patterns .................................................................... 81Direction and planning ........................................................................ 81Products or services ........................................................................... 81Competitive profile .............................................................................. 82Culture and reputation ........................................................................ 82Company financials ............................................................................. 83

Ready, Aim, Fact-Find .................................................................................... 83Preparation Rocks! ........................................................................................ 87

Chapter 7: Your Close-Up: Personality Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89Personality Testing Means Business ........................................................... 89What You May Not Know about Personality Tests ................................... 90

Asking questions before the test ....................................................... 90Anyone can write a personality test, but is it validated? ............... 91Finding out what a test measures ...................................................... 92Most popular general traits ................................................................ 92Who’s most likely to use tests............................................................ 93Your civil rights in testing .................................................................. 93Peeking into privacy issues ................................................................ 93

Making the Grade on Job Tests ................................................................... 94Visualize yourself fitting in ................................................................. 94Watch for combination tests .............................................................. 95Beware of absolutes ............................................................................ 95Choose answers suggesting positive traits ...................................... 95Avoid answers suggesting negative traits ........................................ 96Be alert to replayed questions ........................................................... 97Anticipate integrity test questions .................................................... 97Take practice personality tests.......................................................... 98

Sample Personality Questions ..................................................................... 98Concerned That You Didn’t Do Well? ......................................................... 99Keep On Keeping On ................................................................................... 100

Chapter 8: Showing You the Money . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101Decoding Recruiters and Their Talking Points ........................................ 102

Tactics meant to sell low offers ....................................................... 102Recruiter comebacks when you stick up for yourself................... 103New thinking for new times .............................................................. 104

Discovering Market Pay Rates ................................................................... 105Finding salary information online .................................................... 105Handling salary boxes in online applications ................................... 105

Negotiating in the Moment ......................................................................... 107Giving and taking at the right times ................................................ 107Understanding why salary questions come early ......................... 110


Stalling Money Talk with Smart Replies ................................................... 111Downplaying a Low Salary History ............................................................ 112Considering More Factors That Affect Job Pay ....................................... 113Getting Your Worth’s Money ..................................................................... 114

Find a home in the range .................................................................. 114Plot your salary history carefully .................................................... 115Stonewalled? Try to upgrade the job .............................................. 116Use dramatic silence ......................................................................... 116Turn to words of last resort ............................................................. 117No flexibility? Make creative suggestions ....................................... 117

Using the Magic of Market Value ............................................................... 118

Chapter 9: Costuming Yourself for a Starring Role . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119You Are What You Wear ............................................................................. 119Starting Well to End Well ............................................................................ 120Minding the Three Commandments of Style ............................................ 121

Dress to fit the job and the job’s culture ........................................ 121Think of interviewing attire as a costume ...................................... 122“Look the part, and the part plays itself” ....................................... 122

Changing with the Times: Dress Codes .................................................... 123Surveys spotlight more casual wardrobe ....................................... 123Body art is drawing new fans ........................................................... 124Oh pantyhose, oh pantyhose, wherefore art thou pantyhose? ........125

Selecting from the Basic Types of Interview Wardrobes ....................... 126Remaining conservative .................................................................... 126Cruising business casual ................................................................... 128Working in casual wear ..................................................................... 130Selecting creative fashion ................................................................. 130

Guessing at Tomorrow’s Styles ................................................................. 131

Chapter 10: Beat Stage Fright with the R-Word: Rehearse . . . . . . . .133Refocusing Attitude Can Calm Nerves ...................................................... 133

Three steps to fright-free interviewing ........................................... 134More techniques to stop stressing out ........................................... 134

Practicing with a Video Recorder .............................................................. 136Unlock the Power of Body Language ........................................................ 137Stage Directions for All Players ................................................................. 140Anticipating Interview Trapdoors ............................................................. 141

Disruptions ......................................................................................... 141Silent treatment .................................................................................. 141

Take One . . . Take Two . . . Take Three . . . .............................................. 142

Job Interviews For Dummies, 4th Edition xivChapter 11: Looking Good with Questions You Ask. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143

Asking Selling Questions before the Offer ................................................ 144Asking Self-Interest Questions after the Offer .......................................... 145Drawing Out Hidden Objections ................................................................ 146Asking Certain Questions Very Carefully ................................................. 147Ending Suspense by Asking the Right Question ...................................... 148

Chapter 12: Closing the Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149Making a Strategic Exit ................................................................................ 150

Your parting sales pitch .................................................................... 150Leaving the door open ...................................................................... 151

How Hard Should You Sell? ........................................................................ 152Follow Up or Fall Behind ............................................................................. 153

Letters ................................................................................................. 153E-mail ................................................................................................... 156Other digital media ............................................................................ 157Telephone calls .................................................................................. 157Reminding your references .............................................................. 158

Pre-Employment Contracts Promise Protection for Everyone .............. 159Last Chance to Back Out ............................................................................ 161Your After-Interview Checklist ................................................................... 162Onward and Upward ................................................................................... 163

Part III: Actors’ Studio: Casting Your Character .......... 165

Chapter 13: Opening Acts for Younger Talent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .167So What’s the Problem? .............................................................................. 167Beating a Bad Rap on Work Ethic .............................................................. 168Tips for Millennials ...................................................................................... 169Scripts for Millennials ................................................................................. 170Good Times and Your Future ..................................................................... 172

Chapter 14: Selling Scripts for Career Switchers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173Remembering Career Change Basics ........................................................ 174Eyeing the Best Career-Change Tips ......................................................... 175Leveraging Crossover Skills for Change ................................................... 177Say What? Say This When You’re in Change Mode ................................. 178Steer Clear of Snap Judgments .................................................................. 180

Chapter 15: Star Turns for Prime-Timers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181Understanding How Employers See the Age Issue .................................. 181Showing That You Improve with Age ........................................................ 182

Age and job performance.................................................................. 182Age and money ................................................................................... 182Age and attitude ................................................................................. 183

xv Table of Contents

Outing Elephants: Address Age Issues ..................................................... 184Overcoming the Overqualified Label ........................................................ 185Mastering Top Tips for Prime-Timers ....................................................... 188Keeping Your Career Fit ............................................................................. 189

Part IV: Lights, Camera, Talk! Answering Questions ....... 191

Chapter 16: What Can You Tell Me About Yourself? . . . . . . . . . . . . . .193But First, Who Are You — Really? ............................................................. 193

The problem with multiple identities.............................................. 194Examples of online multifaceted identities .................................... 194

Putting Out Identity Fires ........................................................................... 196Untangle a same-name mix-up.......................................................... 196Project Renaissance-quality talent .................................................. 197

Doing Your Best in an Online Job Market ................................................ 198Answering a Very Broad Question about Yourself ................................. 198

Shade your answers to pack a punch ............................................. 200Narrow the question .......................................................................... 200

Writing Your Marketing Pitch .................................................................... 200Crafting Personal Commercials ................................................................. 201Raising the Curtain on Specific Questions about You ............................ 203Mastering More to Tell about Yourself ..................................................... 210

Chapter 17: What Do You Know about This Job and Our Company? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .213

Understanding Job, Company, Industry — and How They All Fit Together .............................................................................................. 213

The Questions .............................................................................................. 214

Chapter 18: What Are Your Skills and Competencies? . . . . . . . . . . . .217Recognizing Questions about Your Skills ................................................. 218Answering Questions about Your Skills ................................................... 219The Questions .............................................................................................. 220

Chapter 19: How Does Your Experience Help Us?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .225Making Your Experience Relevant ............................................................ 225The Questions .............................................................................................. 226

Chapter 20: What Education Do You Have?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .233Right Degree, Wrong Degree, No Degree? Making the Best with

What You Have ......................................................................................... 233Talking around an education obstacle ............................................ 234Heading back to school ..................................................................... 234

xvi Job Interviews For Dummies, 4th Edition

Boomers: High on Adaptability .................................................................. 235The Questions .............................................................................................. 236Millennials: High on Education, Low on Experience ............................... 238The Questions .............................................................................................. 238

Chapter 21: What about Your Special Situation? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243Pulling Back the Curtain ............................................................................. 243When You’ve Long Been in the Same Job ................................................ 244When You’ve Served Prison Time ............................................................. 245When You’re Shoved out the Door ............................................................ 246When Sexual Orientation Is up for Discussion ........................................ 248

Attitudes are a mixed bag ................................................................. 248Be clear about your prospects ......................................................... 249Recognize when it’s time to disclose .............................................. 249

When You’ve Worked Everywhere ............................................................ 251When Gaps Drill Holes in Your History .................................................... 252When You’re Demoted a Notch ................................................................. 253When People in Recovery Interview ......................................................... 254When Women Are Put on the Spot ............................................................ 255When Disabilities Are Revealed ................................................................. 257

Chapter 22: How Should You Answer a Questionable Question? . . . . .259Noting Questionable Questions ................................................................. 259Defining Illegal Questions ........................................................................... 260Defining Inappropriate Questions ............................................................. 260Think First, Answer Second ....................................................................... 261Redirect Inappropriate Questions ............................................................. 262Rehearsing Dicey Questions ...................................................................... 263


Chapter 23: Ten Tips to Avoid Rotten Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .269Bring Storytelling into Prime Time ............................................................ 269Go in Knowing Your Lines .......................................................................... 270Leave the Begging to Others ...................................................................... 270Share the Stage with Dignity ...................................................................... 270Remember How a Star Is Born ................................................................... 270Avoid Ad Libbing Ad Infinitum ................................................................... 271Keep in Mind the Interviewer Is Not Your New Best Friend .................. 271Know That Faulty Assumptions Equal Faulty Interviewing ................... 271Keep Emotions out of the Interview .......................................................... 272Ask Questions That Show You Care Where You Go ............................... 272

xvii Table of Contents

Chapter 24: Ten Tricky Questions to Watch Out For . . . . . . . . . . . . . .273Spot Purpose Behind Each Question ........................................................ 273

Why’ve you been out of work so long? How many others were laid off? Why you? ................................................................. 274

If employed, how do you manage time for interviews? ................ 274How did you prepare for this interview? ........................................ 274Do you know anyone who works for us? ........................................ 275Where would you really like to work? Doing what? ...................... 275What bugs you about coworkers or bosses? ................................. 275Can you describe how you solved a work/school problem? ....... 276Can you describe a work/school instance in which you

messed up? ..................................................................................... 276How does this position compare with others you’re applying for?

Are you under consideration by other employers now? ........... 276If you won the lottery, would you still work? ................................. 277

When You’re Uncertain ............................................................................... 277

Chapter 25: Tens of Lines on the Cutting Room Floor . . . . . . . . . . . . .279From the Time Machine: News You Can’t Use ......................................... 279

Appendix: Questions by Career Fields and Industries ... 285Welcome to the Wrap Party ....................................................................... 285Accounting ................................................................................................... 286

Accountants and bookkeepers......................................................... 286Administrative ............................................................................................. 287

Receptionists ...................................................................................... 287Administrative assistants and secretaries ..................................... 288

Air Transportation ....................................................................................... 290Aircraft pilots ..................................................................................... 290

Education ...................................................................................................... 291Teachers ............................................................................................. 291

Engineering ................................................................................................... 292Engineers and engineering technicians .......................................... 292

Financial Services ........................................................................................ 293Financial analysts and sales agents ................................................. 293

Hospitality .................................................................................................... 295Hotel and restaurant personnel ....................................................... 295Cooks and food prep workers .......................................................... 295

Information Technology ............................................................................. 296Software engineers, programmers, and other IT specialists ....... 296

Law Enforcement ......................................................................................... 298Police officers ..................................................................................... 298

Legal Services ............................................................................................... 298Attorneys ............................................................................................ 299Paralegals ............................................................................................ 300

Job Interviews For Dummies, 4th Edition xviiiManagement ................................................................................................. 300

Managers (in general) ....................................................................... 300Marketing managers .......................................................................... 301

Nursing .......................................................................................................... 301Nurses ................................................................................................. 302

Sales .............................................................................................................. 303Retail salespersons, department managers, and

store managers ............................................................................... 303Salespersons (in general) ................................................................. 304

Index ....................................................................... 305

Introduction

I f you’d rather fight off an alien invasion than be grilled in an interview, take heart — you’ve come to the right guidebook. With the help of dozens

of interviewing authorities, I make your interviewing challenge easy, success-ful, and even fun (steal a peek at the last chapter).

I share with you lots of new things in this fourth edition of Job Interviews For Dummies, ranging from the cosmic shift sparked by the rise of social media that changes what privacy means, to increasingly popular video interviewing that changes how communication occurs.

What hasn’t changed is the fundamental role in the employment process played by job interviews — those crucial meetings that seal the deal on who gets hired and who gets left on the outside looking in.

Job interviews are a slice of performance art. They’re staged theatrical sketches rather than X-rays of life histories. That’s why theater and drama are the themes of this book, and I hope you have some enjoyable moments with the show-biz motif.

So on with the show! With the help of this guidebook, you, too, can be a ShowStopper.

What Exactly Is a ShowStopper in Job Interviewing?

In the drama of job interviewing, a ShowStopper performance is one that wins so much enthusiastic, prolonged applause that the show is temporarily interrupted until the audience quiets down.

A ShowStopper meeting causes the interviewer to mentally shout, “Bravo! More!” Your stunning impact quickly translates to a preliminary decision in your favor. If follow-up interviews, testing, and reference checking support that reaction, a job offer is on its way to you. The employer may continue to see other candidates to round out the interview process, but in reality, no one else stands a chance of landing the job after you figuratively stop the show.

2 Job Interviews For Dummies, Fourth Edition

Job Interviews For Dummies is packed with the essentials of performing ShowStopper interviews:

✓ Strategies and techniques

✓ Sample dialogue and research tips

✓ The best answers to make-or-break questions

About This BookA guidebook of contemporary interview arts, Job Interviews For Dummies contains the distilled wisdom of hundreds of leading interview experts whose brains I’ve been privileged to pick for many years. By absorbing the guidance and tips I pass on in this guide, you can interview your way into a job by out-preparing and outperforming the other candidates.

Conventions Used in This BookTo assist your navigation of this guidebook, I’ve established the following conventions:

✓ I use italic for emphasis and to highlight either new words or terms I define.

✓ Web addresses appear in a special font to distinguish them from the regular type in the paragraph.

✓ Sidebars, which are shaded boxes of text, consist of information that’s interesting but not necessarily critical to your understanding of the topic.

Terms Used in This BookIs there another word for synonym? Would a fly without wings be called a walk? How is it possible to have a civil war? These one-liners from comedian George Carlin (www.georgecarlin.com) hint at the importance of words.

I use the following terminology in this guide to label specific roles and organizations:

3 Introduction

✓ A candidate or job seeker is a person applying for a job. (Another once-common label, applicant, is used less today because of a federal regula-tion that defines an applicant as one to be counted in discrimination monitoring. But applicant means the same thing.)

✓ An interviewer is someone interviewing a candidate for a job. An inter-viewee is a candidate being interviewed for a job.

✓ A human resources (or HR) specialist, HR manager, or screener is an employer sentry who is conducting a screening (preliminary) interview.

A hiring manager, hiring authority, decision maker, decision-making man-ager, or department manager is a management representative who is con-ducting a selection interview and who has the authority to actually hire a person for a specific position. (Read about the differences in screening and selection interviews in Chapters 2 and 5.)

✓ A company, employer, or organization is the entity you hope to work for, whether private and profit-making, or private and nonprofit. Agency implies employment in the government (public) sector.

✓ A recruiter (also called a headhunter) is an intermediary between the employer and you. Internal recruiters work inside the company, either as regular employees of the human resources department or as contract employees. Third-party recruiters or independent recruiters are external recruiters, some of whom are employed as retained recruiters on an ongoing basis, while most are employed on a transaction basis as contingency recruiters and are paid only when a candidate they submit is hired.

✓ A career coach (also called a career consultant) helps job seekers gain workplace opportunities. (A career counselor and a career coach represent two different professions, although their work sometimes overlaps.)

✓ A hiring professional is any of the aforementioned professionals who is engaged internally or externally in the employment process.

Foolish AssumptionsI assume you picked up this book for one of the following reasons:

✓ You’ve never been through a competitive interview and you’re freaking out. You need a couple thousand friendly pointers from someone who’s interviewed many of the marquee minds in the job interview business and lived to write about it.

✓ You’ve been through a competitive interview and assume the company sank like Atlantis because you never heard a peep from those folks again. Or maybe you could have done better and actually heard back if you’d have known more about what you were doing in this interview thing.


✓ The most important interview of your career is coming up. You realize that now is the hour to dramatically improve your interviewing success. You need help, and you’re willing to learn and work for success.

✓ You’ve been through a slew of job interviews over the course of your career and have a hunch that some important things have changed (you just don’t know what exactly). You want to catch up with the help of a trusted resource.

✓ You want to be in the interviewing know and are sure that the authors of For Dummies books will give you the goods. You rely on For Dummies books to get the facts you need to succeed without jumping through verbal hoops until your eyes pop out of your head.

I further assume that you’re someone who likes reliable, comprehensive information that gets to the point without rocking you to sleep. And I assume even further that you like your expertise with a smile now and then.

How This Book Is OrganizedBefore he was famous, superstar George Clooney auditioned for a televi-sion stereo commercial with a six-pack of beer tucked under his arm; he had researched the type of actor the advertiser wanted for the role, one whose attitude revealed the casual poise of a couch potato. He got the gig.

Later, Clooney explained the contribution of performance in both theatrical auditioning and job interviewing. He noted that the actor who lands the job isn’t always the most talented, but the one who makes the best impression: “You get the job when you walk in the door. Because in a weird way, we’re not selling acting. What we’re selling is confidence.”

Appearance. Performance skills. Confidence. All are winning — and learnable — traits in job interviews as well as theatrical auditions. This guidebook shows you these traits and much, much more in the following five useful categories.

Part I: And the Interview Winner Is . . . You!This part opens with an overview of what’s happening right now in job interviewing circles, beginning with the theme of this guidebook: Interviews are theater. A spotlight on new topics is next, including the growing impact of screening interviews, the spread of video interviewing, and interesting interview variations in a global marketplace. The conclusion is a review of 18 formats you may encounter, from behavior-based interviews to mealtime interviews.

5 Introduction

Part II: Backstage Researching and RehearsingIn this part, I show you how to explore the backstage preparation that drives interview success. You learn how to research employers, understand per-sonality tests, negotiate salary, dress like a star, overcome stage fright, look smart with questions you ask, and say all the right things to hold the door open to gracefully check back with the interviewer for progress reports on filling the job.

Part III: Actors’ Studio: Casting Your CharacterAre you a new graduate who’s getting ready for your debut career interview and concerned about coming across as a clueless beginner? An experienced person who feels miscast and wants desperately to change careers? A job-search veteran whose presentation persona may need a touch-up? I show you how to tailor your interviews for job offers, whether you’re a rookie, career refugee, or prime-timer.

Part IV: Lights, Camera, Talk! Answering QuestionsHow do you deal with the heart and soul of the interview, the questions? Turn to this part to find out. Here you immediately discover how to deliver a ShowStopper’s response to each major question employers are almost cer-tain to ask. I present the answers in a crisp style that puts you far ahead of your competitors.

Part V: The Part of TensBe ready to bag quick, surefire tips that help you put a five-star shine on your performance. You’ll also learn how to avoid falling through trapdoors with the wrong answers to trick questions. As you leave the stage triumphantly, take a few minutes to smile as you read an irreverent group of statements that super-stars of history may have made on a job interview, if they’d had one.


Icons Used in This BookFor Dummies signature icons are the little round pictures you see in the mar-gins of the book. I use them to focus a searchlight on key bits of information. Here’s a list of the icons you find in this book:

This icon flags news you can use that you won’t want to forget.

Bravo! This icon heralds star-quality lines and moves that prompt job offers.

A bad review for a poor performance. This icon signals situations in which you may find trouble if you don’t make a good decision.

Advice and information that can put you on award-winning pathways in your interview follow this icon. It lets you in on interviewing best practices.

Where to Go from HereOn the stress scale of life, job interviewing ranks with making a speech before 500 people when you can’t remember your name or why you’re standing in a spotlight at a podium. The spot where you start in this guidebook book depends on your present needs:

✓ When you have a job interview tomorrow, quickly read Chapter 1 for an overview, followed by Chapters 23 and 24 for an instant infusion of key know-how. Additionally, go to the company’s website to glean as much basic information as you can. Don’t forget to read the company’s press releases.

✓ When you have a few days before you’re scheduled for an interview, read Chapter 1 and then flip through the Table of Contents to the chap-ters dealing with your most pressing concerns. Pay attention to Chapter 12, which reveals how to stack the deck in your favor during the closing minutes of your interview.

✓ When you have plenty of time, read the book from cover to cover. Practice recommended strategies and techniques. After you master the information in these pages, you’ll have a special kind of insurance policy that pays big dividends for as long as you want to work.

Part IAnd the Interview Winner is … You!

In this part . . .

I nterviews are theater, and in this part, I start off by showing you how that’s true and what it means for

your role in an interview — giving you the rundown on interviews from rehearsal to curtain call.

This part also gives you the details about where interviewing stands now — the scenarios you might encounter (screening interviews, video interviewing, opportunities abroad) and the styles of interviews that stand between you and your new job.

Chapter 1

Job Interviews Are Show Biz. Seriously!

In This Chapter▶ Why job interviewing is Drama 101▶ Spotting what’s new in interviewing▶ Auditioning your best self in an interview▶ Applying seven concepts to make you a star▶ Putting into practice more ideas that win Oscars

A resume or profile functions as bait to snag a job interview. The inter-view is the decisive event when a hiring authority decides whether

you’ll be offered the job.

Because the job interview is the single most important part of getting a job — and you may not have interviewed in awhile — any number of unfortunate scenarios may be sneaking into your subconscious, including fears of these confidence-disturbers:

✓ Stumbling and mumbling your way through the ordeal

✓ Being glued to a hot seat as they sweat the answers out of you

✓ Forgetting your interviewer’s name (or the last place you worked)

Exhale. You’ve come to the right book. Take the suggestions within these pages to heart, and you’ll head into every interview feeling confident, calm, and well prepared. What more can you ask?

10 Part I: And the Interview Winner Is . . . You!

Interviewing As TheaterWhen you’re engaged in a selection interview, your entire future may rest on how successful you are in presenting yourself to a stranger across a desk in 15, 30, or 60 minutes. Making life-altering decisions during this micro slice of time isn’t real life — it’s show biz.

Like reality shows on TV, interviews are based on reality but, in fact, are staged. And as in reality shows, only one survivor beats the competition to win the prize.

The most successful interviews for you require solid preparation to learn your lines, showing your future bosses that you’re smart and quick on the uptake, as well as able to communicate and not likely to jump the tracks.

At each meeting, your goal is to deliver a flawless performance that rolls off your tongue and gets the employer applauding — and remembering — you. Perfect candidate, you!

But what about all the people who tell you, “Just be yourself and you’ll do fine in your interview”? That advice doesn’t always work for you in the the-ater of job interviewing.

Why “be yourself” can be poor adviceA scene in the movie Children of a Lesser God features a speech teacher (William Hurt) and a deaf janitor (Marlee Matlin) duking it out in a jolting battle of wits.

In a climactic verbal battle, the janitor signs to the speech teacher, “Let me be me,” to which the speech teacher replies, “Well, who the hell are you?” There is no answer.

The troubled janitor isn’t the only one who has trouble with that question. The bromide “Be yourself” is very difficult to articulate with consistency. Be yourself? Which self? Who is the real you? Our roles change at various times.

Your role: Job seekerJerry is a father, an engineer, a marathon runner, a public speaker, a law stu-dent at night, and a writer of professional papers. Jennifer is a loving daugh-ter, the best salesperson in her company, a pilot, a tennis player, a football fan, and a history buff.

But at this time in their lives, Jerry and Jennifer — like you — are playing the role of a job seeker. Similarly, the stranger across an interviewing desk is playing the role of interviewer.

11 Chapter 1: Job Interviews Are Show Biz. Seriously!

Getting real about the job seeker rolePlaying the role most appropriate to you at a given time, and playing it effectively enough to get you the job you deserve, isn’t turning your back on authenticity. To do less than play the role of a hard-charging job seeker courts unemployment — or underemployment.

Why “be natural” can be poor adviceFirst-cousin advice to urging you to “be yourself” in a job interview is the “be natural” admonition. On the whole, isn’t natural better than artificial? Not always.

Is combed hair natural? Shaved legs? Trimmed beard? Polished shoes? How about covering a cough in public? Or not scratching where you itch?

Being natural in a job interview is fine as long as you don’t use your desire to be natural and authentic as an excuse to display your warts or blurt out nega-tive characteristics.

Never treat a job interview as a confessional in which you’re obligated to dis-close imperfections, indiscretions, or personal beliefs that don’t relate to your future job performance.

Job interviews are time-centric. Every minute counts in the getting-to-know-you game. And to really know someone in a brief encounter of 15, 30, or 60 minutes is simply impossible. Instead of real life, each participant in an inter-view sees what the other participant(s) wants seen. If you doubt that, think back: How long did you need to really get to know your roommate, spouse, or significant other?

If you insist on being natural, an employer may pass you over because of your unkempt beard or unshined shoes, or because you don’t feel like smiling that day.

The things you’ve done to date — your identification of your skills, your resume and profile, your cover letter, your networking, your social media efforts — all are wasted if you fail to deliver a job interview that produces a job offer.

Because job interviewing is show biz, make the most of your critical brief encounters by learning the acting skills of storytelling, using body language, establishing rapport, and more in this modern interview guide.


New Faces, New Factors in InterviewingAre you having trouble staking out your future because you can’t close the sale during job interviews? This mangled proverb states the right idea:

If at first you don’t succeed . . . get new batteries.

Recharge yourself with knowledge of the new technology and trends that are affecting job interviews. Here are highlights of the contemporary job inter-view space.

Curtain going up on tech trendsClassic interviewing skills continue to be essential to job search success, but more technology firepower is needed in a world growing increasingly com-plex, interconnected, and competitive.

The new tech trends revolutionize all components of the job search, includ-ing the all-important job interview. Here are examples of technological new-comers and how they change interviewing practices:

✓ Lighting up screens: Both live and recorded video job interviews are coming of age, requiring that you acquire additional skills and tech-niques to make the cut. Chapter 3 is a primer on how you can outflank your competition by presenting like a pro in video interviews.

✓ One and done: Automated and recorded phone screening services permit employers to ask up to a dozen canned screening questions and allow candidates up to two minutes to answer each question. Informed interviewees anticipate the questions and must hit their marks the first time because there are no do-overs on recorded answers. Read about this technology in Chapter 2.

✓ The real deal? Credibility issues are surfacing for multitalented job seekers (or those with a checkered work background) who, by posting various resumes and profiles online, come across as different people with different skill sets. This development can be a knock-out punch for you in a tight job market where employers have plenty of candidates on offer. Sidestep the emerging problem of identity contradictions in inter-views by following the advice offered in Chapter 16.

✓ Deep web woes: Employers can hire a service to dig deep beyond the usual suspects (Facebook and Twitter) to check out your online history. The service rakes through closed databases in the deep web, leaving vir-tually no secrets unrevealed. If the deep web reveals negative informa-tion, you may get a chance to defend yourself in an interview — or you may never know why you struck out. See Chapter 16 for more informa-tion on this 21st-century sleuthing tool.


Expect new kinds of interviewersIf the last time you trod the boards of job interviewing you went one to one with a single interviewer, usually a white man or woman, get ready for a dif-ferent set of questioners, like these possibilities:

✓ A veteran team of six managers — individually or collectively

✓ A hiring manager (especially in technical and retail fields) who is two decades younger than you

✓ Someone of another color or heritage

Turn to Chapter 5 for a broader picture of group interviews, and to Chapter 15 for a good tip on interviews with younger bosses.

Showcase your ability to start fastBecause you can’t count on being on the job more than a few years — or, in contract assignments, a few months — the hiring spotlight lasers in on com-petencies and skills you can use from Day One. The question is, What can you do for our company immediately?

You can come across as ready to blast off if you do enough research on the company’s goals (increase revenues, reduce costs, acquire new market share, land larger accounts, create a technical breakthrough), think about how you can help the company reach those goals, and remain ready to speak the insider jargon of the industry.

If the job you’re applying for isn’t at the professional or managerial level, research the nature of the company’s business, assume that it wants to make or save money, and stock up on a few good buzzwords used in the industry.

Scope out more ways to show your launch speed in Chapter 6.

Overcome job-hopping objectionThe current employer-driven job market makes it easy for companies to buy into the “job-hopper objection” and, as a matter of policy, turn away unemployed candidates and people who’ve held three jobs in five years. Unfortunately, many of these automatic rejects have been trapped in a cycle of frequent layoff’s, part-time work, temp assignments, seasonal employment, contract jobs, freelance gigs, and company shutdowns.

Some companies refuse to hire so-called job hoppers, claiming that they’ll quit before employers can get a return on their training investment — or that, if the unemployed candidates were any good, they’d be on someone’s payroll.


What’s a sincere, hard-working person to do? Try this quartette of basic rebuttals:

✓ Say varied experience beats repeated experience. Explain how your dynamic work history makes you a far more vibrant and resourceful contributor than if you’d been stationary for four years.

✓ Briefly explain departures. Give a reasonable, short, even-toned account of why you left each job. (It wasn’t your fault.)

✓ Review your accomplishments. You can’t change the amount of time you were on certain jobs, but you can divert the focus to your accom-plishments and contributions. Employers are impressed by candidates who are good at what they do, even if they had only a short period of time in the role.

✓ Confirm interest in stable employment. Forget the “loyalty” chatter. Make a point of your intense interest in a stable opportunity where you can apply all your considerable know-how for the employer’s benefit.

Chapter 19 offers more suggestions on how to maximize the value of your experience.

Cut out the loyalty oathAnswers to certain questions are pretty much the same year after year, but watch out for one humdinger requiring a new response: Why do you want to work here? The old “I’m looking for a home and I’ll be loyal to you forever” statements don’t play as well as they once did.

Many employers now solicit contract employees — no muss, no fuss in get-ting them out the door when a project’s finished or when a decision is made to outsource the work.

Rather than pledge eternal fidelity, talk about your desire to do the work. Talk about how you are driven to funnel substantial amounts of productivity into the job quickly. Talk about wanting to use your superior technology skills. Talk about your interest in work that excites you, work that matters.

But fidelity? Pass on that as a theme song; it won’t make the charts today.

Stock up on what you should say instead of talking about loyalty in Chapters 16, 17, 18, and 19.


Learn new lines for small-business jobsHave you grown up professionally in a large-company environment? If so, carefully consider the answers you give when applying to small companies. Such a move can happen sooner than you think if you’re forced into an invol-untary change of employment. Prime-timers in countless droves are discover-ing that the small company sector is where the action is for them.

Emphasize different aspects of your work personality than the ones you emphasize when interviewing for a big company. Interviewers at big compa-nies and small companies have different agendas.

Among the reasons owners of small ventures reject former big-company people are these stereotypical perceptions: People who come out of Big Corporate America often are thought to be

✓ Unaware of the needs of small business

✓ Too extravagant in their expectations of resources and compensation

✓ Too spoiled to produce double the work product their former jobs required

✓ Unwilling to wear more than one job hat at a time

✓ Deadwood, or they wouldn’t have been cut loose from the big company

Chapters 15, 17, and 18 can help you with this issue.

Get ready for the global job interviewFor professional jobs, the basic format of interviews globally is Western style, accomplishment oriented, but cultural interviewing differences among nations still matter. Newcomers to the United States may be surprised to learn, for example, that they aren’t expected to dress in pinstriped suits to interview for a technology job, nor are they encouraged to speak extensively of family and other personal issues.

Americans who hope to work overseas for the first time may be surprised at such local customs as those of China, where interviewees are expected to nod, showing that they’re listening and understanding the Chinese speaker who is communicating in English, or of certain European countries, where a female candidate may be asked directly, “Are you pregnant?”

Chapter 4 tackles the emerging body of buzz about international interviewing.


Polish your storytelling skillsBehavior-based interviewing is said to predict future performance based on past performance in similar situations. The behavioral interviewing style isn’t new, but it seems to be more popular than ever.

Advocates of the behavioral style claim that it is 55 percent predictive of future on-the-job behavior, compared to traditional interviewing, at only 10 percent predictive. The reasoning is, “If you acted a certain way once, you’ll act that way again.” Solid proof of this claim is hard to come by. But for you as a job seeker, it doesn’t matter the least bit whether the claim is true or false. The behavioral style is such a big deal with employers today that you need to know how to use the style to your advantage.

It works like this: Interviewers ask candidates to tell them a story of a time when they reacted to a certain situation. How did you handle an angry cus-tomer? Describe an example of a significant achievement in your last job. The more success stories you can drag in from your past, the more likely the interviewers using this approach will highly rate your chances of achieving equivalent success in the future.

Read more about behavior-based interviewing in Chapter 5.

Focus on fitting in“We chose another candidate who is a better job fit” is another familiar reason that seems to be heard today more often than before when explaining to a disappointed job seeker why someone else got the job.

In the workplace, “fit” essentially refers to how an individual fits into a com-pany’s culture. Company culture is expressed in the values and behaviors of the group, which forms a kind of “tribe” or, to use an analogy from high school, an “in crowd.”

The culture typically flows from company or department chieftains: If the boss wears long sleeves, you wear long sleeves; if the boss shows a sense of humor, you show a sense of humor; if the boss works until 6 o’clock, you work until 6 o’clock.

When you’re given the not-the-best-fit-for-the-job rejection, the reason is

✓ A convenient short and legally safe answer

✓ A cover story

✓ A belief that the hiring decision makers perceive you won’t fit in well with the “tribe”


When the reason really is the fit issue, decision makers may think that you can do the job but that you won’t do it the way they want — and, further-more, they just don’t feel at ease with you.

Instead of losing sleep over a fit-based turn-down, move on. Do better prein-terview research (see Chapter 6). At least you won’t waste time on compa-nies well known for being a fortress of round holes when you’re a square peg.

Seven Concepts to Make You a StarYou’ve heard it said over and over that you have only one chance to make a first impression. It’s especially true for job interviewing, so make that first impression pay off. Read these seven super tips to make the hiring gods choose you at job interviews.

Go all out in planning aheadPreparation makes all the difference in whether you get the best offers as you face intense scrutiny, field probing questions, and reassure employers who are afraid of making hiring mistakes. You must show that you’re tuned in to the company’s needs, that you have the skills to get up to speed quickly, and that you’re a hand-in-glove fit with the company.

Fortunately, never in history has so much information about companies and industries been so easily accessible, both in print and online. Chapter 6 gives tons of tips on researching your audience.

Distinguish screening from selection interviewsAs hiring action is increasingly concentrated in smaller companies, the sepa-ration between screening and selection interviews fades: The same person may do both types. But traditionally, here’s how the types, which I cover in Chapter 5, differ.

Screening interviewsIn large organizations, interviewing is usually a two-stage process. A screen-ing specialist eliminates all candidates except the best qualified. The screen-ing interview is usually conducted by telephone or video interviews instead of face-to-face in the same room. Survivors are passed to a manager (or panel of managers) who selects the winning candidate.


Screeners are experienced interviewers who look for reasons to screen you out based on your qualifications. Screeners can reject, but they cannot hire. They won’t pass you on to hiring managers if your experience and education don’t meet the specifications of the job.

When you’re being interviewed by a screener, be pleasant and neutral. Volunteer no strong opinions. Raise no topics, except to reinforce your quali-fications. Answer no questions that aren’t asked — don’t look for trouble.

But do remember to smile a lot.

Selection interviewsBy the time you’re passed on to a hiring authority who makes the selection, you’re assumed to be qualified or you wouldn’t have made it that far along the channels of employment. You’re in a pool of “approved” candidates chosen for the selection interview.

At a selection interview, move from neutral into high gear if the person doing the interview will be your boss or colleague. No more bland behavior — turn up the wattage on your personality power. This is the best time to find out whether you’ll hit it off with the boss or colleagues, or fit into the company culture.

Verify early what they want and show how you deliver

Almost as soon as you’re seated in a selection interview, ask the interviewer to describe the scope of the position and the qualifications of the ideal person for it.

Although you’ve already done this research when you’re going for ShowStopper status, use this question to confirm your research. If you’re wrong, you must know immediately that you need to shift direction.

(Insider’s note: This super tip was shared with me by several career manage-ment hall-of-famers, including the late Bernard Haldane.)

How can you adapt the tell-me-what-you-want tip when you’re dealing with multiple interviewers? That’s easy: Direct your question to the senior panel member and wait for an answer. Then gaze around the group and ask, “Does anyone have something to add to the ideal person description?”

Confirming your research (or gaining this information on the spot) is the key to the entire interview. You now know for sure the factors upon which the hiring decision is made and how to target your answers.


Connect all your qualifications with a job’s requirementsIf a quick glance at your notes reminds you that the interviewer missed a requirement or two listed in the job posting when describing the position’s scope and the ideal person for it, help the interviewer by tactfully bringing up the missing criteria yourself. Keep it simple:

I see from my notes that your posting asked for three years of experience. I have that and two years more, each with a record of solid performance in . . ..

You want to demonstrate that you take this job possibility seriously, an attitude that the employer will applaud. Winning job offers by targeting your interview performance to a company’s requirements is a logical follow-up to the resume targeting strategy that I explain in my book Resumes For Dummies, 6th Edition (John Wiley & Sons, 2011).

Memorize short-form sales statements about yourselfAlmost certainly, you will be asked to respond to some version of the “tell me about yourself” question (see Chapter 16). You’re not helping your hiring chances if you respond with a question that a 13-year-old might ask: “What do you want to know?” That naive approach makes you sound unprepared.

Instead, commit to memory a short-form sales statement (two minutes max, and preferably less than one minute) that describes your education, experi-ence, and skills, and matches your strengths to the jobs you seek.

Some people call such a statement a “commercial,” while others prefer the terms “elevator speech” or “profile summary.” Whatever you call it, after briefly reciting the facts of your background, make your statement sizzle by adding a couple personality sentences about such traits as your curiosity, commitment, and drive to succeed.

The “personal branding brief” is another version of the short-form sales state-ment. Used chiefly by professionals, managers, and executives, it’s incorpo-rated into all self-marketing opportunities, including job interviewing.

In personal branding, you become known for something — Jon Stewart for political satire and Serena Williams for tennis, for example. You don’t have to be famous to pursue personal branding, but you do have to be consistent in your efforts to develop your brand.


Your goal is to perfect a branding brief that tells your “story” — one that rolls off your tongue — in about 20 to 30 seconds, or in 100 words or less:

After I graduated from San Diego State University, I worked in the insurance industry until I took a break to start a family. That accomplished, I went back for refresher education. Now, thoroughly updated, I’m looking for a new con-nection in either the insurance or financial fields.

Learn much more about the pursuit of personal branding from renowned per-sonal branding expert Dan Schawbel (www.danschawbel.com), who literally wrote the book (the best-selling book) on the topic, Me 2.0: 4 Steps to Building Your Future (Kaplan Publishing).

The difference between a commercial and a branding brief is length and con-tent. A commercial is longer and includes more details than a cut-to-the-chase branding brief.

Win two thumbs up from the hiring manager, and you’re in!Likeability is a huge factor in choosing and keeping employees, as I note later in this chapter. Given a choice of technically qualified applicants, employers almost always choose the one they like best. For your purposes, remember this:

We like people who are like us.

How do you encourage the interviewer to think, “You and me against the problem” rather than “You against me”?

Beyond exchanging pleasantries, establishing mutual interests, connecting with eye contact, and other well-known bonding techniques, watch for spe-cial opportunities:

✓ Suppose your interviewer looks harried, with ringing telephones and people rushing about interrupting your talk. Flash a sympathetic smile and commiserate: It looks like you’re having one of those days. The sub-text of your comment is, I understand your frustrations. I’ve been in a simi-lar place. You and I are alike.

✓ Or suppose you’re showing a work sample. Ask if you can come around to the interviewer’s side of the desk to discuss your sample. You are looking at it “together.”


Forget about age, color, gender, or ethnic background. Do whatever you rea-sonably can to make the hiring manager believe the two of you are cut from similar cloth.

To rewrite the famous 20th-century Broadway wit and playwright Damon Runyon:

The part goes not always to those we like, nor the hiring to our twins, but that’s the way to bet.

Try not to talk money until you know they want you

When the salary question comes up at the beginning of an interview, say that money isn’t your most important consideration — nor should it be at this point.

Admittedly, stalling salary talk until a better time is much more difficult today than it was a decade ago. But you should be holding out for the market value of the new job, not settling for an inadequate figure of your present or previ-ous employment.

Only when you know the scope of the position and its market value — and that the company wants to hire you — are the stars in alignment to bargain in your best interest.

Read Chapter 8 for in-depth guidance on salary negotiation.

Take Home an Oscar from Any InterviewRookie? Prime-timer? Clerk? Chief executive officer? No matter. You can do exceptionally well by following certain performance routines that succeed in any interview scene. Some of these suggestions are basic and familiar, but most people who haven’t been on the interview tour for awhile can use the reminders.

Play the likeability cardWhen you’re up against a rigid requirement that you absolutely can’t meet and that you’re pretty sure is going to mean curtains for you in the interview, try this last-ditch compensatory response:


Let’s say that you were to make me an offer and I accept. What can I do when I start to further compensate for my lack of [requirement] as I work hard to relieve your immediate workload?

Essentially, you’re counting on your likeability. You’re asking the employer to revert to the philosophy of hiring for attitude and training for skill. You’re using the likeability qualification to plug your requirement gap.

As legendary recruiting guru Paul Hawkinson observes: “Likeability is a factor that can turn the tide in your direction. Although skill level and applicable experience trump at the beginning of the interview process, I’ve seen dozens of less-than-qualified people hired because the employer liked them better than the perfect candidate with the personality of a doorknob.’’

Everyone likes to work with agreeable, sunny people. People rarely hire someone they don’t like.

Soak up moves that make interviewers see you as an agreeable and calm person in Chapter 10.

Style your body languageInterviewers observe everything about you: not only your dress and inter-view answers, but your body language, facial expressions, posture, carriage, and gestures. If you’re a rookie, think dignity. If you’re a prime-timer, think energy. In between? Watch political candidates on TV for hints of what looks good and what doesn’t.

Confirm that your body language is sending the “Hire me!” message with tips in Chapter 10. Chapter 9’s up-to-date data on dress and appearance add even more nonverbal firepower to your candidacy.

Be a treat: Act upbeatSteer clear of negative words (such as hate, don’t ever want, absolutely not, and refuse). And avoid such risky topics as the knock-down, drag-out fights you had with that bonehead you used to work for — never knock the old boss. Your prospective new boss may empathize with your old boss and decide to never be your boss at all.

Chapters 7 and 14 throw more light on avoiding a maze of negativity and looking as though you’re a serial complainer who will never be satisfied.


Start your interview on the right footHere are four tips to help you make a good impression right off the bat:

✓ Find out in advance what to wear (see Chapter 9) and where the inter-view site is located. Make a trial run, if necessary.

✓ Be on time, be nice to the receptionist, read a business magazine while you’re waiting, and — surprise, surprise — don’t smoke, chew gum, or otherwise look as though you lack couth.

✓ Develop a couple icebreaker sound bites, such as comments about a nice office, attractive color scheme, or interesting pictures.

✓ Don’t sit until you’re asked or until the interviewer sits. Don’t offer to shake hands until the interviewer does.

During the interview, frequently use the interviewer’s name (but never use a first name unless you’re old friends). And remember to make a lot of eye contact by looking at the bridge of an interviewer’s nose. (Divert your gaze occasionally, or you’re perceived as more creepy than honest.)

Track down more suggestions for making yourself a memorable candidate in Chapter 11.

Remember that you have a speaking partCommunication skills are among the most desired qualities employers say they want. Answer questions clearly and completely. Be sure to observe all social skills of conversation — no interrupting, no profanity. Just as you shouldn’t limit yourself to one- or two-word answers, neither should you try to cover your nervousness with surround-sound endless talking. Aim for a happy medium.

Take in Chapter 16 for a savvy start on how to talk about yourself.

Revisit the dramatic pauseIn face-to-face live interviews, allowing a few moments of silence to pass, per-haps pausing to look at the ceiling or glance out an open window — taking time to think — can make you look wise and measured in your response. Pauses can raise the ante by reflecting disappointment in a salary offer. Pauses can suggest that you’re reluctant to travel 50 percent of the time but that you’re a team player and will consider the requirement.


A pause is effective body language and works great in live, face-to-face inter-views. But today’s interviewer may call on a telephone or use online video interviewing, and dead air time can make you appear dull-witted rather than contemplative.

Moral: Exercise judgment in using the reflective pause as a communications tool. (When you just don’t know the answer immediately, that’s another story; stall by asking for clarification.)

Rely on Chapter 3 for details on video body language and Chapter 8 for salary negotiation.

Agree to take pre-employment testsNo one likes those annoying pre-employment tests. Job seekers keep hoping they’ll drop off the face of the earth, but they’re with us still. When you want the job, you’re going to have to suck it up and test when asked. No test, no job.

Surviving a snippy interviewerShort of taking out a restraining order, what should you do when an interviewer’s manner is offensive?

That depends on who’s doing the talking. When the interviewer is the person who would be your boss, be certain that you’re not misunderstand-ing intent. If conversation really is disrespectful, bail out unless you want to spend most of your waking hours dealing with a difficult person. Show class. Just say, “Thank you for your time. I don’t think this job is a good fit for me.” (Payback: It may leave the interviewer regretful that you’re the good one who got away.)

But when the interviewer is doing preliminary screening, give the employer the benefit of the doubt by assuming that the interviewer doesn’t represent the entire company and will be work-ing five floors below you in a subbasement. Here are a few coping techniques:

✓ Smile and make a light remark: “Oh, do you think so? That bears watching.”

✓ Respond with a two-second nonanswer, and then quickly ask a question: “That’s an interesting observation. It reminds me to ask you, what role would the person in this position play in the new company product launch?”

✓ Pretend the rude remark is a dropped call that you didn’t hear, pause, and talk about your accomplishments or skills.

✓ When an interviewer keeps interrupting or contradicting you, look puzzled and ask for clarification. “Perhaps I’m not following you correctly. Can you please restate the ques-tion or explain what you mean by — ?”

When all else fails, remember the words of English writer Joanne Kathleen Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books: “Yet, sadly, acciden-tal rudeness occurs alarmingly often. Best to say nothing at all, my dear man.”


Race to Chapter 7 for survival clues when you hope to be the last one stand-ing after test time.

Flesh out your story beyond a college degreeEducation is a fulcrum for movement throughout your career, but relying on it alone to pull you through a competitive job search is a mistake. The mistake grows larger with too many mentions of an illustrious alma mater, assuming that the school’s marquee power is a hall pass to move forward.

For example, a couple mentions of Harvard in an interview are plenty; inter-viewers get it the first time. They wonder whether the Harvard background is the singular “accomplishment” a candidate offers.

Instead, spell out your accomplishments with true examples — what you learned and what you can do with your degree that benefit the employer.

In marketing a three-dimensional you, think of your education as one dimen-sion, your experience as a second dimension, and your accomplishment record as a third dimension. All are important.

Wait. Back up. If the interviewer is also a Harvard grad, three mentions is per-fectly okay. And if three is good, maybe four or five is better.

Chapter 5 is headquarters for storytelling tips; Chapters 16–20 show you how to fill in the blanks for your campus experience and beyond.

Bring a pen and notebook with youMaking a note here and there is advisable, as long as you don’t attempt to record a transcript. To illustrate, you need to jot down reminders to get back to the interviewer when you can’t answer a question from memory.

Brownie point: Writing down what someone says is flattering to the speaker.

Winning candidates are memorableComparing TV reality talent show winners to job interview candidates, Phoenix career coach Joe Turner (www.jobchange secrets.com) says it’s the total package that counts. “You don’t have to be the best

singer or dancer — just the most remembered decent performer. Same for the job interview. You don’t always have to be the best candidate with the top skills. You do have to find a way to be the most remembered hirable candidate.”


Fighting back on interview exploitationYou can lose your intellectual property through abuse of the job interview.

In the so-called performance interview for pro-fessional and managerial jobs, candidates are required to prove themselves with projects that demonstrate on-the-job skills, problem-solving capabilities, and communications abilities.

The employer asks for a proposal of how you would handle a company project or requests that you design a process the company can use. You’re told to be ready to “defend your ideas” at the interview.

Unfortunately, sometimes the free-sample demand is incredibly time-consuming (say, 80 hours) and costly ($200 and up in materials and research). You do your best, but suppose you don’t get the job. In an example of shoddy ethics, your work samples may be given to the victorious candidate, who then steals your viable creative ideas. In the following sections, I give you a few examples from stung readers of my newspaper and web column.

Portfolio scam

When applying to an advertising agency for a copywriting job, the owner asked me to leave my portfolio for review. He kept the portfolio and called on all the clients whose work was shown in the portfolio! Since then, I always respond to requests to leave or send my portfolio with this statement: “I need to be there to clarify the work shown. I will be glad to bring it, and we can discuss my work at your convenience.”

State government rip-off

When I applied for a significant and highly symbolic job with my state government, I was informed I had been selected but had to go through the formality of an interview with a key aide to the governor. As requested, I took materials and a plan for approaching the job’s goals to the confirmation interview. A long, official silence followed before a form letter

arrived stating that a less qualified professional, to whom I was a mentor, had won the position. The victor showed me the state’s plan of action: mine.

Consulting caper

My husband, an expert in human resources, spent two long days interviewing in a small town with the owner of a family company and his son. He gave them an unbelievable amount of advice and information to help their meager HR program, process management, and inte-grated product development. All we got out of that was reimbursement for a 200-mile car trip, a bad motel, and meals. That was our first real-ization of how small businesses, in particular, get almost-free consulting work.

Training trickery

I was a candidate for a city’s new training divi-sion chief. I had to spend several hours in the city’s computer labs designing programs and leaving them on CDs. I knew that, with my edu-cation and experience, I had done well.

A long-term firefighter with zero training expe-rience got the job with the city and used my materials for new employees!

Protecting Yourself

How do you avoid abuse without taking your-self out of the running for a job you want when you’re not sure about the real interview agenda? Here are two ideas:

✓ You can copyright your plan and place a valid copyright notice ©, along with the publication date and your name, on its cover as an indication of your underlying claim to ownership. For free information, contact the Copyright Office online at www.copyright.gov, or by mail at Registrar of Copyrights, Copyright Office, Library of Congress, 101 Independence Ave. SE, Washington, DC 20559.


Keep your ears up and your eyes openDon’t just sell, sell, sell. Take time to listen. When you’re constantly busy thinking of what you’re going to say next, you miss vital points and openings. So work on your listening skills. When you don’t understand an interviewer’s question, ask for clarification.

Observe the interviewer’s moves. Watch for three key signs: high inter-est (leaning forward), boredom (yawning or displaying a glazed look), or a devout wish to end the interview (stacking papers or standing up). After assessing where you stand with the interviewer, take the appropriate action:

✓ High interest suggests you’re stopping the show and should continue.

✓ The remedy for boredom is to stop and ask, Would you rather hear more about (whatever you’ve been talking about) or my skills in the ABC area?

✓ When the interviewer is ready to end the meeting, first ask whether the interviewer has any reservations about your fit for the job; if so, attempt to erase them.

For easier reading, see an excellent guide, The Copyright Handbook: What Every Writer Needs to Know, 11th Edition, by Stephen Fishman (Nolo Press; www.nolo.com).

✓ You can bluff, hoping to create a theft deter-rent by slapping a copyright notice and “Confidential — Property of (Your Name)” on your plan’s cover.

When you’re desperate or really, really, really want the job but don’t have the time, inclina-tion, or money to respond in full measure, offer something like this:

I’m glad that you see I have the brains and talent to bring value to your company. I’m happy, too, that you have the confidence in my work to ask me to handle such a poten-tially important solution to your marketing challenge. With my background, I’m sure I can do an outstanding job on this assign-ment. But you do realize, I hope, that such an important project would require 80 to 100 hours of intensely focused work. I’d enjoy

doing it, but, quite frankly, I have several other job interviews scheduled that I really can’t shift around. Do you think a sample of substantially smaller scope would serve as well for your purposes?

With a statement like this, you

✓ Remind the interviewer that you’re a top candidate

✓ Promise superior results

✓ Bring a reality check to a sensitive inter-viewer about what’s being asked of you

✓ Let the interviewer know others are inter-ested in you

✓ Propose to do much less work until a job offer crosses your palm

You can, of course, flatly refuse to part with advance goodies. In a seller’s market, you’ll probably be considered anyway. But in a buyer’s market, the likelihood is that you’ll be passed over when you decline to turn in a hefty free sample.


Then go into your interview closing mode (see Chapter 12). Gain a sense of timing and keep the door open for follow-up contact by asking three questions: What is the next step in the hiring process? When do you expect to make a decision? May I feel free to call if I have further questions?

Building Lifetime ConfidenceThis first chapter serves as an overview for the entire book. The pages that follow are wide and deep, with details that can help you gain a lifetime of con-fidence in your ability to sail through the drama of interviews and secure the best job offers.

Joyce Lain

Ken

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Part I: Visiting the World of Resumes, Today and Tomorrow .................................................... 7Chapter 1: Digital Age Changes Job Chase ..................................................................... 9Chapter 2: Finding Your Next Job in the Wide World of Social Media ...................... 17Chapter 3: Going Mobile: Resumes on Smartphones and Tablets ............................ 39Chapter 4: Familiar Search Tools That Haven’t Gone Away ...................................... 49Chapter 5: Do Due Diligence, Ditch Digital Dirt ........................................................... 65

Part II: Customizing Resumes: Your Many Faces in Many Places ................................................ 75Chapter 6: Target! The Generic Resume Has Nearly Dropped Dead ......................... 77Chapter 7: Chart a Cool Course to the Right Jobs ..................................................... 103Chapter 8: Content Makes the OnTarget Difference ................................................. 119

Part III: Resume Basics That Wow ’Em Every Time ..... 135Chapter 9: Creating Your Best Resume ....................................................................... 137Chapter 10: Wow Words Work Wonders .................................................................... 163Chapter 11: Refi ne Your Design for Great Looks ....................................................... 181Chapter 12: Passages: Resumes for Your Life’s Changing Phases........................... 197Chapter 13: Successful Solutions to Resume Problems ............................................ 221

Part IV: Bringing It All Together: Sample Resumes ..... 243Chapter 14: A Sampling of OnTarget Resumes by Industry and Career Field ....... 245Chapter 15: A Sampling of OnTarget Resumes by Experience Level and Age ....... 265Chapter 16: A Sampling of OnTarget Resumes for Special Circumstances ............ 285Chapter 17: A Sampling of Extreme Resume Makeovers .......................................... 305

Part V: The Part of Tens ........................................... 325Chapter 18: Ten (×3) Ways to Prove Your Claims ..................................................... 327Chapter 19: Ten Ways to Improve Your Resume ....................................................... 331Chapter 20: Ten Tips for Choosing Professional Resume Help ............................... 335Chapter 21: Your Ten-Point Resume Checklist .......................................................... 341

Index ...................................................................... 345

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About This Book .............................................................................................. 1Conventions Used in This Book ..................................................................... 1Foolish Assumptions ....................................................................................... 2How This Book Is Organized .......................................................................... 3

Part I: Visiting the World of Resumes, Today and Tomorrow ......... 3Part II: Customizing Resumes: Your Many Faces in Many Places .... 3Part III: Resume Basics That Wow ’Em Every Time ........................... 3Part IV: Bringing It All Together: Sample Resumes............................ 4Part V: The Part of Tens ........................................................................ 4

Icons Used in This Book ................................................................................. 4Where to Go from Here ................................................................................... 5

Part I: Visiting the World of Resumes, Today and Tomorrow ..................................................... 7

Chapter 1: Digital Age Changes Job Chase. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Resumes Are Here to Stay .............................................................................. 9Keeping Up with Resume Times .................................................................. 10

The targeted resume rules ................................................................. 10Unfi t resumes are zapped ................................................................... 11Tried-and-true techniques remain ..................................................... 12

Technologies Facilitate Job Search ............................................................. 13Social networking scoops jobs ........................................................... 14Mobile’s on the move .......................................................................... 14Quick-change process customizes content ..................................... 15Resumes fi nd digital docks ................................................................. 15Bios gain new importance .................................................................. 15“YourName.com” becomes vital ........................................................ 15

Chapter 2: Finding Your Next Job in the Wide World of Social Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

The Sweeping Reach of Social Networking ................................................ 18Eyeing the Big Three of Social Networking Job Search ............................ 19

LinkedIn keeps focus on professionals ............................................. 19Facebook hands adults important search tools .............................. 21Twitter opens quick, slick paths to employers ................................ 23

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Resumes For Dummies, 6th Edition xiiMaking Sure Online Profi les Capture Your Best Side ................................ 25

Let’s hear it for profi les! ...................................................................... 25Not all profi les should be cheered .................................................... 26Great tips for great profi les ................................................................ 27

Scope Out Top Profi le Samples ................................................................... 28Put Your Best Face Forward ........................................................................ 38

Chapter 3: Going Mobile: Resumes on Smartphones and Tablets . . .39

Earning New Rewards with Mobile Search ................................................. 40Knowing When to Stick to Home Computer Searches .............................. 40Powering a Mobile Search ............................................................................ 42

Choose job-search apps wisely .......................................................... 42Watch type size and font .................................................................... 43Empower RSS to send job news ......................................................... 43Stay in the running with a rehearsed salary strategy ..................... 43Pick your work site with GPS ............................................................. 44Score with proven keywords .............................................................. 45

Avoiding Mobile Job-Search Mistakes ........................................................ 45Thinking technology overcomes poor resume quality ................... 45Going on too long when going mobile ............................................... 46Looking naïve in following up............................................................. 46

Mobile: From Novelty to Necessity ............................................................. 47

Chapter 4: Familiar Search Tools That Haven’t Gone Away . . . . . . . .49

Plain-Text Resumes Stay on the Scene ....................................................... 50E-Forms: Fill in the Blankety-Blanks ............................................................ 53Scannable Resumes Get Used in a Pinch .................................................... 54Online Screening Guards the Employment Door ....................................... 56

Sample components of online screening .......................................... 57Pros and cons of online screening ..................................................... 58Can your resume be turned away? .................................................... 59

Blogs Give a Global Brand ............................................................................ 59RSS Delivers Job Alerts on Your Time ........................................................ 60Resume Blasting: A Really Bad Idea ............................................................ 61

Privacy and identity theft problems.................................................. 61Overexposure to recruiters ................................................................ 62

Job Search Technology Is Here to Stay ...................................................... 63

Chapter 5: Do Due Diligence, Ditch Digital Dirt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65

Online Life Is an Open Book ......................................................................... 66A look at the dark side ........................................................................ 66A look at the bright side ...................................................................... 67

Why Clean Up Your Act ................................................................................ 67Restore Your Online Reputation ................................................................. 68Keep Watch on Your Online Reputation .................................................... 69

Staying out of trouble online .............................................................. 70Looking like a champ online ............................................................... 72

Look Who’s Talking . . . About You ............................................................. 74

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Part II: Customizing Resumes: Your Many Faces in Many Places .......................................................... 75

Chapter 6: Target! The Generic Resume Has Nearly Dropped Dead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77

Targeted Resumes Conquer Generics ........................................................ 77Welcoming a Custom Lite Approach ........................................................... 78

Design-based approach: Two columns ............................................. 79Words-based approach: Plug and Play ............................................. 82

Plug and Play Resumes in Five Easy Steps ................................................. 83Step 1: Create a core resume .............................................................. 83Step 2: Create information modules .................................................. 83Step 3: Create a starter resume .......................................................... 85Step 4: Research target job positions................................................ 85Step 5: Create a targeted resume ....................................................... 86

Plug and Play Resume Sketches .................................................................. 87Allen’s backstory ................................................................................. 87Allen’s starter resume ........................................................................ 88Spinoff 1: Permanent substitute teacher .......................................... 92Spinoff 2: Training coordinator .......................................................... 92Spinoff 3: Background investigator.................................................... 92Spinoff 4: Contract specialist .............................................................. 93Spinoff 5: Park guide ............................................................................ 93

When Only Full Custom Resumes Will Work ............................................. 99Step 1: Prepare your core resume ................................................... 100Step 2: Research requirements of the job ...................................... 100Step 3: Customize your resume ....................................................... 100

Is Targeting Your Resume Really Necessary? .......................................... 100

Chapter 7: Chart a Cool Course to the Right Jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103

Different Docs for Digital Docks: Sending Your Resume in the Right Tech Form ............................................................................ 103

Resume question of the decade ....................................................... 104Essential new chart answers question of the decade ................... 104

Job Boards Are Alive and Changing .......................................................... 107Basic job board categories ............................................................... 107A snapshot of job-boards evolution ................................................ 108Forecasting job boards’ future ......................................................... 108

Hunting on Company Web Sites ................................................................ 109Fast-Forwarding: Job Search Engines ....................................................... 110

Using job search engines .................................................................. 111Meeting job search engines .............................................................. 112

Preventing Resume Black Holes ................................................................ 113Forget chasing every job ................................................................... 113Hit bull’s-eye with your resume ....................................................... 114Move fast, follow guidelines ............................................................. 115Neutralize chilling information ........................................................ 115

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Resumes For Dummies, 6th Edition xivEnhance the power of keywords...................................................... 115Go directly to the decider ................................................................. 116Find an inside advocate .................................................................... 117Keep on keepin’ on ............................................................................ 118

Seeking and Finding Is Easier Than Ever .................................................. 118

Chapter 8: Content Makes the OnTarget Difference . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119

The Parts of Your Resume .......................................................................... 119Leading with Contact Information ............................................................. 120Hooking the Reader with Summary or Objective .................................... 121

Choosing an objective ....................................................................... 122Opting for a summary ....................................................................... 123

Making Education, Experience, Skills, and Competencies Work for You ............................................................................................ 125

Education ............................................................................................ 126Experience .......................................................................................... 126Skills ..................................................................................................... 127Competencies ..................................................................................... 128A few examples of core competencies ............................................ 128Including competencies in your resumes ....................................... 129

Gaining Extra Points .................................................................................... 130Activities ............................................................................................. 130Organizations ..................................................................................... 130Honors and awards ............................................................................ 131Certifi cations ...................................................................................... 131Licenses............................................................................................... 132Endorsements .................................................................................... 132

Shaping Your Content on Application Forms .......................................... 132Content to Omit: Your Salary Story ........................................................... 133Accomplishments Are Your Content Aces ............................................... 134

Part III: Resume Basics That Wow ’Em Every Time ...... 135

Chapter 9: Creating Your Best Resume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137

“Telling It” Mutes; “Selling It” Sings ........................................................... 137Focus Your Resume ..................................................................................... 139Resume Formats Make a Difference .......................................................... 141Reverse Chronological Format .................................................................. 143

Strengths and weaknesses ................................................................ 143Who should use this format and who should think twice ............ 145Creating a reverse chronological resume ....................................... 145

Functional Format ....................................................................................... 146Strengths and weaknesses ................................................................ 146Who should use this format and who should think twice ............ 148Creating a functional resume ........................................................... 148

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xv Table of Contents

Hybrid Format .............................................................................................. 148Strengths and weaknesses ................................................................ 150Who should use this format and who should think twice ............ 150Creating a hybrid resume ................................................................. 150

Professional Format .................................................................................... 150Strengths and weaknesses ................................................................ 150Who should use this format and who should think twice ............ 152Creating a professional resume ....................................................... 152

Academic Curriculum Vitae ....................................................................... 152Strengths and weaknesses ................................................................ 155Who should use this format and who should think twice ............ 155Creating an academic curriculum vitae .......................................... 155

International Curriculum Vitae Format .................................................... 155Strengths and weaknesses ................................................................ 158Who should use this format and who should think twice ............ 158Creating an international curriculum vitae .................................... 158

Other Resume Presentations ..................................................................... 159Resume letters.................................................................................... 159Portfolios............................................................................................. 160

Choose What Works for You ...................................................................... 161

Chapter 10: Wow Words Work Wonders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .163

Wow Words Can Bring Good News ........................................................... 164Wow words for administration and management ......................... 164Wow words for communications and creativity ............................ 165Wow words for sales and persuasion ............................................. 165Wow words for technical ability ...................................................... 166Wow words for offi ce support .......................................................... 167Wow words for teaching ................................................................... 167Wow words for research and analysis ............................................ 168Wow words for helping and caregiving .......................................... 169Wow words for fi nancial management ............................................ 169Wow words for many skills............................................................... 170

Keywords Are Recruiters’ Key to Finding You ........................................ 171Keywords for administration and management ............................ 172Keywords for banking ....................................................................... 173Keywords for customer service ....................................................... 173Keywords for information technology ............................................ 173Keywords for manufacturing ............................................................ 174Keywords for human resources ....................................................... 174

Where to Find Keywords ............................................................................ 175How to Use Keywords ................................................................................. 176Get a Grip on Grammar ............................................................................... 176A Few Words about Spelling ...................................................................... 178Words Sell Your Story ................................................................................. 179

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Resumes For Dummies, 6th Edition xviChapter 11: Refi ne Your Design for Great Looks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181

Crafting Resumes That Resonate .............................................................. 182Paper selection ................................................................................... 182Consistency, consistency, consistency .......................................... 183When three’s not a crowd................................................................. 183Come on, break it up! ........................................................................ 183Open spaces ....................................................................................... 185Typefaces and fonts .......................................................................... 185A few more tips on appearance ....................................................... 186Checking out a resume makeover.................................................... 186

Boost Visibility with Resume Architecture .............................................. 190Template shell with modern appeal ................................................ 190Template shell for intern career fair ............................................... 191Template shell for dash without fl ash............................................. 191Template shell showing “it’s a match!” ........................................... 191

Design That Showcases Your Words ........................................................ 196

Chapter 12: Passages: Resumes for Your Life’s Changing Phases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .197

Scoring Big as a Recent Graduate .............................................................. 198Quick take: Rookie strengths............................................................ 198Quick take: Rookie soft spots ........................................................... 198Tips for recent graduates ................................................................. 199Gaffes common to new graduates ................................................... 203

Grabbing Good Jobs as a Baby Boomer ................................................... 205Quick take: Boomer strengths .......................................................... 205Quick take: Boomer soft spots ......................................................... 206Tips for baby boomers ...................................................................... 207Taking a lower-level job .................................................................... 209Gaffes common to boomers ............................................................. 210

Winning Interviews As a New Civilian ....................................................... 212Quick take: Transitioning military strengths ................................. 212Quick take: Transitioning military soft spots ................................. 213Tips for new civilians ........................................................................ 214Get the message about milspeak ..................................................... 217

Changing Course with an OnTarget Resume ........................................... 220

Chapter 13: Successful Solutions to Resume Problems . . . . . . . . . . .221

Too Much Experience ................................................................................. 221Too many qualifi cations or ageism? ................................................ 222Too much experience in one job ..................................................... 224

Too Long Gone: For Women Only ............................................................. 226Sifting through your past .................................................................. 226Using professional terms .................................................................. 228Knowing the score ............................................................................. 229

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xvii Table of Contents

Job Seekers with Disabilities ...................................................................... 229Deciding whether to disclose a disability ....................................... 230Explaining gaps in work history ....................................................... 230Asking for special equipment ........................................................... 230

When Demotion Strikes .............................................................................. 231Gaps in Your Record ................................................................................... 233Too Many Layoffs That Aren’t Your Fault ................................................ 234Explaining Mergers and Acquisitions ....................................................... 235Here a Job, There a Job, Everywhere a Job, Job ..................................... 236

Overcoming a job-hopping image .................................................... 236Cleaning out your job closet ............................................................ 238

When Substance Abuse Is the Problem .................................................... 238A Bad Credit Rap ......................................................................................... 239Ex-Offenders Job Hunting ........................................................................... 240

Negative info kills your chances ...................................................... 240Avoid the chronological format ....................................................... 240Present prison experience in nonprison terms ............................. 240Get help with job search moves ...................................................... 241

Look for Ways to Scoot Past Resume Blocks ........................................... 241

Part IV: Bringing It All Together: Sample Resumes ..... 243

Chapter 14: A Sampling of OnTarget Resumes by Industry and Career Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .245

Chapter 15: A Sampling of OnTarget Resumes by Experience Level and Age. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .265

Chapter 16: A Sampling of OnTarget Resumes for Special Circumstances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .285

Chapter 17: A Sampling of Extreme Resume Makeovers . . . . . . . . . .305


Chapter 18: Ten (×3) Ways to Prove Your Claims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .327

Say It with Numbers .................................................................................... 328Say It with Percentages ............................................................................... 328Say It with Dollar Amounts ......................................................................... 329

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Resumes For Dummies, 6th Edition xviiiChapter 19: Ten Ways to Improve Your Resume. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .331

Match Your Resume to the Job ................................................................. 331Use Bulleted Style for Easy Reading .......................................................... 331Discover Art of Lost Articles ...................................................................... 331Sell, Don’t Tell .............................................................................................. 332Show Off Your Assets .................................................................................. 332Make Sure Your Words Play Well Together ............................................. 332Reach Out with Strength ............................................................................. 333Trash a Wimpy Objective ........................................................................... 333Check the Horse’s Mouth ........................................................................... 334Erase the “Leave-Outs” ............................................................................... 334

Chapter 20: Ten Tips for Choosing Professional Resume Help . . . . .335

Choose a Resume Writing Service, Not a Clerical Service ..................... 336Ask Around for a Great Resume Pro ......................................................... 336Request a Free Initial Consultation ........................................................... 337Watch Out for Overuse of Forms ............................................................... 337Look for a Fair Price .................................................................................... 337Check Out Samples ...................................................................................... 338Take Aim ....................................................................................................... 338Consider a Certifi ed Resume Writer .......................................................... 339Remember That Design Counts ................................................................. 340Know That a Cheap Resume Is No Bargain .............................................. 340

Chapter 21: Your Ten-Point Resume Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .341

Tit for Tat ...................................................................................................... 341Image and Focus .......................................................................................... 341Format and Style .......................................................................................... 342Accomplishments and Skills ...................................................................... 342Language and Expressions ......................................................................... 342Content and Omissions ............................................................................... 342Length and Common Sense ........................................................................ 343Social Media and Other New Things ......................................................... 343Sticky Points and Sugarcoating ................................................................. 343Proofreading and More Proofreading ....................................................... 343Resume Power in the Brave New World of Job Chasing ........................ 344

Index ....................................................................... 345

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Introduction

A short four years ago, I remember thinking, as I worked on the 5th edi-tion of this guide, that its contents were a radical makeover from previ-

ous editions. Yikes! Putting that edition together was a frolic compared to this 6th edition, which contains about 75 percent new text.

My intense study of what’s happening on the current recruitment scene reveals a job-search process being reset. In fact, I think of what’s happening as a giant thumb pushing a big reset button as I report to you the mind-blowing burst of fresh digital ideas raining down on us — from social networking profiles to resume-capable mobile devices.

Much of what worked before for resume-writing job seekers still pays off handsomely. Eternal verities, you might say. But what you found in the 5th edition about moving along in job life is no longer enough. That’s why you absolutely must have this edition right now.

Ready? Push the big reset button . . . go! Update your resume, catch up with a wave of new stuff, and find the job you need and want.

About This BookResumes For Dummies, 6th Edition, is a playbook showing you how to write powerful and targeted resumes, and how to use them with important new ideas and strategies in your search for a good job. The first seven chapters spotlight the latest resume technology and innovations; the remainder of the book covers timeless resume success factors, as well as samples of winning resumes.

Conventions Used in This BookTo help you navigate this book, I’ve established the following conventions:

✓ Italic is used for emphasis and to highlight new words or terms that are defined.

✓ Monofont is used for Web addresses.

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2 Resumes For Dummies, 6th Edition

✓ Sidebars, which are shaded boxes of text, consist of information that’s interesting but not necessarily critical to your understanding of the topic.

Further, in the sample resumes throughout the book, I substitute a reminder to add the relevant dates in your resume with the word dates enclosed in editorial brackets — [dates] — instead of actual years to keep your attention focused on key resume concepts.

Watch out also for the numbering system I use in the sample resumes in Chapters 14 to 17. I put cross-matching numbers there to guide you through important aspects of each resume, but you don’t want to stick numbers in yours.

Foolish AssumptionsI assume you picked up this book for one of the following reasons:

✓ You’ve never written a resume and want an experienced, friendly hand on your shoulder.

✓ You have written a resume — it got you where you are today — and you want to do better next time.

✓ You like where you are today but want more from life than blooming where you’re planted. To move to the next level, your experience tells you that it’s time for a resume makeover.

✓ You need a new resume for that great job you heard about but worry that too many competitors will submit virtually the same cookie-cutter docu-ment pirated from somewhere. To stop looking like a human photocopy machine, you want to understand resume writing from the ground up.

✓ You’ve heard about sweeping technology-based changes in the way people and jobs find each other. A realist, you know that technology can’t be uninvented. You want to be sure your resume is in sync with the latest updates.

I further assume that you are someone who likes information that cuts to the chase, sometimes with a smile.


3 Introduction

How This Book Is OrganizedGetting through the job interview door depends on much more than just being a great candidate. This book takes you through everything you need to know about creating your best resumes, getting them into the right hands, and landing interviews. Here’s where you find all the legs of the adventure.

Part I: Visiting the World of Resumes, Today and TomorrowThis part features the latest innovations in Internet-based tools and services on the recruiting scene: social media, smart phones, tablets, and more. You can also refresh your memory of earlier and still popular resume-related technology, as well as discover how to protect or correct your online reputa-tion and privacy.

Part II: Customizing Resumes: Your Many Faces in Many PlacesCustomized resumes directly aimed at a specific target are smartly replacing generic resumes in all but a few situations. Fortunately, you can customize quickly with new “Custom Lite” techniques explained here. You also find the first technical guide to presenting your resume correctly for new mobile devices. You get the memo on how to steer clear of resume black holes. A rundown of make-or-break resume content rounds out this part.

Part III: Resume Basics That Wow ’Em Every TimeFormat, words, and design — all these factors impact the quality of your resume. Read special tips for new graduates, over-50 job seekers, and tran-sitioning military members. Consider answers to specific resume problems, such as work-history gaps or job-hopping. Discover here how best to high-light your good points while downplaying the not-so-good ones. And how to do it all with grace, clarity, and readable style.


4 Resumes For Dummies, 6th Edition

Part IV: Bringing It All Together: Sample ResumesWhat does an effective resume look like? Turn to this part to find out. Here you get to take a long look at resumes that make use of the strategies I describe in this book. Find resumes from new grads and baby boomers, from nurses and business analysts, and from people who’ve moved straight up in a career and those who’ve had a few stumbles. You also see some startling resume makeovers.

Part V: The Part of TensIn these short chapters, discover quick bits of highly useful information on yet more resume topics. I offer guidance on proving your resume claims, choosing professional resume help, and, finally, using a resume checklist that won’t take half a day to complete.

Icons Used in This BookFor Dummies signature icons are the little round pictures you see in the mar-gins of the book. I use them to laser-guide your attention to key bits of infor-mation. Here’s a list of the icons you find in this book and what they mean.

This icon directs your attention to techniques that cause readers to lavish praise and respect on your resume and then move it to the “you betcha” file.

Some points in these pages are so useful that I hope you keep them in mind as you read. I make a big deal out of these ideas with this icon.

Advice and information that can spark a difference in the outcome of your resume-led job search are flagged with this icon.

Watch out for deep waters filled with things that bite. This icon signals there may be trouble ahead if you don’t make a good decision.


5 Introduction

Where to Go from HereMost For Dummies books are set up so that you can flip to the section of the book that meets your present needs. You can do that in this book, too. I tell you where to find the information you might need when I refer to a concept, and I define terms as they arise to enable you to feel at home no matter where you open the book.

But this book breaks new ground in resume creation and distribution. To get ahead and stay ahead, start by reading Chapters 1 through 7. In this era of tweeting and texting, they help you say hello to new ideas that offer more reach for your time investment.

P.S. Have you ever forgotten to push “send” on an e-mail and then wondered why your computer wasn’t working? Me, too. The good news is that you need not be a techie to make sense out of the innovations described here. And, if by some wild, outside, totally unlikely chance, I didn’t explain something clearly enough and you don’t get it, grab the nearest teenager and ask for clarification. That’s what I do.


Part I

Visiting the World of Resumes, Today

and Tomorrow

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In this part . . .

Changes aplenty make the current Web climate differ-ent from that of just a couple years ago, and this part

gets you up to date, especially on using the Internet and social media to help — not hurt — your job-seeking cause. I also show you how to sift through the myriad online job boards and how to get your resume into the hands that can get you the interview.

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Chapter 1

Digital Age Changes Job ChaseIn This Chapter▶ Growing your career with truly terrific resumes

▶ Blending human know-how with new technology

▶ Staying on the leading edge in job search

Are resumes outdated? Every few years an employment expert excitedly announces a “new discovery” — that resumes are old hat and unnec-

essary. The expert advises job seekers to forgo resumes and talk their way into an interview. This advice rarely works in real life. Very few people are eloquent enough to carry the entire weight of an employment marketing pre-sentation without a resume.

A newer resume attack turns not on oratorical talent but on technology. In one scenario, recruiting professionals encourage employers who’ve grown weary of hiking over mountains of resumes to do away with them, replacing resumes with rigid application forms on the Web — complete with screening questions and tests — to decide who gets offered a job interview.

Another recent scenario — also technology dependent — reflects the view that social networking online profiles are pinch hitting for resumes as self-marketing documents. As I point out in Chapter 2, online profiles are equiva-lent to generic resumes. Handle them with kid gloves for a very important reason: All-purpose online profiles are likely to be ignored for the vast major-ity of available jobs.

Resumes Are Here to StayAt some point in a hunt for better employment, everyone needs effective career marketing communications. That is, everyone needs a resume — or something very much like a resume — that tells the employer why

✓ You’re an excellent match for a specific job.

✓ The value you bring matters.

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10 Part I: Visiting the World of Resumes, Today and Tomorrow

✓ Your skills are essential to the bottom line.

✓ You’re worth the money you hope to earn.

✓ You’re qualified to solve employer’s problems.

✓ Your accomplishment claims can be believed.

Resumes that deliver on these decision points remain at the heart of the job- search ecosystem.

Keeping Up with Resume TimesThe ongoing need for terrific resumes doesn’t mean the job chase is frozen in time. Far from it. In this digital age — when one-third of women in the 18–34 age range check Facebook when they first wake up, even before they go to the bathroom or brush their teeth — every job seeker needs to embrace the entire fresh package of tools and strategies for getting a new job. The pack-age contains new and traditional components:

✓ Digital tools that are rapidly altering the nature of how jobs are found and filled in America and across the globe.

✓ Timeless know-how and savvy developed by the best employment giants over decades.

New technological ideas standing on the shoulders of historically proven smarts are a winning combination. Technology changes in a decade; human nature doesn’t.

Reset your concept of what you must know about resumes in the job chase. Writing great resumes is no longer enough. You must know how to distribute those resumes to people who can hire you, or at least can move you along in the process.

This book combines the details of how to create marvelous resumes, and also puts a microscope on various technological delivery options in the digi-tal age. This chapter previews what’s ahead in this comprehensive guide to resumes, and how to use resumes and other career marketing communica-tions you need to reach your goal in the great job chase.

The targeted resume rulesJob seekers, brace yourselves: Trolling the job market is getting ever trickier and requires considerably more effort than the last time you baited your resume hook — even a short five years ago. The generic resume is at the top of the list of job search tools on the way out. (Read all about it in Chapter 6.)


11 Chapter 1: Digital Age Changes Job Chase

You probably have an all-purpose resume lying around in a desk drawer some-where. What legions of job seekers everywhere like about the all-purpose resume is that it casts a wide net to snag the attention of many employers — and it saves time for those of us who are too busy getting through the day to keep writing different resumes for different jobs. I appreciate that. But your one-size-fits-all work of art is obsolete, and it’s getting lost in more and more recruiting sinkholes.

The generic resume has been replaced by the targeted resume (which I refer to in this book as OnTarget), a customized resume tailor-made for a specific employment opportunity.

An OnTarget resume is a valuable marketing tool to convince the reader your work will benefit a specific employer and that you should make the cut of can-didates invited in for a closer look. An OnTarget resume

✓ Addresses a given opportunity, showing clearly how your qualifications are a close match to a job’s requirements.

✓ Uses powerful words to persuade and clean design to attract interest.

✓ Plays up strengths and downplays any factor that undermines your bid for an interview.

Unfit resumes are zappedThe word got out, slowly at first. And then — whoosh! — millions of job seek-ers found out how easy it is to instantly put an online resume in the hands of employers across the country as well as across town.

Post and pray became the job seeker’s mantra as everyone figured out how to manipulate online resumes and click them into the online world as quickly as fast-shuffling dealers lay down cards at casino tables.

Of friends and resumes“The number one way to use your OnTarget resume is to find a friend to walk it into the hiring manager’s office or recruiter’s office with the friend’s stamp of approval,” advises Mark Mehler, cofounder and principal of

CareerXroads and a long-time Internet job hunt-ing expert. He says his firm’s annual survey of how people get hired at major corporations shows that one out of three openings is filled this way.



Resume overload began in the first phase of the World Wide Web, a time frame of about 1994 to 2005. It became exponentially larger and more frus-trating as commercial resume-blasting services appeared on the scene. Almost overnight, it seemed, anyone willing to pay the price could splatter resume confetti everywhere an online address could be found.

The consequences of resume spamming for employers were staggering: Despite their use of the era’s best recruiting selection software, employers were overrun with unsolicited, disorganized generic resumes containing everything but the kitchen sink.

And what about the job seekers who sent all those generic, unstructured resumes? They were left to wonder in disappointment why they never heard a peep from the recipient employer.

The answer’s in the numbers: A job advertised online by a major company creates a feeding frenzy of many thousands of resumes. Employment data-bases are hammered with such mismatches as sales clerks and sports train-ers applying for jobs as scientists and senior managers, and vice versa.

Tried-and-true techniques remainA resume that doesn’t show off the great goods you’re selling isn’t worth much. Show off your assets in effective style by making sure that you follow the suggestions in this book. I show you how to

✓ Choose the resume format that fits your goals and situation. What goes where in a resume isn’t a one-size-fits-all consideration. An example: Whether you lead with your education or the qualifications that suit you for the job depends on which job you want. Chapter 9 tells you about formatting your resume and provides templates for popular resume designs.

✓ Get your points across in powerful language. Make your strengths stron-ger by describing them in vibrant language that stands tall. I give you examples in Chapter 10.

✓ Use design techniques effectively. Big chunks of text cause eye strain (and boredom). Present your information in a way that enables readers instead of inhibiting them. Chapter 11 shows you how.

✓ Overcome hurdles. Getting attention from potential employers is harder in certain situations. If you’re just getting out of school, for example, you have to overcome some less-than-ideal perceptions. Chapter 12 gives you suggestions for easing your transition into a new phase of life. Chapter 13 helps you manage any bits of your background that may turn off employers.



Send your resume off to job market battle by leading with strength: Feature your most impressive career accomplishments and honors at the top of page one, not tucked in as afterthoughts on page two. This simple strategy encour-ages employers to read the whole thing.

Technologies Facilitate Job SearchAfter the Internet caught job-search fire in the mid-1990s — instantly whisk-ing resumes to and fro — little new technology changed the picture until the social Web groundswell burst upon us in the mid-2000s. Now job seekers have the tools to

✓ Use social networks to dramatically enlarge personal networks

✓ Tap their networks to identify jobs and for recommendations

✓ Go directly to hiring authorities

✓ Market accomplishments in professional profiles

✓ Pinpoint employment targets with position-mapping

Continue to apply for jobs with a customized resume and cover letter, just as you’ve done so far. Classic job searching methods continue to pay off, but they’re not enough in an economy where jobs have gone missing.

Web code ups privacy fears In the next few years, a new heavy-duty tech-nology for computers and mobile devices will become available to Web developers and may give marketers and advertisers a clear shot at who you are and what you’ve been up to.

The new technology is a Web language called HTML5. It buries “supercookies” in your com-puter that are difficult to ditch. The supercook-ies track your data — including e-mail and site visits — and hide the data in at least ten places on your computer where third parties can access it. Already in limited use, HTML5

has an upside: It makes your browsing easier (and faster — no retyping of usernames and passwords, for instance).

As with any feature of this magnitude, prob-lems will inevitably surface. Who knows what damage supercookie snooping will do to your online reputation? As Pam Dixon, execu-tive director of the World Privacy Forum in California, told a newspaper reporter: “HTML5 opens Pandora’s box of tracking on the Internet.”



Work every day on a well-rounded approach that includes the whole enchi-lada — from face-to-face networking, job boards, print ads, and professional associations, to the dazzling array of new social Web tools.

Social networking scoops jobsEnormously popular social networking sites and social media are poised to gain even more fans in the employment process. Chapter 2 reports on the state of the industry and suggests how you can “go social.”

I expect a never-ending stream of new technical bells and whistles in going social. Location awareness is one example of what’s new. When Facebook launched its Places feature in late 2010, social media expert Charlene Li explained: “Until now, Facebook knew who you were, what you are doing, and when you did it. Now they add an even richer dimension — where you are — that completes the picture.” Facebook added Places to its posts, a smart phone app, and a mobile site.

How can a location-aware feature facilitate a job chase? Suppose you’re look-ing for a retail or restaurant job in a given locale. The activity stream of a location feature indicates which restaurants and retail stores are the most popular — and, thus, good prospects for employment.

For breaking news about social networking, become acquainted with the fol-lowing two Web sites:

✓ Mashable (www.mashable.com) is a top guide to social media and a hub for those looking to make sense of the online ream.

✓ Altimeter Group (www.altimetergroup.com) focuses on all things social, including the new field of social commerce. Be sure to read the Group’s admirable disclosure policy.

Chapter 5 discusses ways to keep your online reputation in good shape for the job search.

Mobile’s on the moveSmart phones came on fast. Tablet computers are picking up steam. Mobile communication is what’s new and it’s already happening. Even when you’re not rooted to a desktop computer, you can send and receive e-mails, network online, and download apps. Chapter 3 examines the latest in mobile job chasing.



Quick-change process customizes content In this employers’ market, you may have to apply for 100 times as many jobs as you would in a candidates’ market. As Chapter 6 details, the generic resume has become a nonstarter, and successful seekers are writing custom-ized resumes.

Time is the problem: How can you whip out effective customized resumes and still get three hours of sleep at night? Expert Kathryn Troutman answers that perplexing question in Chapter 6 as she steps you through an eye-opening “Custom Lite” resume process.

Resumes find digital docksHere’s a digital definition of frustration: Craft a perfect resume that looks and markets like a jewel only to discover that your intended digital dock, or platform — job board, Web site, recruiting firm, smart phone, and so on — won’t accept anything but plain text. There is a solution, and Jim Lemke, this book’s technical editor, neatly packed the answers into chart form; find the Lemke Guide in Chapter 7.

Bios gain new importanceThe short professional bio (see the Sarah Tobin bio in Chapter 2) is posi-tioned for immense popularity, thanks to social media. The short bio helps when you want to apply for a job, network, post on a guest blog, and so on. It tells people quickly who you are, what you do, and why they should care.

Plan on writing a bio in three lengths — a micro bio, a short bio, and a longer bio. A micro bio is a sentence you can use on your Twitter profile (140 charac-ters). A short bio is a paragraph (about 100 words). A long bio can be up to a page.

“YourName.com” becomes vitalMore people are living their lives on the Internet, and episodes of name high-jacking are rising. Realization is mushrooming that controlling the exclusive online rights to your own name makes sense, even if you’re not a business owner.



You can protect your identity in its purest Web form by buying a domain for your name — YourName.com. You can also purchase a URL (Web address) for your resume — YourNameresume.com. See chapters 2 and 5 to see why owning your own name has gained red-alert status in a digital age. Claim your name!

When technology fails: The human antidoteThe job market is made up of A-list candidates and B-list candidates (and many candidates who are perceived to be farther down the alphabetic scale).

If you’re a seasoned worker, have you ever noticed that A-list candidates are typically younger than you and have recently done the very job the employer is trying to fill?

On the other hand, when you’re a rookie, does it seem as though those on the A-list are typically older than you and have recently done the very job the employer is trying to fill?

The definition of frustration is when you are treated like an ant at a picnic because you’re not perceived as an A- or B-list candidate.

Unfortunately, your exclusion rate from inter-view offers may be high when the employer uses online recruiting tools.

An answer to your dilemma. Get personal.

✓ Develop your own job leads by doing sub-stantial research, and then target your resume.

✓ Network your way to a referral chain, asking each of 20 or more people whom you call daily: “Who else should I be talking to?”

✓ Follow up on job ads, but diffuse the crushing competition by figuring out who the hiring manager is and contact that decision-maker directly. You can even write a resume letter (see Chapter 9) to that person, but do not mention the job ad. Your approach is that you’ve been researching companies where your excellent qualifica-tions may be a good fit. Even if this “happy coincidence” causes the hiring manager to send your resume to the HR department, now it arrives from an important executive and is likely be examined.

✓ Remember that the vast majority of jobs are found in small businesses. Some aren’t yet using modern job-search tools and will value your person-to-person approach.
