Creative ideas from a silicon valley tech recruiter on landing your first job

1. Job hunting for new grads
Tips from a Twitter tech recruiter
Prepared by Keith Harris, Sr. Recruiter
@keithsfbay
March, 2013

2. Introduction
The economy is improving here in 2013 but still
far from a booming market. With many new
grads joining the work force, you’re going to
need every tool at your disposal to find your first
job.
This brief presentation is intended to provide a
new grad with some great tools and make your
job search productive.
Your next job is out there but you’ll need to
work hard to find it.

3. My qualifications
• Tech Recruiter at Twitter, formerly @
Google, Yahoo & Skype/Microsoft
• Recruited at Stanford, MIT, CMU, CalTech,
UCLA, UIUC and many more.
• Reviewed over 1/2 million resumes
• Consulted with 100’s hiring managers
• Consulted with 1000’s of candidates
• Shared and gained domain knowledge and
best practices from tech recruiters and
staffing colleagues.

4. Maximize your job search
• Where do I start?
• Interviewing 101
• Networking
• The Extra Mile
Secret Sauce: My former team
lead at Google was a big
proponent of a formula that he
claimed unknown to others. He
called it Secret Sauce. It will be
referred to throughout this
presentation.

5. Where do I start?
• Sharpen your resume and stand out
• Add a short summary, highlight what you do best
• Identify your top 30 employers and/or jobs
• Invest 80% of your time on these
• Research these employers / jobs
• i.e. Revenue, #Employees, Competitors
• Network and find a contact
• i.e. Recruiter, Manager, Employees
• Contact alumni
Secret Sauce: 1) Highlight
your skills, achievements and
certifications. 2) Have a .txt and
.rtf copy of your resume when
applying online. This will format
better in HR systems. 3) Create
personalized cover letters.

6. Interviewing 101
• Dress sharp and with confidence
• Ask about proper attire before your interview
• Buy Knock 'em Dead 2013 by Martin Yate
• Carefully review job responsibilities before
hand
• Ask insightful questions
• Send a thank you note
Secret Sauce: Having well
thought out questions are a
sure fire way to stand out.
Review the job and company
and think about a good
question for each.

7. Social Networking
Recruiters do a lot of passive sourcing to find
people like you these days. Make sure to update
your profiles and accounts (on Linkedin,
Monster, your own web page, blogs, Facebook
and so forth). Specifically, Linkedin is a
favorite for recruiters. Get a recommendation
from your old manager, professor, colleagues,
join groups and discussions, and highlight your
skills in the summary section. Secret Sauce: 1) Be careful on
your blogs and social networking
pages. You may have a great
resume but a facebook page with
you and a tequila shot is seen by
hiring managers and recruiters.
2) Contact recruiters on Linkedin.
Ask for informational call.

8. The Extra Mile
If you have all the skills needed for the job you
want, you’re only half way there. Make sure to
standout and get noticed by getting current (i.e.
with domain knowledge, certifications, skills).
Make sure to promote this. If you’re not
current, strive to get current by doing online
research, reading publications and books, and
signup for webinars.
Secret Sauce: 1) Wikipedia is
great place to reference
anything imaginable. Use it to
brush up and dig deeper where
applicable. 2) Join meetup.com
and attend events

9. Summary
The job market is really competitive for new
grads and employers have the fortune of
choosing the best and brightest. Do a lot of
research on prospective employers, be confident
and update your information online as a first
step. Second, use your online profiles to
maximize your exposure and lastly, make
yourself standout by highlighting your
expertise.

10. Summary
The job market is really competitive for new
grads and employers have the fortune of
choosing the best and brightest. Do a lot of
research on prospective employers, be confident
and update your information online as a first
step. Second, use your online profiles to
maximize your exposure and lastly, make
yourself standout by highlighting your
expertise.