This document provides tips for getting one's dream tech job. It begins by debunking myths about the perfect job and big companies like Google and Facebook. It suggests looking for jobs at smaller companies where the work is more meaningful and valued. The document recommends choosing a career path and researching potential employers. It highlights common mistakes on CVs like irrelevant experience and exaggerating skills. Finally, it offers advice for cover letters, emphasizing honesty and focusing on accomplishments, interest in the company, and strengths for the role. The overall message is to find fulfilling work at a company where one's talents will be appreciated.

1. How to get the tech job
of your dreams
Vangelis Bibakis
@ Joomla day Greece 2013

2. About your speaker
Founder: DemianLabs.com
CTO: AdAxem.eu
Creator of: MainframePHP
& many micro web apps
@bibakis
bibakisv@gmail.com

3. What we’ll talk about today
1. The right job
2. Pre-work
3. Common CV mistakes
4. Getting your cover letter right

4. 1. The right job
Let’s debunk some myths first
Myth #1
“Somewhere there is a perfect job”

5. 1. The right job
“The perfect job is software consultant in a
tropical island where you get to go in one
10 minute meeting every week and you
make 1.000.000 € per month”

6. 1. The right job
But really a great job is in a company where…
• Tech is the main focus
• Projects are interesting
• The boss is a geek
• You work normal hours
• Your work is valued
• You are paid well

7. 1. The right job
Myth #2
“Google and facebook are great employers”

8. 1. The right job
The truth:
• Big companies are the place where talent
goes to die
• Politics and “power games” kill your creativity
• In a big company you are a replaceable cog
in a 5.000 people machine
• Great tech is born outside the cubicle

9. 1. The right job
Evidence:
The “real” mission statement of big companies:
• Google: “We love monitoring people!”
• Apple: “In our own opinion we are so incredibly
amazing!”
• Microsoft: “The best browser is Internet explorer!”
• Facebook: “Poke !”

10. 1. The right job
Evidence:
• Name one Apple developer or one Google
designer
• Great tech is born in the free world:
Linux, PHP, Ruby, C, Rails, Node.js, World
Wide Web, Personal
computing, Git, MySQL, NoSQL, App
stores

11. 1. The right job
So what’s some great places to work ?
• 37signals
• Demian Labs
• Fog Creek
• Valve

12. 37 Signals

13. Demian Labs

15. Valve

16. 2. Pre-Work
What do you want to be
when you grow up ?
• Pick a few career paths you like
• Narrow your best three
• Imagine your life 10 years from now if you
pick χ, ψ, ω
• Once you have a winner, ignore everything
else

17. 2. Pre-Work
Now hunt them down !
• Find some companies that employ people
in the career path you picked
• Follow them on twitter, read their blog
• Try to learn more about their products
(this is a killer asset in the interview)
• Try to understand their mentality

18. 2. Pre-Work
Do your homework
• Spend at least two months making a small
but functional project
• If you haven’t published any open source
code, now it’s the time
• Make a website targeted at your future
employer

19. 3. Common CV mistakes
The irrelevant guy
• Nobody cares if you had a summer job in a
beach bar three years ago
• If you don’t have work experience in that
field it’s not for you
• Preferably, 100% of your work experience
should be in that field. That means you love
what you do and you’re serious about it.

20. 3. Common CV mistakes
The freelancer
If you present yourself as a freelancer your employer will think that:
1. You failed at freelancing and that’s why you
are looking for a job
2. You view this job as temporary pocket
money before you go back to freelancing
3. You will work all off-work hours in other
projects, meaning you won’t be focused

21. 3. Common CV mistakes
The traveler
• Rarely someone hires people for 6
months. For serious employers hiring is an
investment.
• If you have changed 20 jobs in the last 5
years it won’t look good.

22. 3. Common CV mistakes
The ninja !
• “I’m an HTML rockstar and a JavaScript
Ninja!!!”
• Sorry we only hire samurai
• You want to be seen as a responsible and
mature professional. Keep the ninja-speek
aside.

23. 3. Common CV mistakes
The know-it-all
So you know all these ?
Dreamweaver, PHP, MVC
frameworks, CodeIgniter, Laravel, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, AJAX, J
ava, .Net, C, Zend, Paypal API, Facebook
applications, Node.js, Mongo
DB, C++, C#, Silverlight, Flash, Joomla, Wordpress, Drupal, MySQL
, MsSQL, Oracle, UNIX, ReadHat, Debian, Minix, Office, Visual
basic, Your mother and your father....

24. You think you’re so great…

25. 3. Common CV mistakes
But…
• The 4 month Java course you took in college 4 years ago is
as relevant as your xbox skills
• Even if you know all that stuff, you indicate that you never
took the time to master anything. At best you’ll be average at
all of them.
• Do you have a portfolio for all that ?
• You can’t outsmart a manager who’s hiring people. You’re on
the sport for one weeκ, but he’s doing it for a living.
• You’re a liar

26. 3. Common CV mistakes
In the final analysis…
There are no “CV mistakes”.
CV is the mistake.

27. 3. Common CV mistakes
What CVs really are:
• A platform for lying
(anyone can put 20 acronyms in a word document)
• The best way to be seen as someone in
the flock
• Where people without portfolio hide

28. 4. Getting your cover letter right
Paragraph one
Who and what are you
• No Sir/Madam. They are real people
• Explain in 4-5 rows who you are and what
you do, as if you were talking to your
grandmother.
• Also refer to your area of expertise
(if you don’t have one, read the pre-work section again)
• Be honest about it

29. 4. Getting your cover letter right
Paragraphs two to four
Previous accomplishments
• In each paragraph refer to a previous project
or employer
• Use links to projects/companies
• Explain how you helped in each project’s
success and what great things you
accomplished
• Be honest about it

30. 4. Getting your cover letter right
Paragraphs five and six
Why do you want to work for them
• What do you like about the way they work
• What do you like about their products
• What do you think they do better than their
competition
• Be honest about it

31. 4. Getting your cover letter right
Paragraphs seven and eight
Why do they want to work with you
• What makes you better than other developers
• How do you fit in their corporate culture
• What are your main strengths as a person
and why do they give a damn
• Be honest about it

32. 4. Getting your cover letter right
Paragraph nine
A nice goodbye
• “Thank you for your time”
• “I hope we’ll have the opportunity to talk in
the future”

33. 4. Getting your cover letter right
Hey wait !
Why do I keep repeating
“Be honest about it” ?
• You’ll have to cover your lies
(and you’ll fail at it)
• Even if you get the job it won’t be for long
• Where you see a rejection letter, your future boss sees a new
MacBook
• Every boss is constantly looking for an opportunity to save
money. Don’t give it to them. Make them poor.
• Remember it is about getting a job that makes you happy, not
about just getting any job.

34. Bonus tip
Don’t ask for money,
(even if they ask you)
let them propose something first
• If they propose more than what you had in mind,
Bingo !
• If they propose what you had in mind, ask 10%
more. Most reasonable recruiters won’t say no.
• If they propose a ridiculous amount it just means it
wasn’t a great job anyway.

35. Άκου κυρ Στέφανε…