Author

Gayle Laakmann McDowell

Gayle Laakmann McDowell is the founder / CEO of CareerCup.com, a site dedicated to preparing for tech jobs.

She has performed hundreds of interviews as an employee at Google, coached numerous software engineering and product manager candidates, and helped many startups through their acquisition interviews with top tech companies.

Prior to CareerCup, she worked for Microsoft, Apple, and Google. Most recently, Gayle spent three years at Google as a software engineer, where she was one of the company’s lead interviewers and served on Google’s hiring committee.

This is Gayle’s third book. Her second book, The Google Resume, is a comprehensive book offering advice on how anyone can prepare for a role at a top tech company. Her first book, Cracking the Coding Interview, is a deep dive into coding interviews and is Amazon’s best-selling interview book.

Gayle holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the Wharton School.

Praise for The Google Resume

“The Google Resume is an exhaustive book on how to get into the top tech companies. McDowell shows applicants how to create an effective resume, how to prepare for interviews, how to negotiate an offer, and how to perform well on the job. This is truly the “bible” of the tech interview process."
-- Stephanie Jacobs, (former) recruiter at Google

“Finally an answer to all those questions about how to get a job at a tech company! This book takes us behind the scenes companies like Amazon and Microsoft with real-life stories from candidates, interviewers, and recruiters. Their experiences will show you how to position yourself for success. An excellent read for candidates at all stages."
-- Venise Cunningman, Recruiting Coordinator at Amazon and (formerly) Microsoft

"During my time at Microsoft, Google and Facebook, I've seen even the most brilliant candidates fumble. Some get too nervous, some don't prepare adequately, and some lack the right experience. The Google Resume addresses each of these issues and helps candidates develop a more compelling application. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone pursuing a tech career."
-- Peter Wilson, (former) Engineering Director at Google and Microsoft, consultant for Facebook

“A perfect follow-up to McDowell’s first book, Cracking the Coding Interview, The Google Resume goes much beyond the interview itself and shows candidates how to make their applications stand out. There may be no silver bullet to success, but this book is about as close as it gets. I just wish it had been around when I was an applicant.
-- Trey Williams, Software Engineer at Google

“In a surprisingly fun yet instructive look at the tech recruiting process, this book offers candidates concrete strategies for landing these coveted positions. Learn how companies like Microsoft approach hiring and use these lessons to land your dream job. This is the book that I wish all our candidates would read.”
-- Belinda Drllevich, Recruiting Coordinator at Microsoft