Land the Job

Retired

This book is no longer available for sale.

Land the Job

Six Months to Start Your Software Career

About the Book

So many people entering the software industry hit the same wall. Getting that first job can be tough. There is so much advice out there about how to get a job ranging from portfolios, resumes, how to dress, and what you should know before you apply. It is an overwhelming experience that leaves many wondering if they have what it takes.

"Land the Job" teaches the skills required to get that first job. It contains practical advice that has been used by the author and his students for nearly a decade. This book is a map through a process that has remained too uncharted for too long. Some of the items explored in detail:

  • A comprehensive and tested approach to job-hunting
  • Creating resumes and cover letters that get interviews
  • Interviewing techniques and tricks
  • Building portfolios
  • Negotiating salaries

About the Author

Ryan Latta
Ryan Latta

My name is Ryan Latta, and I've been in software for over 10 years now. I've spent a lot of my time helping individuals, teams, and companies find their way to what they really want. It took a long time to find my mission, but I believe that I have now. My mission is to help create teams that change the world. I publish a weekly newsletter about these topics and my adventures helping others at my site. I hope you join me and connect with me soon.

Table of Contents

  • Introduction
    • The Industry
    • Thanks
  • 1 - Land The Job
    • How to use this book
    • Land the Job
    • Soul-Crushing
    • Information Asymmetry
    • Trends in Hiring
    • Self-Care
  • 2 - The Plan
    • A Skill-Based Approach
    • From 10,000 Feet
    • Develop Your Resume to Get Interviews
    • Apply To Three Jobs A Week
    • Build a Portfolio, GitHub, and more
    • Practice the Technical Interviews and Begin Interviewing
    • Summary
  • 3 - Resumes
    • No Lying
    • Myths
    • Disqualified
    • Audience
    • Skills-Based Resume and Friends
    • But I Don’t Have Experience
    • Adjustments and Experiments
    • Tricks and Gotchas
  • 4 - Cover Letters
    • They Matter
    • Who Reads Them
    • A Great Cover Letter
    • Do They Work?
  • 5 - Portfolios, GitHub, and Other Friends
    • Their Place in The Plan
    • Shifting the Odds
    • Requested vs. Expected
    • Time Investment
    • The Incomplete Menu
    • Getting Started
    • LinkedIn & Social Media
    • Conference or Meetup Talks & Publications
    • Industry volunteering & Teaching
    • Competition
    • Training or Certifications
    • Conclusion
  • 6 - Applying for Jobs
    • Strategy
    • Job Descriptions
    • What to Avoid
    • Types of Companies
    • Where to Look
    • Research
    • The Best Way to Apply
  • 7 - Recruiters
    • Recruiter Services
    • Working with Recruiters
    • Bottom-Line
  • 8 - Interviewing Strategy
    • Making the Right First Impression
    • Guidelines for Successful Interviews
  • 9 - The Interview Stages
    • Proof of Life
    • The Phone Screen
    • Technical Interviews
    • Pair Programming
    • Assignments
    • HR Interview
    • Leadership Interview
    • Asking Questions
    • Summary
  • 10 - The Offer & Negotiating
    • The Offer Letter
    • The Benefits
    • Other Paperwork
    • Negotiation
    • Signing the Offer
  • 11 - We’ve Landed
    • What is Next For You?
    • Keep In Touch
  • Notes

The Leanpub 60 Day 100% Happiness Guarantee

Within 60 days of purchase you can get a 100% refund on any Leanpub purchase, in two clicks.

Now, this is technically risky for us, since you'll have the book or course files either way. But we're so confident in our products and services, and in our authors and readers, that we're happy to offer a full money back guarantee for everything we sell.

You can only find out how good something is by trying it, and because of our 100% money back guarantee there's literally no risk to do so!

So, there's no reason not to click the Add to Cart button, is there?

See full terms...

80% Royalties. Earn $16 on a $20 book.

We pay 80% royalties. That's not a typo: you earn $16 on a $20 sale. If we sell 5000 non-refunded copies of your book or course for $20, you'll earn $80,000.

(Yes, some authors have already earned much more than that on Leanpub.)

In fact, authors have earnedover $13 millionwriting, publishing and selling on Leanpub.

Learn more about writing on Leanpub

Free Updates. DRM Free.

If you buy a Leanpub book, you get free updates for as long as the author updates the book! Many authors use Leanpub to publish their books in-progress, while they are writing them. All readers get free updates, regardless of when they bought the book or how much they paid (including free).

Most Leanpub books are available in PDF (for computers) and EPUB (for phones, tablets and Kindle). The formats that a book includes are shown at the top right corner of this page.

Finally, Leanpub books don't have any DRM copy-protection nonsense, so you can easily read them on any supported device.

Learn more about Leanpub's ebook formats and where to read them

Write and Publish on Leanpub

You can use Leanpub to easily write, publish and sell in-progress and completed ebooks and online courses!

Leanpub is a powerful platform for serious authors, combining a simple, elegant writing and publishing workflow with a store focused on selling in-progress ebooks.

Leanpub is a magical typewriter for authors: just write in plain text, and to publish your ebook, just click a button. (Or, if you are producing your ebook your own way, you can even upload your own PDF and/or EPUB files and then publish with one click!) It really is that easy.

Learn more about writing on Leanpub