Cracking the Tech Career is a revision of McDowell’s earlier The Google Resume with changes to some content and structure. Overall the book is a good choice for people who are applying as a programmer, as well as applicants to positions in social media and design.

As in the Google Resume, McDowell spends her time explaining what tech companies look for in candidates, and it is not all about the GPA, since “...top companies look for top candidates--people with a track record of success” (p.18), as well as explaining how to prepare and to make a good impression. She does offer advice and make suggestions on how to find experience that will attract a tech company, how to find these opportunities, and how to address problem spots in your application or work history when applying to a coveted position at a tech firm.

For me, I felt the strongest chapters were the chapters on interviewing and job offer evaluation. McDowell sees problem solving questions as distinct from "brain teasers", which is not always true in other interview books, and explains the rationale for using them in an interview and the methods for answering them. For people who need to prepare for programming interview questions, you will want to refer to more than one resource, but the chapter would be enough for a night before cram session on the topic. I also liked her chapter on evaluating the job offer, where she recommends that readers evaluate the offer based on career development, financial package and happiness. It would also help the candidate who is choosing between a cool startup opportunity and a more staid position at an established tech company, at least in the context of that candidate's career. I can also see myself using her preparation grid, which she developed for behaviour descriptive questions (pp. 138-140) not only for interview preparation, but also for resume writing, so I can personally see getting a lot of use out of the advice and tools in this book.

The book includes good advice, especially in regards to networking, such as “Networking is not a thing you do when you need it. If you need to connect with a new job, you don’t just flip a switch and say ‘Okay, it’s time to network.’ By the time you need to build a network it’s usually too late--at least to fulfill that one need” (p.47). Some of the sections in the book, such as on women and tech and careers in the gaming industry, will need some supplementary material when selecting and planning a career in those industries, but since the purpose of this book was career guidance and an introduction to career management principles, these chapters fulfill their roles as introductions to these issues. I would recommend this book to a person who wants to get an internship or a job offer from a tech company, knowing that some of the additional questions that they have, specific to their need, may need additional resources. ( )