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Why Google's hiring process is broken

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Re: Why Google's hiring process is broken

#71

Post by dclowd9901 »

javert wrote: post #52
adnam wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why didn't you just say "yes". You can always change your mind.

I guess you're saying, why didn't I just tell the other company "yes," and then reneg if Google accepted me? For one thing, I don't like pulling crap like this. I might have anyway, except that it would have damaged existing and longstanding relationships in the other (non-Google) company that are worth maintaining to me.

While your intentions are undoubtedly admirable, and you certainly more than likely have very valid reasons for not "pulling crap like this" (not burning bridges, for one), I hope you're not mistaken by some baseless belief that any company would extend you the same courtesy.

Re: Why Google's hiring process is broken

#72

Post by jnhnum1 »

I've interviewed for a summer internship at Google twice: this summer and last. The first time I interviewed with them, they emailed me the same day to tell me that my interview went really well and they'd like to proceed to host matching. Unsure of the way the process worked, I emailed the recruiter a week later to ask what the next steps were. She called me back half an hour later to ask if I had any deadlines, which I didn't. The reason for the delay, she said, was that Google tried to first match returning interns with hosts before new interns. A couple weeks later, I had a phone interview with a host, it went well, and I was assigned to work with him over the summer. That was that.

This summer, I decided I wanted to return to work at Google again, but I had a specific project in mind I wanted to work on. I filled out a form stating my project interests (which were very specific this time around), but no recruiter reached out to me. I talked to one of my colleagues at Google from the previous summer, he talked to HR or something, and I got a new recruiter. Then I went through five host interviews in three days, picked my favorite, and that was that.

So in my experience, the hiring process at Google isn't that bad. It's just that if you have a delay that's too long, you need to follow up.

Re: Why Google's hiring process is broken

#73

Post by yid »

ballgoogler wrote: post #69
jimbokun wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So market cap size legitimizes poor etiquette and borderline anti-social behavior?

No, being a company that is built upon and successful due to its engineering culture does. Engineers are notoriously the most anti-social and lacking in etiquette of almost all professionals. Anti-social behavior is what drives most of us into engineering in the first place. Google's hiring practices are simply a reflection of the type of people that they have to hire in order to be successful as the organization tha…

I think if you read the comments here and elsewhere closely, it's not that people are complaining Google said no -- it's that people are complaining that Google said nothing.

Re: Why Google's hiring process is broken

#74

Post by yid »

jnhnum1 wrote: post #72

I've interviewed for a summer internship at Google twice: this summer and last. The first time I interviewed with them, they emailed me the same day to tell me that my interview went really well and they'd like to proceed to host matching. Unsure of the way the process worked, I emailed the recruiter a week later to ask what the next steps were. She called me back half an hour later to ask if I had any deadlines, whi…

> It's just that if you have a delay that's too long, you need to follow up.

Please read some of the comments and anecdotes here a little more closely. A lot of people (including myself) followed up on the silence, often in multiple ways, and still got absolutely no response.

Re: Why Google's hiring process is broken

#75

Post by allyt »

kenjackson wrote: post #10

Asked me to rate my skills in a list of 14 programming languages. Really? I'd love to know what they did with that data. It seems almost completely useless except to say "Tim does not know any Javascript, indicated by his zero score on that."

It matches you with interviewers that know the languages you say you know well.

Re: Why Google's hiring process is broken

#77

Post by spraveen80 »

Google probably expects that all designers/product management folks that they are interviewing to be good at programming too. There are good programmers, good designers and some people who are really good at both. Since a lot of people want to work at Google, they are using that to their advantage and hiring good designers who are also good programmers.

Re: Why Google's hiring process is broken

#78

Post by alnayyir »

yid wrote: post #44
alnayyir wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had the same experience. It's unlikely I'll take one of their HR people seriously ever again. A Google engineer or PM would have to speak with me directly for me to bother.

Good point, their HR department has lost all credibility with me too.

Also the "a googler mentioned you" thing doesn't count. I mean direct contact.

Re: Why Google's hiring process is broken

#79

Post by bnoordhuis »

pgroves wrote: post #65

I disagree with article's conclusion that they are selecting for "backend" engineers. They are selecting for people that think over-engineering every little data structure is the way to build good programs. The skill software companies need is the ability to get a hundred subsystems tested and working together, which is totally different. I know someone who recently interviewed with Google and he told me about the al…

That was the impression I walked away with too: much CS ivory tower thinking, little real-world relevance. But they're only interviews, everyday life at Google is probably (hopefully!) different.

As a counterpoint to the HR horror stories: my recruiter was a friendly woman who always responded quickly and politely. No complaints here.

Re: Why Google's hiring process is broken

#80

Post by ay »

ballgoogler wrote: post #69
jimbokun wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So market cap size legitimizes poor etiquette and borderline anti-social behavior?

No, being a company that is built upon and successful due to its engineering culture does. Engineers are notoriously the most anti-social and lacking in etiquette of almost all professionals. Anti-social behavior is what drives most of us into engineering in the first place. Google's hiring practices are simply a reflection of the type of people that they have to hire in order to be successful as the organization tha…

Google folks I happened to work with, do exhibit "noticeably higher than average" standards of social behavior. This is in addition to being world-class engineers.

OTOH, there is different spectrum of people in every big company - so maybe there are beasts sitting in the caves somewhere that bite everyone passing by too close :-).

You're right in one thing - one should not put the emotions into the process. A little research of past experiences reveals makes this very obvious.

Treat the whole process like a light cocktail-party flirt, and there's no disappointment afterwards. It's a free tour to the $interview_destination_of_choice, after all :-)

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