Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Why I won’t work for Google

qnrq.se

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

191–200 of 225 posts

Re: Why I won’t work for Google

#191

Post by 67726e »

brown9-2 wrote: post #152
lispylol wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Don't think that the fact of recruiter getting in touch mean anything -- they are playing their own numbers game. Exactly. In some conversations I've had with fellow dev's they seem to equate a message from a recruiter with a job offer. I never understood this. Sure, I get messages from recruiters on LinkedIn but it's prob. the same generic letter blasted to hundreds or even thousands of candidates. The quality of…

It's an easy mistake to make when you aren't very familiar with the modern recruiting process. It is literally the job of the recruiters to keep the pipeline as full as possible.

I don't make the mistake of thinking a recruiter calling me on several occasions, attempting to get me to interview is a job offer. What I find surprising is that the recruiter still wants me to interview even after I explained who and what I am. Maybe that's just an overzealous recruiter trying to fill numbers. Maybe Google has relaxed standards outside of what people usually think. One of the first things I said to the recruiter was something along the lines of "Are you sure you have the right guy?"[0] followed up with "I'm not quite sure that I am qualified". Between talking to the recruiter and people who work there or passed the interview, it sure doesn't seem like they are only looking for geniuses.

I'm just trying to offer a point of data regarding what Google by proxy of their recruiters, looks for. The recruiter himself has been working for Google for quite a while, so either he really knows how to game the system, is currently desperate, or Google doesn't have as extreme standards as one would think.

[0] - https://twitter.com/67726e/status/431870786169630720

Re: Why I won’t work for Google

#192

Post by brown9-2 »

67726e wrote: post #191
brown9-2 wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's an easy mistake to make when you aren't very familiar with the modern recruiting process. It is literally the job of the recruiters to keep the pipeline as full as possible.

I don't make the mistake of thinking a recruiter calling me on several occasions, attempting to get me to interview is a job offer. What I find surprising is that the recruiter still wants me to interview even after I explained who and what I am. Maybe that's just an overzealous recruiter trying to fill numbers. Maybe Google has relaxed standards outside of what people usually think. One of the first things I said to…

I don't think it really matters to the recruiter if you are qualified, or if they are judged on how many people they source end up getting offers. They are just there to get you in the door.

Re: Why I won’t work for Google

#193

Post by whoismua »

eurleif wrote: post #22
quaunaut wrote: post #19

I'm still waiting on proof from Snowden as to Apple/Google/Facebook's direct, illegal cooperation with the NSA. So far, all I've seen proof of is compliance with warrants(which admittedly are questionable, but Google has a direct financial gain in fighting them, not helping them), claims that they've fought them, and evidence that the NSA is both tapping the trunk as well as decrypting SSL'd communications.

> Google has a direct financial gain in fighting them Wait, what? Google has a direct financial gain in fighting warrants? How do you figure?

They absolutely do not want anyone asking about user info, or their "store everything here forever so we can index and show ads next to it" is in trouble.

On the other hand, Google doesn't want to piss off the Feds or the Military Industrial Complex. They spend a lot of money and have friends in high places.

Re: Why I won’t work for Google

#194

Post by 67726e »

brown9-2 wrote: post #192
67726e wrote: post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't make the mistake of thinking a recruiter calling me on several occasions, attempting to get me to interview is a job offer. What I find surprising is that the recruiter still wants me to interview even after I explained who and what I am. Maybe that's just an overzealous recruiter trying to fill numbers. Maybe Google has relaxed standards outside of what people usually think. One of the first things I said to…

I don't think it really matters to the recruiter if you are qualified, or if they are judged on how many people they source end up getting offers. They are just there to get you in the door.

I suppose that would depend on how the recruiters operate. I'd imagine that at Google's size, they probably have recruiters just feeding people into the pipeline. I tend to assume people aren't just doing a shitty job, in this case throwing people at a wall and seeing what sticks, despite how much it clashes with my "imposter syndrome" mentality.

Re: Why I won’t work for Google

#195

Post by lispylol »

67726e wrote: post #191
brown9-2 wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's an easy mistake to make when you aren't very familiar with the modern recruiting process. It is literally the job of the recruiters to keep the pipeline as full as possible.

I don't make the mistake of thinking a recruiter calling me on several occasions, attempting to get me to interview is a job offer. What I find surprising is that the recruiter still wants me to interview even after I explained who and what I am. Maybe that's just an overzealous recruiter trying to fill numbers. Maybe Google has relaxed standards outside of what people usually think. One of the first things I said to…

> What I find surprising is that the recruiter still wants me to interview even after I explained who and what I am.

Did you tell him that you're a psychopath? My point is that if a recruiter reaches out to you, it probably means your online identity matches their criteria for potential candidate. Now this criteria can be as simple as oh neat he uses haskell to I'm impressed by his contributions to project X, Y, Z. So unless you tell him something that is completely contradictory to his superficial impression of you there's no reason he should tell you NOT to interview with the company.

Also, I feel like whatever reason the recruiter decided to contact you (Github / nice linkedin profile) has very little to do with the companies hiring bar. It's a terrible proxy for measuring how a company hires. It's at best an indication of the technologies you'll potentially be working with. For example, if you only have java listed chances are you prob. would have never gotten that phone call. You should try it as an experiment.

Want to know where the bar actually is? Go for an interview. Of course, what they mean by interview is usually 1-2 rounds of phone interviews. So in essence you're still pretty far from being seriously considered as a candidate.

Re: Why I won’t work for Google

#196

Post by skj »

raverbashing wrote: post #178
skj wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is untrue. For one, I am a counterexample. Also, I know members of hiring committees, and they tell me that if you have a failed interview one year, and a pretty good interview the next, that is a stronger hire signal than a pretty good interview without the previous failed one. That is, it shows growth.

Hard when you don't even get an interview anymore and recruiters leave you hanging without an answer. Your experience doesn't match mine, I'm not saying you're being untrue, I'm saying YMMV

I'm simply pointing out that your explanation is not the correct one, since it's not consistent with other evidence.

Re: Why I won’t work for Google

#197

Post by lamby »

kumbasha wrote: post #127
lamby wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mm. These sort of posts ("Why I won't work for Google", "Why I won't sign your NDA", "Why I won't do your technical interview") often come across as having a different agenda, and not necessarily one based on insecurity.

What agenda? Google sucks, NDAs suck, etc?

No; self-promotion, self-branding, etc.

Re: Why I won’t work for Google

#198

Post by VikingCoder »

Nemcue wrote: post #181
VikingCoder wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We live in a capitalist world. Corporations are the natural extension. So, your choices are: go Amish, go Entrepreneur, or pick the least bad Corporations.

In typical american fashion you paint the world black or white, when it is not so.

I personally know people who have gone Amish, who have gone Entrepreneur, or have gone Corporate.

I guess I also know people who have gone Government, or even Military.

If you personally know people who have made other choices, please inform us, rather than just insult. You must be French.

Re: Why I won’t work for Google

#199

Post by reikonomusha »

sidcool wrote: post #117
reikonomusha wrote: post #52

There are more reasons to not work for Google, including their (sometimes?) rather poor interview process.

That comes as a surprise to me. Poor interview process? They have the world's best engineers at their disposal, don't they? A poor interview process would point otherwise.

Here is one such account: http://symbo1ics.com/blog/?p=2055
Post reply on HN