Want To Work At Google?

ramboando writes "In an article on the ZDNet site 'chief culture officer' and HR boss Stacy Savides Sullivan describes the kind of traits that she's looking for in potential Google employees. If you're thinking about applying, she also goes over what kind of questions one might be asked in an interview, Google's 'happiness survey' and the best perks that makes employees tick and stay with the company (Google ski-trips or paid paternity leave, anyone?). 'I think one of the hardest things to do is ensure that we are hiring people who possess the kind of traits that we're looking for in a Google-y employee. Google-y is defined as somebody who is fairly flexible, adaptable and not focusing on titles and hierarchy, and just gets stuff done. So, we put a lot of focus in our hiring processes when we are interviewing to try to determine first and foremost does the person have the skill set and experience potential to do the job from a background standpoint in addition to academics and credentials.'"

Would you fail if...

[niceone]

Would you fail if... you threw up at the first mention of the word "Google-y"? Ah, that's me out...

If it were any other company...

[strobexii]

I'd translate it thus

Google-y is defined as somebody who is fairly flexible,

You'll be working long hours. Weekends, possibly holidays...

adaptable

Management will shuffle you around as it sees fit

and not focusing on titles and hierarchy,

Promotion?! Haha! Here's a compromise: you're getting a new boss.

and just gets stuff done.

Get to work and stop asking questions!

But it's Google, so we know better. Or do we? Seriously, which side are we taking today?

Re:Best benefit

[Timesprout]

Of course. I arrive into work every day by driving my rolls-royce into my personal pool. I won't even consider working for any company that does not support my rock and roll lifestyle commute.

Re:i'm first?

[arachnoprobe]

Try to make an intelligent/informative/funny/insightful comment. People will care about that.

You know, you are sooooo 1.0 ! This is /. 2.0, it's not about the content anymore... ;)

No interviews required

[El_Muerte_TDS]

All google needs is your unique google id and your name and they can find the rest themselves. Saves both parties a lot of time.

What?

[glwtta]

You mean there are still people who don't work at Google?

From the sheer number of articles about or relating to the Google hiring process and corporate culture I just assumed that they would have hired the entire qualified workforce by now.

(though they do have some really nice sounding quality of life type perks...)

Know your audience

[evilviper]

"In an article on the ZDNet site 'chief culture officer' and HR boss Stacy Savides Sullivan describes the kind of traits that she's looking for in potential Google employees.

Do those traits include reading Slashdot at 03:24AM, Monday morning?

*crosses fingers*

Re:Chief Culture Officer

[ez76]

That's not a title. She's a Native American, you insensitive clod.

Re:I had an interview with Google a few weeks ago

[BiggerIsBetter]

first question: Find the density of the marble, then calculuate the ... oh what do I know.

Here's one possibility:

With the first marble, drop it from floor one, then ascend, doubling the floor each time. When it breaks (unless it's the first floor or the top floor), start with the second marble, working up sequentially from the last known good floor. Is that an elevator sort, or something?

Google-y definition

[Anonymous Coward]

"fairly flexible"

willing to work all the hours of the day.

"adaptable"

there's no job structure, you'll be pimped out to whatever teams we please.

"and not focusing on titles and hierarchy"

you've got no chance of promotion or a pay rise.

"and just gets stuff done"

no complaining about ridiculous deadlines or having to do all the work whilst the idiots we've teamed you with slack off.

"So, we put a lot of focus in our hiring processes when we are interviewing to try to determine first and foremost does the person have the skill set and experience potential to do the job from a background standpoint in addition to academics and credentials."

non-PHD's need not apply.

Easy - 2 ways to answer all the questions...

[billybob_jcv]

Answer method #1: 1) Google for the answer. 2) Google for the answer, right mouse-click, view source, ctrl-C. 3) See #2. Oh, you can't find the answers by googling? You could if you hired me... Answer method #2: My rates are $300/hour, I'll send you a SOW.

Re:"Fit Factor"

[Ihlosi]

remember: there's no "I" in team. but there's no "we" either!!!

There's a "me", though.

Oddly enough, the first interview question

[Anonymous Coward]

happens to be:

You look down and see a tortoise. It's crawling toward you. You reach down and you flip the tortoise over on its back.
The tortoise lays on its back, its belly baking in the hot sun, beating its legs trying to turn itself over but it can't. Not without your help. But you're not helping.

Re:I had an interview with Google a few weeks ago

[CopaceticOpus]

1. I'm too valuable to spend time dropping marbles from buildings. Give an intern one of the marbles, and tell him to start on floor number one and work his way up. Keep the second marble as a toy on my desk.

2. Email the file to my Gmail (TM) account. Open the file as a spreadsheet in Google Docs & Speadsheets (TM). Choose "Sort" from the application menu.

3. Chew out the idiot who removed the hard drive, get it back, and reinstall it in the machine. Save TCP stream to a text file. Repeat answer #2.

Re:Google

[kindbud]

If you're old and smart, you have no interest in perks designed to make your stay at work more comfortable and enjoyable, and you don't like people who enjoy them and stay at work for 18 hours a day. Makes us look bad. That's why we old farts run around adjusting the a/c or heat to make the place insufferable so you people will go home at a quitting time.