Want a Job At Google? Better Know Microsoft Office! 243
theodp writes "After recent Slashdot discussions on Google's quest to unseat Microsoft Office in business and whether Google Docs and MS-Word are an even matchup, let's complete the trilogy by bringing up the inconvenient truth that numerous Google job postings state that candidates with Microsoft Office expertise are 'preferred' to those lacking these skills. 'For example,' notes GeekWire, 'when hiring an executive compensation analyst to support Google's board, the company will give preference to candidates who are 'proficient with Microsoft Excel."' Parents and kids at schools that have gone or are going Google are reassured that, 'it is more important to teach technology skills than specific programs' and that 'Google itself uses Google Apps to run its multi-billion dollar company.' Which, for the most part, is true. Just don't count on getting certain Google jobs with that attitude, kids!"
Comment removed (Score:2, Funny)
Re:You're talking to a Human Resources weasel (Score:2, Funny)
Reminds me of the time when I was younger that I applied for a senior engineer position. Granted, I wasn't really what you might call senior at the time, but the guy they ended up hiring was only senior in the sense that he could have joined the AARP.
Now, I have nothing against people who have been working for awhile, but this was in 1999, where his experience with internet technologies was probably about the same (or worse) than mine was, despite his 20 years or more in "technology". That was the funny thing about then and now. Today, you could have over a decade in Java programming and it is still in use. In the late nineties or 2000 or so, a recent college grad knew about as much about Java as someone who had been programming in other languages for a decade or more. You could argue that their experience was still useful, but I'd say it was a lot less useful, pound for pound, than senior level programming experience is today. That is, if you're using Java. If you stuck with coding in C/C++, your experience today is probably Godlike, assuming that your arteries haven't started to harden.
Re:In the workplace... (Score:4, Funny)
I've used LibreOffice/OpenOffice with track changes to work on documents with multiple MS Office users and not had a problem.
Of course, the Google Docs collaboration features are much nicer than the cumbersome "track changes" but it is possible to work with people stuck with MS Office.
Re:truth hurts (Score:2, Funny)
I think if your managers are using torture metaphors, it's time to change positions.