> Here's an interesting anecdote, I've applied to Google directly, for specific positions I would be qualified for, about a half dozen times and gotten crickets

> Here's an interesting anecdote, I've applied to Google directly, for specific positions I would be qualified for, about a half dozen times and gotten crickets each time. Then out of the blue, months later, I'll get contacted via Linkedin by a recruiter who ends up funneling me into filling a position I couldn't possibly fulfill -- and I'm very open about that up front. I've even sent open job reqs back to the recruiter that I thought I'd be better for, but some kind of internal momentum has dictated that I'm now in the queue for some job I don't want and wouldn't qualify for anyways. Been there, done that, got the logo water bottle. I told the recruiters multiple times that I was fundamentally a systems/embedded developer and that I wanted a systems/embedded job (despite currently working in NLP). I was told they would make sure my rotation included people from those groups. I show up, and it's all guys from Search and Maps who want to ask me NLP and ML questions. :| The interview group was so far off my background and interests that one guy literally had to scrap all the questions he planned to ask. Overall it was a huge waste of time for everyone involved and money for Google, and has permanently turned me off the company.