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Google had a guy take me to lunch as well. I suppose this is part of their process. I was surprised it was a random developer (a quiet, uninterested, also sligh

Google had a guy take me to lunch as well. I suppose this is part of their process. I was surprised it was a random developer (a quiet, uninterested, also slightly miserable young guy), rather than someone who was otherwise involved in my (potential) recruitment. It seemed like a lost opportunity for them to get to know something about me other than whether I could do simple coding exercises quickly and accurately under pressure without recourse to external resources. (I can, but apparently not quite quickly or accurately enough for them). I was amazed that they were prepared to fly me to another country (NZ to Australia), but at no stage showed the slightest interest in me personally or anything I had ever done. I am 59 years old, I've been working with code since I was 21 and worked out how to program a significant embedded application on an Intel 8085 CPU using nothing but the manufacturer's data sheets and a simple hex keyboard and display breadboard target. I've learned a few useful skills along the way.

mhh__ 6y ago
> but at no stage showed the slightest interest in me personally or anything I had ever done. At least based on what I read about them (and their approach to their customers) google does seem slightly autistic (in a sense) as a company.
ThrowawayR2 6y ago
> "It seemed like a lost opportunity for them to get to know something about me" Don't know the policy at Google but lunch is usually intentionally supposed to be a break from the interview process. Having somebody grilling the candidate while they are trying to eat defeats that purpose. > "I am 59 years old, I've been working with code since I was 21 and worked out how to program a significant embedded application on an Intel 8085 CPU using nothing but the manufacturer's data sheets and a simple hex keyboard and display breadboard target." At a FAANG, nearly everybody has similar stories, so that's not particularly distinguishing.
- billforsternz 6y ago
  I don't doubt that the Google people were very accomplished, but it still seems logical for them to find out something about where my skills and strengths lie. I didn't want to be grilled at lunch. Normal practice in my experience is to make lunch a pleasant experience for all involved at the same time providing an opportunity for both sides to check for cultural fit etc. etc. A win win basically.

mhh__ 6y ago

> but at no stage showed the slightest interest in me personally or anything I had ever done. At least based on what I read about them (and their approach to their customers) google does seem slightly autistic (in a sense) as a company.

ThrowawayR2 6y ago

> "It seemed like a lost opportunity for them to get to know something about me" Don't know the policy at Google but lunch is usually intentionally supposed to be a break from the interview process. Having somebody grilling the candidate while they are trying to eat defeats that purpose. > "I am 59 years old, I've been working with code since I was 21 and worked out how to program a significant embedded application on an Intel 8085 CPU using nothing but the manufacturer's data sheets and a simple hex keyboard and display breadboard target." At a FAANG, nearly everybody has similar stories, so that's not particularly distinguishing.

billforsternz 6y ago
I don't doubt that the Google people were very accomplished, but it still seems logical for them to find out something about where my skills and strengths lie. I didn't want to be grilled at lunch. Normal practice in my experience is to make lunch a pleasant experience for all involved at the same time providing an opportunity for both sides to check for cultural fit etc. etc. A win win basically.