5 ms·

Why I can’t work at Google

27 points by acav 14y ago

dmoy 14y ago
This doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I didn't know anybody who worked at Google before I joined, and a good chunk of my co-workers didn't either. The author may be reading into the question "do you know anyone here?" too much. It could easily be that the recruiters are just trying to figure out if they can ask anyone inside for an internal reference. If not, no big deal. It would just be another signal to use.
- devrelm 14y ago
  The article is just marketing. He mentions multiple times that he works for Bright.com, "a San Francisco-based company that is building algorithmic tools to match candidates and employers." He is purposely reading into the "do you know anyone here?" question so that he can make a story out of it.
diego 14y ago
If the author wants to work at Google and believes that knowing someone at Google is a prerequisite to get hired (doubtful) then he should try to connect with Google employees. It's not that hard, there are tens of thousands of them. Many of them participate in well known open source projects, and are active on mailing lists, social networks, etc. In other words, the author created a limitation in his mind and didn't bother trying to overcome it. I'd call this anti-resourcefulness.
halcyondaze 14y ago
No offense, but why doesn't this guy just GET to know someone at Google? It's not that difficult to do!
- AJ007 14y ago
  Well then that wouldn't make for a very good article would it?
  - jemfinch 14y ago
    It certainly wouldn't be good advertising for his company, which sells a purported alternative to candidate referrals.
- yen223 14y ago
  How would a person, who doesn't have a CS background, network with people at Google? I'm genuinely curious.
  - mayank 14y ago
    Go to any Mountain View bar? Use LinkedIn to find FoFs who work at Google? Attend a public Google event and talk to employees? Of those, I'd go with finding social connections to an employee. Google has over 30k employees -- if you're more than 1 or 2 degrees removed from a Google employee, you might be doing something wrong.
    - antihero 14y ago
      It seems a bit weird to be like hey, I would like to be your friend so I can get a job.
  - iends 14y ago
    Conferences, the internet, email, blogs, twitter, facebook, google, etc.
datamart 14y ago
Of the dozen or so interviews I went through to get to Google, I was never asked the question, "Who do you know here?" Of the hundred or so interviews I've given since I've been at Google, I've never asked the question, "Who do you know here?"
jemfinch 14y ago
The author works for a company marketing a "a scientifically driven way to quantify the match between a job candidate and an open position" and is making claims derogating another mechanism for matching candidates and position. He's not exactly an unbiased observer. For the record, I've been involved in hiring here, and I've never asked candidate who he knows at Google, I've never heard of a candidate being asked such a question, I've never seen anything related to such questions on interview feedback, and so on. If Hardtke's account is true (and that's extremely doubtful), his experience bears no relation whatsoever to mine on the either side of the interview table.
- erikpukinskis 14y ago
  His affiliation is fully disclosed in the article. I don't understand why you're outing someone for "bias" when they describe it in the body of the article. Are you trying to suggest that bias somehow means you're not allowed to have opinions about things related to your work?
  - iends 14y ago
    I'm sure that's exactly what he was trying to imply...Are you trying to suggest you're not a very good troll?
- Lewisham 14y ago
  I've been helping other people through the Google hiring process, as I'm about to graduate from my PhD and head off to Google (I went via the intern conversion, so my experience is atypical). I know a couple of talented undergrads, and some have applied there. The recruiters have always asked every one that I knew of "who do you know at Google?" I know this because they have come to me saying "The recruiter is asking who I know and you're the only person, can I say you?" They all seem to have a sense of urgency in the question, which indicates to me they've been told it's important. I think that the OP made it to phone screen alone indicates that he was past the first cut. I would be surprised if referrals matter from that point on, as you say.
- chatmasta 14y ago
tmhedberg 14y ago
I've interviewed at Google NY, and though I do seem to recall being asked if I knew anyone that worked there, I never got the impression that my answer influenced the outcome of the interview process. It was just a friendly, casual question asked as a way to break the ice.
guyzero 14y ago
Per other commenters, this is basically a hit piece on Google by claiming that Google does something that it doesn't do to promote the author's own company which seeks to improve hiring.
DirtyMonkey 14y ago
After interviewing at Google, I've ever been asked whom I already know there.

27 points by acav 14y ago

dmoy 14y ago

This doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I didn't know anybody who worked at Google before I joined, and a good chunk of my co-workers didn't either. The author may be reading into the question "do you know anyone here?" too much. It could easily be that the recruiters are just trying to figure out if they can ask anyone inside for an internal reference. If not, no big deal. It would just be another signal to use.

devrelm 14y ago
The article is just marketing. He mentions multiple times that he works for Bright.com, "a San Francisco-based company that is building algorithmic tools to match candidates and employers." He is purposely reading into the "do you know anyone here?" question so that he can make a story out of it.

diego 14y ago

If the author wants to work at Google and believes that knowing someone at Google is a prerequisite to get hired (doubtful) then he should try to connect with Google employees. It's not that hard, there are tens of thousands of them. Many of them participate in well known open source projects, and are active on mailing lists, social networks, etc. In other words, the author created a limitation in his mind and didn't bother trying to overcome it. I'd call this anti-resourcefulness.

halcyondaze 14y ago

No offense, but why doesn't this guy just GET to know someone at Google? It's not that difficult to do!

AJ007 14y ago
Well then that wouldn't make for a very good article would it?
- jemfinch 14y ago
  It certainly wouldn't be good advertising for his company, which sells a purported alternative to candidate referrals.
yen223 14y ago
How would a person, who doesn't have a CS background, network with people at Google? I'm genuinely curious.
- mayank 14y ago
  Go to any Mountain View bar? Use LinkedIn to find FoFs who work at Google? Attend a public Google event and talk to employees? Of those, I'd go with finding social connections to an employee. Google has over 30k employees -- if you're more than 1 or 2 degrees removed from a Google employee, you might be doing something wrong.
  - antihero 14y ago
    It seems a bit weird to be like hey, I would like to be your friend so I can get a job.
- iends 14y ago
  Conferences, the internet, email, blogs, twitter, facebook, google, etc.

datamart 14y ago

Of the dozen or so interviews I went through to get to Google, I was never asked the question, "Who do you know here?" Of the hundred or so interviews I've given since I've been at Google, I've never asked the question, "Who do you know here?"

jemfinch 14y ago

The author works for a company marketing a "a scientifically driven way to quantify the match between a job candidate and an open position" and is making claims derogating another mechanism for matching candidates and position. He's not exactly an unbiased observer. For the record, I've been involved in hiring here, and I've never asked candidate who he knows at Google, I've never heard of a candidate being asked such a question, I've never seen anything related to such questions on interview feedback, and so on. If Hardtke's account is true (and that's extremely doubtful), his experience bears no relation whatsoever to mine on the either side of the interview table.

erikpukinskis 14y ago
His affiliation is fully disclosed in the article. I don't understand why you're outing someone for "bias" when they describe it in the body of the article. Are you trying to suggest that bias somehow means you're not allowed to have opinions about things related to your work?
- iends 14y ago
  I'm sure that's exactly what he was trying to imply...Are you trying to suggest you're not a very good troll?
Lewisham 14y ago
I've been helping other people through the Google hiring process, as I'm about to graduate from my PhD and head off to Google (I went via the intern conversion, so my experience is atypical). I know a couple of talented undergrads, and some have applied there. The recruiters have always asked every one that I knew of "who do you know at Google?" I know this because they have come to me saying "The recruiter is asking who I know and you're the only person, can I say you?" They all seem to have a sense of urgency in the question, which indicates to me they've been told it's important. I think that the OP made it to phone screen alone indicates that he was past the first cut. I would be surprised if referrals matter from that point on, as you say.
chatmasta 14y ago

tmhedberg 14y ago

I've interviewed at Google NY, and though I do seem to recall being asked if I knew anyone that worked there, I never got the impression that my answer influenced the outcome of the interview process. It was just a friendly, casual question asked as a way to break the ice.

guyzero 14y ago

Per other commenters, this is basically a hit piece on Google by claiming that Google does something that it doesn't do to promote the author's own company which seeks to improve hiring.

DirtyMonkey 14y ago

After interviewing at Google, I've ever been asked whom I already know there.