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Dear Colin, You're extremely lucky to have talents that are highly sought-after and well paid. I know many talented architects and designers with experience wh

by adnam 13y ago

Dear Colin, You're extremely lucky to have talents that are highly sought-after and well paid. I know many talented architects and designers with experience who just scrape by. Just ignore Google's recruitment advances and move on :)

cperciva 13y ago
Just ignore Google's recruitment advances and move on If I thought I was the only person being annoyed by them, I would probably do this. But I've spoken to lots of other developers who get similarly annoyed by Google recruiters despite their attempts to tell Google Recruiting to stop contacting them -- so I figured it was worth writing a "ha ha only serious" public piece in the interest of getting Google's attention and maybe saving a lot of developers that same occasional irritation.
- huckyaus 13y ago
  > I've spoken to lots of other developers who get similarly annoyed by Google recruiters despite their attempts to tell Google Recruiting to stop contacting them It might have been worth mentioning this in your post. As it stands, the faux-formal structure, slightly melodramatic tone and repeated references to your cushy career situation make it read like a classic humblebrag.
  - frostmatthew 13y ago
    > it read like a classic humblebrag What about this did you feel was humble?
    - chris_wot 13y ago
      That's the whole point of a humblebrag.
  - tptacek 13y ago
    He doesn't need to be humble. Google would be extremely lucky to have him. Let's stop wasting time pretending that he's lucky to be contacted by them, or that he needs to be careful about how he presents this. He's at the top of his field. Get over it.
    - huckyaus 13y ago
      I'm not questioning his ability or professionalism. I take issue with the fact that the stated intention of his post - to get Google's attention and prevent similar incidents in the future - is at odds with the tone of his writing. That's all.
      - tptacek 13y ago
        Read the thread 'tlrobinson showed you. Like, carefully.
      - cperciva 13y ago
        The intended tone of my writing is "funny enough that someone at Google might notice and do something about this problem". Sorry if that didn't come through.
        glurgh 13y ago
        It comes through just fine. It's possible your detractors have just had the good fortune of not experiencing the 'pesky recruiter' problem, Google or otherwise. You can take heart in the near certainty that, if they work in the technology field at all, they will.
    - ameister14 13y ago
      No-one needs to be humble. Still, humility is an admirable trait, and immodesty is not usually worth rewarding. Being at the top of your field outweighs the negative connotations of being immodest, but that doesn't make humility undesirable.
  - tlrobinson 13y ago
    humblebrag I see you're new here. Let me refer you to this classic HN thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35068 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35068
    - chris_wot 13y ago
      I love that pg says that it was the greatest comeback of all time.
    - haberman 13y ago
      Wow, please remind me if/when I succeed beyond my wildest dreams never to use my accomplishments as a rhetorical weapon to beat people with. I've always been a fan of Colin from the little that I've been exposed to his work, but that thread instantly made me like him less (though this post tempered the feeling some: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35096 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35096) And yet I'm more of a fan of Richard Sherman (in the NFL) than I was two weeks ago, in spite of his unapologetic bragging. I can't explain the difference.
      - nostrademons 13y ago
        It's weird reading that thread and coming across a comment written by my 6-years-younger self on the very day that I founded my startup and thinking "Man, I had my head screwed on better back then. The 5 years I spent at Google just makes me a blowhard. I hope I have the opportunity to be small again."
  - cperciva 13y ago
    repeated references to your cushy career situation What references are those? I only mentioned Tarsnap once at the very end. Based on everything else I might have been unemployed. classic humblebrag Being repeatedly contacted by Google Recruiting is hardly something to brag about.
    - frostmatthew 13y ago
      > Being repeatedly contacted by Google Recruiting is hardly something to brag about. Do you have any idea how many people would love to be contacted by Google Recruiting even once? That's fine if you have no interest in working for them, but please don't pretend Google isn't one of the most desirable companies to work for.
      - nknighthb 13y ago
        > Do you have any idea how many people would love to be contacted by Google Recruiting even once? Tell them to put up a LinkedIn profile and wait a few months. The recruiters aren't making offers, they don't have that authority. They're trying to shove as many people through an interview grinder as possible.
- adnam 13y ago
  You are not alone, and you're right that it can get very annoying. But I think one day computer programmers will look back and wonder how we ever had it so good.
- skwirl 13y ago
  Developers are annoyed by hundreds of companies and professional recruiters who try to recruit them constantly. To single out Google reeks of nothing more than "HEY GUYS LOOK AT ME I'M TOO COOL FOR GOOGLE!"
  - deleted 13y ago
    [deleted]
  - nknighthb 13y ago
    The only company whose recruiters bug me on a regular basis is Google. Google's also the only company I know of which flies the same guy halfway across the country every year or two for interview processes that always end in rejection. (This is the primary reason I've stopped even responding to their recruiters. I don't want to get caught in the same cycle of anticipation, terrifying interviews, and rejection.) Their recruiting department seems to like wasting everybody's time and their employer's money.
  - cperciva 13y ago
    I'm not singling out Google. They're the only company whose recruiters keep on ignoring "DO NOT CONTACT".
- fredgrott 13y ago
  Its not just Google.. Amazon has the same problem..some low recruiters working for Amazon spamming devs My solution was to contact Amazon dev advocate and state that I would not upload my android apps to their appstore unless the recruiting spamming stooped.. That worked for awhile, it no longer works
  - saryant 13y ago
    I flew to Seattle for an Amazon interview two years ago. They declined to extend an offer yet still hit me up on LinkedIn and send me emails every six months. I'm not sour about not getting the job (I totally blew that interview—100% my fault), I just don't get the dissonance they send out.
- tedunangst 13y ago
  Heh. I read the title and knew immediately what the contents would be.
rmrfrmrf 13y ago
Recruitment isn't the same thing as a guaranteed job, though; it's more like an invitation to submit a resume than anything else.

by adnam 13y ago

cperciva 13y ago

Just ignore Google's recruitment advances and move on If I thought I was the only person being annoyed by them, I would probably do this. But I've spoken to lots of other developers who get similarly annoyed by Google recruiters despite their attempts to tell Google Recruiting to stop contacting them -- so I figured it was worth writing a "ha ha only serious" public piece in the interest of getting Google's attention and maybe saving a lot of developers that same occasional irritation.

huckyaus 13y ago
> I've spoken to lots of other developers who get similarly annoyed by Google recruiters despite their attempts to tell Google Recruiting to stop contacting them It might have been worth mentioning this in your post. As it stands, the faux-formal structure, slightly melodramatic tone and repeated references to your cushy career situation make it read like a classic humblebrag.
- frostmatthew 13y ago
  > it read like a classic humblebrag What about this did you feel was humble?
  - chris_wot 13y ago
    That's the whole point of a humblebrag.
- tptacek 13y ago
  He doesn't need to be humble. Google would be extremely lucky to have him. Let's stop wasting time pretending that he's lucky to be contacted by them, or that he needs to be careful about how he presents this. He's at the top of his field. Get over it.
  - huckyaus 13y ago
    I'm not questioning his ability or professionalism. I take issue with the fact that the stated intention of his post - to get Google's attention and prevent similar incidents in the future - is at odds with the tone of his writing. That's all.
    - tptacek 13y ago
      Read the thread 'tlrobinson showed you. Like, carefully.
    - cperciva 13y ago
      The intended tone of my writing is "funny enough that someone at Google might notice and do something about this problem". Sorry if that didn't come through.
      - glurgh 13y ago
        It comes through just fine. It's possible your detractors have just had the good fortune of not experiencing the 'pesky recruiter' problem, Google or otherwise. You can take heart in the near certainty that, if they work in the technology field at all, they will.
  - ameister14 13y ago
    No-one needs to be humble. Still, humility is an admirable trait, and immodesty is not usually worth rewarding. Being at the top of your field outweighs the negative connotations of being immodest, but that doesn't make humility undesirable.
- tlrobinson 13y ago
  humblebrag I see you're new here. Let me refer you to this classic HN thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35068 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35068
  - chris_wot 13y ago
    I love that pg says that it was the greatest comeback of all time.
  - haberman 13y ago
    Wow, please remind me if/when I succeed beyond my wildest dreams never to use my accomplishments as a rhetorical weapon to beat people with. I've always been a fan of Colin from the little that I've been exposed to his work, but that thread instantly made me like him less (though this post tempered the feeling some: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35096 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35096) And yet I'm more of a fan of Richard Sherman (in the NFL) than I was two weeks ago, in spite of his unapologetic bragging. I can't explain the difference.
    - nostrademons 13y ago
      It's weird reading that thread and coming across a comment written by my 6-years-younger self on the very day that I founded my startup and thinking "Man, I had my head screwed on better back then. The 5 years I spent at Google just makes me a blowhard. I hope I have the opportunity to be small again."
- cperciva 13y ago
  repeated references to your cushy career situation What references are those? I only mentioned Tarsnap once at the very end. Based on everything else I might have been unemployed. classic humblebrag Being repeatedly contacted by Google Recruiting is hardly something to brag about.
  - frostmatthew 13y ago
    > Being repeatedly contacted by Google Recruiting is hardly something to brag about. Do you have any idea how many people would love to be contacted by Google Recruiting even once? That's fine if you have no interest in working for them, but please don't pretend Google isn't one of the most desirable companies to work for.
    - nknighthb 13y ago
      > Do you have any idea how many people would love to be contacted by Google Recruiting even once? Tell them to put up a LinkedIn profile and wait a few months. The recruiters aren't making offers, they don't have that authority. They're trying to shove as many people through an interview grinder as possible.
adnam 13y ago
You are not alone, and you're right that it can get very annoying. But I think one day computer programmers will look back and wonder how we ever had it so good.
skwirl 13y ago
Developers are annoyed by hundreds of companies and professional recruiters who try to recruit them constantly. To single out Google reeks of nothing more than "HEY GUYS LOOK AT ME I'M TOO COOL FOR GOOGLE!"
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
- nknighthb 13y ago
  The only company whose recruiters bug me on a regular basis is Google. Google's also the only company I know of which flies the same guy halfway across the country every year or two for interview processes that always end in rejection. (This is the primary reason I've stopped even responding to their recruiters. I don't want to get caught in the same cycle of anticipation, terrifying interviews, and rejection.) Their recruiting department seems to like wasting everybody's time and their employer's money.
- cperciva 13y ago
  I'm not singling out Google. They're the only company whose recruiters keep on ignoring "DO NOT CONTACT".
fredgrott 13y ago
Its not just Google.. Amazon has the same problem..some low recruiters working for Amazon spamming devs My solution was to contact Amazon dev advocate and state that I would not upload my android apps to their appstore unless the recruiting spamming stooped.. That worked for awhile, it no longer works
- saryant 13y ago
  I flew to Seattle for an Amazon interview two years ago. They declined to extend an offer yet still hit me up on LinkedIn and send me emails every six months. I'm not sour about not getting the job (I totally blew that interview—100% my fault), I just don't get the dissonance they send out.
tedunangst 13y ago
Heh. I read the title and knew immediately what the contents would be.

rmrfrmrf 13y ago

Recruitment isn't the same thing as a guaranteed job, though; it's more like an invitation to submit a resume than anything else.