

Ask HN: Got invited to work at Google(for 2nd time), what to expect? - nRike

Hi,<p>This is the second time a recruiter invites me to apply for a job at Google. The first time I rejected the offer because it was not part of my area of interest, but now this new recruiter told me I could apply either Developer Relations, Technical Solutions or also Software Engineering roles. EDIT: 2nd recruiter told me he was doing following up from the first one.<p>The questions I have for you Googlers&#x2F;ex-Googlers are:<p>Why this new recruiter never knew about me, but to apply for a job anyway?
How is life doing software engineering at Google?
Did working at Google helped you to become a better entrepreneur?<p>Thanks.
======
hkmurakami
I really wouldn't think about it too much. They'll easily reject you as
quickly as they reached out to you. Recruiter performance evaluations are
typically based in the raw number of placements rather than hit rate. It
naturally skews them towards a shotgun approach.

Maybe you're a fantastic Dev but getting a call from them doesn't really mean
much.

~~~
nRike
I think recruiters get paid by the number of positions they can fill, even if
they get a "bad performance" for having few candidates.

I think this recruiter just was doing follow up after few months and trying to
re-connect. Last year happened to me the same with a Pebble recruiter who
later went to Greylock.

------
smileysteve
Hi, I've never worked for Google, but to answer some of your questions.

A) You got a second recruiter contacting because sometimes the recruiters
aren't checking any internal database before reaching out to you, bring the:

B) Be wary of the wide net (Developer Relations, Technical Solutions, and
Software Engineering) suggest that this recruiter hasn't looked into you very
deeply to suggest what they think is the role you have enjoyed.

C) Google may not make you a better entrepreneur. But it could. My experiences
with Google software engineers is that they sometimes feel like impersonators
when attending startup events.

------
smartician
Recruiters scour websites like LinkedIn and email anyone who remotely seems to
have relevant skills or experience. Don't read too much into it. In the
interviewing process, you'll have the same odds of getting an offer as if you
applied out of your own volition.

~~~
stevekemp
Agreed.

I've been reached out to about five times by Google in the space of two years.
Every single time I say the same thing

"I'm based in Edinburgh, I do not wish to move, therefore I cannot work for
you - regardless of how awesome you might be. Please don't contact me again."

It's a shame that their recruiters don't seem to use any consistent search-
backend prior to mailing people ..

------
ywu
Like many others, Google has the referral bonus so several of my friends sent
my resume (without asking me though) to their HR contact. So I got calls from
two or three HR specialists and one of them was really insisting. That was
when I was a PhD student in Australia. I was once in the Google office in
Sydney, and that office is probably the most comfortable one that I have ever
seen. Great place, great view, no much keyboard tapping and mouse clicking
even in the dev area. Later I found out that team developed Google maps.

I can't answer the questions because I have never been a Googler. But I can
share why I rejected their invitations for interviews. Google pays good, and
is generous on stock options. As my Google friends say, it's like already half
retired. I just did not want to do that in my late 20s. Later after graduation
I went back to China and started looking for things to build. I really do not
think Google would help much in entrepreneurship, except you may get a lot of
talented friends. But again, they do not want to leave Google to work with you
on your project because Google pays too well.

~~~
nRike
>> As my Google friends say, it's like already half retired.

This is very interesting. Few employees I know at Google are very busy and
working in several things at the same time.

>> I just did not want to do that in my late 20s.

I'm 26 and I think the same too. I have the need to build something where
every line of code matters, making people's life easier instead of working in
a big company.

------
alphagenerator
I think many recruiters would e-mail goats and ask them to apply to Google if
they could. I'm not sure they care or filter people very well in many cases.

This sort of thing is usually a sign that your recruiter is not a good
recruiter. Break contact and move on to someone who actually tries to match
you to real opportunities. Recruiters are supposed to provide value to the
applicant as much as the employer.

------
gesman
I usually reply to recruiter that I am not interested in their online monkey
coding tests, but I'd be happy to consider position and talk to Google team in
person if they're serious.

