Free cafeteria food, annual ski trips to the Sierra and free laundry are just some of the fringe benefits of working at Google. Getting hired is the trick.
Every month, aspiring workers deluge the popular Mountain View search engine with up to 150,000 resumes, equivalent to a stack of paper at least 50 feet high. And the firm claims to read each and every one.
As one of Silicon Valley’s hottest companies, Google has become a beacon for job seekers. In just a few short years, the interest has helped the company amass an arsenal of what is arguably among the world’s top technology minds.
“I would argue that definitely they have the best talent,” said Joe Kraus, a co-founder of the Web portal Excite Inc. and who currently leads a startup, JotSpot, in Palo Alto. “They invest so much because the more great talent you have, the easier it is to attract even more great talent.”
Google hires nine new workers a day. In less than two years, the number of employees has more than tripled to 4,989.
The growth spurt is being fueled by a gangbusters-like online advertising market and Google’s boundless ambition, including new initiatives in everything from wireless Internet access to video downloads. The goal is to keep the production line of new products humming so that users spend more time on the Web site.
Getting rich is what drives some of the applicants. Many Google workers became instant millionaires at the time of the company’s initial stock offering in 2004. To this day, prospective employees are drawn by the promise of wealth, although, their chances of striking gold are a lot less now that the firm’s shares are soaring above $400, making stock options less likely to appreciate by large amounts.
I was disappointed to read on and see that the free laundry is really just the free use of laundry machines. However, a child center, dog friendly offices, and a doctor on-site are perks that most employers just can’t match (not to mention the one night annual ski trip). Now this is living digitally!