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Cerf Launches UK Recruiting Tour

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the plenty-of-engineers-just-none-qualified dept.

An anonymous reader writes "ZDNet is reporting that networking pioneer Vint Cerf is planning to tour the UK in an attempt to recruit coders for Google. From the article: 'Google admitted that it was having difficulties recruiting developers and would be targeting students and engineers.'"

38 comments

  1. insights long in coming by JanneM · · Score: 4, Funny

    'Google admitted that it was having difficulties recruiting developers and would be targeting students and engineers.'

    Yeah, they finally had to acknowledge that the previous recruiting strategy of targeting florists and mime-artists just wasn't panning out, code quality-wise.

    --
    Trust the Computer. The Computer is your friend.
  2. Re:Come recruit me!! by A+beautiful+mind · · Score: 1

    They should have no problems with that, they just have to extend the NJ law to the UK and you're all set for a nice job with Google, or alternatively a handy work in the PI (Prison Industry) in Guantanamo bay.

    --
    It takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile
    Be yourself no matter what they say
  3. light years ahead of the US? by Kangburra · · Score: 1

    Kordestani added that Google was particularly interested in benefiting from the UK's wireless expertise, describing it as "light years ahead of the US"

    What, like BBC radio?

    --
    Common sense is not so common
    1. Re:light years ahead of the US? by obarel · · Score: 1

      I wonder why anyone thinks "light years ahead of the US" makes more sense than "miles ahead of the US". Is being more advanced a question of distance?

      Or maybe they don't know in Google that light years measure distance, and years measure time.

    2. Re:light years ahead of the US? by pneumatus · · Score: 1, Funny

      Cerf: I bet you $50 some guy on slashdot will comment on my use of 'light years ahead' rather than 'miles ahead' within 30 mins of an article being posted.
      Google guy: Deal!

      (may not have actually happend)

      You might just have made Cerf $50 :)

      --
      Just don't create a file called -rf. :-) -- Larry Wall
    3. Re:light years ahead of the US? by obarel · · Score: 2, Funny

      Do I get the job then?

      Or am I just an instrument in the hands of smarter and richer people?

    4. Re:light years ahead of the US? by MountainMan101 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Actually, I think distance and time are equally used, perhaps only in English speaking countries (eg UK) and not English-derived languages (like Americanese). I would say that "time" is generally used when describing development, and distance when refering to effort. So "Linux is years ahead of Windows" and "Team X is miles ahead of Team Y at cracking that code".

      Basically what I'm trying to say is, you tried to be smart but you failed.

  4. The implications are astounding by Groo+Wanderer · · Score: 4, Funny

    Would this mean that he is trying to get the best and the brightest to work in cerfdom?

              -Charlie

    (Apologies, could not resist. Must go make highbrow joke to a random person in the street as pennance.)

    1. Re:The implications are astounding by Bob+Cat+-+NYMPHS · · Score: 1

      Don't feel bad. Everybody goes Cerfing.

      Cerfing USA!

      --
      The latest Slashdot meme.
  5. They need to speed up their recruitment process by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Perhaps they should reconsider requiring six or seven interviews involving people from three different countries and an elapsed time of two to three months?

    I understand they only want to hire good people but good people will probably get a stack of written job offers before Google gets anywhere near making a decision.

    1. Re:They need to speed up their recruitment process by valen · · Score: 2, Interesting


        I'd rather risk losing someone good than be lumped with someone weak who got through a light the recruitment process.

        I don't know what the ratio to hire-nohire is, but some engineers do a hundred 45 min interviews a year, on top of their normal jobs. So it's not just difficult on the applicants; but there is a really good reason for it.

        Some people say "So, just hire bad people and fire them later". Google isn't like a normal company. Stuff is done so differently that you can't afford to spend months bringing them up to speed, then find out that they can't hack it.

      John

    2. Re:They need to speed up their recruitment process by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I did say they need to speed it up not make it less rigorous, though maybe I should have been clearer.

      They can't expect to keep people hanging on for months (that's not an exaggeration btw), turning down other opportunities. IMO it doesn't matter whether or not Google is a "normal company" recruitment is always a two-way thing. If they send people away unhappy or let them fall by the wayside because of the length of the process then they're doing themselves no favours.

    3. Re:They need to speed up their recruitment process by jareth-0205 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Obviously you haven't had to look for a job recently. It's a hell of a lot more annoying to be the "good" person that is lost... and often it is a non-trivial exercise to get to interviews. That "45 minute interview" can typically take a good few hours to travel to, meaning time off work and all the costs associated with that. Whatever company it is, there's a finite number of times most people can afford to travel to interviews, and lets be honest, any interviewer worth his salt will be able to size up an employee fairly quickly, I find it difficult to understand why more than 2 interviews is ever necessary.

    4. Re:They need to speed up their recruitment process by aevans · · Score: 1

      I want to split my time between Montana and Fiji, but since I need to work, and I know IT, I'm living in Seattle. It's a choice really.

      If you are a recent college graduate with a degree computer science and you live 45 miles out of Little Rock and are unwilling to move, either write some chicken farm management software and sell it yourself, or expect long drives to infrequent job interviews. Of course, If you live in Cupertino and aren't any good, you probably won't recruiters from Google breathing down your neck.

      Maybe it's just me, but the IT job market seems hotter now than it was in 2000.

  6. I saw them yesterday... by kneeslasher · · Score: 3, Informative

    Google visited Oxford yesterday and I went along to the event. It was OK. Instead of asking a question on the theme of "How do I get in?", one silly chap asked about how Google squared their "Do no evil." policy with China. Which led to a wasted ten minute PR exercise of why and how Google was operating in China. Apart from that, it was OK and I have a purple Google pen to show for it. There was a raffle in which I won nothing. The top prize being an iPod.

    1. Re:I saw them yesterday... by Alioth · · Score: 1

      Vint Cerf was on Radio 4's Today programme yesterday morning. It was interesting listening to him trying to justify Google's censorship in China. At least he practically said, "Well, we're in it purely for the money, do no evil be damned" (but in a more round about weaselly way).

      --
      Oolite: Elite-like game. For Mac, Linux and Windows
    2. Re:I saw them yesterday... by TheRaven64 · · Score: 1

      Do you have a link to the schedule for the tour? Ironically, Google seems unable to find it...

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    3. Re:I saw them yesterday... by Netscryer · · Score: 1

      Someone (at the Imperial College seminar today) asked that too. He said he thought information was better than no information, that they write on the page when results are missing from a google.cn search (and have permission from the government to do so, which surprises him), they won't be launching gmail or similar in China so that they can't be asked to disclose the data, and that information is like water and will wear away at the Chinese government. Someone else asked about their disclosure of information to e.g. the US govt, and someone else something similar... hmmm, what was it now? He commented that we were asking mean questions anyway. If anyone has the chance to go it's well worth it. No iPod for us, but everyone got a notebook and (green) pen and two of the questions got stuff

    4. Re:I saw them yesterday... by Netscryer · · Score: 1

      I remember the other question
      Quotes:
      "The industry simply has to ... rethink it's business modely to take advantages of the new technology"
      "These industries simply have to learn to adopt"

      The question was about, basically, P2P piracy, but Cerf moved into talking about phone companies too as an example of another business that must change (he mentioned the ISPs wanting to charge content providers, and is strongly against the idea, of course. As am I).

    5. Re:I saw them yesterday... by DataCannibal · · Score: 1

      Wasted ten minutes ?!??!?!

      Surely if you are considering going to work for a company you might like to know how they respond to questions regarding how they square their ethical behaviour with their very public mission statement.

      --
      No but, yeah but, no but...
    6. Re:I saw them yesterday... by kneeslasher · · Score: 0

      I deliberately labelled the China question as a waste of time because it was a careers event where research students (who already have little neough time) came to get some *careers* advice from Google employees. SlashDot is all very well for discussing the China Google thing, but the event at the Freud Cafe was not.

  7. Wrong units: the British View by Burb · · Score: 1

    Linux is furlongs behind Windows...
    Linux is fortnights behind Windows...
    Linux is yonks behind Windows...
    Linux is firkins behind Windows
    Furlongs per fortnight ...

    --

    1. Re:Wrong units: the British View by sepluv · · Score: 1

      The UK is probably less imperialist (i.e.: use SI more) than the US.

      --
      Joe Llywelyn Griffith Blakesley
      [This post is in the public domain (copyright-free) unless otherwise stated]
    2. Re:Wrong units: the British View by Burb · · Score: 1

      Perhaps so, officially. In science and Engineering SI/metric is the order of the day. But you still find fruit in the market sold by the pound rather than the kilogramme, most people plan their journeys in miles, and buy beer in pints. The European Union legislation and a botched partial conversion to Metric in the 1970s means that we buy petrol (gas) in litres, but describe fuel consumption (at least informally) in miles per gallon. Carpet is sold in standard rolls that are 4 metres wide, but you often see it advertised as £xxx per 0.7465 (or whatever it is) of a square metre...

      --

    3. Re:Wrong units: the British View by DrSkwid · · Score: 1

      It is a criminal offence to sell fruit & veg by the pound in the UK under the Weights & Measures (Units of Measurement) Regulations 1994.

      Here's the first prosecution who became a cause célbre, known as The Metric Martyr

      Ironically, he's even dead now !

      There is much debate over the actual legality of the act.

      --
      There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
  8. Needed? by zaguar · · Score: 1

    I don't know if this is redundant, but it seems that Google is THE hot tech job, like IBM was a while back. Is this really neccessary? Anyone I know working in tech would drop their job right then and there if a job offer from Google came into their postbox!

    --
    "Sure there's porn and piracy on the Web but there's probably a downside too."
    1. Re:Needed? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      I wouldn't, but then I do work at IBM (and therefore posting anon.).

      If you work at IBM the odds are you're writing code which will still be in use in 10 years' time. At google, I don't think that's the plan.

      Neither option is necessarily better than the other, but I prefer to work on long-term code rather than short-term code. YMMV.

  9. Vint Cert Speaking Monday Evening by jonv · · Score: 3, Informative

    Went to see Vint Cert at this event on monday: http://www.feis.herts.ac.uk/cs40/public/index.htm
    Interesting event - nothing that I hadn't heard in interview or read on the web but fun to see live.
    If a new he was recruiting I would have taken my CV along!

    1. Re:Vint Cert Speaking Monday Evening by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny
      If a new he was recruiting I would have taken my CV along!

      If speling and grammer is a prerequisite for working at Google, you haven't missed out on anything.

  10. Aggressive recruiting by jmv · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Google admitted that it was having difficulties recruiting developers and would be targeting students and engineers.

    I've just been to both linux.conf.au and FOSDEM and in both cases, Google has been recruiting really aggressively. By that, I mean someone you've never met just popping in with "Hello, have you considered working for Google?".

    --
    Opus: the Swiss army knife of audio codec
    1. Re:Aggressive recruiting by beh · · Score: 1

      Sometimes I just wonder what's happening there - at two times did I apply for jobs with them (once in Zurich, Switzerland, while still living there; and once late last year for a job here in London where I am living now). In both cases, my CV seemed a good match for the positions I applied for. In Zurich, at the time of the application I only got an automated response saying something like "thanks for applying; we'll only be back in touch if we might be remotely interested in you" (nothing further). Here in London, I did get a second email a couple of weeks after applying telling me that I hadn't been successful.

      So - either, they do not fully explain the kind of skills they're looking for (and hence remove any chance of people having a clue whether they might fit the role they're trying to hire for), or they don't really have much of a problem hiring and can afford to be *really* picky (e.g. "Ah, too bad, you would have been the perfect candidate, but we were looking for someone with experience of J2SDK 1.4.2_07; you only have 1.4.2_06)...

      In any case, I've got a job now, so right now I'm not interested in working for them either... ;-)

  11. Event tonight by -pms-mistletoe · · Score: 1

    It must be working -- the recruitment event in London tonight (with speech by Cerf) is fully booked. Google is definitely the cool place to be now if you're a comp.sci. finalist looking for a job. They should bottle that attraction and sell it to flagging tech companies starved for grads...

    --
    "Frag the weak, hurdle the dead, and assassinate those cursed snipers."
  12. targets clear, but what then ? by Gopal.V · · Score: 1
    'Google admitted that it was having difficulties recruiting developers and would be targeting students and engineers'

    As much as I appreciate them looking at students and engineers, the obvious question that comes up in my head is - and make them do what ? . Whenever I look at what Google India's doing, there is no clarity in terms of what work they are doing, they will be doing or they will make me do. Either it is all hush-hush or they have no idea what to do with all the developers they already have.

    Considering I already work for Yahoo! and get to work on a fair bit of F/OSS code in the process, the extra money just didn't seem worth it. Maybe I'll change my tune in half a decade, but it wouldn't be a surprise.

    --
    Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur
  13. How many USians would jump for it? by aminorex · · Score: 1

    I'm pretty sure it would be dead-easy to hire USians to go live in the Green and Pleasant Land. By the millions. As a US company, it should be straight-forward to arrange residence permits.

    --
    -I like my women like I like my tea: green-
    1. Re:How many USians would jump for it? by amigascne · · Score: 1

      Actually, as an EU member state the jobs must go to qualified EU nationals first. In the unlikely event that there are no EU nationals qualified for the posted position(s) that have applied after a mandatory 3 month public posting period, then they can submit the appropriate paper work to hire the "USian". Now, as an American company setting up shop in the UK, they can bring over some key US employees for some period of time to build the business there. Those work permits are very easy to get, but that doesnt help the non-Google American get a job at Google UK or any other EU company.

    2. Re:How many USians would jump for it? by TheRaven64 · · Score: 1
      Note that there are special rules in the UK for commonwealth citizens. If you are coming from somewhere like South Africa, Australia or Canada[1] then you can get in under much more relaxed rules. The US is actually one of the harder places to come from if you want to work in the UK.

      [1] Anywhere that stopped being a colony without a war.

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    3. Re:How many USians would jump for it? by amigascne · · Score: 1

      Are you referring to the ancestry claims that Commonwealth citizens could make? That requires that a grand-parent was a British citizen, otherwise you're in the same boat as everyone else. The UK annouced just yesterday the details of the new points based immigration system, similar to the system used in Canada. Basically, the more skills you have, the better your chances. But again, if it comes down to two highly skilled immigrant workers and one is from the EU and the other from the Commonwealth, then the EU citizen gets it.