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Google May Try To Recruit You For a Job Based On Your Search Queries
HughPickens.com writes: If Google sees that you're searching for specific programming terms, they may ask you to apply for a job as Max Rossett writes that three months ago while working on a project, he Googled "python lambda function list comprehension." The familiar blue links appeared on the search page, and he started to look for the most relevant one. But then something unusual happened. The search results split and folded back to reveal a box that said "You're speaking our language. Up for a challenge?" Clicking on the link took Rossett to a page called "foo.bar" that outlined a programming challenge and gave instructions on how to submit his solution. "I had 48 hours to solve it, and the timer was ticking," writes Rossett. "I had the option to code in Python or Java. I set to work and solved the first problem in a couple hours. Each time I submitted a solution, foo.bar tested my code against five hidden test cases."
After solving another five problems the page gave Rossett the option to submit his contact information and much to his surprise, a recruiter emailed him a couple days later asking for a copy of his resume. Three months after the mysterious invitation appeared, Rossett started at Google. Apparently Google has been using this recruiting tactic for some time.
After solving another five problems the page gave Rossett the option to submit his contact information and much to his surprise, a recruiter emailed him a couple days later asking for a copy of his resume. Three months after the mysterious invitation appeared, Rossett started at Google. Apparently Google has been using this recruiting tactic for some time.
The author of TFA forgot to mention that *she* also searched for "summer dresses" and "Swiss chocolates", along with "Python Spark list comprehension".
Turns out that helps...
Curious: what prompted Max Rossett to spend hours solving programming puzzles before being even given the opportunity to submit contact information for a job consideration?
Maybe he thinks solving programming puzzles is fun. Some people actually enjoy exercising their brains.
I got invited into Google Foobar last winter, pretty much an identical experience to what's written in the article. I love my job as a college physics professor, so I didn't go for the "recruitme" command when it appeared, but it was a really fun brain-stretcher. I got through eight of 'em before work caught up with me and I ran out of free time to work on a really hard one.
I won't spoil the puzzles, but they require working skills in discrete math, logic, data structures, algorithms, and cryptography, and the easiest ones are about at the limit of what I'd be comfortable asking an undergraduate to solve. They're all a lot of fun, in a nerd sniping kind of way. And I really liked that none of them relied on arcane knowledge of fiddly trivia, all it takes is high school math/CS and tons of brainpower.
Rumor has it the selection process happens through your Google search history over a long period of time, so you're not going to be able to just spam Python jargon at the search engine and get in tomorrow. But if you do get an invite, drop what you're doing and accept it!
I was really disappointed that when the semester ended and I had time to go back to Google Foobar, I was locked out. Sure, I failed a puzzle, so the rules say it's game over, but I'd really love to take a crack at more of them just for fun. Maybe someday I'll get another invite.
If Microsoft was to do the same thing in Bing - or God forbids in Windows 10 directly, it would be a scandal and there would be endless blog posts and tv interviews about it. And of course people on Slashdot would get their panties in a bunch.
But with Google it's kewl.
lucm, indeed.
"64-year-old engineer sues Google for age discrimination" http://arstechnica.com/tech-po...
:-O
Even too much knowledge of 1980s pop culture will put you on thin ice: "Median age at Google is 29, says age discrimination lawsuit" http://www.computerworld.com/a...
Teletubbies is still fine. FOR NOW!
This is a scam, so let me explain how it works. And then the history behind it.
You are a company, and you want to find creative innovation without needing to pay for it.
You pretend to hire people, and you give part of the problem, and see if people can solve it. You make it part of "see how smart you are."
You appeal to peoples intellect, while you are getting free work from your creative ideas or knowledge.
So next time you get it, don't get suckered in for doing free work for which you will never get credit for.
History.
My friends father is from former communist country and he told me a story how outside his mathematics polytechnic institute, there was a flier from this company that says they are looking for mathematicians who just graduated. Great position with good pay. Before the interview, he was given a piece of paper, sliding ruler, and 1 hour to solve one very complicated math problem. He was suppose to make some proof or something. It was cutting edge according to the father. He took it, and did his best. His friend, a week later was chatting up with him, and somehow they ended up talking about the job. The girl who was chatting said she had a really hard problem. The more she talked, my friends father realized that she was doing the second part of the equation from where he left because she used his proof! That was in 1960s. Later they started contacting other students, and they found out that everyone did a little part of complicated work. Now, he can't imagine it was not checked, but all the work was portioned under the guise of "hey are you smart and creative? Prove it to us."
So long story short. He just wrote a free code for a billion dollar company for which he will not get compensated, but it will solve their problem. In a funny way, he got himself out of the job if he did a good job. There is another sucker who will be given instructions, "optimize this code! You got 1 hour. Go!"
Since I know Google, Microsoft and Apple and other employees visit /. read this -- fuck you for being part of the machine that has became an insidious and invasive parasites that you help to create. fuck you because you are the biggest fucking hypocrites in the world. privacy matters, you drive towards manipulating others into giving you something you will not pay in the first place is despicable. free society can only function when individuality is protected not categorized for monetary gains.
so yeah - fuck you.