Vint Cert, the creator of the Internets reveals how to get hired by Google

Forget reading this blog, Vint Cerf, the creator of the Internet himself divulges the secret to getting hired by Google. The following is an excerpt of an interview of Cerf (source).

When applying for a job with Google, Vint mentions it’s a plus if you have some special ability on the side; like being member of an ice skating group, or having gone through vocals training, or having an interest in animals. Vint adds that Google employees are a real team but that you won’t find a casual job with them, as they work on the highest level

Although I appreciate Cerf's sentiments I think having these 'special abilities' should be the last thing on anyone's mind when applying for a job there. When the technical aspect is stressed so heavily, I doubt they are reallying looking for that niche software engineer/ice skater. It will definitely give you something to talk about during the interview, which will show off your personality and ability to communicate, but I would not really rely on "extracurriculars" to push you over the edge.

Million dollar handed Masseuse at Google

Bonnie Brown was fresh from a nasty divorce in 1999, living with her sister and uncertain of her future. On a lark, she answered an ad for an in-house masseuse at Google, then a Silicon Valley start-up with 40 employees. She was offered the part-time job, which started out at $450 a week but included a pile of Google stock options that she figured might never be worth a penny.

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What's it like to work at Google? by Dave Winer

Famous blogger writes about his thoughts on what it is to work at Google. His main point is that he sees this company as lacking humility. Check it out the entry here.

How much is your value to Facebook?

If you are an active user of Facebook, you can now sort of find out how much you are worth exactly. Today it was announced that Microsoft bought a 1.6% stake of Facebook at the price of $240 million, giving Facebook a valuation of $15 billion. With currently 42 million active members worldwide one can assert a quasi-accurate account of how much a single active user of Facebook is worth.

$15 billion / 42 million users = $357.14 / user

Not too shabby...

Interviewing the Interviewer Part 3 : What is the typical experience of a new hire?

What is the typical experience of a new hire? This will give you an idea of the first few months of work will be like. There are some jobs that just dump you at a desk and hand you a stack of papers to read. Is this the new hire experience you are looking for? Although this question is definitely doesn't yield a make or break answer, it is something good to know. I personally prefer a company that will invest time on proper training. Most people do not work well with a stack of documents for training. What would be great is being able to sit with a co-worker, get a feel for the work there and begin working. My friend at Google said he was checking in code on the first day he started. It seems that their new hire process is very streamline. The last thing I want to do in my first week or two is configuring my system, training and taking care of a bunch of overheard before I start coding. Again, this isn't the most important question to ask an employer, but I think it is an intelligent one which will open up more conversation about the company.