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Google's Notoriously Tough Interviews Are Tough For Marketing Positions Too
US Soldier Explains Why He Uses a Rifle Stock to Shoot Photographs
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The Most Convincing Logic of CES 2009
The CIA Shows Up to CES
Martin Cooper, Cellphone Inventor, Seen In Front of Vertu Store
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Mr. GPS' Wild Ride

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ytkliu
11/14/09

In reply to Google's Notoriously Tough Interviews Are Tough For Marketing Positions Too
I'm going to be honest and say that as a junior at an undergrad business school studying marketing and working on startups, those questions were about what I'd expect from Google...and honestly, the ones she posted weren't tough (although when you're under that much pressure, even a basic arithmetic problem can seem daunting). *edit* Actually now that I think about it, they're much easier than what I'd expect from Google.
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Edited by ytkliu at 11/14/09 1:51 PM ytkliu was starred ytkliu was unstarred

diesel828
11/13/09

In reply to Google's Notoriously Tough Interviews Are Tough For Marketing Positions Too
I translated that whole article as "My inability to perform basic math functions and think logically wasn't good enough for Google, but it's good enough for Business Insider." #googleinterviews
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ThisCharmingMan
11/13/09

In reply to Google's Notoriously Tough Interviews Are Tough For Marketing Positions Too
I actually think I would do quite well with the more off-beat questions they asked. Although, Those kinds of questions simply cause me to ask more questions. It would only be a matter of time before I was asking more questions than the interviewer. #googleinterviews
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Thangka
11/13/09

In reply to Google's Notoriously Tough Interviews Are Tough For Marketing Positions Too
I wonder what they're looking for. First question about the golf balls, for example: My initial thought is, duh, one golf ball could easily fit in a school bus. They didn't say "maximum number" of golf balls, and I have to assume these questions are meticulously designed.

But the reader suggested answer demonstrates an entirely different way to go about answering the question (based entirely on assumptions and guesswork).

I wonder what kind of questions they ask when they're interviewing for an industrial organizational psychology job?

Something like, "How many seemingly strange questions does it take to cause a interviewee to mentally break down?" #googleinterviews
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MrBlahBlah
11/13/09

In reply to Google's Notoriously Tough Interviews Are Tough For Marketing Positions Too
It's called the "case method" of interviewing, and it sucks. Interviews for consulting firms like Bain & McKinsey use this method....you have to practice for them, because getting used to thinking in certain ways, using some key figures at the outset are the key to answering these questions.

I once interviewed for Bain....I got the to final round and was asked two case questions. The first was "how many pieces of mail does the US postal services process every day." Somehow, i nailed it, and actually got to a number close to the actual number (although i don't remember exactly how i arrived at it). The second case was about an airline company where I was given a couple of facts and was told to give my reasoning why the company was losing money. I asked all kinds of questions to see if I could find out something that would indicate the problem, but at the end of the day, I didn't hit on the exact reason Anyways, didn't get the job. oh welllll. that was 5 years ago. #googleinterviews
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AlphaPepper
11/13/09

In reply to Google's Notoriously Tough Interviews Are Tough For Marketing Positions Too
Asking a marketing person a math question is like asking a developer a marketing question. #googleinterviews
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The5thElephant
11/13/09

@AlphaPepper: This is generally true but doesn't really apply to Google.

At Google just about everything is done by engineers/developers or people with that mindset. Sometimes even basic decisions are made using algorithms rather than design or marketing knowledge.

Many designers/marketers find this concept horrifying, but it often works quite well for Google. They can push out a variety of different solutions to different customers, and then use the one that works the best in the end. #googleinterviews
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Hello Mister Walrus
11/13/09

@AlphaPepper: But, I would seriously doubt the intelligence of someone who could not answer that particular question that they asked her. Granted, interviews are stressful situations, but when you're interviewing 50 people for the same job, you can afford to drop the people who can't handle the pressure. #googleinterviews
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nutbastard
11/13/09

In reply to Google's Notoriously Tough Interviews Are Tough For Marketing Positions Too
meh. they aren't all that interested in your answers, only at how you arrived at them. except the math stuff, which was pretty basic, even if she was blindsided a bit. their process is arguably brutal, but at least they aren't ambiguous about what it is they are looking for. they didn't get to where they are by hiring people just to be nice.

when it comes down to it, though, i'd rather work for apple.
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Edited by nutbastard at 11/13/09 3:54 PM nutbastard was starred nutbastard was unstarred

Hello Mister Walrus
11/13/09

In reply to Google's Notoriously Tough Interviews Are Tough For Marketing Positions Too
"I want you to estimate," Oliver began, "how much money you think Google makes daily from Gmail ads."

"Maybe…$70,000?"

Something tells me that it wasn't that the questions were hard, but this person wasn't being particularly bright at the time. #googleinterviews
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OCEntertainment
11/13/09

@Hello Mister Walrus: To be fair, no one's really thinking clearly during a high-pressure job interview. It was good of the guy to giver her time to respond.

While we're being fair, the "I vowed to switch to Yahoo for life" was childish, moronic, and frankly if I were Google, that alone would confirm I shouldn't have hired her. Sorry, toots. Looking for a job is tough business. You don't get to start your own little boycott at every rejection. And a high-profile company isn't evil just because the interview is hard. That's how they get high-profile. #googleinterviews
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ChibaCityCowboy
01/30/09

In reply to US Soldier Explains Why He Uses a Rifle Stock to Shoot Photographs
Years ago I saw some footage taken from a reporter's camera who had wound up recording his own death. I don't think he was using a rifle stock mounted camera, but in the hot zone, and in a US uniform, I don't think it would make that much difference safety-wise.
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Purple Dave
01/31/09

@ChibaCityCowboy:
Ernie Pyle is the war photographer whose last photo is of his dead body, shortly after he got killed by a Japanese machine-gunner during WWII, but there's another similar instance that happened more recently. In 2006, independant documentarist Brad Will was filming footage of the violent armed conflict in Oaxaca, Mexico when he was shot and killed. The video reportedly shows two armed gunmen in the distance, and right after one or both of them fire shots the camera was dropped. The belief is that Will actually filmed the shot that killed him. Both of these stories only show half of the story, and it's not the same half. One shows just the dead body after the fact, and the other shows just the killing act.
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Steeplebomb
01/31/09

@Purple Dave:

wow. morbid.
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Purple Dave
01/31/09

@Steeplebomb:
Yeah, in a way. But if you actually look at Pyle's photo, you can't really tell that he's not just sleeping or unconscious. There's supposed to be a bit of visible blood coming out of his mouth, but it's a B&W photo that was shot over 60 years ago. The image quality isn't exactly the greatest. And with the video, you can't actually tell _why_ the camera was dropped unless someone tells you.

And when you get right down to it, neither of these men was taking a walk through the park. Both were trying to document the real horrors that take place very far away from our mostly-secure little corner of the world (in the entire last century, Pearl Harbor, 9/11, and the Unabombing are the only three comparable acts of violence that I can think of that have been perpetrated on US soil).
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OMG! Ponies!
01/30/09

In reply to US Soldier Explains Why He Uses a Rifle Stock to Shoot Photographs
Stay safe and Godspeed, Sarge.
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Jesse in Japan
01/09/09

In reply to The CIA Shows Up to CES
Why would the CIA be making a presentation to the president about eco-technologies that can reduce our dependence on foreign oil?

I mean, I can understand the CIA being interested in eco-tech, but that sounds like the kind of thing they'd just write a briefing document about (a briefing document that nobody would ever read).
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OMG! Ponies!
01/09/09

In reply to The Most Convincing Logic of CES 2009
Sony gets to charge a brand premium because, over the years, it cultivated a reputation for high-quality electronics. What you're buying when you buy Sony is piece of mind. You're buying the knowledge that the product is well-designed and well-made.

It might not seem it lately but brand lines like WEGA and Trinitron carried with them a cachet. Why a $1000 Sony camera? Because next year, Sony will still be around.
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badhatharry
01/09/09

@OMG! Ponies!: I bought a 32" Trinitron because I was confident that at like three tons, no one would be able to steal it.
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OMG! Ponies!
01/09/09

@badhatharry is just a small town girl livin' in a lonely wo...: I do sit-ups using my 200 lb. 34" Sony TV as an anchor. I wedge my feet under the 75 lb. console that I bought to put the TV on. It was the only one I trusted wouldn't break under the weight.
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badhatharry
01/09/09

@OMG! Ponies!: I think that's what I have. It's old, and I can't remember the size. Moral of the story is: it's old, and don't try to move it with a hangover.
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Homerjay is utterly alone.
01/09/09

In reply to The Most Convincing Logic of CES 2009
Why do I get the feeling this guy doesn't actually NEED that microphone. It looks like he just hung a curtain up in the hallway near the bathroom and had his friends hold up some flashlights.
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GitEmSteveDave_ForgotNametag
01/09/09

In reply to The Most Convincing Logic of CES 2009
I find your ideas intriguing, and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.
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Lite: hates Illinois Nazis
01/09/09

@Palm_GitEmSteveDavePre: I stabbed a man with a Trident.
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Homerjay is utterly alone.
01/09/09

@PalmPre_GitEmSteveDave: What is the origin of that?
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badhatharry
01/09/09

@homerjay wants Boston Legal back!: Some Simpsons episode. Homer says it to Lisa. Or Bart. Pretty sure it's Lisa, though. Don't remember which episode.
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Bgrngod
01/09/09

It's not from the Simpsons. It's from Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.
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badhatharry
01/09/09

@Bgrngod: Pretty sure the newsletter thing is from Simpsons.
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badhatharry
01/09/09

@Bgrngod: It's the one where Homer has to go to a team building retreat in the mountains. He says it to Bart.
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GitEmSteveDave_ForgotNametag
01/09/09

@homerjay wants Boston Legal back!: BadHarry is correct, Simpsons line.
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Homerjay is utterly alone.
01/09/09

@PalmPre_GitEmSteveDave: I really should have known that.
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something_unique_and_descriptive
01/09/09

In reply to The CIA Shows Up to CES
Since when does the Culinary Institute of America have anything to do with foreign oil?
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