Google's
director of online sales and operations gives Google Watch some insight
into the search and advertising company's hiring practices.
Think you've got what it takes to work on Google's AdWords sales team?
Well,
be prepared to do some homework, because you won't get your foot in the
Googleplex door without first completing the AdWords Worksheet.
The
worksheet, given to those who successfully pass a screening interview,
helps Google judge a candidate's level of interest and preparation for
an AdWords-related job. According to David Fisher, director of online
sales and operations at Google, the worksheet helps the company in its
goal to hire the best and the brightest people.
"We believe
our No. 1 advantage is our employees," Fisher said. "In our hiring
process we look at a number of factors and ask candidates to do a
number of things, like this [AdWords] worksheet. You have to know about
AdWords and have an understanding of how it works."
Think you've got what it takes? Try this problem, taken from an actual Google AdWords worksheet:
Google�s
policy is to not allow ads for tobacco products. An AdWords
advertiser�s ad is reviewed and rejected for selling tobacco products.
The advertiser writes the following email response:
Dear Google AdWords,
I
am outraged by your decision! You allow pornography to be advertised
on Google and not tobacco? Your policy is hypocritical, and you are
practicing discrimination. My products are legal, and I have been
selling tobacco products online for years. I demand you reconsider
your decision and run my ad immediately!
From,
Jamie Young
a.
Please discuss at least three reasons you believe Google would make the
decision not to allow the advertisement of tobacco or tobacco products
while allowing ads for pornography. These might not be what you tell
the advertiser, but rather internal reasons for this policy.
b. Below, draft an email response you would send to the advertiser
The
worksheet contains other problems as well, such as judging how well
certain ads and keywords would perform and suggesting ways to improve
ad performance.
According to Fisher, Google has been using the
AdWords Worksheet for much of the product's existence. The worksheet
has changed over time as Google learns from the information that
candidates give them.
Once a candidate completes the worksheet,
the company uses a qualitative and quantitative scoring method that
judges the applicant's thoughtfulness, intelligence and ability to
communicate difficult issues.
"We're trying to look at your
ability to think like an advertiser and give them info that's going to
help them succeeed," Fisher said.
Of course, Google gives
different job candidates different worksheets or problems to solve.
Engineers, for example, are asked to solve quantitative and logic
problems, such as the blender prison and birthday bet
scenarios. And successfully completing the AdWords Worksheet doesn't
guarantee you'll get a job at Google. Candidates should expect a
thorough interview process that may include multiple visits to Google's
offices.
For customer-facing jobs, Fisher said, the company
looks at a lot of things you would expect: work and resume history;
how candidates have performed at previous jobs; how they've progressed
in their careers; the level of interest they show; and general
aptitude.
"We aim to to run a process that will help us hire
the best employees we possibly can and create a good experience for the
candidate," said Fisher. It's a fair but rigorous process, he said, and
the company invests a lot of time and energy trying to make candidates
feel comfortable, regardless of whether they're hired.
"We want them to walk away feeling good either way," Fisher said.