Comments on: Cloak And Google http://www.brendonwilson.com/blog/2004/07/11/cloak-and-google/ The personal web site of Brendon J. Wilson, a software developer, technologist, and entrepreneur living in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Fri, 19 Feb 2010 02:24:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Andrew Tinka http://www.brendonwilson.com/blog/2004/07/11/cloak-and-google/comment-page-1/#comment-207 Andrew Tinka Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.brendonwilson.com/blog/?p=168#comment-207 I'm willing to bet that the primary intended effect of this publicity stunt was not to collect a few resumes from a few smartypants, but rather to promote the idea that Google is very, very picky. Everyone has a little supply-and-demand model in their head; the coolness of working at Company X must be directly related to the difficulty of getting in the door... So I see the line about "increasing the signal-to-noise ratio" as a nugget of pure, sweet, Grade A marketing bullshit. They are going to get MORE resumes coming through the fax machine as a result of this, and that's probably what they want. I’m willing to bet that the primary intended effect of this publicity stunt was not to collect a few resumes from a few smartypants, but rather to promote the idea that Google is very, very picky.

Everyone has a little supply-and-demand model in their head; the coolness of working at Company X must be directly related to the difficulty of getting in the door…

So I see the line about “increasing the signal-to-noise ratio” as a nugget of pure, sweet, Grade A marketing bullshit. They are going to get MORE resumes coming through the fax machine as a result of this, and that’s probably what they want.

]]> By: Jesse Malm http://www.brendonwilson.com/blog/2004/07/11/cloak-and-google/comment-page-1/#comment-208 Jesse Malm Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.brendonwilson.com/blog/?p=168#comment-208 I've seen first-hand the volume of resumes that come by having a jobs website. I would surmise the SNR on web portals compared to any other method of recruiting is much lower because the amount of effort required to submit a resume is almost zero. Maybe an extra 5 minutes if you want a cover letter. I do believe Google's technique will have some effect of weeding out the people that just look for a "jobs@yourcompany.com" and send a quick email. The ones who do go through the effort of either solving the problem or, ironically or not, Googling the solution probably have something useful to offer Google. I’ve seen first-hand the volume of resumes that come by having a jobs website. I would surmise the SNR on web portals compared to any other method of recruiting is much lower because the amount of effort required to submit a resume is almost zero. Maybe an extra 5 minutes if you want a cover letter.

I do believe Google’s technique will have some effect of weeding out the people that just look for a “jobs@yourcompany.com” and send a quick email. The ones who do go through the effort of either solving the problem or, ironically or not, Googling the solution probably have something useful to offer Google.

]]> By: Neville Elliven http://www.brendonwilson.com/blog/2004/07/11/cloak-and-google/comment-page-1/#comment-209 Neville Elliven Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.brendonwilson.com/blog/?p=168#comment-209 Google is looking for a Numerical Analyst?? I don't think so... Google is looking for a Numerical Analyst??

I don’t think so…

]]> By: Brendon J. Wilson http://www.brendonwilson.com/blog/2004/07/11/cloak-and-google/comment-page-1/#comment-210 Brendon J. Wilson Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.brendonwilson.com/blog/?p=168#comment-210 One of the other parts I wonder about this: is this tactic a way of enabling Google to search for candidates without violating their pre-IPO quiet period? Despite Google's reportedly strict pre-IPO quiet period precaustions (<a href="http://www.crmassist.com/news/dispnews.asp?i=117302&t=99">taken to extremes</a>, including not sharing info with investment banks and threatening to fire employees who blab) could this be another in a long list of <a href="http://www.ugfc.org/2004/05/google_ignores_.html">sneaky way</a> in which Google is trying to play by the quiet period rules without completely shutting down the company until the IPO is complete? One of the other parts I wonder about this: is this tactic a way of enabling Google to search for candidates without violating their pre-IPO quiet period?

Despite Google’s reportedly strict pre-IPO quiet period precaustions (taken to extremes, including not sharing info with investment banks and threatening to fire employees who blab) could this be another in a long list of sneaky way in which Google is trying to play by the quiet period rules without completely shutting down the company until the IPO is complete?

]]> By: Andrew Lentvorski http://www.brendonwilson.com/blog/2004/07/11/cloak-and-google/comment-page-1/#comment-211 Andrew Lentvorski Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.brendonwilson.com/blog/?p=168#comment-211 Actually, I have found that these kinds of "lateral thinking" puzzles accomplish exactly the wrong thing. They select for people *who think exactly like the corporation already thinks* rather than those likely to come up with a different solution. For example, if I have done my math correctly, a quick fit of those numbers to a third order polynomial f(x)=A*x^3+B*x^2+C*x+D comes up with the solution of 2775619300 (it's even an integer!) for f(5). There are many other solutions that would be just as good. Personally, I think this is the mark that Google has actually peaked. It is now beginning to think just like every other corporation of its size. Actually, I have found that these kinds of “lateral thinking” puzzles accomplish exactly the wrong thing. They select for people *who think exactly like the corporation already thinks* rather than those likely to come up with a different solution.

For example, if I have done my math correctly, a quick fit of those numbers to a third order polynomial f(x)=A*x^3+B*x^2+C*x+D comes up with the solution of 2775619300 (it’s even an integer!) for f(5). There are many other solutions that would be just as good.

Personally, I think this is the mark that Google has actually peaked. It is now beginning to think just like every other corporation of its size.

]]> By: no_one http://www.brendonwilson.com/blog/2004/07/11/cloak-and-google/comment-page-1/#comment-212 no_one Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.brendonwilson.com/blog/?p=168#comment-212 5966290435 5966290435

]]> By: asdf http://www.brendonwilson.com/blog/2004/07/11/cloak-and-google/comment-page-1/#comment-213 asdf Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.brendonwilson.com/blog/?p=168#comment-213 <a href="http://www.research.att.com/~njas/sequences/">http://www.research.att.com/~njas/sequences/</a> http://www.research.att.com/~njas/sequences/

]]> By: Brendon J. Wilson http://www.brendonwilson.com/blog/2004/07/11/cloak-and-google/comment-page-1/#comment-214 Brendon J. Wilson Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.brendonwilson.com/blog/?p=168#comment-214 And for those who wanted to see the original billboard, the image is available <a href="http://www.google.com/googleblog/2004/07/warning-we-brake-for-number-theory.html">on the Google blog</a>. And for those who wanted to see the original billboard, the image is available on the Google blog.

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