Google job update

Some of you might be wondering what happened with that Google job thing. I’ll tell you.

A couple of days after I have received the letter, I managed to catch my breath and think clearly. It didn’t take me more than five minutes to figure out that I would be a complete idiot not to try it. Part of me still thought that the email wa a hoax or a practical joke. Part of me wanted to work for Google. Most of me believed that that is impossible. But one last tiny part of me said that I could do it.

So I refreshed my Curriculum Vitae, which ended up being a grand editing job. I’ve added descriptions to vague terms like ‘good’ and ‘satisfactory’, inserted some meaningful descriptions, removed and demoted stuff that just isn’t important anymore, and fixed the cosmetics of the look and feel. I emailed back. Said that I am interested in working at Google (yeah, like who isn’t?) and attached the shiny resume.

Continue reading Google job update

1. Google. Check.

My jaw is officially on the floor and I don’t have even slightest idea when I will be Adrenalin-sober again to pick it up…

For the last five or so years, there were only three companies that everyone I knew wanted to work at.

Ok, maybe not everyone, but most of the IT people. And maybe not all of them wanted to join Microsoft. But you get the idea. These are not only the tree most successful computer companies, but three corporations that realize the Geek Power.

I don’t know about the rest of the world, but in those parts that I communicated with, it was considered impossible to get a job at either one of these companies unless you lived in the USA and was exceptionally bright. Until very recently that is. Just a few years ago the new trend appeared, that suggested it was possible to get hired while living in another country. You still had to be exceptionally smart and you had to be willing to relocate.

On numerous occasions I was hearing the jokes, semi-jokes, and serious discussions on how cool it would be to work for one of these companies. All of these discussions though were ending with a deep sad sigh and words expressing the absolute impossibility of something like that happening in reality.

Now, the roll the drums, please…

I have received an email today from Google’s recruiter, asking if I am interested in working for Google. Me! For Google! Danz! That was the sound of my jaw hitting the floor. Hard. I checked the message back and forward and I am 99% sure it is not SPAM, mass mailing, or a joke. Neither it is a job offer yet. But I am still stunned.

Needless to say I have a lot to think about, but I am not at all in a condition to do so. I’ll have to take some time. A day or two. I’ll let you know if I’m OK and back to the normal life.

Daily del.icio.us bookmarks

Let’s start with a few Google-related links:

Continue reading Daily del.icio.us bookmarks

Updated Google Ads

I have done a few minor changes about the Google Ads that I run on this site.

Firstly, I have added another vertical ad on all pages. It appears below the search field and makes the sidebar look not as lonely as it used to when scrolled further down.

Secondly, I have changed the color scheme of all ads to match the new colors of the site. Luckily, I didn’t have to mess around with CSS and hexadecimal numbers myself. Google Adsense has a theme that closely matches the colors that I wanted – Steely Gaze.

Thirdly, I have separated all ads into three channels – sidebar, comments-above, and comments-below. This will allow me to get better reports from Google. From now on I will see which ads are more effective and also will be able to play around with different color schemes and ad formats.

I hope that all these ads are not too annoying and that you’ll be clicking on those that really match the content of posts. I am less than $10 USD short for my second paycheck from Google and I hope to get it before Christmas.