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Google: Search engine is link to new staff
16 July 2003

Many Silicon Valley-based technology companies have instituted hiring freezes or are laying people off. But even in the midst of a recession, Google, the search engine, continues to expand.

The company employs about 800 staff and has been hiring steadily since its inception in 1998. Last week the Jobs section of the Google website was advertising around 100 positions, for everything from software engineers to real estate project managers.

There is no shortage of applicants. According to Stacy Sullivan, director of human resources, the company typically receives around 1,500 applications per day.

This reflects in part the high number of people looking for work, and also the fact that the link to the Jobs section is clearly visible from the Google.com home page.

Because the search engine attracts so many eyeballs, it is no surprise that the company receives 95 per cent of its job applications via the online Jobs section. "We only get the occasional hard copy trickling in through the mail," says Ms Sullivan.

Google has created an automated applicant tracking system (ATS) to help human resources staff and their colleagues handle the myriad curriculum vitaes. Developed in-house by Google engineers, the ATS filters applications as they are received and files them in a database by job title. Each application is read and evaluated manually, with the computer system gathering and storing feedback and ratings about each candidate to help the hiring committee evaluate applicants and reach their decisions.

While the ATS helps ameliorate the quantity problem, quality remains an issue for Google's hiring staff, one which technology cannot solve on its own. "We have a large volume of resumés, but finding the right people with the right skill sets can be difficult," says Ms Sullivan. "We need to do more targeted sourcing in order to keep hiring quality."

For a company that prides itself on employing the best and brightest - there are some 60 PhDs on Google's staff - sifting through thousands of unsolicited applications may not be the most efficient way to reach the right people.

That is why Google relies heavily on such old-fashioned techniques as word-of-mouth, which has become particularly important in the hiring of staff for the company's international offices. Where possible, Google tries to use contacts for sourcing key managers with significant experience in their local market. The top managers then build their teams locally, with referred candidates still applying online via the central Google Jobs site.

"We tend to source the key candidates by talking to people within the industry and gaining referrals and recommendations," says Fabio Selmoni, Google's director of European sales and operations.

When it comes to hiring experts in a particular field, however, the internet can be a very useful tool. Google's HR team frequently relies on its own search engine to source individuals with specialist skills. Ms Sullivan says: "If we're looking for an attorney with a specific skill set, our search engine is a great place to begin the hiring process."