Lessons from Google

Much has been written about Google's unique and creative, yet hard-driving corporate culture that has produced many innovations. I admired their campaign for new workers a couple of years ago, on the Google site, in magazines and subway signs and billboards (http://www.marketingvox.com/archives/2004/07/09/mysterious_billboard_may_be_google_recruitment_ad/). The ad read something like: "If you can solve this, we want to talk with you." A high-level math equation was included, or sometimes just appeared alone. The curious investigated further.

A recent Washington Post article ("Building a 'Googley' Workforce: Corporate Culture Breeds Innovation" by Sara Kehaulani Goo, p. D01, October 21, 2006) asked the question: "Are you 'Googley' enough?" I thought aspiring and current IT pros (and all workers and jobseekers) would benefit from some of the examples the article contained. My reactions are in purple.

1) At Google, employees are expected to spend 20 percent of time on their own projects and ideas in addition to their regular jobs. While some have ended up as Google products, many more have failed. The thinking is that if you haven't failed, you're not trying hard enough.

So always keep trying different approaches, even though they seem odd and don't work. You never know when something will work. To quote many a motivational sign: "Be fearless!"

2) Google's application process is rigorous. Underachievers don't fit in very well.

State challenges in positive terms, and demonstrate ways you're overcoming them. If recruiters are antagonistic about a perceived lack of experience, don't give up or shrink back because of recruiting attitudes. State how you would solve hypothetical problems and how you will fill in educational gaps later.

3) Google has whiteboards in hallways so people can jot down ideas, figure out a pesky coding challenge, or whatever. Not to mention puzzles and quizzes to keep your brain sharp.

Keep notebooks when ideas strike, referring to them later. It might be valuable later if you are asked to be project leader.

Jobseekers and workers who have disabilities are highly creative in their specific specialties and their approaches to life. We learn quickly that there's more than one way to accomplish something or to figure something out, and we won't give up. We're good planners because we must be. We bring many things to organizations.

Employers would love to have workers with these qualities on their teams.