After looking through numerous newspaper ads and online listings, I decided to start looking for jobs that I wanted rather than those that I was “just” qualified for, which were mostly entry level crap labor jobs. So, after a while I came the Google employment site: (www.google .com) where I found a listing for an associate webmaster at the Mountain View, CA location. This position would involve developing and maintaining a lot of the daily web content and dealing with various web related issues and requests throughout multiple departments within Google. The requirements for this position include a Bachelor’s of Arts or a Bachelor’s of Science or equivalent experience; I must have extensive knowledge of html and css as well as the functions of Adobe Photoshop. I will also need to have strong scripting and database skills along with regular dealings with programming languages such as Perl/CGI, Mysql, and JavaScript.
The benefits and perks of working for a company like Google are seemingly infinite, including things that as far as I am concerned, are basically unheard of. Like for example, there are onsite oil change services, drycleaning, daycare, hair stylist, physicians and dentist, a full time massage therapy office, and one of my personal favorites, the open kitchen with free fresh made to order meals for lunch and dinner. Some of the other perks that really caught my eye were the company movie days, ski trips, sauna rooms, billiard rooms, and world class workout facilities and swimming pool. The more common benefits include 12 paid holidays, 15 vacation days for the first year, 20 days for the second, and 25 days for the third. There are numerous insurance packages to choose from depending on your specific circumstances, they offer vision plans as well as life insurance plans. Google offers a flex spending plan to help with dependent care and personal transportation costs. The 401k plan is matched 100% with many investment and stock options. All of these things that I have mentioned are only a fraction of the perks and fringe benefits that Google offers.
There have been many times that I have been job searching and I see the ads that promise the most exciting work environments and the absolute best benefit packages. I read them and find out that for the most part they are just plain ordinary, which is very disappointing. Google is obviously the real thing as far as these options are concerned, in fact they actually state on their site that the goal of offering all of this is to strip away everything that gets in the way of their employees doing their jobs and fulfilling their own personal life goals. In a way, it seems to me that Google’s employees are treated almost as if they were customers.
Aside from all of the fringe and practical benefits, there are a lot of reasons why I would want work for Google. First off unlike most places of employment where employees are expected to just clock in and do what they are told and clock out Google actually encourages their employees to have a real voice in what decisions are made concerning their area of expertise and other areas of the company’s best interest such as who might be hired in their department or scheduling and. I also think that being a part of a company that is such a huge part of so many people’s everyday activities whether it be one person on the other side of the planet just looking for sports history statistics or a business man checking out stocks and investment information for his job, would be very satisfying.
After discovering all of this, I think that an honest effort in college will give me a good start on working towards obtaining employment with Google. In college, I will not only be able to learn and experience the functions of web publishing, but more importantly, I will become familiar with working in group situations with sorts of diverse individuals. Learning to communicate and develop personal and business relationships is a key part of working for a company like Google.
I definitely believe that, after it is all said and done, I will be a perfect candidate for this job. I consider my self to be energetic and very positive when it comes to my work, whatever I might be doing. I also am interested in having a career where I can bet on everyday being exciting and different. When I am finished with school and have gained some work experience in this field, I will definitely be pursuing employment with Google.