Google's Hiring Practices and Culture

This assignment delves into Google's distinctive approach to hiring and fostering a positive work environment. It examines the company's four key hiring principles, analyzes how they motivate employees, and explores their strategies for cultivating workplace satisfaction. The analysis draws upon various sources, including Google Careers, news articles, and industry publications.

Running Head: Google Singapore
Google Singapore
Personal Management

Google Singapore. 1
Contents
Introduction:....................................................................................................................................2
About Google:..............................................................................................................................2
Google Singapore and its plans:...................................................................................................2
Job analysis at Google Singapore:...................................................................................................3
Job description and specification.................................................................................................3
1. Customer Segmentation....................................................................................................3
2. Focus Segment..................................................................................................................3
3. Communication.................................................................................................................4
4. Presentations.....................................................................................................................4
5. Team Building...................................................................................................................4
Job Design at Google Singapore:....................................................................................................4
1. Number of employees.......................................................................................................4
2. Making work a happy place..............................................................................................5
3. Monetary Perks.................................................................................................................5
4. Non-monetary...................................................................................................................5
5. Transparency.....................................................................................................................5
6. Recreational options..........................................................................................................5
Recruitment and Selection Process at Google Singapore:...............................................................6
1. Apply....................................................................................................................................6

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2. Interview...............................................................................................................................6
3. Decide...................................................................................................................................6
Conclusion:......................................................................................................................................7
1. Set uncompromisingly high standards..................................................................................7
2. Find candidates on your own................................................................................................7
3. Put checks in place................................................................................................................7
4. Give candidates a reason to join...........................................................................................7
References:......................................................................................................................................8

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Introduction:
About Google:
Google is a US based multinational firm pioneering in internet services and products. The brand
Google was founded in 1998 and has been one of the most revolutionary inventions ever since.
The company has successfully changed the outlook and usage of internet ever since its inception.
Google started as a search engine, but later acquired and invented an unfathomable pool of
businesses like Google drive, Gmail, Google Calendar, Google +, Google Chrome, YouTube,
Google pixel smartphone and numerous more.
Google Singapore and its plans:
Google commenced its Singapore journey back in 2007 with a 24 member team. Today, a decade
later, Google team has expanded over 1000 employees and counting. The giant conglomerate
shifted base to its new office in Maple Tree Business City which serves as the headquarters for
its Asia pacific region (Channel News Asia, 2016). Under the leadership of Joanna Flint, the firm
has come a long way. Singapore is the foremost country in Asia where Google Wi-Fi has been
launched with flying colors in association with Star hub, a leading internet service provider (Star
Hub, 2017). This step is expected to change the face of internet usage in the country (Channel
News Asia, 2017).
Google Singapore is aiming to digitize the country by collaborating with various SMEs as a part
of its ‘Go Global’ initiative launched in November, 2016. As a part of this campaign, Poli
Medical, a 40 year old local medicine manufacturing firm, jumped the bandwagon and rolled out
its first YouTube ad which drove a 27% click through rate leading to an increased brand
awareness.
Capturing the interest of young minds is what Google Singapore is targeting at next. Its computer
science and computational thinking course specifically aims to deliver training to 3000
underprivileged children between the ages of 8-15 years. It is strongly believed that the values
embedded in children this age is sure to last a lifetime.

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Job analysis at Google Singapore:
Currently Google Singapore is actively hunting for qualified candidates as there are 76 available
positions to be filled by the firm. Google Singapore provides for a brilliant work culture and give
its employee a spectacular platform to bring about a unique transformation. Employees are better
known as Singagooglers and they work in diverse fields of operations, marketing, legal and
finance (Google Singapore, 2017).
Singapore has four official languages and hence the diversity in culture is creatively celebrated in
work space. In this article we would be elaborating upon the position of Sales Lead at Google
Maps for the South East Asia market (Google Careers, 2017).
Predominantly the role of a sales lead includes bringing in new clients and servicing existing
clients. As a member of the Google cloud team, candidate is expected to motivate and encourage
leading companies, government agencies and schools to work smarter with the help of various
Google tools like G suit, Google maps, search and chrome. Applicant is expected to be well
versed with the innovative uses of Google. The firm targets at making organizations better, more
efficient and productive and hence its offerings continuously aim to bring innovation.
As a sales leader, the entrant is expected to manage local strategy in tandem with the regional
leader as well as achieve specific business goals within South East Asia. Google products are
engineered for scalability, reliability and security. They consistently target at making
organizations more effective with competent usage of their products. This is how Google has
changed the internet scenario entirely.
Job description and specification:
1. Customer Segmentation: Segmentation of customers and channel partners for the SEA
market. Providing marketing strategies and ensuring these strategies see the light of the
day. Chalking out marketing plans for SEA and taking responsibility for the business
generated by the department are key responsibilities as a Sales Lead (LinkedIn, 2017).
2. Focus Segment: Every region has a focus segment. For every organization, focus
segments involves a group of potential customers with needs that can be satisfied with the

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product of that firm and buying power to buy the same (Business insider, 2011). As a
sales lead, it will be the employee’s responsibility to firstly identify that focus segment
and then laying out strategies in order to develop business in that segment.
3. Communication: Sales lead is essentially the bridge between the firm and its clients.
Communication is the key to build and if required, mend that bridge. The candidate’s
foremost responsibility would be to understand complex requirements on customer side.
This has to be achieved on both business as well as technical front. And thus the aspirant
must be qualified to understand the technical aspects of customer queries and be able to
converse with them in fluent English.
4. Presentations: Selling often requires making and exhibiting customized presentations for
various clients which elaborates upon how they can put Google maps to effective use for
increased productivity of their organization. These presentations should be targeted at
solving various customer problems and providing business solutions to clients.
5. Team Building: The sales leader is expected to foster, grow and maintain a virtual team
consisting of employees specializing in various fields and stationed at different parts of
the country. Google has always been critical in the selection of its teams in fact in 2012,
the company launched Project Aristotle to study Google teams and understand why a few
soared and few stumbled (New York Times, 2016). Therefore it is imperative that the
Sales lead builds an efficient team, set clear targets and takes complete responsibility for
the productivity of the team.
Job Design at Google Singapore:
Job design refers to the arrangement and rearrangement of jobs in such a manner that employees
feel motivated. The aim of a sound job design is to provide its employees with non-monetary
benefits such as increased work satisfaction, enhanced sense of personal achievement and in turn
raised productivity (Business Dictionary, 2017).
Google is an organization with a diverse set of employees and Google’s human resource
department works intensely in defining strategies to address the needs of its workforce (Panmore
Institute, 2017).

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1. Number of employees: Google Singapore does extensive research to ensure that at any
given point of time, there is neither a surplus nor a shortage of employees. This is done to
manage a balance between the demand and supply of qualified employees. A lot of
thought is put into how many members every department requires, so that no employee is
over worked or out of work.
2. Making work a happy place: Google strives to make Google a happy place for its
employees. Efforts are put in the direction of ensuring that anyone who works at Google
is happy and content. Everyone is given their space to work in a manner that they want.
This gives employees the advantage of working in their own style and hence increases
productivity.
3. Monetary Perks: Google perks are well known in the entire industry. Legal
reimbursements, No cost health and dental benefits, attractive insurance plans and
flexible spending accounts are a few monetary benefits provided by Google as a way of
valuing its employees.
4. Non-monetary benefits: Google’s non-monetary rewards are particularly alluring. Onsite
car wash, oil change services, free lunch and dinner, onsite doctor, Lego rooms, pet care
at work, Wi-Fi installed shuttles for travel and fitness trainer are few of the incentives
employees enjoy (Fast Company, 2013).
5. Transparency: Employees are considered Google’s biggest assets and the company
ensures to make things very transparent. After the first few weeks of every quarter,
Google’s executive chairman, shares the information shared between the company’s
boards of directors with all the googlers (Cleverism, 2014). Every Friday 30 minutes of
meeting is hosted where employees are given the liberty to ask any questions about the
company, this is known as TGIF (Thank God its Friday).
6. Recreational options: The wide variety of recreational facilities available on campus
makes Google truly a distinct firm to work with. Employees can get free haircuts while
on job, they get massage credits, game room consists of pool and Play stations for
employee stress buster, fitness centers, massive libraries and extended time offs to follow
passions are not only provided but also encouraged by the firm (Business insider, 2015).

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Recruitment and Selection Process at Google Singapore:
Every year Google receives over two million job applications for different roles across various
departments (Business Insider, 2016).Google’s hiring for new candidates is a rather simplified
process consisting of three steps:
1. Apply: Candidates are expected to apply on the Google website. Until and unless Google
is launching operations in a new country and needs an entire team, the firm does not
prefer to associate with any third party recruiting agents like monster. Candidates are
expected to read through the job roles which are explicitly defined on their website and
apply in accordance with their true credentials. The application process consists of a
simple online form and uploading of entrant’s resume. Post which shortlisted candidates
by a team of 400 different recruiters and are required to appear for interviews (Fortune,
2012).
2. Interview: Candidates that are shortlisted on the basis of their resume are then required to
appear for interviews either conducted virtually or face to face depending on candidates’
geography. Interviews conducted on telephone or Google hangout are expected to last for
about 30 to 60 minutes where candidate may or may not be asked to write 20 lines of
code. Applicants are hence recommended to use hands free devices while appearing.
For onsite interviews, the entrant will meet four Googlers, some potential team mates and
some cross functional peers for about 30-45 minutes each (Google Careers, 2017). The
candidate is provided with a platform to prove their ability in the areas of cognition,
leadership, knowledge and Googlyness – a term used by employees for an individuals’
ability to step and grow out of their comfort zone.
3. Decide: After the interviews are done, the hiring committee decides upon the candidature
of the applicant and ensures that they remain true to their hiring standards. Feedbacks are
given on the basis of interview performance, resume, references and any work samples if
submitted. Once the executive committee has made their decision, it is communicated to
the candidate via email. Offer letters are rolled out if the employee is selected.

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Conclusion:
Google has been recommended and rated as one of the best place to work by its own employees.
This is because the firm consistently puts in efforts to recruit the best talent and retain them for
long periods. In a recent interview (Business Insider, 2016), Google’s HR Head Bock writes 4
company rules for hiring the best employees:
1. Set uncompromisingly high standards: Google has clear standards about who can fit in
and who cannot. Certain aspects are absolutely required of a Google employee and the
firm has never settled for less. They never compromise and hence are ensured that they
have the best talent.
2. Find candidates on your own: Google prefers to hire candidates on its own rather than
going to third party recruiters. Until and unless that expertise is incessantly required like
when they wish to open a new office in a new country where the firm has no background
knowledge.
3. Put checks in place: Usually organizations ask the seniors of the department to hire
juniors, but Google organizes peer interviews so that the current employees hire
likeminded people who they can work with.
4. Give candidates a reason to join: Google believes that recruitment is a two way street,
once it believes that a candidate is worth being an employee of the firm, they leave no
stone unturned in giving the candidate sufficient reasons to join Google and retain them
when the time be.
This is what makes Google a uniquely brilliant firm to work with. Google’s Human
resource management abilities are extremely competent and their Singapore office has
inherited all of these from its headquarters. This has enabled the Singapore office to grow
at a rapid speed and attract employment from different parts of the country.

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References:
Business Dictionary, 2017, http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/job-design.html,
viewed on 5 September, 2017.
Business Insider, 2011, http://www.businessinsider.com/how-segment-focus-can-increase-
revenue-growth-2011-8?IR=T, viewed on 5 September, 2017.
Business Insider, 2015, http://www.businessinsider.in/The-amazing-perks-of-working-at-
Google/articleshow/49046272.cms, viewed on 5 September, 2017.
Business Insider, 2016, http://www.businessinsider.in/Googles-HR-boss-explains-the-companys-
4-rules-for-hiring-the-best-employees/articleshow/51048044.cms, viewed on 5 September, 2017.
Channel News Asia, 2016, http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/google-moves-to-
new-office-in-singapore-to-house-growing-team-7686728, viewed on 4 September, 2017.
Channel News Asia, 2017, http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/google-wifi-lands-
in-singapore-with-starhub-as-exclusive-partner-9164220, viewed on 4 September, 2017.
Cleverism, 2014, https://www.cleverism.com/google-way-motivating-employees/, viewed on 5
September, 2017.
Fast Company, 2013, https://www.fastcompany.com/3007268/not-happy-accident-how-google-
deliberately-designs-workplace-satisfaction, viewed on 5 September, 2017.
Fortune, 2012, http://fortune.com/2012/02/24/inside-googles-recruiting-machine/, viewed on 5
September, 2017.
Google Careers, 2017, https://careers.google.com/how-we-hire/decide/, viewed on 5 September,
2017.
Google Careers, 2017, https://careers.google.com/jobs#!t=jo&jid=/google/sales-lead-google-
maps-large-customer-singapore-2698880377&, viewed on 4 September, 2017.

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Google Careers, 2017,
https://careers.google.com/jobs#t=sq&q=j&li=20&l=false&jl=1.352083%3A103.819836000000
01%3ASingapore%3ASG%3A
%3A20.274207235868648%3ACOUNTRY&jld=10&yes&jcoid=7c8c6665-81cf-4e11-8fc9-
ec1d6a69120c&jcoid=e43afd0d-d215-45db-a154-5386c9036525&, viewed on 4 September,
2017.
Google Singapore, 2017, https://careers.google.com/locations/sing/, viewed on 4 September,
2017.
LinkedIn, 2017, https://sg.linkedin.com/jobs/google-jobs, viewed on 5 September, 2017.
Panmore Institute, 2017, http://panmore.com/google-hrm-hr-planning-job-analysis-design,
viewed on 5 September, 2017.
Star Hub, 2017, http://www.starhub.com/personal/promotions/google-wifi.html, viewed on 4
September, 2017.