Browse > Home /

| Subcribe via RSS

Dropping the G

October 22nd, 2006 | 2 Comments | Posted in Life, Work

I’m starting training tomorrow for my new job in 3 Ireland. Training will be for a few weeks and it’s in the Gresham Hotel, which is very very classy, too classy for the likes of me. It’ll be a nice break; paid training is such a wonderful thing.

I’m really excited about seeing the new shop I’ll be working in, which will apparently feature entertainment bays and “play pods” where customers can try out 3’s 3G network – such as streaming video and music downloads, games too. They’ll have “live handsets” for customers to try out (3G tried this once before, but found that it was too tempting for thieves - I wonder how long it will take before a few are stolen from the 3 store). There will also be a “chill-out area” for shoppers (and the staff, I am assuming!).

To be honest, it’s all sounding rather appealing to the boyish nerdy side of me. There’s nothing I like more, than showing people what technology can actually DO for them and it’s sounding like the 3 stores will be a innovative place to do just that.

More »

Thank you for your interest in Google…

October 12th, 2006 | 8 Comments | Posted in Life, Work

I handed in my two weeks notice on Monday, not because I got the job in Google, but because I accepted an offer to work for 3 Ireland in their new Henry Street store. Monday was a hectic day, I had to decide whether to take the job with Three or hold out for Google. In the end, I was right to accept the position in Three.

Google were supposed to get back to me on Monday and even after leaving a voicemail message, they didn’t actually get back to me until Tuesday evening. I received a really impersonal rejection e-mail from them, a real copy and paste job, telling me that based on my “qualifications” and “experience” that they didn’t think me a “strong match”. My instant thought after reading this was “did they not have my cv?”. I’ve politely asked them to provide me with additional feedback on why they think me not suited to the position, and am still waiting to receive it.

The Google recruitment process was very thorough, after an assessment test, 3 phone interviews and 2 face-to-face interviews all I received from them was an e-mail to tell me that I didn’t get the job, and that was 3 weeks after the face-to-face interviews. From start to finish, the whole process of them figuring out I wasn’t suitable for the position took over 2 months. It stressed me out, it pissed me off, it excited me, and more than anything else it got my hopes up far too much. I really thought this was the perfect job for me, but I think I was too eager and too… maybe desperate to work them. I probably should have shut my mouth about how great I think their company is and how I would have liked to be able to participate in their research projects, some time in the future. Perhaps they thought me too enthusiastic? In the end, I don’t think I’ll be applying to work for them again; it’s not worth the stress and the extreme effort… I still can’t believe they had to interview me 5 times to figure out they didn’t want to hire me, it was so terribly unnecessary.

Anyway, I’m not going to beat myself up about it, considering that I have a brand new opportunity, to make lots of commission working for the Three network. I don’t know how long I’ll stay working for them, but I need to start making more money, what with Christmas just around the corner. In the New Year I’ll have to start visiting recruitment agencies in hopes to get a “real” job – despite my CV being available on every Irish recruitment website possible I seem to only be getting offers for sales positions. Shall I be doomed to work in retail, forever, regardless of my college education? If I can’t get a job with my degree, is there even any point in even doing a masters next year, is there any point in doing it ever?

The Google Saga Continues

September 18th, 2006 | 10 Comments | Posted in Life, Work

I’ve wrote about it, ranted about it and I’ve talked about wanting to work for Google all throughout college. I wrote my thesis on online advertising because I’ve a passion for usability and hoped very much that this passion would land me a job with an exciting company such as Google.

Today, I finally have an opportunity to sell myself to them as I have my face-to-face interview at their Dublin office in Grand Canal Quay. I’m not as nervous as I thought I would be, I’m more excited than anything else. All those phone interviews have really prepared me, and in retrospect I’ve very thankful for them. So, I’m sitting in work contemplating it all, I’m off at 1pm as the interview is at 2pm. I’m wearing my pinstripe suit and I’m going to take out all of my piercings. I’ll be meeting with two of the AdSense team leaders - senior employees of Google. I’m hoping this will be the last of the interviews, as I think my brain will explode if I have to have another one.

It’s not like I’m putting my eggs all in one basket though - as a fail-safe I had a phone interview with Three on Thursday, and I have a face-to-face interview with them on Friday. It would be a really similar position to the one I already have, but with extra benefits and higher wages. It would be a nice new start, the kind of job I’d take just to get me out of here (I’m bored to tears with this place) and I’d keep saving my money for my masters next year.

I keep telling myself that even if I don’t secure the position with Google, at least it’s boosted my self-esteem and given me something to talk/rant/blog about for the last few months.