Tuesday, October 19, 2010

The Social Network Vs. Facebook and Google my experience of interviewing with both companies

So I went to see the social Network movie last night and I thought as a film it was very good. I hadn't really heard of the back story to Facebook apart from that it was started by college students and that it had started as just a college thing. The movie obviously goes into more details of how and why it was started. I have had a interest in IT industry as potential employers since I was in college. I suppose it came from the projects and assignments that I did. The company I wanted to work for when I left college was Google. After doing a project on their culture I thought this was the company for me. I would tell my friends all of the best things I had researched about the company and every time I seen a role on their website I would apply.

After years of not even getting a response I had given up. But recently I seen that they were advertising for a role that I had done in my job (also one of there competitors) I thought I would do well. Well that didn't last. I had a phone interview with their recruitment person and it lasted a total of 11mins and 46 seconds!! So a few days later I got unfortunately you were unsuccessful email..blah bhal.. but 2 weeks later I was approached by the outsourced recruitment team about the same role and I explained that I had phone interview and wasn't successful and 3 weeks later i got a email from the same team asking me if I was interested in the role again. I did the explaining of I had already interviewed. you think for such a well to do company that they could keep track of who has contacted who?

Also I have interviewed with Facebook on 2 occasions for the same role. The total of phone interviews and face to face interview are approx. 8. U think by now I would know I would have know what to expect. On the second occasion I was told to lie at the interview by the one of the recruitment team. I know everyone big's up themselves on a CV but I just cant tell lies and I wouldn't feel right doing it. So I did big up some that I had done (not lie) one of the interviews kept questioning me about it. Which I was told they wouldn't.

Also I was asked if I had a FB account I said I had and the next thing the interviewer asked would I mind them looking at it. I said no, knowing that it was private meaning they couldn't. Sure why would they. And then to my shock it got weirder... the next thing the interviewer said I can't look at your page. I said OK, I wasn't sure where he was going with this. Why ask to see it in the 1st place. He said 'you know we cant see it' (he meant he couldn't hack my page sort of thing) I said OK, sure it is private anyway which I think he was shocked by. I don't think he had thought I would stand up for myself but in the industry that I am in you cant let someone walk over you.

It mad me laugh at the interview method of Mark with the interns (they had to write codes and drink shots) in the Social network compared to my own experience interviewing with Facebook. I would love to ask him why did the interview process come to this. I would have liked to be interview like in the movie.

Here is the link to the movie the social network