Here's Why You Probably Won't Get Hired At Google

Google is notorious for being one of the most selective companies out there.

Of the 3 million applications it receives each year, Google only hires 7,000, or about 0.2%, the company's HR boss Laszlo Bock said at LinkedIn's recent Talent Conference, according to Quartz.

Although many have heard about Google's unbelievably difficult brain-teasers, the company actually has a bunch of practices that make its hiring process so selective.Advertisement

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Google keeps its hiring protocol consistent and streamlined so each Googler knows exactly what to look for in candidates, Quartz reports. In order of priority, those include general cognitive ability, leadership, "Googleyness," and knowledge of the role.

But Google also takes measures to ensure it eliminates bias at all costs. Bock says he reminds his team that most people are terrible interviewers. Many people make lasting impressions based on these encounters that may not accurately represent a candidate's capabilities.

Google also combats bias by putting a committee in charge of making hiring choices - not hiring managers. Google chairman and former CEO Eric Schmidt also discusses this in a recent book he wrote with Google's SVP of product Jonathan Rosenberg called "How Google Works."

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Schmidt likens this to the way a university decides which faculty members should get hired or promoted. Essentially, hiring should be peer-based, not hierarchical like the traditional hiring method, he says.

So, those brain-teasers, consistent protocol, and special hiring committee combined make Google nearly impenetrable when it comes to getting hired. In fact, Google's hiring rate is said to be lower than the acceptance rate at prestigious universities such as Harvard and Yale. Of course, that doesn't mean you shouldn't try.