After reading How to Get a Job at Google, Part 2, I would have to say that I agree with Laszlo Bock. However, it is important to remember that most companies will not even look at your resume if you do not possess a college degree. Although some prospective bosses today care less about what you know or where you learned it (Google machine), you still need a set of skills which give you the ability to learn new things and solve problems in the workplace. Students need to get something out of their college education than just the degree. A good way to do this is by taking challenging courses in college, students in challenging majors will have better career opportunities. On the other hand, students with easier majors may feel passionate about their field but might have a harder time finding employment.
I also agree with Bock’s advice about resumes. Most companies see hundreds of resumes that look exactly the same. Employers are looking for those resumes that stand out. A good way to shine is by listing what you have done, how many times you have done it and comparing it to your colleagues. Prospective employers are looking for individuals that can work in different fields not just one and a good way to demonstrate that ability is by explaining the how and why thought process. Once again I feel that we are not preparing students to get a job at Google, but we continue to make the push towards preparing students for college. Maybe the preparation for getting a job at Google does not start in college or high school. It is a process that we need to start in kindergarten and continue to add at every level of education. Friedman, T (2014, April 19). How to Get a Job at Google, Part 2. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/20/opinion/sunday/friedman-how-to-get-a-job-at-google-part-2.html When I think about Google I think about some of the smartest college educated people in the world working for one of the most innovative technology companies. We have to remember all the cool things that Google has been able to do since its creation and how they have revolutionized the internet. What I found interesting about the How to get a Job at Google article is the way that Laszlo Bock explains “G.P.A.’s are worthless as a criteria for hiring, and test scores are worthless. ... We found that they don’t predict anything.” I would assume that Google would only hire college educated professionals but Google is able to think outside the box because of it status and it has the ability to recruit talented individuals. There are tons of talented individuals who never had the opportunity or decided that their college education was not worth the money. However, individuals with and without college degrees posses the skills that Google is looking for such as, learning ability, leadership, humility, and ownership.
I definitely agree with this philosophy because some of my students are only interested in obtaining an A so they can have a 4.0 GPA but do not care if they learn the material much less how they will be able to use that information in the future. I am afraid because I am not preparing students to get a job at Google. During group activities there is a sense of competition rather than cooperation. Students lack soft skills, skills that are essential to work in teams in order to solve problems. Maybe Google is one of the few companies not focusing on GPA’s and a college education but I think more and more employers will follow along and it might become the way of the future. As teachers, we need to be more informed on what big companies are looking in their workforce so we can better prepare students for the jobs of the future. Friedman, T (2014, February 22). How to Get a Job at Google. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/23/opinion/sunday/friedman-how-to-get-a-job-at-google.html?_r=0 |
AuthorI am a Social Science Teacher Candidate at CSUSM. Archives
May 2016
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