트레이닝을 위해 약 2주간의 출장 일정으로 찾은 구글 본사. 샌프란시스코 마운틴뷰(MTV)에 위치한 본사는 그야말로 거대기업,

40여개의 건물이 왠만한 대학 캠퍼스보다도 넓게 산재해 있어서 내부 셔틀이 다닐 뿐 아니라 이동시에는 이렇게 자전거를 애용한다.

함께 트레이닝을 받던 미국 친구들과 자전거를 타고 맛난 점심메뉴를 찾아 식당으로 가는 길.

내부 셔틀도 있지만 샌프란시스코 곳곳에서 왕래하는 출퇴근 셔틀, G-Bus가 수십대 운행하고 있기도 하다.

버스를 탈 때 구글 직원증을 식별기에 인식시켜야 하기 때문에 외부인은 탑승이 불가능한 듯 하다.

샌프란시스코 도심에서 마운틴뷰의 본사까지는 대략 한시간 거리지만, 출퇴근 시간의 교통체증은 여기도 한국과 매한가지여서

심하면 근 두시간 가까이 걸리기도 한다. 버스 안에는 와이파이가 설치되어 있어서 많은 구글러들은 출퇴근중에도 랩탑을 펼치는 듯.

한적한 대학 캠퍼스라 해도 믿을 것 같은 본사 내의 듬성듬성한 건물들, 그리고 충분한 녹지. 여유롭게 나와서 단체 운동을

즐기기도 하고, 한쪽에서는 아직은 따뜻한 가을볕을 쬐며 맛사지사로부터 마사지를 받고 있기도 하고.

통유리로 되어 시원한 휴식공간의 한켠에는 방금까지 사람들이 실제로 즐기던 체스판이, 그리고 포켓 다이가 설치되어 있다.

'Google 15'라 불릴 정도로-구글에 들어오면 순식간에 15파운드가 찐다는 의미에서-간식을 풍족하게 쌓아둔 마이크로키친.

한국과는 비교도 안 될 만큼 다양한 간식들과 음료가 꽉꽉 채워져 있었는데, 심지어는 한국산 김도 간식코너에 입성해 있었다.

알고 보니 얘들은 김을 간식으로 한장씩 수시때때로 먹기도 하던데, 마치 하정우의 먹방을 떠올리게 하는 이야기.

구글 본사..라고는 해도, 고층 건물 하나가 덜렁 올라가 있는 게 아니라 고작해야 3층짜리 나즈막한 건물들이 듬성듬성 놓인 거라,

게다가 한곳에 모여 있는 것도 아니고 약간씩 거리를 두고 뭉쳐 있는 셈이라 이동이 쉽진 않다. 그치만 이렇게 이쁜 길이라면야.

마침 트레이닝 중에 2013년 셔틀버스 탑승인원이 2백만을 돌파했다고 한다. 샌프란시스코의 숙소로 퇴근하려고 셔틀을 기다리는데

정류장 앞에 맥주 박스를 수십짝 갖다놓고는 마음껏 마시라며 나눠주고 있어서, 일단 사진부터 한장 찍고 두병을 원샷.

구글의 인테리어가 얼마나 화려한지야 이미 익히 알려져 있다지만, 이런 분위기의 마이크로키친이라니. 역시 본사의 위엄..일라나.

휴식 공간이자, 자연스런 회의 공간을 겸하기도 하며 사무실 책상머리에 질린 이들을 위해서는 업무 공간으로 기능하는 산뜻한 공간.

그리고 심지어 '명상실'까지. 방석과 향과 디퓨저까지 갖다놓고는 아마 시간대를 맞추어 단체 명상 프로그램을 운영하는 듯 하다.

건물마다, 건물 내 층마다, 그리고 미팅룸마다 다른 컨셉의 다른 인테리어. 이런 걸 고민하는 사람이 제일 재미있겠다 싶다.

아니, 실은 구글 두들(Doodle)을 만드는 사람이 제일 재미있을 거 같다.

이번에 처음 해본 이 축구 게임. 사실 한국 오피스에도 있기는 한데 한번도 안 해봤었다. 은근 스릴 있다는.

아무리 오피스 내부가 뻑적지근하대도, 건물 밖에 성큼 다가온 가을의 화려함에 비길 바는 아니다.

공기업이던 사기업이던, 심지어는 외국계 기업이던

 

'조직'의 본령과 그로부터 기인하는 요구조건은 어느정도 일치하는 법이어서,

아무리 겉으로는 '혁신'과 '창의'를 강조하는 조직이라 해도

 

그러한 면을 어떻게 얼마나 드러내야 할지는 조심스러울 수 밖에 없지만.

 

 

그럼에도 불구하고 컨설팅펌이라거나 구글 같은, 그런 독특한 기업에서의 면접을 겪을 때

 

도움이 될 만한 팁이 있어서 퍼온다. 바로 아래는 이전에 면접관의 입장에서 썼던 몇가지 후기들.

10 Insider Tips for Getting Hired at Google (or Any Coveted Company)

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As a former hiring manager at Google, I can tell you that the first secret of getting hired at Google is that there are no secrets to getting hired at Google. The truth is that Google’s hiring process is highly decentralized; so while there are general company guidelines, each group has its own best practices, go-to questions and, most importantly, ideal candidates.

If you’re fortunate enough to be called for an on-site interview, the first thing you should know is that the person asking questions most likely really wants to hire you. After all, few people at Google like doing interviews as it takes away from their core job.

With that in mind, here are some tips to help get you into Google CEO’s Larry Page’s Google+ circles:

1. Answer the question you’re asked. This may seem intuitive, but I can’t count the amount of times that a candidate answered a different question than the one posed. For example, one of my favorite questions is, “How could Facebook make money outside of advertising?” About 7 out of 10 candidates will give me an answer that in some way ends up coming back to advertising, and I am left to conclude that the person doesn’t pay close attention to details.

2. Don’t impose your agenda. You may be very eager to tell your story and phrase your candidacy, but it may be that the interviewer is interested in elements of your resume you hadn’t considered especially relevant. Pay attention to the clues embedded in the interviewer’s questions to determine what she’s looking for and how you might fit the bill.

3. Expose your thought process. Google is famous for asking brain-teasers (how many blue cars are there in Arizona?) and the purpose is to determine whether or not the candidate can break down a complicated problem and distill it into composite parts. To do this, be sure to verbalize your entire thought process and feel free to use the whiteboard or paper to draw out what you are thinking. I once had a candidate use the white board to organize and visualize all of his answers. He got hired.

4. Don’t be intimidated. If the interviewer pushes you for a more detailed answer, the worst thing you can do is become defensive (my favorite failed candidate once stated in exasperation, “wow man, you’re really putting me on the spot here!”). If you’re feeling intimidated, be sure to smile, breathe and stay on track. If you require further clarification don’t be afraid to ask for it. Remember: sometimes seeing how you respond to intimidation is part of the test.

5. Don’t mention the food. Regardless of what role you are applying for, at some point someone is going to ask you why you want to work at Google. This is a trick question to see if you focus on the famous benefits or the role. Responding to this question is your chance to talk about your knowledge of and passion for the position.

6. Do your homework. Google hires a lot of athletes, meaning super-smart competitive generalists who know how to get things done. This doesn’t mean, though, that you’re not expected to understand the product you’ll be working on. The strongest candidates show their initiative by knowing the product well, the competitive landscape and the industry space. You also want to demonstrate an appreciation for how Google brings products to market and then iterates on their development. Ultimately, if you’re not prepared to engage in an in-depth conversation about the product and strategy, then you clearly haven’t done your homework.

7. Examples and anecdotes are your best friend. Tell the interviewer about yourself through examples. If an interviewer must distinguish you from ten other candidates, the easiest tool you can give that person is great stories that illustrate your strongest attributes. Similarly, you should also have some flexible stock anecdotes available at will to answer questions such as, “Tell me about a time when you’ve worked cross-functionally to solve a problem?” If you need to spend a lot of time considering the question, you probably don’t often work cross-functionally. Any candidate, for example, can state that they possess leadership qualities, but if you can tell a story that proves your point, the interviewer will be far more likely both to believe and remember you.

8. Asking questions is your time to shine. Interviewers will judge you based on the quality of questions you ask. The person interviewing you probably spends a lot of time thinking about her product and its impact on the world. Your question, therefore, should be engaging, slightly gratifying, and hopefully unlock the passion of the interviewer. Don’t ask what someone’s average day is like or about her favorite part of working at Google. While the interviewer can easily deliver a canned response that will take up the rest of the allotted time, she is likely already thinking about which cafe she wants to eat lunch at. Ummm: Hot Pots!

9. Give me an answer I’ve never heard before. Your goal shouldn’t be to provide a satisfactory answer to every question. Instead, your goal is to be memorable; after all, what the interviewer is looking for is a non-standard answer to a question he may have asked a dozen times before. Sergey Brin, for example, is famous for asking people to explain to him the most complicated thing they understand. That way, if you bore him to tears, at least he’ll hopefully learn something. If your encounter isn’t memorable the chances of you moving forward are slim. Make it memorable for the right reasons.

10. Passion and enthusiasm are deal-breakers. The presence of these two qualities can often make the difference between a number of highly qualified and other-wise even candidates. Many hiring managers operate on the assumption that passion for the product and the role trump all other attributes. You can’t go wrong by demonstrating a deep passion that’s confirmed by your ability to speak in an intelligent and articulate manner about the product.

Lastly, if at any point a high-five is warranted, it should be instigated by the interviewer, and not you (my second favorite failed candidate).

Matthew Carpenter-Arévalo works for an international organization in Geneva, Switzerland. He blogs at carpenterarevalo.com.