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4.6
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5 myths about Google

Lynn Elesy

Careers Commentator
We tackle a 5 common misconceptions about Google.

1. People come to Google for the free food 

Although Google is known for its great perks – endless M&M’s, free meals, massages and fitness classes – people come here to work on great products that touch billions of people and transform the way they access and use information. 

Great ideas don’t come from sitting at a desk – they come from the informal interactions you get during day-to-day activities. That’s why we’ve designed our offices with collaborative spaces. We are our most creative and prolific when we learn from, compete and collaborate with other people, whether it’s over a game of table tennis, jamming in the music room or eating a meal together. 

2. Googlers never fail 

Learning is core to our culture. One of the best ways to learn is from failure. Fail fast, learn from it and move on. We like to share our failures; everyone benefits from mistakes. Even the most successful people fail. If you never fail, then you aren’t thinking big enough and taking enough risks. 

3. It is easy to get stuck working on one product, in one place 

Google is truly global. With more than 70 offices in more than 50 countries, there truly is something for everyone and endless opportunities for the student who isn’t quite sure what they want to do. We encourage staff to move around to different locations and experience different sides of the company; Aussie interns can go on to work in London, Tokyo, New York and more – your work badge is your passport. You can go into any Google office in the world and immediately become part of the team. 

4. Google only hires students with top grades 

While it is important to focus on your studies, grades are not the only thing we look at. Google users are diverse and our workplace needs to reflect this. 

We need people who are self-motivated, can work with others on a team and are comfortable with chaos – who are also passionate about technology. 

We are expanding the ways we address different backgrounds. For example, our Summer Trainee Engineering Practice (STEP) internship provides exposure to the technology industry to students from underrepresented groups, including women, LGBTQIA, indigenous and students with a disability. 

5. Equality in pay 

Google pays employees based on their performance. Those who do well and are top performers will see this in their total rewards and recognition, which is not based on age, tenure or other non-performance related factors.