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Depends on the team

Web Engineer
Former Employee
Worked at Google for 6 years
July 7, 2015
New York, New York
4.0
RecommendsPositive OutlookApproves of CEO
Pros

Benefits and salary are amazing. The bonus structure is great if you have a good manager. Having Google on your resume allows you to do pretty much anything.

Cons

The company is just too big. The entire system built around setting and meeting goals turns every employee into a number. If you have a manager that cares and pays attention, you are good to go; otherwise, watch out! You are much better off gaming the system at Google than being honest; your wallet and well-being will thank you. A lot of your career trajectory has to do with how often you can get on a kudos email and if you were randomly assigned to a project that does really well. There is about a 4-year top-out to discover if you're playing politics well enough to stay on board. You'll find that a lot of co-workers don't care and just want to fly under the radar, which can get pretty frustrating.

Advice to Management

The perf cycle is the worst! I'd recommend reading up on Greek Ostracism to think of a system where the worst politicians (read: work credit thieves and aloof managers) can be identified and dealt with.

Nothing is worse than feeling that the balance of your career is in the hands of someone chasing shiny objects once per quarter!

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