‘Puzzles Are Fun. Search On’: Google Cops to Secret Recruiting Tool Baked Inside Search | Re/code

A different kind of talent search

"On Tuesday, Max Rosett, a new Google employee, blogged on The Hustle about how he landed his new job at Google. Rosett, a data scientist with the rental marketplace Apartment List, was working on a head-scratching coding problem. He turned to Google’s search box, typing in this query on the programming language: “python lambda function list comprehension.”

Up popped a box inside the search results that read: “You’re speaking our language. Up for a challenge?” It led to google.com/foobar — a programming test Google has used in the past to recruit engineers. It’s not the first time Google’s HR has deployed the nerdy trick. Users on Hacker News posted a similar tale last year."

‘Puzzles Are Fun. Search On’: Google Cops to Secret Recruiting Tool Baked Inside Search | Re/code