[shatteredvisage]

I'm going to be applying there soon, 4 years into my career. It'll involve a loong move and big changes: what advice can you give someone who wants to spend a couple years (or more?) with the big G?

Also, any chance of submitting a referral? :)

[fredley]

Author writes article ranting about decision-making by groups of people who know nothing about them.

Commenter asks for referral from author who knows nothing about them.

[mfoy_]

Sounds like his head is already in the game!

[mtlynch]

I recommend applying for a promotion early, even if you don't think you're actually ready. It's valuable just to go through the experience end-to-end.

My other suggestion would be to learn from my mistake and be realistic about your relationship with the company. It's filled with a lot of great people and they build a sense of community, but at the end of the day it's a business relationship, so you should decide what you want out of it and work towards getting that.

[dmitrygr]

* Negotiate the title hard! very hard! Harder than you ever have. It is much easier to get a higher level at hiring than ever after.

* Do NOT buy any line of the form "It is our policy to hire people with $YEARS of experience / $DEGREE degree / $OTHER_PROPERTY at level $LEVEL only"! It is all lies!