Google still hiring, despite recession

I think the point is that they're still expanding (and hence hiring). See this paragraph:

"Though Google is expanding into multiple areas such as operating systems, applications, online books and display advertising, more than 90 percent of company revenue comes from keyword-related search advertising, acknowledged Schmidt, who is also the chairman of the company."

To me this seems smart. If you still have the money to expand and you realize the recession will eventually end it's smart to continue expanding. That way not only will you not lose 2 years but you'll essentially gain 2 years that were lost by all the other companies that slammed on the brakes because of recession fears.

downturns are actually good times to hire. not only are there lots of talented people that have been displaced from jobs, but market wages are also low.

Someone inside Google might be able to correct me, but I believe that both 1) you won't be notified if you aren't a current fit (they'll put you into a resume database) and 2) if you are a fit, you'll hear back relatively soon - I've received replies from Google recruiters about a week or two after the online submission in the past.

The hiring committees don't meet every week, so it can take a while to hear back after each interview. They're very courteous and they like to collect data about their own performance, so you should expect to hear back from them either way.

Google recruiting is notoriously slow. A few weeks to first acknowledgment is not unusual. Also, if you've just submitted your resume, there are multiple stages of interviews between you and an offer.

A friend of mine applied for a job there in June and still hasn't heard back. (This was after several interviews, they appear to be at the final-decision stage, but even that's been a couple of weeks.)

After my on-site interview at Google, the recruiter called to let me know I was rejected. (It was about four weeks after the interview, though...)