while looking through my pictures folder, i found this comic strip i had saved from a forwarded message. its from phdcomics. although im not a phd(maybe one day, if i grow three brains),i find this comic funny and so true. wat one does for free food! two days ago, there was an article in I think emirates evening post, or emirates post which was about google and how google employees gain the "freshmen 15" (15 pounds) when they join the firm since it has free food/free snacks etc. The food is not the campus food that you had to eat during your freshman year. its not the free pizzas that would tempt you to attend so-n-so's meeting. i had friends who used to attend the hispanic club meetings coz they had free food. and i KNOW they werent hispanic. and this wasnt anything to do with wanting to assimilate into the new culture. the food served in the ggle caffeteria is really good, they hire high-fundu chefs not any joe doe, and its not repetitive fare at all. and ive heard and even seen that their dessert plates are excellent.they surely are taking the saying, that the way to someones heart is through their stomach, very seriously.

neway my mom reading the article was like "why dont u work for g.o.o.g.le!" well other than the fact that their recruiting process is quite difficult but most importantly its not really my area of interest and to be very technical now its not my major either. after i said it, it opened a whole new can of worms. after a few moments my mom goes "so why didnt you study this, then!". =).
i wonder while choosing a job offer, how important are perks? I know for lot of people perks are very important. espcially in dubai. sometimes, depending obviously on your position,you can get a car a house, paid education for children, and yearly airline tickets for you and your family. i dont know about all the firms in the US, but at least the ones I know of they dont offer any such thing unless you are the MD (managing director) or something. at the most, in temrs of perks perhaps you can get better stock options, a higher signing bonus/relocation expense, longer paid leave, better insurance coverage. mostly money-centric (if thats a word) not tangible things likea house or a car or discounted coupons or free tickets to the movies..etc.

deciding on an offer is very different too in the US when compared to Dubai. In Dubai its probably a one on one interview usually with the head of the group or a two on one interview usually with the manager as well, so you dont really get how the work environment will be. and sometimes you may end up with another group, not even the one you interviewed for. so, really basic job function, company name, the perks and salary are your deciding factor. and in some cases, where beggars cant be choosers its the last two whcih count the most. maybe its not the same for all firms, but at least based on my experiences and my freinds experiences thats what i have seen. in the states you meet with different groups and there are grilling interviews, but mostly its about deciding where you fit in among those groups and whether they think you are a good fit. obviously you dont know the politics that are internal to the office, but for those four hours or so people are smiling and welcoming, on the best behavior and they seem genuinely interested in their jobs. perhaps they are. or they arent. i dont know. however my point is, the work environment has a huger impact on your decision. instantly you get the gut feeling that this is a place that you would like to work in. things like perks and company name then take a backseat.