For over 10 years the Russian market has been found very attractive for foreign companies, and number of their Russian departments is growing fast. Last year Google opened its Russian office in Moscow and has recently conducted Google International party in Moscow State Institute for International Relations, where Russia-IC arranged an interview with Vladimir Dolgov, head of Google department in Russia.

Google Company has got departments all over the world. Is doing business in Russia different from that in other countries?

Indeed, Google Company is cosmopolitan and its offices are spread all over the world. Certainly there are differences between them, but, nevertheless, our team speaks the same language as our clients. We find talented specialists in all cities – from Zurich to Bangalore - and they speak 10 languages. We realize that Google products should be adapted to every country we want to work in, that is why Google specialists don’t simply translate programs and services into a particular language, but localize and adapt them. Besides, legislation as well as our users’ habits also depends on a country and work in Russia implies facing serious and complicated problems, and no external factors can distract our specialists from working effectively.

Does national character influence effectiveness of specialists from different countries?

 Google office staff in Russia can’t be called conceptually different from their colleagues in other countries, especially as the process of recruitment and professional skills required are universal. I can say that Russian specialists are very creative, imaginative and friendly which actually positively affects the atmosphere and efforts.

What qualifications are required to join Russian Google team?

To be accepted one should have appropriate education, besides, it is welcomed, if an applicant has got articles published and has won programming contests. The specialists we engage are always efficient and very often they speak at least one foreign language.

Google corporate culture is unique as we have an 80/20 rule – anyone may spend 20% of their time on a project standing apart from the one which is worked at. This policy is worth 20% of the time, as e.g. such services as Gmail and Orkut were worked out this way exactly.

It is important for a future employee to see Google as a unique culture and like it, as only in this case he can become a valuable member of the team. Team playing by the way provides a base for all our projects.

How often does the company hold events like recent Google International Party?

 Google International Party is annually held in different countries. The recent event has been conducted for the first time in Moscow. The students from Moscow State Institute for Foreign Relations had an opportunity to talk to Google representatives from different world offices, among them Mountain View, London, Paris, Hamburg and Amsterdam, they could ask questions about work in the company as well as our products and search system.

We lay special emphasis on education development and take prospective specialists on into the Russian team, so that they could help us in working out innovation technologies and services for users in Russia and abroad.

Olga Pletneva