How do you become a Google Answers researcher?

November 15, 2005 4:08 PM

How does one become a Google Answers researcher? Seriously.

For as long as I can remember, the FAQ has stated:

How do I sign up to become a Researcher?

Because of an overwhelming response by qualified candidates, we are temporarily not accepting additional applications. Please check back with us again, as we likely will begin accepting applications again in the near future.

Yet, new researchers still appear. Are the folks at Google HQ playing the nepotism card and shelling out sweet research positions to their friends and family? What gives?

posted by bjork24 to Computers & Internet (10 answers total)

I'm not being snarky when I say this: maybe you should ask the google research team.
posted by elisabeth r at 4:26 PM on November 15, 2005

Jessamyn was one, wasn't she?
posted by growabrain at 4:29 PM on November 15, 2005

Yet, new researchers still appear.

What's your basis for this? How do you know they're "new"?
posted by AmbroseChapel at 4:45 PM on November 15, 2005

Perhaps both are true. Perhaps they are no longer acccepting new applications, but there is a queue of people who are being added as spaces open who had already "applied."
posted by terrapin at 5:04 PM on November 15, 2005

I've been looking at Google's job postings on Craigslist lately, and many of their job listings include opportunities to work as a Google Answers researcher under the "Responsibilites" section for various jobs. So I think it helps if you are employed by Google already.
posted by apple scruff at 5:14 PM on November 15, 2005

Response by poster: What's your basis for this? How do you know they're "new"?

Pure speculation... what else!
posted by bjork24 at 5:15 PM on November 15, 2005

If you don't know they're really new... maybe they're just re-appearing. I got my researcher account when they first rolled out Answers about 4 years ago, and have only answered about 10-15 questions. I have long periods of inactivity and then show up to try to answer as many as I can in an afternoon.
posted by rxrfrx at 5:32 PM on November 15, 2005

Yeah I was one once and quit/got fired. To the best of my knowledge they're not taking on new people because they have a stable of researchers and it's not that busy a job (or that lucrative).
posted by jessamyn at 7:33 PM on November 15, 2005

There haven't been any new reseachers, only ones that have came out of inactivity. I can pretty much say if you're not already one, it won't happen. Sorry, it's a cool thing, I know I enjoy it :)
posted by Nenna at 8:21 PM on November 15, 2005

Bah, who needs to pay for Google Answers when we already have Ask.MeFi?
posted by SuperNova at 9:24 PM on November 15, 2005