What's it like working at Google?

In the midst of a global financial crisis, one company stood out from the crowd yesterday, that company is Google.

Despite the whole world struggling and stock markets taking a battering, the company still managed to report excellent earnings during a conference call with investors yesterday.

So we wondered, how is it that Google manages to pump out excellent innovations in search, mapping and now its own web browser and mobile OS. More importantly, what's it like working at Google?

The company is based in Mountain View, California in the United States. Co-founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who both studied computer science, it employs 10,000 worldwide and has been named #1 best company to work for by Fortune magazine this year.

Google Plex is the company's HQ where all the magic happens. Dubbed by employees "a country itself", those lucky enough to work for Google enjoy mixing with fellow geeks.

The company lists 10 reasons to work at Google on its jobs page but is modest about the impressive benefits at Google plex.

The company has 17 different cafeterias which serve gourmet food. All food is complimentary including drinks and snacks which leads to the term "Google 16", the amount of pounds you put on when you first start working for Google.

At Google Plex there is a state of the art gym, a lap pool, ping pong, beach volleyball and a string of different language classes to brush up on your multi-lingual skills. Employee pets are welcome and Google has supplied a laundry room, concierge, hairdressers and even an on-site doctor. Solar panels, recycled carpets and complimentary public transportation are just some of the "green" practices Google has adopted. Google is so proud of how it treats employees that it even has its own YouTube channel dedicated to life at Google.

If you're not convinced it's the best place to work for then check out the photos below courtesy of Frankin Cool. There's also a nice video overview of the companies offerings recorded last year.

Employees enjoy a relaxing break in a decompression (stress) capsule that is impermeable to sound and light: