Trovit UK blog

Trovit Employee Feature IX: Caroline

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 03:05:20 -0700

It´s starting to get warm over here in Barcelona, the home of Trovit HQ. With people starting to think about their holidays, it can be hard to sit someone down for long enough for them to tell us about themselves. However, in true Trovit Employee Feature style we have managed to pin down our next ´volunteer´.

Name: Caroline

Age: 29

Position in Trovit: Country Manager for Trovit Netherlands and oficial caretaker for Morocco Cars.

First thing she does when she gets to the office: To start the day Caroline likes to head to the kitchen to grab some breakfast and a cup of coffee, after which she checks her emails.

The best thing about Trovit: Being young and international herself, Caroline likes the fact that Trovit has a very relaxed, youthful and multicultural atmosphere.

Why would she recommend to a friend that they work in Trovit? The job is extremely varied and no two days are the same. In her previous job, Caroline used to be very focused on sales with little opportunity to manage her own time. In Trovit, she enjoys the opportunity to manage her time as she sees best.

Hobbies outside of work: She likes all things sport; field hockey, running (along Barcelona´s beach) and going to the gym to name just a few. Caroline also enjoys dining out in some of the wide variety of restaurants that Barcelona offers.

Music she listens to at work: Coeur de pirate, Keane and Michael Kiwanuka are all featuring on her playlist at the moment.

Dream job (not counting Trovit of course): any job that managed to combine both travelling and sports would suit Caroline just fine.

Favourite view from the office: The view from the Trovit games room looking out onto the Mediterranean sea, Montjuic and the Inglesia de Santa Maria del Remei.

Where she would like to visit: She would very much like to see Kuala Lumpur, along with the surrounding areas of Malaysia. As luck may have it, she will be spending her honeymoon doing just that for a whole 3 weeks.

Some other things everyone should know about her: She is often assumed to be Dutch, but is in fact Belgian (she grew up in the Flemish part of Belgium, speaking French at home and Dutch at school). Sticking with the language theme, Spanish is impressively the 6th language she has learnt, with French, Dutch, Italian, English and a touch of German being the other 5.

Find out more about our other Troviters Guillem, Albane, Camille, Dani, Aisling, Sophia, Javi and Mavi.

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Amy Winehouse's Camden home for sale

Thu, 31 May 2012 14:08:00 -0700

The London home where Amy Winehouse lived and died, located in the Camden Square, is being put up on the market by her family for £2.7 million.

Although the house was rumored to be a potential location for the Amy Winehouse Foundation, her family made the decision to sell after deciding that it would be inappropriate for them to live there.

Camden Town is well-known as a meeting point of alternative culture since the 1960s, and today still appeals to its many tribes, from goths to bohemians, punks and R&B singers. All those marked singularities made Amy fall in love with the place.

Amy bought the three double bedroom semi detached period villa located in Camden Square in April 2010 for £1.8 million.

Find more properties for sale in Camden Town on Trovit Homes

Sources: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ http://www.zoopla.co.uk/

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Trovit launches Holiday Rentals Search Engine

Wed, 23 May 2012 02:50:13 -0700

Once again there is movement in the search engine world of Trovit, with the release of Trovit Holiday Rentals.

Summer is just around the corner so there is no better time to be thinking about your next holiday rental. Lacking inspiration? Take a look at some of these suggestions for your summer getaway this year:

The Cornish Coast: This stretch of coastline is simply idyllic. It´s not necessary to splash out on a holiday abroad when we have such a beautiful part of the country at our fingertips, with palmtrees included. These beautiful properties should help get you started.

Blackpool Beach: Do you fancy a slightly more lively holiday this year? If the lights of Blackpool are calling you then why not try this selection of properties, all of which come with a sea view.

Lake District National Park: Perhaps you would like a bit more of an active holiday this year? If being surrounded by stunning mountains, lakes and countryside is what floats your boat then The Lake District is the place for you. Take a look some of these fantastic properties that could be your home for a week or so.

London: No list is complete without the capital city itself. London needs no introduction but needless to say that if you want some culture on your next holiday then the city with free museums, beautiful parks and history oozing out of every nook and cranny is the destination of choice. Check out these upmarket properties in the big smoke.

Of course you are not restricted to these ideas. In fact, we have designed Trovit Holiday Lettings in such a way that you can design your ideal holiday letting down to the last detail. Use the filters - price, rooms, TV, swimming pool, pet friendly, BBQ, playground, air conditioning etc - to find exactly what you´re looking for.

Have a great holiday!

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Trovit Employee Feature VIII: Mavi Jimenez

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 02:58:28 -0700

Though the Trovit offices are officially located in Barcelona, some of our tech team telecommutes to work from other parts of Spain. In this employee feature find out more about what it's like to be a telecommuter for Trovit.

Name: Maria Elvira Jiménez, but everyone just calls her Mavi

Age: In February she turned 30 and was scared that it would be more traumatic, but she's realising life in your 30s isn't so bad after all

Studies: She has her degree from the University of Murcia as a Technical Engineer in Computer Systems. Recently her love of art has brought her back to the University as she's currently in her second year studying Fine Arts.

Hometown: A small town outside of Murcia called "Mula." She enjoys Mula because of it's tranquility and the picturesque castle (Castillo de los Vélez) overlooking the city.

Previous Job: She worked in a bank as a COBOL programmer, but it wasn't the right job as everything was too serious and she couldn't wear her Converse!

Position in Trovit: PHP Programmer, and currently the only female in what we call the "Parsing Corner" (the section of the office where the programmers sit).
(We're currently looking for a Senior PHP Programmer at Trovit. Have what it takes? Apply here!)

How she started working as a telecommuter for Trovit: A friend of hers, who was already working for Trovit as a telecommuter, asked her if she would be interested in the offer and she decided to try it out. The trial period seems to have gone well as she's been with Trovit for nearly 3 years.

A typical day as a telecommuter: At 8:00am her alarm clock goes off and she gets dressed. Though many people think telecommuting means you can work in your pajamas, Mavi believes that if you're not dressed you can't work. Her computer is programmed to turn on at 8:15 while she makes coffee, puts on her music, opens up the Trovit chat, and starts her day.
When she's done she closes everything up and heads off to class. When she gets back she checks back up on work to make sure she hasn't left anything undone.

The best and worst of being a telecommuter: When she first started to work at Trovit she was surprised by how much they trusted her though she was not physically in the office working. She likes how telecommuting allows you to manage your time how you like (studies, run errands, personal life, etc.) and since you're at home, your work environment is much more comfortable and much quieter (and generally less stressful). To add to the benefits, as transportation and petrol prices continue to rise, she considers herself lucky to not have to spend money on the bus or have to grab the car to get to the office. Bad part about telecommuting? You need to have a lot of self-discipline to continue pushing yourself.
*She would also like to add that telecommuting means she can't share in on the sweets, pastries, cakes, etc. that we have in the kitchen to celebrate birthdays and Trovit anniversaries.

Hobbies: She loves art and has always loved to draw, design, and paint (we would like to note that she is very good at it). Her natural talent and passion for art is the reason she started studying the Fine Arts. She also loves to swim and whenever she can get a free moment she heads to the pool.

4 things everyone should know about Mavi:
-At 6 foot 1 her height is something that always draws attention
-She loves junk food and Coca Cola
-She has an alter-ego which you can see in her blog
-To pay her way through college she worked as a postwoman for the Post Office and got to deliver mail on a Vespa (this is what sparked her love of Vespas).

Find out more about our other Troviters Guillem, Albane, Camille, Dani, Aisling, Sophia and Javi

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Trovit Employee Feature VII: Guillem Anguera

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 05:38:00 -0700

It's been quite some time since we've posted a Trovit Employee Feature, but we're back this week with one of Trovit's most veteran employees, Guillem Anguera.

Position: Sys Admin

Time in Trovit: 3 and a half years

Age: 29

Previous Job: Sys Admin for Jazztel (telephone company).

First thing he does when he gets to the office: Guillem eats breakfast at home so he skips the kitchen and goes to his desk to get straight to work.

What he likes best about Trovit: The great working environment (young, international, diversity in opinion and points of view...)

Why he would recommend Trovit to a friend: Because everyday you learn something new.

Hobby outside of work: Too many to say, but they're all sport-related. Year round he mountain bikes, in the winter snowboarding, and recently he has started rock climbing. It's clear to see that Guillem is an adrenaline addict, any type of sport that carries a bit of risk he has to try. (Let's not forget that last year he got his license to be a recreational skipper)

Music he listens to while working: Anything and everything, with very little criteria. You can see it with your own eyes as his Spotify playlists are public!

Dream job: Something outdoors that entails a bit of risk, and in one way or another, involves helping others.

Favorite view from the office: The Emisora de Esplugues (radio tower). He passes by the tower frequently on his biking excursions and he loves the panoramic views of Barcelona.

Place he would like to visit: Australia

Google results when he searches his name: He shows up quite a lot with links to his profiles on different social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter...) and also results for a professional diatonic button accordion player with the same name.

4 things everyone should know about him: He can't come up with 4, but 1 would definitely be that he was in the Spanish military in Jaca.

His first job: In 2000 he started out as a LAN Admin in a cybercafe that was called "Over The Game."

Something he would never do: Contradict his convictions

Want to get to know other Troviters? Find out more about Albane,Camille, Dani, Aisling, Sophia, and Javi

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Trovit and the Banc dels Aliments

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 08:50:00 -0800

During the holiday season Trovit has made it a tradition to contribute to the Banc dels Aliments (Food bank) in Barcelona. Though Barcelona is a culturally rich city, there is a large population of people who cannot make ends meet and over the recent years the number continues to rise due to the ever increasing unemployment rate in Spain.

In the beginning of December we placed a table at the entrance to our office and over the past three weeks it has been filling up with non-perishable food items brought in by our 64 employees and neighboring offices in our building. Tomorrow these items will be brought to the food bank where over 300 charities in Barcelona will then distribute the items to those in need. In 2010 over 100,000 people benefited from the food drive. We're hoping that in 2011 the donations will reach even further!

If you're interested in donating or volunteering at your local food bank you can visit The Global FoodBanking Network's website.

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Would you like a side job with that?

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 09:10:00 -0800

Sometimes, even when with work, the money we get at the end of the month just doesn´t cut it. We pay the bills, we buy our food and what´s left? Not much. If you find yourself with not much spare cash but with a bit of spare time, then you may have considered a side job. There are many side jobs out there - babysitting, film extra, freelance worker etc - but it´s not always easy to know which one to go for. Equally, there are a lot of work-from-home scams out there that should be avoided at all cost. Our new infographic will help guide you in the right direction when finding your next side job. Once you have a better idea, you can find it on Trovit!

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Beating the crisis with novel ideas: BuyMyFace

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 07:56:00 -0800

It´s no secret that, as a country, we have fallen on bad times. We see stories everyday about how the crisis is taking grip and forcing people into redundancy. The job market, it would seem, is becoming more and more competitive and leaving many highly-qualified jobseekers, jobless. The question is, albeit a difficult one to answer, what do we do about it?

Trovit loves to hear about people finding interesting and novel ways to earn a pound or two, whether it be to counter the crisis, a mounting student debt or simply to bring an idea to life.

A couple of these very people have been getting increasing exposure in the press recently and on TV programmes such as Russel Howard´s Good News. Their venture is called Buy My Face. Nope, there isn´t much explaining to do. It is pretty much what it says on the tin. Let´s find out a bit more about them:

What is Buy My Face and who´s behind it?

Buy My Face is the story of two recent graduates trying to pay off their student debt by selling advertising space on their faces. At the heart of the idea is our website, BuyMyFace.com, and that's the reason people want to advertise with us, because they get to feature as the only company on our homepage for one day a year, and become part of our online calendar with links running to their website. There's two of us doing it - me (Ed), and my best friend from uni, Ross.

2) How did the idea come about?

Ross and I weren't completely sure what we wanted to do when we graduated - whether this was get a job, or do something a bit more entrepreneurial. We decided to keep track of any entrepreneurial ideas we had in a little black notebook, but the problem was that lots of these required investment- and we not only had no money, but we had £50,000 of student debt between us. We decided to start thinking of ideas that required no investment...and you have to get quite creative!

It was actually on the train on the way to a job interview that I thought of the idea, and after the interview was done, I came straight back to Ross at uni to tell him we're selling advertising space on our faces next year. He agreed that it was the logical decision, so we spent a few months after graduating ironing out the kinks and turning the idea into something workable, which is BuyMyFace.com.

3) Is this a job, a business, a side project or a hobby?

We’re treating this as a one year project – that way the idea remains novel, and we’ll be able to transform BuyMyFace.com into an online calendar capturing the original 366 sponsors. Within the year, we’ll be ticking a lot of boxes on our list of things to do before we die – this weekend we’re going skydiving! The reason for this is that our blog needs to be interesting for our followers, and if what we’re doing captures their imagination, we’ll be receiving lots of website hits, so it’s great advertising from a business point of view as well.

4) What kind of clients have you had up until now? Is there a certain type of business that should advertise on your face?

We’ve had a variety of advertisers – such as Rocktails, Pipers Crisps, Paddy Power, and Skillpod Games. People advertise for different reasons – some want to be seen supporting something innovative and topical, others want us to make videos featuring their products (Pipers Crisps sent us 124 packets of crisps), or increase social media activity, and others just want to increase brand awareness and receive lots of website hits.

5) Ok, so a company has their logo painted all over your faces. What happens now?

We take photos of our faces and upload these photos along with the original logo, website links, and a description on our homepage. They get to feature exclusively on our homepage for a day, and when their day is, they keep one of our 366 places in our online calendar – at the end of the year, we’ll be transforming our website into a calendar featuring these companies (with hyperlinks). We also mention the company on Facebook and Twitter, and can make YouTube videos for them.

6) What kind of reaction have you had to your new venture from friends, family and clients?

We always knew our idea was bizarre, and when we first told our friends, some of them thought we’d gone completely bonkers, but once our website was up and running, and we were appearing on news around the world, they changed their tune! They found our appearance on Russell Howard’s show especially amusing. Our family and girlfriends have always been very supportive, and clients love it – for them, it’s long-lasting viral advertising for a very low cost.

7) What advice would you give to people who find themselves in a bit of financial struggle after university?

Get a job or get creative.

8) What´s the best bit of advice that you´ve been given?

Don’t eat yellow snow!

9) What´s next for BuyMyFace.com?

The comedy aspect of our idea is that we’re painting our faces every single day for an entire year… and that includes Christmas. We thought that in the spirit of Christmas, we’d create an auction for the 25th December, with all proceeds going to charity. We’re in the process of creating a short-list of charities, and we’ll get our Facebook fans to vote on the final one.

To find out more about Ed and Ross, head over to their website at BuyMyFace.com. If you´re not quite ready to think of your own novel idea but are looking for a job, come and see us on Trovit.

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5 suggestions to improve your search in Trovit

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 09:30:00 -0800

Today we thought we´d do a special post about how to improve your searches in Trovit.

It´s true to say that for those of us who work in Trovit, using our site to search for our next property, car or job has become second nature. This is why we would like to share with you some of the tricks of the trade that we have picked up along the way, helping you get to what you´re looking for faster.

1. Know what you´re looking for before you look for it.

To begin with, we must know what it is we´re trying to find and where.

It definitely helps, at the moment of searching for something, to know exactly what we are after and where we want it to be. For example, using a generic word like Marketing is not the same as using Assistant Marketing Online. Or, to use another example, your results will be very different when typing in Apartment London compared to Apartment Soho 2 bedrooms.

To help limit your search a bit you can use some of the filters that you´ll find on the left-hand side of the search pages. Do you know if you would like a new build? Something with parking? Or perhaps something that doesn´t cost more than £250,000? With these tools you can refine your search and save a lot of time by only being provided with the most relevant results.

In Trovit Cars you can filter your search for your desired car by filtering by year or by price, for example.

Looking at Jobs, it proves to be very useful to only look at the job offers that require a certain number of years of experience or that are part-time etc.

2. How do you prefer to see the listings? In a list, by photos or on a map?

In Trovit Property and Trovit Cars we offer you the possibility to see the listings in whichever way is more comfortable for you. You´ll find these different options on the left-hand side just under the filters. In Trovit Property you´ll be able to search using all three options while in Trovit Cars, you can see the listings in list view or only those listings that have a photo.

3. Save the listings that interest you the most so you can get back to them in a flash.

One of the lesser known possibilities in Trovit is the option to save your listings so that you have them at your fingertips whenever you want to get back to them. To be able to save your listings all you need to do is register in myTrovit and click on ´save this listings in myTrovit´, that appears in the ´more´ option of each listing.

4. Change the combination of words that you use in the search box.

Trovit, like other search engines, works with keywords. If you change these keywords around you will get different results, meaning you may just find that listing you´re are looking for.

For example, you could look for property like this:

However, it gives you results that you´ll already have seen. Try to vary the search by adding a neighborhood or some characteristics of the property you are looking for:

5. Create alerts and find out about the newest listings for your search.

The quickest and most effective way to find whatever you are looking for, before anyone else, is to create yourself some alerts with your searches. Once this is done we´ll send you an email as soon as there are new listings matching your search.

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Job Satisfaction in the UK

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 09:55:00 -0800

How many times have you heard people saying that they are looking for a new job and that their current job is lacking in quality of life or that simply they don't feel rewarded for the work they do?

Job satisfaction is not about the paycheck at the end of the month, or the bonuses you might get if you reach the company goals, it is simply how people feel about their jobs and what they get out of them on a personal level.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development released its survey The Employee Outlook Autumn 2011 and it revealed some interesting data about job satisfaction by region in the UK.

* Net scores refer to the proportion of people agreeing with a statement minus those disagreeing.

Employees in the South West, West Midlands and South East have the highest job satisfaction, while those in the North East, North West and Wales now have the lowest job satisfaction.*

Different internal and external factors will affect the emotional responses from employees to a job situation:

Internal Factors

Pressure at work
Employee attitudes towards managers
Work-life balance
Communication and Advocacy

External Factors

The economic downturn

Would you like to feel more satisfied in your current job? The key to achieve it, is through motivators:

Improving your autonomy in your daily tasks. Setting your own schedules and priorities, working out during your lunch hour, changing who you work with.

Mastering the urge to get better at stuff. Going to free conferences in your sector, setting new challenges, joining mentorship programs, joining specialised groups within your sector in LinkedIn, networking, networking and more networking.

Feeling that what you do matters. Loving what you do, sharing ideas and thinking of what made you choose your current career path in a positive way.

If you still think it is time for a change, you can find new job opportunities on Trovit.

Sources:

http://www.cognitivemedia.co.uk/

http://www-958.ibm.com/software/data/cognos/manyeyes/visualizations/job-satisfaction-by-geographic-reg

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Trovit Employee Feature VI: Albane Roisin

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 02:05:00 -0800

Position: Content Manager for Trovit France & Country Manager for Trovit Belgium

Age: 25

Hometown: Brussels, Belgium

Languages: French, English, Spanish, Dutch, and a bit of Russian

The first thing she does when she gets into the Trovit headquarters: Goes to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee and puts some milk in the Freezer (nope, we still don´t understand why she does that).

Why would she recommend working in Trovit to a friend: She likes how open the company is and how accessible each member of the team is too. She´s also not opposed to the out-of-work Trovit activites such as skiing in the Pyrenees, theme parking in Port Aventura and the Christmas meals.

Hobby outside of work: Travelling is a biggie. Albane did an exchange program in Russia and, while there, travelled to Lithuania, Latvia, Sweden and Finland. She´s also no stranger to Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

Music she listens to while working: Albane likes to listen to Belgian radio station NRJ, which keeps her up to date with the happenings in her country.

Her dream job (aside from Trovit of course): Project manager for consumer goods (especially for cosmetics companies).

Favorite memory in Trovit: Christmas dinner 2010. After the dinner Albane went on to a club with fellow Troviters, Camille Lopez and Camille Canale, and finished the night off dancing to New York, New York at 6AM.

Favourite thing she can see from the Trovit windows: The view from the kitchen of the palmtree-lined Diagonal street, which eventually leads up to the Collserola mountains.

Favourite place to be in the world: In the French alps just after skiing, eating lunch and looking out onto the white snow and green trees on the mountains while the sun is beating down.

Place she would love to visit: The pyramids of Egypt.

What shows up when she Googles her name: Something in Russian - one day we´ll know the truth.

4 things you should know about Albane:

She met her half Finish, quarter Italian, quarter French boyfriend in St. Petersburgh, Russia.
She enjoys a spot of diving in France.
She is soon to be a Godmother (February).
For her business English classes she is currently on the hunt for 5 new words. So far she has Cocky, Dodgy, Jot down and Broadsheet…Suggestions welcome!

Why not read about some of our other Troviters; Camille, Dani, Aisling, Sophia, and Javi

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Trovit Employee Feature V: Camille Lopez Carreño

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 08:43:30 -0800

Don't let the last name fool you, Camille, Trovit's Country Manager for France, is a Parisian obsessed with coffee, cheese (the smellier the better), and champagne.

Position: Country Manager Trovit France

Previous Position: Content Manager Spain

Age: 27, but she makes it clear that her birthday was just 2 short weeks ago

Hometown: Paris, France. But she has also lived in lived in Mexico, Bordeaux, and Granada.

Studies: Camille studied English and Spanish in the University of Paris (La Sorbonne), and then Trade in Bordeaux Business School (BEM).

Previous Job: She worked for an online shop that sold personalized gifts.

How Do You Get to Work?: First she grabs a "Bicing" (Barcelona bike-share program) bike from her apartment in the Borne neighborhood to the metro, which takes her a couple blocks away from the office. A 40 minute trip that she doesn't mind because it gives her plenty of time to read.

Book You're Reading Now?: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

Favorite Book: "The Shadow of the Wind" by Carlos Ruiz Zafón or "A Prayer for Owen Meany" by John Irving

Music You Listen to While Working: Cam starts the day off listening to the news on a French radio station. After that she's open to basically any type of music, and it's not an unusual occurrence to see her dancing along to it at her computer (in her chair). A few notable artists: Massive Attack, Michael Jackson, and Elvis Presley.

Where You'll Find Her at Lunchtime: 9 out of 10 times you can find her at Starbucks grabbing a salad.

Your Favorite Trovit Memory to Date: The annual Christmas dinner (2010). And topping even the night festivities was the day after in the office, with everyone walking around like zombies and ordering dozens of pizzas.

Favorite Place in Barcelona: Her balcony on Borne's main street, which is great for people watching.

Hobby: She wouldn't exactly call it a "hobby" per se...but she has started doing classes at a gym near her apartment. Her favorite class would have to be step, but she does body combat and body pump as well.

The Most Exciting Place You Have Traveled To: Shanghai. It was a very last minute trip and she was a bit nervous to go in the beginning but in the end it was great. And if not Shanghai, it was her trip to Cuba for her brother's wedding.

Where Will Your Next Trip Be: She isn't sure yet, but a few possibilities could be Jordan, Chile, or Argentina.

Read more about other Troviters: Dani, Aisling, Sophia, and Javi

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Working at Google: Hints on the hiring process

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 02:35:00 -0700

It all began as a University research project back in 1995, those involved had no idea that a few years later it would become one of the most profitable companies world wide and one of the most attractive workplaces for jobseekers wanting to develop a professional career.

Google's offices have sprung up around the globe, from Silicon Valley, California to Dublin, Ireland. Regardless of where they are located, Google always tries to create a positive work environment by hiring talented, local people who are committed to creating search perfection and who believe that it's key to have a great time doing so.

On Fortune magazine's list of best companies to work for, Google ranked first in 2007 and 2008 and fourth in 2009 and 2010. Google was also ranked first this year to be the world’s most attractive employer for Business students and second for Engineering students in the Universum Communications Talent Attraction Index.

If you are interested in becoming part of a great project like Google, and want to know more about the recruiting process, then check out this infographic created by Jobvine with full details. You will find also some interesting facts regarding the company's approach to attracting top talent and the top salaries of Google employees.

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Trovit! 5 Years of Global Domination

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 04:00:00 -0700

Today we celebrate the Fifth Anniversary of Trovit, and we’d like to include you in our celebration by sharing our journey through the world of online classified ads.

Here's an infographic that illustrates our journey, from the first clicks to the current challenge of becoming the leading classifieds search engine worldwide.

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Trovit Employee Feature IV: Dani Solà

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 03:36:00 -0700

Meet Dani! He's been with Trovit for 5 months, is a vegetarian, loves sports, and "shares" his life with his two hamsters, Gnocchi and Tortellini. A dedicated backend engineer who doesn't mind staying a bit late at the office...for a quick ping-pong match that is.

Position: Backend Engineer. Dani is in charge of processing the listings so that they look good in Trovit.

Age: 25

Previous Job: Dani worked in Paris in a start-up for a year and a half. Before that he worked as a receptionist at a campgrounds in Norway.

The first thing he does when he gets to work: Make sure that there were no errors in the system overnight, and when all is "a-okay", he goes in the kitchen for a bowl of cereal to start his day.

Why would he would recommend a friend to work in Trovit: For the great environment and possibility to learn.

Hobby outside of work: Dani loves to run and does half marathons. He just signed up for the half marathon in Paris in 2012.

Music he listens to while while working: Whatever is on his favorite radio station "Paradise."

If he wasn't a backend engineer: he would be an architect

Favorite activity in Trovit: The "After Office" events, where Trovit invites the whole team to a pub nearby to have drinks. Dani uses this time to get to talk to colleagues in the office who he usually doesn't have a chance to catch up with on a day to day basis.

Favorite memory with Trovit: This summer's trip to a theme park in the province of Tarragona, Port Aventura. Since he had only been with Trovit a couple of months it gave him a chance to break the ice and get to know everyone a little bit better.

Favorite movie: Into the Wild

Music recommendations: Bruce Springsteen, Mumford and Sons, The Decemberists

Favorite place in the world: Though he still has a lot to explore, for the moment he picks Norway and it's beautiful scenery.

Places you would love to visit: Canada and Eastern Europe

What shows up when he Googles his name: The rally racing pilot who has the same name, and with a bit of luck, on the 5th page his website (www.dani-sola.com)

4 things you should know about Dani:
-He played basketball for 12 years
-He's a member of the Humane Society in his hometown of Mataró, Spain
-He likes to travel: he just got back from Berlin this last weekend and has trips already planned to Madrid, Brussels, and Caen, France
-Next year he'd love to do the historic Route 66 on motorcycle

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Trovit Employee Feature: Aisling Sanford

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 09:33:00 -0700

Welcome to number 3 of the Trovit Employee Features. This week Aisling Sanford has taken the time out to speak to us and tell us her deepest, darkest secrets - well, perhaps not but we do get to know a little about what makes her tick.

Position:

North America Country Manager

Age:

31 (it took a while to get this)

Time at Trovit:

Just over 2 years.

Hometown:

Seattle, USA

Languages:

English & Spanish and a hint of Chinese (and she also seems to know how to say ´thank you´ in about 100 other languages)

Previous job?

Working for YouthForce, a nonprofit organisation.

What do you like best about your job in Trovit?

Aisling´s answer is simple; the people. She says she loves the enthusiastic environment in the office and also the freedom to share ideas.

A typical lunch hour?

Having lunch in the park with fellow Troviters, running errands or skyping her family who live in India.

First thing you do when you get into the office?

Check emails - as Aisling manages the North American Trovit sites, most of her emails find their way to her inbox overnight.

Hobby outside of work?

Aisling volunteers at Casal Dels infants, an organisation dedicated to helping low income, minority families.

Music listening to while working:

Pearl Jam, Jeff Buckley and when trying to concentrate, George Winston.

Favorite movie?

Jaws - the first one and no close second she tells us.

Who, dead or alive, would you invite to a dinner party?

Kahlil Gibran, Sean Connery, the Dalai Lama and her mum aged 22 (apparently she has some interesting stories from this age).

Favourite spot in Barcelona:

Plaça de Sant Pere Mes Alt. She likes the way the sun shines on the square, through the trees. There´s also always the same man playing guitar on the steps of the church.

If you were recommending Trovit as somewhere to work, what would you say about it?

It´s a great way to learn about a successful startup and all about the internet industry. The annual ski trip isn´t bad either, she added.

What´s your favourite thing you can see from the Trovit office?

The sea.

To get to know some of our other Troviters check out Sophia´s and Javi´s interviews.

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Top 10 funny place names in the UK

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 02:21:00 -0700

Have you ever driven through a town and thought to yourself ¨did that really just say Donkey Town on that sign?¨. Well, it´s possible as that´s a real place in our very own UK. Here are a few more to put on your list of places to visit this summer:

10. Wideopen - Newcastle Upon Tyne - Google Maps

9. Western-Under-Lizard - Staffordshire - Google Maps

8. Wasps Nest - Lincolnshire - Google Maps

7. Ugley - Stafford - Google Maps

6. Twenty - Lincolnshire - Google Maps

5. Trumpet - Herefordshire - Google Maps

4. The Bog - Shropshire - Google Maps

3. Scapegoat Hill - Huddersfield - Google Maps

2. Pity Me - Durham - Google Maps

1. Rest and Be Thankful - Argyll and Bute - Google Maps

For more weird and wonderfull places that you could live in visit Trovit today!

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Trovit Employee Feature: Sophia Casas

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 07:55:06 -0700

And we're back with the second edition of our Trovit Employee Feature! This week we sat down with Sophia Casas to hear a little bit about what she does on and off the clock.

Position:

Responsible for External Communications. Including, but not limited to, Social Media & Press Relations

Age:

Time at Trovit:

She started in October 2008, when she was only 19 years old

Hometown:

Sant Cugat, Spain (20 min outside of Barcelona city)

Languages:

English & Spanish (her mom is American and her dad is Spanish), Catalan, French (she started when she was 11 learning from a French neighbor). And what’s one more language? Currently she is trying to learn Italian, and she’s teaching herself!

What did you major in?

Sophia just got her final grades back today and she passed everything with flying colors, so is now an official Advertising and Public Relations graduate. For the time being she won’t have to multitask work and studies.

How do you get to work?

Though she only lives 20 minutes outside of Barcelona, her commute involves a drive to the station to catch the train, then from the station to the office by bus or bike using the "Bicing" bike share program (that is if there are any bikes left!)

Previous position in Trovit?

Content Manager for the UK and Ireland.

What do you like best about your job in Trovit?

It’s guaranteed to be different everyday so she is constantly learning while she deals with new challenges. Recently, she enjoyed working on an infographic about employment in Spain.

Favorite Trovit activity?

Though Trovit keeps everyone busy with fun trips outside of the office, her favorite thing is having lunch in the Trovit kitchen and getting to hang out and catch up with everyone.

First thing you do when you get into the office?

Open emails and Spotify (a music player currently only available in Europe).

Hobby outside of work?

When she’s not Tweeting, she’s reading. Right now she’s reading the English translation of Snow by Orhan Pamuk (how appropriate for the hot summer months, ha).

Music listening to while working:

Girl Talk’s album All Day

Favorite movie?

Without having to think about it twice, she says it would have to be The Princess Bride. Her perfect combination of action, romance, comedy, and quotes, her favorite being “inconceivable!”

Someone you would like to meet, dead or alive?

Roald Dahl with his dark and twisted nature. Freddy Mercury came in at a close second.

Favorite place in Barcelona:

Not able to narrow it down to just one, she chooses the German Pavilion by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and restaurant Velódromo. (Coincidence that they’re both in the 1920’s style?)

What comes up when you Google your name?

Several social media profiles, Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin... But before Sophia made her own stamp in the popular search engine, nude paintings used to be first in the results (there’s an artist with the same name).

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Behind the scenes: Trovit Video

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 09:31:42 -0700

It´s been getting hot in the Trovit offices and not just because of the 32°C Barcelona heat. This week we´ve felt the heat of the lights as we´ve had a film crew in making the next Trovit video. We wont divulge too much about the video but all we´ll say is that by watching it you´ll get to meet some of the faces that bring Trovit to your computer screens. Watch this space!

On the left we see Chelsea having some makeup before doing her scene and on the right Guillem and Camille prepare for their debut.

Here we see some more behind the scenes shots.

See the last Trovit video here.

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Trovit Employee Feature: Javi Alloza

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 09:30:07 -0700

Originally written by Beatriz López and translated by Chelsea Jimenez

Trovit is a team made up of nearly 60 very unique employees, and we would like you to get to know a little bit about each and every one of them. Each week we'll present a different Trovitero (a Trovit employee). If you would like to know more about someone, don't hesitate to make a comment below with your question!

We're kicking off our Trovit Employee Feature with:

Javier (Javi) Alloza

Position: Junior Programmer Analyst

Time at Trovit: 5 months

Age: 25

Previous Job: Upholsterer

What do you like best about your job in Trovit?
I like that I'm always learning new things, while working in an industry that is constantly changing. Also, it's a job that let's you do many different types of projects in a cool and laid-back environment.

What is the first thing you do when you get to the Trovit office?
I always come in late, so I grab a coffee from the Nespresso to start my day.

What is your favorite snack from the kitchen?
The cookies! To go with my coffee.

And your favorite view from the office?
In the kitchen I like to look at the "Planet Building" (Grupo Planeta's offices across the street) and enjoy the sunbeams that come in through the window.

What was your first job?
Since I can remember I have been surrounded by cloth and staples, mainly staples, helping out in the family business.
As a boy I also worked in a warehouse for iron.
And when I was studying Physics in college I did some private tutoring.

What is the funniest/weirdest thing you have seen or heard in Trovit?
Assembling my own chair on my first day. I remember it fondly, it helped break the ice and made me feel at home in Trovit.

How do you get to work?
By scooter. (How Barcelonesque of him!)

Hobby outside of work?
Martial arts, I'm a yellow belt in kyokushin kaikan (we have no idea what it is either). I used to compete in high school, now I practice 3 days a week after work.

What he's listening to while programming
Jimmy Hendrix and Joaquin Sabina.

A book you'd recommend?
Ulysses by James Joyce (a work in progress, he's on his 3rd attempt to read the whole book)

Something you would never do?
Never isn't a word that Javi likes to use.

Project that you would have liked to work on?
The Massive Particle Accelerator in Switzerland.

Favorite movie?
Pulp Fiction (he's seen it 5 times)

Stay tuned for next week's Employee Feature!

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