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Google: My interview experience

gilvegliach.it

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Re: Google: My interview experience

#31

Post by petters »

ender7 wrote: post #5

As always, remember that even technical interviews like this one have an incredible amount of random chance built into the hiring process. This is especially true at a big company like Google (where I work and do interviews). Do they happen to have positions open right now? Did you happen to get asked questions that clicked with you? Was the hiring committee feeling grouchy that day? Did you get an especially harsh i…

I agree. After I have interviewed and seen Google pass on a candidate, I sometimes feel I was lucky in my interviews.

Re: Google: My interview experience

#32

Post by Terr_ »

bmpafa wrote: post #8
yoandy wrote: post #4

At least they give you some feedback in the end. I had the experience to be rejected after an onsite interview at Amazon, and they did not take the time to give a word of feedback, after I even asked for it. I see the past interviews were of great help to you to finally get the position at Amazon. I am looking forward to read your third post. Complimenti collega!

I had the same experience with Amazon--dinged with no feedback. Normally I'm a sucker for irony, but when they sent me an auto email a few weeks later asking _me_ for feedback (ie, a survey on the hiring process), I didn't find it immediately funny.

Bonus annoyance: After rejection, get 15 contacts from Amazon recruiters in the next 5 months.

Those made me wonder if it wasn't for the best.

Re: Google: My interview experience

#33

Post by eecks »

petters wrote: post #29
employee8000 wrote: post #27

At google, I was given some code that manipulated some bits and the interviewer, in inexplicably terrible English, kept asking me what the purpose of this code was for. He has a very thick Eastern European accent which was not understandable and I don't know how he was able to get into interviews. I could tell it was doing some sort of overflow detection but other than that I had no idea. I hadn't done anything with…

I'm sorry that this happened to you. But don't you think you could have prepared better? Understanding code others have written is important and in my opinion asking about bits is not unreasonable.

The interviewer really should have wrapped up the question in less than 40 mins if it was obvious the candidate was not doing well.

Re: Google: My interview experience

#34

Post by marklyon »

gil_vegliach wrote: post #9
ender7 wrote: post #5

As always, remember that even technical interviews like this one have an incredible amount of random chance built into the hiring process. This is especially true at a big company like Google (where I work and do interviews). Do they happen to have positions open right now? Did you happen to get asked questions that clicked with you? Was the hiring committee feeling grouchy that day? Did you get an especially harsh i…

I agree with the noise of the process. Actually, the whole experience was a good one for me, maybe I didn't express it in the post? Anyway, I got a job in Amazon UK at the end, so not too bad.

I was unsuccessful in my interviews with Google several years ago, but left the process more impressed with the company and its employees than when I started. As a candidate, they were incredibly respectful to me, even when it became clear I wasn't the right fit for the roles they needed to fill.

I truly enjoyed them bringing me out for the weekend before my interview so that I wasn't rushed and to give me an opportunity to see the area. I also enjoyed the interview process itself (well, right up until the point one of my interviewers introduced me to some math I had no chance of solving). One of my interviewers even stayed in touch with me after the process, checking in occasionally and helping me make some new contacts.

Today, when I interview people, I keep my Google experience in mind and try to provide candidates a similar impression of my firm.

Re: Google: My interview experience

#35

Post by drewg123 »

Xoogler here:

If you want to work for Google, my advice is to try again when you get a chance. IMHO, getting an offer is about 50% the luck of the draw as to what questions you get, and what interviewer you get. If you were close this time, you might get an offer next time.

If it makes you feel any better, people who I knew were smarter and better coders than me got declined, yet somehow I got hired.

BTW, I thought so little of the HR process that I refused to participate while I was there. I did not do interview training, and never did any interviews or committees in my time there.

Re: Google: My interview experience

#36

Post by kstenerud »

Better than my interview experience.

Sailed through the phone interview, went in person for the day long interview. Most were no problem except for one that took longer than it should have. And then...

Nothing. Radio silence. No emails. No answered emails. I had ceased to exist.

After that colossal waste of time, I decided to only work remote.

Re: Google: My interview experience

#37

Post by 40acres »

kstenerud wrote: post #36

Better than my interview experience. Sailed through the phone interview, went in person for the day long interview. Most were no problem except for one that took longer than it should have. And then... Nothing. Radio silence. No emails. No answered emails. I had ceased to exist. After that colossal waste of time, I decided to only work remote.

I had a similar end result from Facebook, I assume I did not pass but never heard back from my recruiter.

Re: Google: My interview experience

#39

Post by ma2rten »

kstenerud wrote: post #36

Better than my interview experience. Sailed through the phone interview, went in person for the day long interview. Most were no problem except for one that took longer than it should have. And then... Nothing. Radio silence. No emails. No answered emails. I had ceased to exist. After that colossal waste of time, I decided to only work remote.

Hi, I work at Google. I am sorry for this. This should never happen. How long ago was this? I can try to follow up on your behalf.

Re: Google: My interview experience

#40

Post by anyfoo »

employee8000 wrote: post #27

At google, I was given some code that manipulated some bits and the interviewer, in inexplicably terrible English, kept asking me what the purpose of this code was for. He has a very thick Eastern European accent which was not understandable and I don't know how he was able to get into interviews. I could tell it was doing some sort of overflow detection but other than that I had no idea. I hadn't done anything with…

> I hadn't done anything with bits since college.

No offense, but then the job probably was not right for you (which does not mean that you would not excel at other roles, of course). It then seems that the interview might have served is purpose just fine and saved both you and Google from being cast into an unfitting position.

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