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Google interviewing process for software developer role in 2020

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Re: Google interviewing process for software developer role in 2020

#351

Post by abhgh »

cmckn wrote: post #36

I interviewed with Google last spring. My experience was different, but about as disappointing. I applied for a job, and received an out-of-the-blue email from a recruiter about a different job a couple months later (my resume must have landed in some "recent" bucket). The position was in Google Cloud. I was frustrated by the "you'll talk to a team after you've passed 100 hurdles" nonsense. I had one phone screen wit…

The first time Google contacted me, I didn't make it (and was not happy with their process but thats another story). Thats when they let me know that they interview people on various things first and then decide the role. When they reached out to me the second time I politely refused citing that I don't want to interview if I don't know what I'll be working on; what if I don't want to work on a product area I am assigned to?

In contrast, my Amazon interviews were extremely efficiently done, and I loved their planning around it. Quick, no-nonsense, quick turnaround.

Re: Google interviewing process for software developer role in 2020

#352

Post by pjmlp »

bradlys wrote: post #278
jedberg wrote: post #244

Man what a stark contrast to how my Netflix interview went. I was contacted directly by the hiring manager, three days later I was onsite for the phase one interview, three days later I was onsite for the second phase, and I had a verbal offer on my way out the door (for more than I asked for). Came back a week later to sign the paperwork after I emailed with the recruiter a few times about offer details. Started a w…

Isn't Netflix an outlier in how they hire/place anyway? They hire for specific positions versus the rest hiring generally then finding a place to put you. (Team matching coming at the end rather than first) I believe Apple works this way as well. It would explain why I've never been contacted by either. I have no expert level skills in things they're interested in. (I've mostly worked at startups - breadth over depth…

That is how most companies actually hire.

Re: Google interviewing process for software developer role in 2020

#353

Post by zerr »

jedberg wrote: post #263
kevin_thibedeau wrote: post #259

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Everyone got the same treatment. Even those living 500+ miles away?

Ok fair. Usually those folks had their first couple interviews on the phone first and then we flew them in if the feedback was positive, and then compressed phase one and two into a single day. After phase one you got lunch and then either moved onto phase two or got told that it wasn't a good fit and got sent back to the hotel.

> it wasn't a good fit

Do you mean based on the short talk during lunch? That must be quite a stressful lunch I guess :)

Re: Google interviewing process for software developer role in 2020

#354

Post by lbj »

It can be like this, or it can be worse. I have a friend who was interviewed, screened and xrayed before finally getting the job and a sweet contract. Shows up on his first day of work and there's no relevant team for him to join, so he gets placed in the basement pending openings. He quit after 2 months.

Re: Google interviewing process for software developer role in 2020

#355

Post by gdy »

cmonnow wrote: post #224
gdy wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"I'll leave my original post as-is as a monument to my failure." I don't think anyone cares and there is no reason to make them read the wrong title.

> I don't think anyone cares Exactly. The only successes or failures we care about are our own. Very rarely do we even think of someone else's embarrassing moments. We are all pretty self-centered and that's liberating in a way.

Yep.

"I was worried about what people think of me, but now I know they don't think about me at all."

Re: Google interviewing process for software developer role in 2020

#356

Post by jedberg »

zerr wrote: post #353
jedberg wrote: post #263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ok fair. Usually those folks had their first couple interviews on the phone first and then we flew them in if the feedback was positive, and then compressed phase one and two into a single day. After phase one you got lunch and then either moved onto phase two or got told that it wasn't a good fit and got sent back to the hotel.

> it wasn't a good fit Do you mean based on the short talk during lunch? That must be quite a stressful lunch I guess :)

No I mean based on the phase one interviews in the morning. Lunch was usually not part of the interview. Oftentimes we let the candidate have the hour alone if they wanted it, or we would keep them company. Whichever they preferred.

Re: Google interviewing process for software developer role in 2020

#357

Post by zerr »

hkarthik wrote: post #250
jedberg wrote: post #244

Man what a stark contrast to how my Netflix interview went. I was contacted directly by the hiring manager, three days later I was onsite for the phase one interview, three days later I was onsite for the second phase, and I had a verbal offer on my way out the door (for more than I asked for). Came back a week later to sign the paperwork after I emailed with the recruiter a few times about offer details. Started a w…

Netflix is known for being speedy with hiring because they are also speedy with firing under performers. So they see hiring as a relatively low risk proposition and will make decisions faster since the long term effects are greatly lessened.

Due to bad publicity, Netflix reverted that "fire fast"/"sports team, not a family" mentality, at least on the paper. Also, e.g. Google has a shorter average tenure.

Re: Google interviewing process for software developer role in 2020

#358

Post by akincisor »

Diederich wrote: post #248
akincisor wrote: post #240

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This may have been true 15 years ago when they were a small company. Google now employs ~60K engineers and the majority of them are "Bog Standard". Disclosure: I worked at Google twice.

May I ask: why did you work for Google a second time? Thanks.

The first time I was a new (post) grad and I didn't much like it and left for a startup within a year.

I figured I'd give it another go with more experience, so the second time I was hired at L5 (expected to be leading teams). Liked it even less the second time, but stuck around for about 2 years for logistical reasons.

In my experience at Google and other large companies, the team you join ends up dictating your experience. I would be open to a third stint at Google, but would be very careful about vetting the team (especially the leadership).

Having said that, I don't think I like the culture at Google. Especially the second time, it felt very mercenary and there was cutthroat competition. It didn't feel like I was working on a cohesive vision, but just moving protobufs around. I think I preferred Google when Eric was CEO, maybe because it was smaller, but it felt like Larry was running Google with too much emphasis on the bottom line and not enough on product or vision.

Re: Google interviewing process for software developer role in 2020

#359

Post by aprdm »

The state of interviewing for software companies in the FANG or wanna-be-FANG companies is really sad.

They barely talk with you and just waste your time in multiple online tests that you have to prepare for spending at least tens of hours. Those tests have problems that either you don't face in the day to day or if you do you would have more than 30-50 minutes to solve (anyone breaks jira tickets in 30-50 minutes intervals?!)

I believe for senior developers they must only get people who are willing to sacrifice their personal time to study leetcode.com and read elements of the programming interviews. To pass those interviews is an effort in itself and there's a whole industry to prep for them.

It's extremely sad in my opinion! As a senior developer who is happy with his job but would consider an offer from one of those companies I essentially won't ever compete with people farming leetcode as I have interests in life outside work hours that do not involve solving algo questions and I don't want to work at FAANG that bad.

Re: Google interviewing process for software developer role in 2020

#360

Post by coconut_crab »

aprdm wrote: post #359

The state of interviewing for software companies in the FANG or wanna-be-FANG companies is really sad. They barely talk with you and just waste your time in multiple online tests that you have to prepare for spending at least tens of hours. Those tests have problems that either you don't face in the day to day or if you do you would have more than 30-50 minutes to solve (anyone breaks jira tickets in 30-50 minutes in…

Google has more than one hundred thousands employees, so interviewing is a very hard problem at that scale. So is there a better way of hiring for giant companies? One that doesn't involve forcing interviewee to farm leetcode for months?
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