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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

#381

Post by akhilcacharya »

mav3rick wrote: post #367
Infinitesimus wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> That's not what the company is hiring for: it wants engineers who are comfortable with complexity, whether measured in technical challenge (Tensorflow, Dart etc.), robustness (cloud, GSuite) or extreme scalability (Gmail, ads, search etc.) How confident are you about that assertion? A lot of Googlers are doing generic web/app work that happens elsewhere from those I've talked to. Not HQ tho so maybe it's different…

No no one is writing basic CRUD apps at Google. At that scale there are optimizations needed at every level. I know people who work on the cutsom kernel for the servers to front end people for apps.

They definitely are, including internal tools and the like. My friend works on one like that.

This is like claiming nobody at Amazon or Facebook works on CRUD apps, lol.

Re: Google interviewing process for software developer role in 2020

#382

Post by lppkabacaba »

dijit wrote: post #9

I interviewed at Google for an SRE:Systems role around a month ago; I can share my anecdotes. The first interview put me in contact with a recruiter who would basically be my guide throughout the process, at first he asked me some basic questions to feel out where I was weak and then told me to prepare those weaknesses for the next round. The next round was 2 phone interviews, lasting about an hour each and over diff…

The same things, but in august 2019. I spent about a month to prepare for the on-site. The sections time-limit was about 45 minutes(not the 1hour) Failed on one coding section and on Googliness. HR coordinator said that I've slightly below the acceptable hiring level. Also, the free seminars for NALSD finished the two weeks before my interview.

Also, I heard that I have only two remaining attempts of on-site at Google

Re: Google interviewing process for software developer role in 2020

#383

Post by downerending »

paulcole wrote: post #322
eq_sd_ wrote: post #297

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm convinced I'm probably smart enough for at least a handful of roles there, but I'm not convinced Google (and others) care about people who interview poorly due to mental health issues. My thoughts, feelings, etc were shamed growing up so now "sharing my thoughts" to someone who is very clearly sitting there judging them sends me into a dissociative state and shows I can't "work under pressure". It's not near as b…

> I'm convinced I'm probably smart enough for at least a handful of roles there There's a scene in Zero Dark Thirty where the CIA chief asks a subordinate for an assessment of another agent. "She's smart," he says. The chief shakes his had and replies, "We're all smart here." Google has 0 need for more smart people to apply. They have all the smart people they need and then some. What they want are people who will do…

A part of their research, geneticists give flies mutagens and then screen (filter) them for desired properties. A famous one opined that if you push a screen hard enough, you'll always get what you asked for, just not what you wanted.

That thought has stuck with me, and I think it applies to this sort of interviewing as well. FAANG-style interviews push their screens extremely hard for a few traits. They get what they ask for, but in my experience, the resulting pool can be quite poor on a lot of other traits that turn out to be quite important. Some of these people can be truly miserable to work with and strikingly unproductive.

Re: Google interviewing process for software developer role in 2020

#384

Post by downerending »

eq_sd_ wrote: post #297
sickygnar wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah. I asked their recruiters to leave me alone. I haven't interviewed there, nor will I. Realistically I won't pass the interview, so it's no use wasting my time trying. I actually was sponsored by them for GSoC (google summer of code) - my proposal was accepted by a prestigious open source project (and my code merged/accepted), but there's no way in hell I would pass an interview, despite the fact that I'm probabl…

I'm convinced I'm probably smart enough for at least a handful of roles there, but I'm not convinced Google (and others) care about people who interview poorly due to mental health issues. My thoughts, feelings, etc were shamed growing up so now "sharing my thoughts" to someone who is very clearly sitting there judging them sends me into a dissociative state and shows I can't "work under pressure". It's not near as b…

With luck, this will lessen as you get older. Try to cultivate an "I don't give a fuck" attitude about this sort of thing. Many of your interviewers don't really care much about you, and even those that do often aren't as talented as you are. It's just a roll of the dice--it means nothing in the bigger picture.

Re: Google interviewing process for software developer role in 2020

#385

Post by downerending »

paulcole wrote: post #321
sickygnar wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah. I asked their recruiters to leave me alone. I haven't interviewed there, nor will I. Realistically I won't pass the interview, so it's no use wasting my time trying. I actually was sponsored by them for GSoC (google summer of code) - my proposal was accepted by a prestigious open source project (and my code merged/accepted), but there's no way in hell I would pass an interview, despite the fact that I'm probabl…

> I haven't interviewed there, nor will I. Realistically I won't pass the interview Then isn't this ideal? You don't waste their time and they don't waste yours?

Not wasting one's time is indeed a strong priority.

Not wasting Google's time is not a priority at all. They won't show you that courtesy.

Re: Google interviewing process for software developer role in 2020

#386

Post by JDiculous »

toephu2 wrote: post #275
JDiculous wrote: post #113

Google just loves to waste your time. A close friend of mine interviewed there, was flown out to Mountain View, and one interviewer showed up to the interview over 30 minutes late, with only about 5-10 minutes to spare. He didn't get the job. Seems like a lot of engineers there get the job after many months of (unpaid) preparation and years of interviewing many times. I can understand doing this for one's dream job,…

So because "A close friend of mine interviewed there" and the interviewer showed up late, you have concluded that the entire company, Google, "just loves to waste your time"? And every one of the tens of thousands of interviews Google does each year, all start late?

Did I say that? Also, did you read the article?

Re: Google interviewing process for software developer role in 2020

#387

Post by JDiculous »

izacus wrote: post #117
JDiculous wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ok let's say you make $300k/yr at a FAANG. Lose 40% to taxes and you're looking at $180k/yr. Living in SV your expenses will roughly be at least $45k/yr. So you save $135k/yr (180 - 45). That's great, but a far cry from being a millionaire in just a few years. Of course as you get promoted your comp increases, hitting $500k gross at L5, but that takes more than a couple years to achieve.

Yes, hence why I used "few" - doable in 7-10 years timeframe. Still something unthinkable for most professions.

I guess the contention here is the definition of the word "few". When I think of "a few years", I think 2-4, not 7-10.

Re: Google interviewing process for software developer role in 2020

#388

Post by mekane8 »

mden wrote: post #218
bsder wrote: post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The interviewer's data point is certainly valid, but it's not clear to me how much you can generalize it. The fact that someone in the interview chain is willing to tell you significant negative information dramatically raises the Bayesian prior. An interview chain is normally extremely well vetted for people who are positive-only. The fact that this failed is a dramatic cause for concern.

For anyone who hasn't done interviews and are curious, the interview chain is not vetted in any way or form at most places. Typically in bigger companies there is a one or two hour session where you are told what you can and can't ask from a legal perspective. Sometimes there will also be a tech question bank you might be expected to ask questions from. Having worked at four companies I have yet to see there being an…

This matches my experience completely. I've never even been offered a session on legalities. Almost universally, my only prep for interviews has been someone leaving the resume on my desk, usually the day-of.

Re: Google interviewing process for software developer role in 2020

#390

Post by htrp »

tomnj wrote: post #119
bquinlan wrote: post #102

Bias alert: I work for Google. I enjoyed the write-up but I have a small correction to make about "Frustrating moment #2. You can pass every interview with A grades and still not get a job, because a senior Googler decides that you're the wrong person to be hired." The author is referring to hiring committees, whose job it is to take the feedback from every interview and make a hire/no-hire decision based on the blen…

I greatly enjoy the absurdity of this: Xoogler rejected own packet (while at msft, presumably) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22345234

he and his entire hiring committee reviewed all of their packets from when they, each individual member of thebhiring committee, were interviewing at Google.... the recruiter was just making a point that they were being too picky
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