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I am going to start at Google in two weeks. Having recently passed Google interviews, I would give you the following tips: 1. Unless they contacted you at Link
by ma2rten 10y ago
I am going to start at Google in two weeks. Having recently passed Google interviews, I would give you the following tips:
1. Unless they contacted you at LinkedIn or you know someone at Google who can refer you, the most difficult part is actually getting an interview.
2. Apply as soon as possible. They don't mind scheduling an interview 3 months in advance and they will send you preparation material and they will be able to answer questions. (This is specific to Google, I would not do that at most other companies).
3. Check out Quora they have a ton of information about the Google interview process. Also some info, but not so much about other companies. That shouldn't matter because the preparation is mostly the same.
4. I don't think it's a bad idea to follow courses as well. At least for me it would motivate me more if I learned something of value in addition to just getting a job. However, unless you are interested in it, don't worry about Math.
5. As others I would recommend to work through the book Cracking the Coding Interview. I also found the website interviewbit.com helpful. It's similar to leetcode, but they organize the questions by topic and gamified it. This helped me to stay motivated.
6. Also prepare for system design questions. Those are equally important as coding, algorithms and data structures for candidates that have industry experience.
7. Do mock interviews. Ask friends, otherwise there is a YC startup called Pramp.com. They allow to do mock interviews with peers for free. There also services that let you do payed mock interviews with people that actually work at big tech companies.
8. Don't be naive about what impact you can have working at big companies like Google. You are going to work on a small subpart.
- pyman 10y agoPlease stop with all this "I survived the Google/Facebook interview process" for god sake. These type of comments are written by an HR employee or an Evangelist promoting the company. There are some amazing Engineers working in those companies, but some mediocre ones as well. Believe me, I worked with a lot of them. Apple, on the other hand, is an exception. They are all outstanding. My advice: Develop your curiosity. Be adventurous. Travel around the world and learn about other cultures. Then, find a company where you are happy, the smaller the better.
- nostrademons 10y agoIt's pretty topical for the question asked here, which explicitly said that he would like to work at Google, Amazon, Facebook, etc. and that he was terrified of the Google interview process.
- Rachine 10y agoThis is definitely the way to go, the learning curve is steep following your advice!
- ma2rten 10y agoDid you even the read the question and my post (specifically the last point)? Before joining Google now, I traveled though South East Asia for 1 1/2 years while freelancing and worked for a startup for 2 1/2 years. I wouldn't recommend it unconditionally, nor would I recommend working at Google unconditionally.
- cprayingmantis 10y agoCurious as to what level of education you have. Myself and 3 of my friends from a little of nothing state school in the southeast had no problems getting interviews when we were about to get out of the Graduate program. As for everything else I 100% agree. In short the Google interview process is crazy. It's where you're quizzed on your knowledge of obscure facts and algorithms not really on your actual knowledge and level of skill.
- ma2rten 10y agoI studied in Europe, but I was specifically referring to industry candidates.