5 ms·

I'm in your boat. I get hit up by Google 3-4 times a year. I was interested once and did the pre-screening. When I got their prep packet I looked it over and

I'm in your boat. I get hit up by Google 3-4 times a year. I was interested once and did the pre-screening. When I got their prep packet I looked it over and then promptly canceled my interview. I wasn't going to review stuff I've never used throughout my 10+ year career. I'm a big fan of not wasting time, which I why I get stuff done at work and have been promoted twice at my current company in the past 3 years. As a sibling commenter suggests, if Google wants employees who blindly do what they're told, then I wouldn't be a good culture fit. I was taught critical thinking skills in school. Respectfully questioning my superiors' plans from time to time has been a valuable skill.

bob33212 8y ago
I have a technical phone screen with Google this week and I have the same attitude as you. So i'll probably fail the interview, but I'm doing it just in case they ask a real world problem, which I'm pretty good at.
- driverdan 8y ago
  If they ask you any CS101 or algo questions end the interview and explain why.
googlerx 8y ago
Google is certainly not looking for "employees who blindly do what they're told", at least not for engineering roles.
- eecsninja 8y ago
  No, but they certainly have no use for SWEs thinking outside the box in ways beyond engineering work. Such as recognizing that interviews don't work well to predict ability and success. We engineers are supposed to shut up and conduct interviews and build interview tools, not wonder if the whole thing is a case of the emperor has no clothes.
  - seanmcdirmid 8y ago
    That isn't really unprecedent through out the history of work. There are, have been, and will be many fads where the emperor was eventually found to be wearing no clothes. This particular interviewing style is just one of many, and is already on the way out as people learn they aren't getting very far by cargo culting Google (e.g. see Stripe and Microsoft's new interview process).

bob33212 8y ago

I have a technical phone screen with Google this week and I have the same attitude as you. So i'll probably fail the interview, but I'm doing it just in case they ask a real world problem, which I'm pretty good at.

driverdan 8y ago
If they ask you any CS101 or algo questions end the interview and explain why.

googlerx 8y ago

Google is certainly not looking for "employees who blindly do what they're told", at least not for engineering roles.

eecsninja 8y ago
No, but they certainly have no use for SWEs thinking outside the box in ways beyond engineering work. Such as recognizing that interviews don't work well to predict ability and success. We engineers are supposed to shut up and conduct interviews and build interview tools, not wonder if the whole thing is a case of the emperor has no clothes.
- seanmcdirmid 8y ago
  That isn't really unprecedent through out the history of work. There are, have been, and will be many fads where the emperor was eventually found to be wearing no clothes. This particular interviewing style is just one of many, and is already on the way out as people learn they aren't getting very far by cargo culting Google (e.g. see Stripe and Microsoft's new interview process).