Interview 1 Google
Interview 1 Google
1. Interview Process
Recruiter Connect: The Recruiter can contact the candidate based on his/her
profiles on Linkedin etc or if any of his/her known has referred him/her to the
company. However, it’s always best to message the recruiters via LinkedIn and apply
for the roles in the Career page of Google. If the candidate is good in DS & Algo
skills it is highly recommended that he/she participate in Google Kickstart, this
is Google’s hiring contest which happens 6 times in a year. If the performance in
those competitions is good the recruiters will contact you easily.
Interview Rounds: Google has a total of 7 rounds. The first two are telephonic
interviews where the interviewer mostly asks one medium or two easy Algo DS
problems to the candidate and the candidate has 45 minutes to solve the problems.
However if the performance in Kickstart is good, these rounds are skipped and you
directly move to the next rounds. Next, we have 5 onsite interviews out of which 4
are Algo DS interviews and 1 is a Googliness interview, Googliness interview is
mostly a behavioural interview.
After Interviews: Once the interviews are over, the recruiter will contact you with
the feedback of the interviews, if the performance is good and the interviews are
cleared your profile goes to the different teams in Google for the team matching
round. In the team matching round the team understands your work style and your
interests and you can understand their requirements and the work expectations of
the team.
Hired: Once the team and you both are comfortable and ready to start, the offer
letter is prepared and shared with you by the recruiters and you are HIRED!
2. Interview Rounds
Telephonic Interviews (Two Rounds): These are two 45-minute interviews on the phone
where the interviewer shares a Google Doc with the candidate and asks either a
medium problem or two easy problems of Algorithms and DS. It is expected that the
candidate first explains the solution of the problem to the interviewer and then
codes the problem on Google Docs within the time of the interview. (Suggestion:
Practice writing the code on Google Docs if you have any interview coming up as it
is a different experience compared to writing the code in any text editor).
Algorithm Data Structure Interviews (Three or Four Rounds): These are 45-minute
interviews where the interviewer shares a Google Doc with the candidate and asks
Medium to Hard problems of Algorithms and DS. It is expected that the candidate
first explains the solution of the problem to the interviewer and then codes the
problem on Google Docs within the time of the interview.
Googliness Interviews (One Round): This is a new interview that Google started in
2020. It’s mostly the behavioural interview to check the cultural fitness of the
candidate in the company.
Understand the work culture at Google well - It is always good to understand how
the company works and what are the things that are expected out of an employee at
Google. This shows that you are really interested in working at Google and leaves a
good impression on the interviewer as well.
Be Thorough with Data Structures and Algorithms - At Google, there is always an
appreciation for good problem solvers. If you want to have a good impression on the
interviewers, the best way is to prove that you have worked a lot on developing
your logic structures and solving algorithmic problems. A good understanding of
Data Structures and Algorithms and having one or two good projects always earn you
brownie points with Amazon.
Use the STAR method to format your Response - STAR is an acronym for Situation,
Task, Action, and Result. The STAR method is a structured way to respond to
behavioral-based interview questions. To answer a provided question using the STAR
method, you start by describing the situation that was at hand, the Task which
needed to be done, the action taken by you as a response to the Task, and finally
the Result of the experience. It is important to think about all the details and
recall everyone and everything that was involved in the situation. Let the
interviewer know how much of an impact that experience had on your life and in the
lives of all others who were involved. It is always good practice to be prepared
with a real-life story that you can describe using the STAR method.
Know and Describe your Strengths - Many people who interview at various companies,
stay shy during the interviews and feel uncomfortable when they are asked to
describe their strengths. Remember that if you do not show how good you are at the
skills you know, no one will ever be able to know about the same and this might
just cost you a lot. So it is okay to think about yourself and highlight your
strengths properly and honestly as and when required.
Discuss with your interviewer and keep the conversation going - Remember that an
interview is not a written exam and therefore even if you come up with the best of
solutions for the given problems, it is not worth anything until and unless the
interviewer understands what you are trying to say. Therefore, it is important to
make the interviewer that he or she is also a part of the interview. Also, asking
questions might always prove to be helpful during the interview.
6. What is Googleyness?
Googleyness can be thought of as a set of qualities that makes one stand out from
the pack and fit into the unique work culture of Google. However, this term has not
been officially confirmed by Google. Some of these qualities are as follows -
1. What Google product do you use the most? How can you fix it?
This is a question to assess how much you know about Google's offerings. The answer
you give doesn't matter, as long as you talk about the company with excitement and
say how it's changed your life somehow.
I use YouTube to find new ideas, gain skills and explore new subjects, while others
use it to promote their work. To provide more customization to the users, I would
implement an option to say how the video recommendations are affected by each
video. The overload problem may be solved depending on the feedback that the
YouTube community wants.
2. Who are Google's top competitors? Does Google stand out from the rest?
With this question, the hiring manager can tell if you are familiar with the other
companies who are vying for the same position as Google and give you a fair
opportunity to mention your relevant strengths. This can be specifically helpful
for more creative or experimental roles such as product managers, or software
developer jobs, where demonstrating how you are more experienced or better is
important.
Google's competitors vary, depending on the market. Google has the ability to
seamlessly integrate its services into one user experience. In addition, Google
offers a variety of services, making it versatile and easy to avoid leaving the
website to accomplish a task.
3. How do you go about ensuring that your co-workers are doing what they need to
do?
Accountability is an integral factor for employers; in the eyes of Google, you want
to make sure that you take on your responsibilities and live up to the company's
expectations. A hiring manager may favor candidates who can also help their co-
workers stay accountable, especially if the company expects a lot of group
projects.
Working with my co-workers, I find that keeping in touch is often helpful. This can
be in the form of scheduling team meetings to discuss our progress or bouncing
ideas back and forth. Additionally, I try to contact them periodically to check if
they need anything or offer assistance if they appear to be falling behind.
4. Have you ever done something professionally, risked a lot, and failed? What was
it? What made you take the risk, and what did you take away from it?
Google seems to love innovation, and with innovation comes risks. So, when Google
finds a creative person, it is appreciative and respectful of the courage to do
something no one else would. There should be something to help that next effort
succeed in future endeavors.
Google always releases new devices and apps. Your skills as an app developer could
be of assistance to this group. Tell them that you would like to get together with
the team and discuss how you can be of help.
At first, Google just focused on its search function, but now it offers a multitude
of products such as email, document-creation software, and more. However, 2012's
acquisition of Motorola Mobility enabled it to sell its own hardware as well.
Google's wide range of products, size, and influence on the high-tech market makes
it one of the four largest companies alongside Apple, IBM, and Microsoft. Yet, its
search tool is its core product which drives its success.
Google earned all of its revenue in 2016 from advertisements based on people's
search requests.
7. In your opinion, should people have to use their legal names when setting up a
Gmail account?
Although it is required by Google, you don't need to use your real name (or the
Google username of your choice) to complete this profile. You can put your
nickname, make sure it sounds authentic like a first name, and you should be all
set.
8. What changes do you think digital marketing will undergo in the next five years?
It is difficult to predict how digital marketing will change in the next five
years, but it will most likely be more integrated into our daily lives. Digital
marketing is already widespread in most countries, and it’s not going anywhere
anytime soon. With the popularity of smartphones and other mobile devices, users
are spending a large percentage of their time online and on mobile apps instead of
watching TV or reading magazines like they used to. As such, advertisers are
quickly adapting to the way people consume information on the go.
9. How would you explain this Google product to a young person? Say a four-year-
old.
This is a complicated test which can seem impossible when you are not well
prepared. Chances are the interviewer will ask you questions about Google products
connected to the job you are applying for, so focus on those. Know how the product
works, what it does, and whether you understand it well enough. If you understand
it well enough, you should be able to rephrase it enough so a four-year-old can
understand.
Well, do you know how we pay the cashier at the grocery store for our food? It's
easier than ever to use my phone to pay the cashier with Google Pay. My bank
account is directly connected to the purchase, so I don't have to worry about
leaving my card behind.
10. What do you think of Google charging for their productivity apps? Do you agree
or disagree?
I disagree with Google charging for their productivity apps. By charging for these
apps, it will be difficult for them to get a large user base, as not everyone is
willing to pay for software. Many users use these apps every day as part of their
jobs and don’t want to pay money for them. By charging these fees, they may see a
decrease in their users, or they may even lose potential customers due to high
prices.
11. Share a detail about yourself that you haven't put on your resume.
Hiring managers often use interview questions like these to see how quickly you
think on your feet and to get a sense of your personality. Be ready to describe
something unique about yourself that isn’t listed on your resume or in any other
documents you provided. Avoid getting flustered and struggling for words, but also
be careful not to oversell yourself or give off a false impression. For example, if
you say you can juggle flaming bowling pins while riding a unicycle, hiring
managers might want to know why that skill is relevant to their business. (Hint: It
probably isn’t.)
12. Can you give me an example of a time when you and your manager were at odds?
How did you two finally come to an agreement?
I once disagreed with my boss about a decision that would have cost the company a
lot of money. It was about how we were going to handle our Facebook advertising,
and I suggested a solution that saved the company about a grand. I wrote up a
document with my plan and emailed it to him, asking if we could discuss in person.
He loved the idea, so we went with it, and it ended up working out wonderfully.
14. Could you briefly explain AdWords to someone who's unfamiliar with the product
and online advertising?
Google Ads is an online advertising platform used by companies to promote their
products and services on Google Search, YouTube, and other sites. With Google Ads,
companies can also specify what kind of traffic they want the ads to generate. With
a Google Ads account, advertisers can customize their budgets and targeting and
start or stop their ads at any time. This question tests whether you can articulate
a complicated business issue and solve someone's problem. It’s not about how much
you know but how well you can communicate it to someone else.
15. If you were told to create an initiative to increase Gmail's user base, what
would you do?
If you were in charge of marketing Gmail, how would you go about getting more
people to start using it? This type of question is designed to see if you can
formulate a strategy on your feet. Show them that you can brainstorm and execute
strategies. Give an example of a time when you increased your team’s sales numbers
or user base by X% through a particular initiative. It could be a real situation or
something hypothetical. Just make sure it’s relevant!
16. Describe a time when you faced a technical problem. How did you fix it?
Working in my current position, I often get to call customers on the phone and fill
orders through the company's system. However, on one particular day, the system
went down, and there were more than 100 callers waiting to place their orders.
Initially, it was difficult, but then I realized that there were a number of things
I could do to help with the problem. I contacted our customers and reassured them
that we were doing everything in our power to assist them. I spoke to as many
customers as I could so that they were on top of the priority list and their wait
time would be shorter. I always stayed sincere and helpful and told them the truth
- our system was down momentarily.
I have always enjoyed telling our customers the truth about their service when it
hasn't been perfect, and I love taking the initiative to get to the bottom of messy
situations when my managers have left me in charge. I am very eager to tell your
customers about your wonderful product, should there be a time when your system is
temporarily inaccessible.
17. Let me know three non-Google sites that you like to visit. What do you like
about them?
Google has developed a reputation for asking brainteasers that don’t actually
provide much insight into candidates. And no, your answers shouldn’t mention Turing
machines or anything like that. Still, Google is interested in knowing how you
think; remember to describe your reasons and back them up with examples from your
experience and knowledge. Your answer might be straightforward. For instance, you
can say you like CNN because you always know what’s going on in the world, and you
love sites like Facebook because it lets you connect with friends. Whatever you
choose, make sure to stick to it—Google will ask follow-up questions about why you
said what you said.
20. If an advertiser doesn’t see the benefit of Adwords due to poor conversions,
how would you convince them to stay on board?
If conversion rates are low, I'd first try to work out why. Usually, the client's
website is the problem in cases like this.
My approach to this is pretty straightforward: I can either sell them a new website
or improve their existing one. On the other hand, I can make a landing page with a
tool like Unbounce to see if we get any leads or make sales- it only really works
for lead generation, not e-commerce.
You can test if your conversion tracking is actually working and make sure you're
tracking every conversion you can, contact forms, sales, phone conversions, etc.
Sometimes a client may not see any benefit, even though conversions are happening,
as they are not being tracked. You need to show them how successful your Adwords
campaigns are. In other words, Adwords is only an issue when it is related to
converting views. Present them with numbers such as time on site, number of pages
visited, and bounce rate. But do it with an idea of what the problem is and how to
fix it. Let the client know that you spotted a potential problem and gave them a
potential solution, even if it's just a test.
21. Pick an app on your phone’s home screen. What do you like about it? What do you
dislike about it?
I would like to share my opinion on my app, iFitness, which has a home screen. I
like that it is simple and easy to use while having multiple features. But there
are many things I dislike about it, such as having to pay every month even if you
do not use all of its features. The app is also very complex and takes up a lot of
memory on my phone, making it longer for my phone to boot up.
22. What steps could YouTube take to improve its business model?
YouTube is currently a free platform for users and makes money primarily through
advertisements. YouTube could possibly create paid accounts for users who wish to
avoid ads. Another option would be to offer users pay-per-view videos and exclusive
content only available with a subscription.
23. Describe a time when you were faced with adversity. How did you overcome it?
My former employer put me through an Excel training course that I flunked. It was
too challenging. I soon realized I shouldn't have started with an advanced-level
course. I brought up this issue with my boss, and we both came to the conclusion
that I wasn't quite ready for advanced-level coursework. I am not a skilled user,
but I have used computers a lot. To solve the problem, I studied online for a few
weeks and then took up the course again when I was better prepared. This approach
was much more successful as I not only managed to complete it, I secured 92%.
24. Could you explain why the Google homepage is mostly blank?
In the wake of annoying pop-ups and advertisements, the Google founders have made
it simple for the users, which ultimately led to a better interface.
25. In layman's terms, how would you explain the balance sheet to someone who isn't
familiar with accounting principles?
A balance sheet is a simple, one-page financial statement showing what you own and
what you owe. They're simple to create and comprehend. On one side, it lists what
your business owns, while the other side lists how much debt you owe as well as how
much of the company you own. The info on a balance sheet will give you, your
lenders, and your investors a brief overview of your company's current fiscal
health. That is, when you need to take your company's temperature, a balance sheet
is your thermometer.
26. How would you assure a hesitant client that making the move to a cloud solution
is the right thing to do?
You’d want to understand what specifically about a cloud solution is causing them
to be hesitant. You’d also want to gain an understanding of how it would impact
their operations, as well as any potential security or compliance concerns. Most
importantly, you’d want to establish a clear course of action that will help your
client make peace with moving forward with a cloud solution and ensure that they
fully understand how and why such a move will benefit them in the long term.
28. Given an autosuggest issue in a developing country, what steps would you take
to correct it?
A few steps to resolving an autosuggest issue for searches in a developing country
would include: 1. Identify keywords that are being searched frequently in your
country, and then test those out for feasibility as suggested search terms by
watching live autosuggest results, testing out potential abbreviations, etc. 2. Try
to find similar countries or regions where you can test it first before launching
it on a larger scale.
31. Share a time when a project had expanded beyond what was originally
anticipated.
This is an open-ended question that you should handle carefully. While it is good
to be honest, you don’t want to come across as arrogant by saying something like
your project was so important that they couldn’t ignore it. Instead, you should
simply say something like it was clear early on that we had far more work than we
had initially anticipated. The key thing to remember is that there are always
unexpected issues in any given project. When faced with a situation where there is
more work than anticipated, your response will help determine whether or not you
are viewed as someone who can take charge of a situation and ensure things get done
or if you’re someone who cannot effectively manage time and resources. A good
answer would acknowledge their concern while also reassuring them that even though
there were challenges, everything worked out in the end.
32. What can I discover about your personality by checking your browser history?
Some of these questions may seem odd or irrelevant but remember that interviewers
are trying to get a sense of your personality. Many candidates have failed not
because they couldn’t answer questions about technology and data structures but
because they lacked social skills (that is, being a team player). While there isn’t
really any right answer for these questions, it helps to be personable and show
your human side through examples that you come up with off-the-cuff. For example,
if asked if you open your browser history, what will they learn about your
personality? One answer could be that you spend a lot of time on Facebook—you like
connecting with friends and family! But if they look at your LinkedIn profile
instead, they might see that your interests revolve around artificial intelligence.
When you were younger, you wanted to work at IBM Research.
33. Share a story with me about when you had to handle confusing circumstances.
All of us have to handle confusing circumstances at work. It’s important to
remember that you don’t have to come up with a solution on your own in such
situations; instead, you can seek help from colleagues and mentors. If you have an
opportunity to work at Google or other huge technology companies, then it’s very
important to prepare such questions beforehand.
34. Let me ask you something: what do you enjoy doing outside of work?
The idea behind this type of interview is to have a more conversational style. One-
way interviewers can get a sense of who you are and what matters most to you is by
asking you about something in your life that isn't related to work. You may discuss
what matters to you the most in life. You may speak about your family, non-profit,
or your favorite sports team. Share with others not just what you like but also why
it matters to you.
Why does it matter to you? Do you mind if I ask why you care so much? I'm curious
how it has influenced your career. If you had no fear of failure, what would be
your dream job? - Some companies interview potential candidates by asking them what
they would do if they weren't afraid of taking risks and didn't fear trying new
things because they want people who are cautious risk-takers and can take up
challenging assignments.
35. Tell me a time when you had to "sell" or propose a solution to an Engineering
or Stakeholder Team.
I had a codebase that I inherited from another developer. It was unmaintainable
because it was a confusing mess of spaghetti code; many developers were afraid to
change it. I put together a presentation and shared my plan for refactoring it with
my team, then made changes using pair programming so we could all learn something
new together. Afterward, we worked through bugs collectively, passing fixes back
and forth until our process became smoother and more efficient.
36. What's the maximum number of golf balls that can fit in a school bus?
School buses are enormous vehicles, often reaching lengths of about 40 feet. The
average school bus can hold about 56 students, but how many golf balls could fit in
a school bus? In 1994, one person calculated that approximately 34 million golf
balls could fit into a single school bus. And that’s not just a guess—he had
actually measured it! At least two were inside each seat, and another 16 were
scattered in every square foot of the floor space as well.
37. Between learning and earning, which one do you enjoy more?
I enjoy learning, and I’d rather focus on being more career-oriented than money-
minded, as I feel that's how you become more qualified at what you do. Knowledge
will lead to wisdom and a deeper understanding of what you are doing.
39. What challenge is Google facing today? What does this role hope to do to fix
this challenge?
Google faces several a multitude of challenges every single day. The company has to
ensure that its products and services stay on top of customer trends and ahead of
competitors’ offerings, or else it risks being irrelevant in today’s fast-moving
business landscape. Google is always innovating new products and updating old ones
to make them more user-friendly, so you should mention one challenge Google faces
in this area and how you hope to help fix it if hired.
40. What does an average day look like for this role?
This question is all about making sure you know what you’re getting yourself into,
so be honest with your interviewer. If a typical day involves any of these things—
like working on Saturdays or traveling several times a month—say so. That way, you
won't have any later unforeseen surprises.
41. What does success mean to you in relation to this job?
By asking this question, they want to see if your definition of success matches
that of the potential employer. Don't try to hide your answer and expect them to
give you a different one. There are many different ideas of what success means, so
the important thing is that you're honest with yourself about what makes you
successful and write that down.
42. On average, what do the most successful people in this position share in
common?
Most successful people in this position share not only a willingness to learn and
put in the effort but they also have a great enthusiasm for their position and
their area of expertise.
Conclusion
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it's time for you to utilize these nifty exercises so as to gain the skills
required to have an immense impact in this inclusive and lucrative industry. Well
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Mayur Kharad
Mayur Kharad
Product Engineer, IKS Health
During the lockdown, I realized I needed to upskill myself, and my journey with
Simplilearn has been fantastic. I learned many things during the full stack java
developer course, thanks to trainer Virendra Sharma. I've always wanted to work in
this sector, and after completing my certification in Fullstack Java Development, I
got placed at IKS Health through Simplilearn.