I Asked Googlers How To Get Hired

Summary

This video features Google software engineers sharing insights on how to land a job at the tech giant. With over 10 years of experience, these engineers provide valuable advice on acing interviews, focusing on communication, strong technical fundamentals, and showcasing problem-solving approaches. They emphasize preparation through coding practice, such as using LeetCode and system design challenges, and discuss the importance of clear communication and teamwork. The video also highlights personal experiences, favorite perks at Google, and tips for navigating the hiring process, including advice for aspiring software engineers and product managers.

Takeaways

• 💼 Successful applicants at Google focus on communicating their thought process during interviews.
• 👩‍💻 Many successful engineers emphasize strong fundamentals in coding, system design, and algorithms.
• 📚 Preparing with platforms like LeetCode and 'Cracking the Coding Interview' is a common strategy for interview success.
• 🔑 Strong communication skills, particularly explaining technical concepts clearly, are crucial for both interviews and teamwork.
• 🚪 Being able to break down and explain problems step-by-step is valued over complicated solutions.
• 🍽 Free food and global office opportunities are favorite perks of Google employees.
• 💡 Problem-solving for large user bases and considering scalability is advised when preparing for interviews.
• 🎓 Traditional education paths, such as college and internships, are considered the easiest way into tech, but alternatives like boot camps are also viable.
• 📝 Tailoring your resume to showcase your best skills and achievements is critical for standing out during the hiring process.
• 🧠 Product managers at Google bridge technical possibilities with business needs, requiring strong communication skills, especially with non-technical stakeholders.

Q & A

What do Google interviewers look for in a software engineering candidate?

Google interviewers look for candidates who can clearly explain their thought process, communicate their approach to solving problems, and have a strong grasp of core technical fundamentals like data structures, algorithms, and system design.

What is one of the most important tips for preparing for a Google interview?

One of the most important tips is to focus on practicing with problems related to data structures and algorithms using platforms like LeetCode and resources like 'Cracking the Coding Interview.'

What specific advice do Google engineers give for passing the interview?

Candidates should focus on explaining their thought process, approaching problems step by step, and ensuring a solid foundation in the basics rather than focusing on overly complex solutions.

What should applicants include in their resumes to stand out?

Applicants should present the best and most relevant accomplishments and skills on their resume. Since this is the only information recruiters have initially, showcasing their best work is essential.

How important is practicing coding problems before the interview?

Practicing coding problems is crucial. Several engineers in the video mentioned that regularly solving practice problems helped them perform better during their interviews.

How can candidates approach solving technical problems during interviews?

Candidates should start by clarifying the problem, then gradually build a solution. It's important to first propose a simple solution, test it, and then improve upon it if necessary.

What is the value of internships or early work experience when applying to Google?

Internships and early relevant work experience, such as internships through Google programs or at other companies, are valuable for gaining practical experience and increasing the chances of being hired at Google.

How can non-traditional candidates break into Google?

While the traditional college route is the easiest path, non-traditional candidates, such as those coming from boot camps or transitioning from other fields later in life, can still be successful if they develop strong technical skills.

What advice is given for product managers and women in tech looking to break into Google?

For product managers, it's important to bridge the gap between technical and business requirements. Women in tech are advised to focus on their technical skills while also becoming strong communicators, especially when working with non-technical stakeholders.

What is one of the best benefits of working at Google mentioned in the video?

Several employees mentioned that free food, including breakfast and lunch, is one of their favorite perks of working at Google. The international office locations are also valued, allowing employees to work from different cities while traveling.

Outlines

00:00

🚪 Cracking the Door to Google

The speaker reflects on their experience working in tech for 15 years, regretting missed opportunities at major companies like Facebook and Google. The focus shifts to an interview with software engineers at Google, revealing tips for aspiring candidates. They advise watching the video until the end, as engineers with over 10 years of experience share valuable insights into Google's interview process.

05:01

👨‍💻 Google Engineer Interviews: Shivam and Kate

Shivam, a Manager of System Development Engineering, has been at Google for 3.5 years. Kate, a Software Engineer, has been with Google for under two years. They share their experiences, such as enjoying the free food and having opportunities to work from different offices internationally. Shivam joined Google through an acquisition, while Kate got in through Google's internship and conversion pipeline.

🧠 Secrets to Cracking Google's Interviews

Both Shivam and Kate emphasize the importance of clear communication during interviews. Kate advises candidates to explain their thought processes and approach problems methodically. Preparation strategies include practicing on platforms like LeetCode and reading 'Cracking the Coding Interview.' Shivam highlights the significance of mastering the basics before tackling advanced problems, ensuring the fundamentals are strong.

💡 Expert Tips for Software Engineering Candidates

Shivam advises focusing on reliability, scalability, and long-term solutions over short-term fixes. Successful Google candidates should also be strong in algorithms, data structures, and system design. For resume tips, candidates should present their best qualities upfront. Another engineer, Jimmy, suggests that while traditional routes like college and internships are the easiest, other paths, like bootcamps, can also lead to success.

📈 Career Path to Google: Jimmy and Nul

Jimmy, with five years at Google, shares how he transitioned from another company. Nul worked at MathWorks before joining Google after passing the interviews. They emphasize that communication skills and practicing with mock problems are critical for success. They advise candidates to start with simple solutions, ensuring clarity before attempting more complex solutions.

🚀 Advice for Aspiring Engineers

Both Jimmy and Nul stress the importance of mastering fundamentals and staying up to date with new technologies like AI models. GPT Bot, the sponsor of the video, provides tools to create AI bots tailored for specific business needs, showcasing how AI is transforming industries. They advise aspiring engineers to be persistent and constantly improve their foundational knowledge.

👩‍💼 Women in Tech: Breaking into Google

Ken, a Product Manager, shares her journey from working in startups to transitioning into tech after going back to school. She highlights the importance of communication, especially for technical practitioners working with non-technical stakeholders. Ken emphasizes that bridging the gap between business and technology is crucial for turning ideas into successful products.

Keywords

💡Cracking doors

In the context of the video, 'cracking doors' metaphorically refers to the process of breaking into the tech industry, specifically mentioning Google. It implies overcoming challenges and barriers to secure a job at a prestigious tech company. The speaker suggests that with sufficient skill and expertise, one can impress interviewers to the point of being irresistible to companies like Google.

💡Interviewing

The act of interviewing is central to the video's theme, as it discusses how individuals can prepare for and excel in interviews at Google. The script mentions that interviewers look for specific qualities in candidates, such as the ability to communicate one's thought process clearly. This is a key aspect of the hiring process that the video aims to shed light on.

💡Software Engineers

Software Engineers are the focus of the video, as it features interviews with current Google employees who hold this title. The term refers to professionals who apply engineering principles to design, develop, and maintain software. The video aims to provide insights into how to become a software engineer at Google.

💡Google headquarters

The video is set at Google headquarters, which is the main office of Google where many of its employees work. This setting is significant as it provides an authentic backdrop for the discussions about working at and interviewing for Google.

💡Experience

The video emphasizes the importance of experience, as many of the interviewees have over 10 years of experience in the tech industry. This experience is valuable for understanding what it takes to succeed in the field and for providing advice to aspiring software engineers.

💡System Development Engineering

System Development Engineering is mentioned as a specific role within Google. It involves the design, development, and maintenance of systems software, which is a critical aspect of Google's operations. The video showcases that such roles are attainable for those with the right skills and experience.

💡Free food

Free food is highlighted as a benefit of working at Google, which is a perk often associated with tech companies. It serves as an example of the kind of employee benefits that can attract talent and is used in the video to give a glimpse into the company culture.

💡Internship

The video mentions internships as a pathway to a full-time position at Google. Internships provide valuable hands-on experience and can lead to job offers, as illustrated by one interviewee's journey from intern to software engineer.

💡Acquisition

Acquisition is referenced in the context of an employee joining Google through the acquisition of their previous company. This is a common way that tech companies expand their workforce and is a route that some Google employees have taken.

💡Basics

The term 'basics' is repeatedly emphasized in the video, referring to fundamental computer science concepts. Interviewees stress the importance of having a strong grasp of these basics for success in interviews and in working at Google.

💡Reliability

Reliability is mentioned as a key consideration for software engineers, especially when designing systems that need to function consistently over time. The video suggests that candidates should think about how their solutions will perform under real-world conditions.

💡Scalability

Scalability is another important concept discussed in the video. It refers to a system's ability to handle growth, such as an increase in the number of users. Interviewees advise aspiring engineers to consider scalability in their solutions, which is a critical aspect of Google's services.

Highlights

Software engineers at Google stress the importance of communicating your thought process during interviews.

Candidates should be prepared to work on basic skills such as data structures, algorithms, and system design.

Google values candidates with strong fundamentals in computer science, as they can build on advanced topics from a solid foundation.

Practicing coding problems on platforms like LeetCode and using resources like 'Cracking the Coding Interview' is common preparation advice.

Successful interview candidates often think about long-term solutions and scalability when designing systems.

Building solutions iteratively and communicating them clearly is a common trait among successful Google engineers.

Traditional college degrees with internships are still the easiest route into Google, but non-traditional paths such as boot camps are also viable.

Candidates should focus on presenting their best skills and experiences on their resume to stand out during the screening process.

The transition from startups to Google often involves acquiring strong technical skills and adapting to larger-scale challenges.

Women in tech and aspiring candidates should focus on developing strong technical communication skills, especially when working with non-technical stakeholders.

Having international mobility and the ability to work from different Google offices around the world is a valued perk for Google employees.

Internships at Google can serve as a strong pipeline for full-time roles, with programs like the STEP program offering a structured pathway.

Engineers at Google recommend thinking about problems from the perspective of large user bases and designing for reliability and scalability.

Acquisitions, such as the Cloud Simple startup, are another way that engineers find their way into Google.

Google engineers suggest finding and pursuing your passion early, as technical skills can always be learned later.

Transcripts

I think the most important thing is the

better you are at cracking doors there's

no way to you know Google can reject you

so I've been working in tech for about

15 years something I regret I didn't

really do well when I look back is I

interviewed at Facebook and Google now

that you're on the other side

interviewing software Engineers what do

the successful ones do that's a good

question uh hey what's up today we're at

Google headquarters asking software

Engineers how they got into Google and

how you can too let's get into it and

make sure you watch till the end because

most of these Engineers have over 10

years of experience and interview

candidates like you every single day

today they finally reveal all their

secrets thanks to GPD bot. for

sponsoring this video hey what's your

name Shivam Shivam yeah nice to meet you

how long have you been at Google and

what is your title I'm manager system

development engineering I've been part

of Google for three and a half years hi

I'm Kate Kate nice to meet you um I'm a

little under two years and I'm a

software engineer at Google the I am an

engineering manager here I have been 2

years and then what is your favorite

benefit or Park food free food yeah

lunches breakfast I love it okay nice oh

I like that there are a lot of offices

internationally so when I travel I can

work from different cities and then what

has been your favorite memory so far I

guess my uh teammate hosted a really

nice team dinner recently um he's from a

grece so it was like all sorts of Greek

food Building Products so mostly I mean

everything is memorable according to me

like every day is memorable so and how

did you how did you get into Google so I

was part of a startup called Cloud

simple and it got acquired Google in

late 2019 mhm so got here as part of

acquisition so I studied computer

science in college um and then I

actually interned at Google uh first

through the step program it used to be

called engineering practicum and then I

became a software engineering intern and

I continued on as a student researcher

and then afterwards uh I decided to just

come back so I went through the uh

returning intern and like conversion

pipeline I got interviewed I qualified

and that's how I am what what did like

where did you apply what were the

interviews like they reached out to me I

was uh at a startup company uh before

Google and then after a year of

conversation I thought okay I interview

and I interviewed at Facebook and Google

got through both of them and chose

Google and now that you're at Google

probably interviewing prospective

googlers what do you look for and what

do successful applicants do um I think

the most important thing is to be able

to talk through your thought process as

you're interviewing so you need to make

sure to be able to convey what you're

thinking at each point and to commun

unate that clearly so that interviewers

can see not just like whether or not

you're able to solve a problem but also

how you approach a ambiguous problem got

it and then what did you use to prepare

like what types of stuff did you do to

get ready for the interviews um

personally I did uh Elite code and then

um also uh cracking the coding interview

have you ever interviewed people like

while you read Google yeah and what do

those interviews look like do you have

any tips uh so mostly we focus on the

basic stuff

uh so we dig deeper into the core of uh

everything like you should be well wored

with Basics and we feel that your Basics

should be so strong enough so that you

can work on anything at the advanced

layer so that's what we focus on got it

and then last question do you have any

advice for someone aspiring to be a

software engineer and get into Google

think about reliability scalability and

and long-term Solutions rather than

focusing on shortterm and and small

Solutions so think about large user base

for a particular problem I think that's

what I would suggest yeah I guess I mean

the usual things you know data structure

algorithms system design I think you

just need to be better at it and crack

the interview I I think it's it's not

very secret anymore but the better you

are at cracking those there's no way to

you know Google can reject you any

advice on passing the resume screen like

how to differentiate yourself you're a

manager you might be looking at

applicants yeah yeah I mean just just be

yourself you know put it put your Best

Way Forward best face forward right uh

that's all they know about you they

can't know everything about you so put

the best things what you have in their

resume so that when somebody looks at it

they want to talk to you Jimmy Jimmy

nice to meet you 5 years I am a just a

senior software engineer uh my name is

nul I've been at Google a little more

than four years now so I'm a software

engineer how did you get into Google

well so at a college I actually worked

at another company called math works for

a while they make like mat lab and stuff

and then I was looking around like a

year and a half after that and then I

passed the interviews and here I am I

just started sort of started my career

at I was at Cisco uh it was like 2 years

out yeah I just needed a little bit of

change and move into genic software I

was like doing a lot of networking uh

stuff over there so I wanted to come

more into General software and now that

you're on the other side interviewing

software Engineers what do the

successful ones do comes down to

communication a lot being able to

explain your thought process and I I do

think that there's something to be said

for practicing at least in my experience

it definitely helped the interview

process to do practice problems on my

own beforehand so I would recommend

doing that for sure oh um I I like uh

candidates who kind of build the

solution like slowly uh you know like

not delve like obviously clarify like

the bigger perspective of the problem uh

but come up with the solution and see if

that works because a lot of the times

you don't need a complicated solution

and then last question do you have any

advice for people trying to become

software Engineers maybe at a big time

company like Google there's no specific

advice I'd offer other than I think it

is easier to go like the traditional

like College route I know that like a

lot of the boot camp stuff is Big these

days and that's a great way to do it too

the easiest path is through college and

through you know relevant inter

internship experience I'd say but I

would also say that's not the only way

to do it so I think there are people who

get interested in it when they're 35 or

later as well and I think that's great

too you can do it either way getting

into Google is more of like Basics again

okay the only thing that worked is like

having fundamentals right so that's like

one advise I think Google values like

fundamental the best Engineers stay on

top of the latest and greatest

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let's get back to some more advice from

Google software Engineers hi what's your

name hi Ken nice to meet you nice to

meet you how long have you been at

Google and what is your title I have

been at Google for about a year and a

half and my title is product manager in

vertex Cloud AI so I work on our AIML

platform been Google for almost two

years and what is your title uh self

engineer and how did you actually get

the job what did that look like uh so

applied during you know end of 2021 so

it's still pandemic so you know at that

time all the tech companies kind of like

over hiring yeah so a lot of other

people including me got hired during

that period how did you get into Google

and then maybe PM um so I've been

working in tech for about 15 years

originally I was working at startups um

actually more on the sales and customer

success side um and then I got kind of

burned out on that and went back to

school for computer science okay and

then um I transitioned over to product

about 5 years ago was at a couple

startups for a while and then uh went to

Google what has been your favorite

software rering memory so far you have

quite a lot of supports both in terms of

uh you can always reach out to your

colleagues whenever you need help or you

have a huge database of documents that

you can just search through and find

solution something I regret I didn't

really do well when I look back is that

finding your passion early on is always

beneficial technical skills all the

other things you can acquire them after

maybe you start late compared to others

but it's okay I think that good PMS are

really good at Bridging the uh

constraints and possibilities on the

technical side versus the business

requirements okay essentially sort of

frame that up in a way that the business

teams can actually sell it do you have

any advice for aspiring people trying to

break into Google especially maybe women

in Tech yeah I I think that on the

technical side actually the people in my

experience that are the most successful

tech technical practitioners are usually

also good at um working with

non-technical stakeholders I think this

is sort of an under heralded skill um

because if you are not a good

communicator and you're not good at

communicating with people that do not

know as much as you do as a technical

expert you're going to have a really

hard time translating those ideas into

like products that get shipped into the

world so it's like great to you know how

to code and be you know awesome at

technical things but um being able to

actually communicate those things to

people that don't know much about the

technology behind them is really

important hey what's up today we're

asking