Google Interview (1 of 3): 10 Things (core values and mission)

Summary

The script emphasizes the importance of understanding a company's mission and values, specifically Google's, before applying for a job. It highlights Google's mission to organize and make the world’s information accessible, focusing on user-centered innovation. The speaker discusses Google's core principles, including customer obsession, technical expertise, communication, vision, and a higher sense of purpose. Candidates are encouraged to showcase their strengths, be opinionated, and align with Google's values like passion, creativity, and diversity. The advice also touches on preparing for Google's interviews, particularly the behavioral aspects.

Takeaways

• 📌 Understanding a company's mission and values is crucial before applying, as it helps determine cultural fit and informs preparation for interviews and negotiations.
• 📚 Google's mission has remained consistent since 1998: to organize the world’s information and make it more accessible, evident through products like Search, YouTube, Chrome, and Google Cloud.
• 👥 Google’s primary principle is to put the user at the center of everything, highlighting the importance of customer obsession, especially given their ad-based monetization strategy.
• 🛠 Google emphasizes being excellent at one thing, such as search, and doing it extremely well. Applicants should highlight their specific strengths, especially if they have a niche expertise like AI.
• ⚡ Google's focus on speed suggests that applicants should be prepared to dive deep into algorithms and optimizations, showcasing the importance of technical expertise.
• 🗣 Google values strong communication and having an opinion, encouraging candidates to be proactive, take the lead, and demonstrate strong interpersonal skills.
• 👀 Vision is highly valued at Google, demonstrated by their early prediction of the mobile-first world. Candidates should show that they have foresight and a strategic mindset.
• 🌱 Google's commitment to doing good and their AI principles suggest that a sense of higher purpose and ethical consideration are important motivators for prospective employees.
• 🌍 As an international company with diverse teams, Google values employees who bring creativity, passion, and diverse backgrounds, reflecting this in their work culture and global presence.
• 🎯 Google looks for employees who align with its core values, showing passion, creativity, and a sense of purpose, which is especially relevant for the behavioral aspects of their interviews.

Q & A

Why is it important to study a company's principles and mission before applying?

Studying a company's principles and mission is important because it helps determine if you are a good fit for the company's culture and provides insight on how to tailor your application and prepare for interviews effectively.

What has been Google's mission since 1998?

Google's mission since 1998 has been to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.

How do Google's major products like Search and YouTube align with its mission?

Google's major products like Search and YouTube align with its mission by organizing vast amounts of information and making it easily accessible to users around the world.

What is the first and most important principle of Google according to the script?

The first and most important principle of Google is to put the user at the center of everything they do, emphasizing customer obsession.

How should an applicant highlight their strengths when applying to Google?

An applicant should over-communicate their strengths, particularly in their areas of expertise, ensuring that these strengths are prominently displayed on their resume and throughout the application process.

What quality is highly valued by Google in terms of technical skills?

Google highly values the ability to optimize algorithms and develop them efficiently, reflecting their principle that 'fast is better than slow.'

Why is having an opinion and good communication skills important for a Google applicant?

Having an opinion and good communication skills are important because Google values opinionated individuals and strong communicators, as evidenced by their internal communication systems and HR practices.

What quality did Google demonstrate by predicting the mobile-first world early on?

Google demonstrated the quality of having vision, which is the ability to foresee and capitalize on future trends, such as the shift to mobile-first technologies.

What higher purpose should motivate potential Google employees according to the script?

Potential Google employees should be motivated by a sense of doing good and contributing to a higher purpose, which aligns with Google's principles and mission.

What kind of employee does Google look for, as described in the script?

Google looks for passionate employees from diverse backgrounds who have creative approaches to work, play, and life, and who reflect the company's values and mission in their professional conduct.

Outlines

00:00

🔍 Importance of Understanding Google's Principles and Mission

Before applying to any company, especially Google, it's crucial to understand its principles and mission. This helps assess cultural fit and prepares applicants for different stages of the hiring process, from crafting a CV to negotiating an offer. Google's mission has remained consistent since 1998, focusing on organizing the world's information and making it more accessible. Google's key products like Search, YouTube, Chrome, and cloud services align with this mission. The paragraph also introduces 'Google's 10 Things'—a set of guiding principles formulated early in the company's existence.

05:01

🎯 Putting Users and Customers at the Center

Google's top priority is putting the user at the center of everything they do, and this user-centric approach extends to their monetization strategy, which involves selling ads. This philosophy highlights 'customer obsession,' a trait shared by other successful online businesses. For applicants, this means emphasizing their core strengths, such as AI expertise, clearly and prominently in their CV. Over-communicating one's strengths, even if it feels redundant, is encouraged. The paragraph emphasizes that Google values technical proficiency, especially in algorithm development and optimization, which are crucial for success in Google's technical roles.

Keywords

💡Company Culture

Company culture refers to the shared values, beliefs, and practices of an organization. In the video, it is emphasized that understanding a company's culture is crucial before applying for a job, as it helps determine if an applicant is a good fit. For instance, Google's culture revolves around innovation, customer obsession, and creativity, which are critical aspects for potential employees to align with.

💡Mission

A company's mission is its overarching purpose or goal. Google's mission, 'to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful,' has remained unchanged since 1998. This mission is central to the company's operations and is reflected in their products like Search and YouTube. The video stresses the importance of understanding this mission to align one’s application and interview responses with Google’s core objectives.

💡Customer Obsession

Customer obsession involves putting the customer at the center of everything a company does. The video highlights that Google’s success is partly due to its focus on user experience, treating users as their primary customers. This concept is important for job applicants to grasp, as it influences how Google expects its employees to think and act, particularly in roles related to product development and customer service.

💡Specialization

Specialization refers to focusing on and excelling in a specific area or skill. Google’s success in search technology is used as an example in the video to illustrate how specialization can lead to business success. For job applicants, this means that showcasing expertise in a particular area, such as AI, can be advantageous when applying to Google.

💡Fast is Better than Slow

This phrase reflects Google's emphasis on speed and efficiency, particularly in their technology and services. The video suggests that job applicants should be adept at optimizing algorithms and processes, highlighting their ability to work quickly and efficiently, which is a valued trait at Google.

💡Communication

Communication is the exchange of information and ideas. The video underscores its importance at Google, where being a great communicator is essential. It mentions that Google values employees who are not afraid to express their opinions and take the lead in discussions, indicating that strong communication skills are crucial for success within the company.

💡Vision

Vision in a business context refers to the ability to foresee future trends and opportunities. The video points out that Google’s early recognition of the mobile-first world was a key factor in its success. For applicants, having a clear vision and the ability to predict industry trends is a desirable quality, as it aligns with Google’s forward-thinking approach.

💡AI Principles

Google's AI principles guide the ethical development and use of artificial intelligence. The video notes that these principles are part of Google’s broader mission and influence their work, including in areas like military applications. Understanding these principles is important for applicants, especially those applying for roles related to AI, as it reflects Google's commitment to ethical innovation.

💡Higher Purpose

A higher purpose refers to a goal that transcends profit, aiming to contribute positively to society. The video discusses how Google employees are motivated by a sense of higher purpose, which drives them to perform better. Applicants who share this mindset and are driven by meaningful work are likely to resonate with Google’s culture and mission.

💡Diversity

Diversity in the workplace involves having a mix of people from different backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives. The video mentions that Google values diversity in its workforce, viewing it as essential for creativity and innovation. Applicants should reflect on how their unique background and experiences contribute to a diverse and dynamic work environment.

Highlights

Understanding a company's mission and values before applying is crucial as it ensures cultural fit and offers insight into preparing for interviews and negotiations.

Freelancing is becoming a more common career choice, making it even more important to evaluate company missions for long-term fit.

Google's mission, established in 1998, is to organize the world's information and make it more useful and accessible, reflected in major products like Search, YouTube, and Chrome.

The first of Google's '10 things' emphasizes putting the user at the center of everything, which translates to customer obsession and should be reflected in an applicant's approach.

Specialization is key to success at Google, especially in specific areas like AI. Applicants should highlight their expertise clearly in their CV, especially if AI is their focus.

Google values fast problem-solving and efficiency, so candidates should demonstrate their ability to optimize algorithms and solutions during the interview process.

Google encourages having opinions and taking the lead, especially in communication. Being a strong communicator is highly valued in Google's culture.

Vision is critical at Google, particularly in predicting industry trends like the shift to mobile-first technologies, which helped Google stay ahead of the competition.

Google's principles for developing AI emphasize ethical guidelines, particularly regarding applications in military contexts, showing their commitment to responsible technology.

A sense of higher purpose and doing good is vital at Google. Candidates should show how they are motivated by these values and how it drives their performance.

Google's creative community is one of its strengths. Candidates should demonstrate creativity and innovation in their approach to work.

As a global company, Google values diversity and creative approaches from employees. Candidates should reflect these values in their CV and interviews.

Passion for work and life is key at Google. Reflecting these traits in one's resume and interview responses can improve chances of being hired.

The behavioral interview at Google is strongly influenced by their core values, so candidates should be well-versed in how they align with the company's mission and principles.

Google is excellent at predicting user needs and iterating on solutions. Candidates should emphasize their ability to forecast trends and continuously improve their work.

Transcripts

now before going into details and

explaining about Google's principles and

mission let me explain you why it's

important to study these before applying

it pretty much any company and the first

reason is because there is a possibility

that you may not be a great fit into

into that company's culture which is by

the way not unheard of especially since

nowadays freelancing becomes more and

more of a choice so and the other the

other important reason here to read into

a company's mission values before

applying is because it will give you

lots of interesting insight as to how to

prepare from the moment you write your

CV to the phone interviews all the way

to the to the panel interview on-site

and even while negotiating an offer with

them so this being said googles mission

is actually remained the same since 1998

and that is to organize the world's

information and to essentially make it

more useful now if you look into

Google's largest properties that is

search and YouTube you know that they

actually fit quite well into this

mission by the way also the other

products such as Google's Google's

Chrome and even there their cloud

offerings also fit into this definition

of organizing world's information and

making it more accessible so next I'm

going to go through what Google calls

there are 10 things and they invented

this they wrote this down during the

first years of existence and I'll also

give you my two cents where I find I

find some relevant information for for

somebody that's considering to apply for

a job at Google the first and probably

also the most important one for Google

is to really put the user at the center

of everything they do and I believe that

given their their monetization strategy

here that is to selling ads I believe we

can also extend this a bit by saying

that the

users actually also Google's number one

customer so we can say we can say here

that customer obsession is something is

the main highlight here and it's

actually something that characterizes

all the best

online including online businesses today

Google specialties search so by

specializing them on one thing and doing

it really well is what enabled them to

become such a successful business now in

an HR context what does it mean for you

it means that if you're really good at

one thing be sure for instance AI be

sure that you highlight this wherever

you can include in your CV so for

example if your AI is your thing make

sure that it's it's right on top of the

resume is not just the first item of

some memorization and also it is you

might also consider it as a as a

feasible idea to over communicate what

are your main strengths because although

for you it might sound a bit dumb be in

the beginning it's actually a good idea

to over communicate things to emphasize

them so fast is better than slow it's

obviously a very technical reference to

what Google is really good about but

with respect to to somebody interested

in working at Google I believe the main

highlight here is that you should really

make sure that to really dive deep into

any possible algorithms that they must

might ask you to develop there and be

sure that you can be sure that

optimizations are a very very sought

after quality now whether democracy on

the web works or not I believe that's a

debatable topic now what's in for for an

applicant here I believe that the main

takeaway is to not be afraid to

communicate to take the lead and to have

an opinion because Google actually

values values a lot people with

opinionated people and if you know if

you only Google

you a few Google HR related events in

the recent years you'll notice that

pretty much all of them started using

Google's internal communication system

so being a great communicator here it is

very very important now probably the

main takeaway from this one is is to

have vision because really Google

predicted much better than other tech

giant's the the mobile first world and

they really capitalized that on this one

pretty soon so having a vision is of

course extremely helpful alright so this

one is still pretty much up for debate

at Google and especially since they

become so good at developing AI because

in case you don't know one of the main

applications one of the best

applications of AI is within a military

context and actually this is one of the

many reasons why a CEO sundar Pichai has

also recently launched their principles

for developing AI which is something

that all the same structure of these 10

things now with respect to their getting

the job at Google was the main takeaway

here well it's quite important because

that sense of doing good should serve as

a higher purpose and you should be that

type of person that gets motivated by

these things and performs considerably

better because of this sense of higher

purpose this one is again something

extremely technical and probably the

main highlight is the the creative

nature of the community at Google Google

is an international business and they

have offices around the world and they

are not afraid to emphasize that they

are using pretty much any tool at their

disposal to deliver on the original

mission of organizing the world's

information and probably the main

takeaway here would be to have that

again that sense of a higher purpose and

this this should be the strongest

motivator for you to

to do great things so this one is

probably the most interesting when it

comes to giving you a glimpse into what

Google's Google values the most in

employees and aside from from the dress

code recommendation they also go on to

describe their employees as passionate

people from diverse backgrounds with

creative approaches to work play and

life so is this you does your CV reflect

these these things do you take advantage

of any of these keywords believe this

the information presented in these core

values is fundamental to understanding

and to approaching especially the

behavioral part of Google's interview

which which I'll describe later so this

one should probably go without saying

but Google is actually really good at

predicting what the user wants and

really act about obsessing around that

customer and how they chill did what

they achieve this through continuous

iterations and being really really good

at predicting stuff