There are more than 100 questions to prepare for in the Google interview process.

It’s 26 times tougher to get into Google than at Harvard University: Google’s admittance rate is 0.2%, while Harvard’s is 5.2%.

In 2019, the search engine behemoth hired 20,000 new employees after sifting through over two million applications. This year, Google had planned for comparable growth, but it has cut back on recruiting and non-essential spending because of the pandemic’s advertising fall.

Nonetheless, Google’s jobs site now has over 1,000 vacant opportunities all across the globe.

In other positive news, Google eliminated the iconic brain teaser interview questions in 2013 after internal data revealed that they were a poor indicator of job aptitude and “used solely to make the interviewer feel clever.”

Now that you recognize what won’t be asked, let’s talk about what will be questioned. This post will address all of your burning concerns regarding Google’s interview process and how to prepare for it.

What Is the Duration of the Interview?

Google’s sensational interview procedure used to require 15-25 interviews spread out over 6-9 months. It was then narrowed to 4-9 discussions over two months, including a phone screen and on-site interviews.

According to Indeed, recruiters are responsible for roughly 40% of hiring, while 22% apply via online job boards. Over 80% of hires, according to some recruiters, originate through sourcing or recommendations.

The Interview Process at Google

1. Phone Interview for 1-2 Rounds

The first phone interview takes 30-60 minutes, depending on the function, with a potential manager or team member.

Expect some more challenges in technical positions. Software engineers’ phone screenings are more involved; in addition to the standard resume walkthrough, you’ll be asked to solve a code question while detailing your method in a Google Doc. The recruiter may also request your GPA or SAT scores.

Expect behavioral, hypothetical, and case-based inquiries while interviewing for non-technical positions. For example, expect to be asked the following questions:

What Changes Would You Make to Google Maps?

Things you could come across as a candidate for a product manager. You should, however, expect some unexpected twists and turns. For example, according to one marketing manager applicant, they were questioned like this.

How Clever Do You Consider Yourself To Be?

Because of the variety of questions, adequate preparation is even more critical!

2. UX Roles: Do-It-Yourself Tasks

Some positions entail a take-home task with a one-week deadline. For example, prospective UX engineers will be given a project to design user flows and information architecture, develop high-fidelity mockups in Sketch, and produce an application.

3. In-person Interviews for 4-9 Rounds

Google’s whole staff is working remotely until January 2021, and all “on-site” interviews are now performed through Google Hangouts.

A typical on-site interview comprises 4-5 45-minute sessions. Some are one on one, while others are a panel.

At this point, don’t anticipate any queries concerning your résumé or previous work experience. Instead, recruiters develop a list of questions and score criteria for each inquiry under Google’s “scientifically proven” “structured interviewing” technique. Each applicant answers the same questions to standardize the interview process for each post.

Interviewees for technical positions will be required to tackle technical tasks in real-time, such as coding or whiteboarding a design. Interviewees must utilize an interview app to choose their favorite programming language. For a “more genuine coding experience,” coding exercises that would typically be done on a whiteboard are carried out on a Google Chromebook.

Even though these interviews will take place online, you will be asked to whiteboard solutions, so plan on doing so at home.

4. Offer

The recruiting committee evaluates each applicant. The review phase is entirely behind the scenes and may last several weeks, which is the most time-consuming and upsetting part of the interview process. There are two parts to this phase.

The Feedback Stage 

HR does an automated search to discover current Google employees who graduated from the same organization or institution as the applicant. Candidates are given a number rating by every Google interviewer who presents their input standardly. When a former colleague or classmate is asked for their opinion through email, you can bet your job is on the line. 

The Review and Selection

The recruiting committee, which includes senior managers, directors, and experienced Googlers, develops a candidate package that consists of the committee’s top selections and suggestions. Next, a chief Google executive evaluates the remaining candidates and makes the ultimate hiring choice. After then, the compensation committee decides the fair salary for an offer.

Here are the logistics of the offer. First, you’ll get a letter outlining your pay, perks, and stock options. Then, according to reports, Google gives applicants up to two weeks to accept or reject the offer.

On-site medical facilities, substantial parental leave, Google’s Global Education Leave program, and even death benefits for a dead employee’s spouse or partner at 50% of their pay for the following ten years are all possible benefits.

Google’s offerings, like those of other businesses, are adjustable. So make sure you’re getting paid what you’re worth before you accept.

Because background checks are conducted after an offer is made, your request is conditional until you pass the background check. Google examines your criminal past, educational history, career history, and references before formally employing you. If there are no issues, the recruiting process will continue as scheduled.

Google’s Search Criteria

According to Google’s employment page, candidates should display four essential skills during the interview process. You should be aware of the following strengths since interview questions are based around them:

Cognitive Ability in General

Recruiters will offer open-ended questions to see whether a prospect can solve problems, such as:

How would you manage a team tasked with finishing [X project] on a tight deadline when [X number of workers] are off ill for the week?

They ask these questions for the following reasons: This sort of inquiry is intended to assess your understanding of essential impediments that may arise in specific jobs, as well as your ability to deal with difficult circumstances under pressure.

According to Google’s website, “what’s crucial is your ability to describe your thinking process and how you utilize data to make judgments.”

How to deal with them: If you’re given a highly ambiguous situation, don’t jump to the first thought that comes to mind. Asking for additional information to narrow down the case demonstrates to the recruiter that you’re thinking critically about the subject.

Qualities of a Leader

They ask these questions for the following reasons: Even for non-management positions, recruiting managers look for individuals with a strong work ethic and leadership qualities, including communication, emotional intelligence, resilience, empathy, and confidence.

How to deal with them: Prepare 2-3 experiences when you took leadership of a failed project or mentored a junior employee that you can present.

Knowledge About a Specific Role

They ask these questions for the following reasons: While role-related knowledge mainly relates to your technical abilities, Google presents it another way: it demonstrates how your “individual qualities blend with your experience to produce an impact.”

How to deal with them: Demonstrate not just what you did but also how you came to that decision, how you settled that disagreement, how you negotiated that bargain, and why you stood up for something no one else did. To demonstrate what you would offer to Google, describe the personal characteristics and ideals that inspire your thought.

Googleyness

“Googleyness” is one of the most ambiguous terms that Silicon Valley has coined. While Google hasn’t given it a precise definition, it insists it’s not to be confused with cultural fit, which has been blamed for homogenizing companies and marginalizing women, minorities, and non-Ivy Leaguers. Googleyness is, in truth, a vague paradigm of the perfect Google employee. On Quora, current and former Google employees provided the following interpretations:

• “Above all, don’t be evil.”
• ” Taking an alternative approach to problems and thinking outside the box.”
• “Handling ambiguity.”
• “Genuine ethical values.”
• “Intellectual humility.”
• “Working well with others.”

Interview Question Samples

The interview questions for a Product Manager position include: 

• Are there any products you either love or hate? Why? What changes would you make to it?
• In San Francisco, how would you address the issue of homelessness?
• Is there a reason why you’ll see Starbucks on both sides of the road at times?
• Google has developed a technique that reduces the cost of air travel by four times while increasing the speed by four times. So, what are your plans for that?
• What new Gmail feature would you want to see added?
• How will self-driving vehicles change the landscape of transportation?
• What are the latest technological developments that you’re keeping an eye on?
• You’ve joined the team for the webspam at Google. How would you tell if a website was a copy of another?
• What would be the next prominent Google feature if you were in charge of creating it?
• Is it possible to tell whether or not the launch of a new Google Search function was a success?

While the interview questions you may encounter for a UX Engineer position include:

• What is A/B testing, and how does it work?
• How can you maintain your site accessible to all users while avoiding a flash of unstyled content (FOUC)?
• What recent UX news have you read?
• As a designer, how much experience do you have dealing with developers?
• Please describe your design process to me.
• How would you explain it to someone who has never heard of interface design?
• What’s the difference when it comes to information architecture and user experience?
• What changes would you make to Craigslist?
• How would you develop a method for utilizing a smartphone to operate a toy car?
• Give me an example of a project you’ve worked on.