Hello folks ,

Journey Till Now

Introduction

In this blog, I'll share a journey that is really close to me, highlighting a significant moment that took my career to a new level. The content is as follows:

• Interview Process
• Timelines for the Process
• My Journey in the Interview Process
• Things That Should/Could Have Been Better
• Conclusion

Interview Process

Here's a brief overview of the interview process for an L4 position at Google:

1. Resume Selection: Initial screening for the phone interview.
2. Phone Screening: Conducted by a technical recruiter.
3. Technical Rounds: Three coding and data structure/algorithm (DSA) rounds, followed by a "Googliness" round to evaluate cultural fit.
4. Team Matching Round: Strong candidates may go directly to the Hiring Committee, but team matching is often included to increase the chances of clearance.
5. Hiring Committee Clearance: A group of senior technical people review all feedback to decide on the hiring level (L4, L3, or no hire).
6. Compensation Discussion: Final negotiation and approval from the SVP.
7. Enjoy Working at Google: Becoming a Noogler.

Timelines for Me in the Whole Process

Google's interview process is known to be lengthy but highly sought after by technical professionals. Here are the hypothetical dates and actual gaps in my process:

• Initial Call from Recruiter: 1st Jan 2024
• Phone Screening Round: 1st Feb 2024 (1 month later)
• Clearing Call: 1 week after the phone screening
• Technical Rounds: 14th Feb (First round), 15th Feb (Second round), 16th Feb (Third round)
• Googliness Round: 18th Feb (Rescheduled, took an extra day)
• Feedback: Took 11 days
• Team Matching: 3rd March (Failed), 10th March (Passed)
• Hiring Committee Decision: 20th March (10 days later, L4@Hire)
• Team Quota Full Notification: 21st March
• Additional Team Matching Round: 23rd March (Passed)
• Offer Release: 25th March (Officially a Noogler)

My Journey in the Interview Process

I was looking for opportunities at other companies while staying in touch with DSA, system design, and LLD. During the 1-month preparation period, I focused on Google-specific LeetCode questions, solving about 80 questions (60-65 hard). This refined my thought process significantly. Here’s a summary of each interview round:

• Phone Interview: Faced a challenging question. Despite missing some edge cases, I communicated my approach well and received a "Lean hire" feedback.
• Technical Round 1: Solved a array problem. Despite some initial confusion, I provided a clean solution and received a "Hire" rating.
• Technical Round 2: Solved a DFS problem. Overthought initially but provided a good solution after clarification. Received a "Lean hire."
• Technical Round 3: Solved a backtracking problem. Faced complexity issues but still received a "Hire."
• Googliness Round: Prepared scenario-based answers. Received a "Lean hire" due to lack of diverse examples.

Things That Should/Could Have Been Better

• Preparation: Focusing exclusively on hard questions made me slower. It's crucial to balance accuracy and speed with medium questions.
• Googliness Round: Better preparation with diverse examples is key to securing a "Strong hire."
• Self-Belief: Believe in yourself and strive for excellence. Google is prestigious but not the only place to pursue.

Conclusion

I worked hard and focused exclusively on the Google interview, leading to success. Continuous learning and staying updated with coding practices were vital. I thank my seniors, colleagues, and parents for their support. Adios Amigos, until we meet again!