I was first contacted by a Google recruiter via email, who asked if I was interested in a 20-minute conversation. The ensuing phone call was a typical non-technical chat. The recruiter inquired about my experience and interests, and whether I'd be open to working at the Mountain View, CA office. I confirmed that I would.

She provided an overview of the interview process, mentioning that it can take up to four months for an applicant to complete all stages. This typically involves one or two technical phone interviews, followed by a roughly four-hour in-person interview. She also asked about my favorite programming language and stated she would schedule an interview with an engineer, where we would collaborate on a shared online document and I would be asked to write code.

Subsequently, she emailed me a four-page prospectus on the Google hiring process, detailing how to prepare for the interviews. The document included the types of topics to expect during the assessments and a very useful reading list for preparation.

The first phone interview was scheduled for one month after the initial recruiter contact. The interviewer was an engineer who politely introduced himself and shared a bit about his role. After a brief chat about my experience and exchanging pleasantries, we moved on to the technical portion. He presented me with a problem and asked me to write code on a shared document. I encountered difficulties a few times, and he offered suggestions on how to approach the problem. I managed to complete about 25% of the solution before essentially giving up, at which point he explained the remainder of the solution.

The interview lasted 45 minutes. The engineer was professional, well-mannered, and polite.

About a week later, the recruiter contacted me again to inform me that, "...we won't be moving forward with the hiring process." I had anticipated this outcome, knowing that I had not performed well on the coding assessment.

The recruiter's email postscript contains the following message, whose counsel I choose to observe:

"We know all this is exciting, so feel free to share your progress with your friends and family. However, keep in mind that our interview questions are confidential, so sharing them publicly would jeopardize the process for both you and the other folks who are interviewing."