Software Engineer Interview Experience - Mountain View, California
Process
I was interviewed at the Mountain View campus.
There were 5 interviews, each of 45 minutes duration.
All the interviews were Data Structures and Algorithms related. Basically, they give you a real-world problem, and you have to write code on the whiteboard that is as close to working as possible.
Most problems are from the real world and are very much solvable within 15-20 minutes (much less than the 45-minute interview limit).
Most interviewers were polite and helpful.
They are looking for your software skills as well as your thinking process. They meticulously write down notes.
I did not do so well in 3 out of 5 interviews and expected not to get an offer. I did not get the offer, but I was happy with the interview process.
Questions
Cannot divulge any questions. It is not important.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 748 interview experiences for the Google Software Engineer role in Mountain View, California.
Success Rate
Google's interview process for their Software Engineer roles in Mountain View, California is very selective, failing most engineers who go through it.
Experience Rating
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Google's Software Engineer interview process in Mountain View, California.
Google Work Experiences
- 5.0Great company, good progressionSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeMountain View, California, United StatesDecember 17, 2021Pros: Interesting, impactful work that helps engineers grow.Cons: It's difficult for some people to get promotions consistently.
- 5.0Great Balance, Great BenefitsSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeMountain View, California, United StatesApril 6, 2022Pros: Good work-life balance, good benefits.Cons: none for now, very good company
- 2.0It's very hard to land on projects that benefit your careerSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeMountain View, California, United StatesJuly 24, 2013Pros: Benefits are good. Shuttle transportation can be useful for many people. Occasionally there are interesting talks, but conference rooms are often way too tiny.Cons: The interviews are really bad for the applicant: you learn nothing from what you will be doing and are interviewed only by people from completely different areas of expertise than yours. If you decide to come here, expect to have 5-6 layers of management above you. Unless you are a big shot or manage to get a strong ally, you often get the promise of leading some significant project, only to be exchanged without notice with more "experienced" people. Only a minority of engineers get to do the interesting stuff: Google+, Knowledge Graph, etc. If you are part of the other 99%, things are less exciting and the lower your rank is, the less freedom you have.
Google Interview Questions
