Software Engineer Interview Experience - Mountain View, California
May 19, 2025
Positive ExperienceNo Offer
Process
The interview process began with an online coding assessment via HackerRank, consisting of two algorithmic questions.
This was followed by a virtual technical screening where I was asked to solve data structures and system design problems in a shared coding environment.
I then moved on to an onsite round (done virtually) consisting of four interviews:
- Two on data structures/algorithms
- One on system design
- One behavioral
Each round was about 45 minutes long, and the interviewers were friendly and gave helpful hints when I got stuck. I received feedback within a week.
Questions
Given an array of integers, return the indices of the two numbers that add up to a specific target.
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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
20%
Pass 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
Positive64%
Neutral23%
Negative14%
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Google's Software Engineer interview process in Mountain View, California.
Google Work Experiences
4.0
Good Pay, Competent Team
Software Engineer • Current Employee
Mountain View, California, United States
February 9, 2015
Pros: Good compensation.
Good benefits: health insurance, perks.
Competent people.
Cons: Possibly uninteresting projects.
It's hard to stand out, hard to promote yourself because people around you are all very good, and hard to assume bigger responsibility. The learning curve flattens out quickly after the first two years, during which you learn a lot of Google infrastructure.
4.0
Great to have on your resume
Software Engineer • Former Employee
Mountain View, California, United States
January 2, 2009
Pros: Incredible educational opportunities, regular tech talks, and other information sessions.
Colleagues are some of the brightest people around.
There's also a certain prestige attached with working at Google, and you may find your next job easier to get just having worked there. Although the culture makes it such that people straight out of college never want to leave, since the perks are so good and they are pampered.
Cons: Lack of proper management. Managers don't really care about employees and seem to have just gotten their jobs because they were there, rather than showing any competence at actual managing. Competition between workers sometimes strains work-life balance, as most are young twenty-somethings with no family to worry about or take care of. Although this may change in the future, most older Googlers tend to leave instead of sticking around that environment.
5.0
Great place to work
Software Engineer • Current Employee
Mountain View, California, United States
July 9, 2023
Pros: I like the free food they give.
Cons: I wish they'd pay me even more, hahahaha.
- 4.0Good Pay, Competent TeamSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeMountain View, California, United StatesFebruary 9, 2015Pros: Good compensation. Good benefits: health insurance, perks. Competent people.Cons: Possibly uninteresting projects. It's hard to stand out, hard to promote yourself because people around you are all very good, and hard to assume bigger responsibility. The learning curve flattens out quickly after the first two years, during which you learn a lot of Google infrastructure.
- 4.0Great to have on your resumeSoftware Engineer • Former EmployeeMountain View, California, United StatesJanuary 2, 2009Pros: Incredible educational opportunities, regular tech talks, and other information sessions. Colleagues are some of the brightest people around. There's also a certain prestige attached with working at Google, and you may find your next job easier to get just having worked there. Although the culture makes it such that people straight out of college never want to leave, since the perks are so good and they are pampered.Cons: Lack of proper management. Managers don't really care about employees and seem to have just gotten their jobs because they were there, rather than showing any competence at actual managing. Competition between workers sometimes strains work-life balance, as most are young twenty-somethings with no family to worry about or take care of. Although this may change in the future, most older Googlers tend to leave instead of sticking around that environment.
- 5.0Great place to workSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeMountain View, California, United StatesJuly 9, 2023Pros: I like the free food they give.Cons: I wish they'd pay me even more, hahahaha.
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