Google selected my resume because I reached Round 2 of Google Code Jam.

A recruiter set up a call with an engineer at Google for the telephonic round. I had spent nearly 6 months practicing coding before this interview, including solving 200+ problems on LeetCode. Due to this preparation, I did relatively well in Code Jam this year. I also knew a few former colleagues who went on to the on-site stage at Google and couldn't reach Round 2 in Code Jam. So, I was confident to at least clear the telephonic round.

Oh boy, was I wrong! The interview was a nightmare.

The interviewer had a thick Russian/European accent and made many basic grammatical mistakes while speaking, which made it really difficult to understand him. He asked me a question that was of medium difficulty on LeetCode. I tried to articulate my thought process and came up with a solution in 15 minutes. I am not completely sure if he understood what I was trying to say.

I asked him if I could start coding the proposed solution, and he said yes. Five minutes into the coding phase, the interviewer started writing the next lines of code. He began explaining the solution he had in mind while writing the code himself. I was shocked.

At this point, I stopped coding and tried to understand the interviewer's proposed solution but couldn't make any sense of it. The interviewer kept explaining his solution, and at one point, he stopped. I asked if I could implement my initial solution, but he just ignored me and continued explaining his code.

At the end of this ordeal, he asked if I had any questions about Google. I asked him for his feedback about Google. I think he did not understand my question because, in reply, he made an unrelated statement instead of answering. He said that at Google, they don't tolerate inefficient solutions, and when he discusses technical topics with his friends outside Google, he is shocked at the poor quality and inefficient systems they build.