Smart people enjoying excellent perks, with extremely spotty management
Smart people enjoying excellent perks, with extremely spotty management
Everybody who's paying attention knows how great the perks are. Between on-site gyms, massage, a wide selection of health benefits, 401k and stock grants, competitive salary, and of course the free, gourmet meals, it's one of the cushiest jobs in Silicon Valley.
The technical challenges are interesting, and the codebase is enormous. Engineers are encouraged to fix any and all problems, on their own teams or on completely separate projects. There is a lot of freedom to do anything that interests you, as long as you have time.
Having good management seems to be a non-goal, at least below the highest levels. The only requirements for becoming a manager are having good enough technical skills to reach the correct job level and expressing interest. Because of this, middle management is extremely hit-or-miss. Employees are often expected to figure out how to grow on their own, with little or no guidance, even for those fresh out of school. Many managers still have technical responsibilities and let their people-management responsibilities fall by the wayside.
It is unclear so far just how Larry Page taking over as CEO will affect the company as a whole, at least in terms of work environment.
Continue to be transparent about company direction and motives. When you hire the best and brightest, they don't want to feel like they're being lied to.
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Google Interview Questions
Google Interview Experiences
Software Engineer II
Skipped the technical screen and went directly onsite due to a referral. There were 5 onsite interviews: * 4 coding * 1 system design The interviewers were very friendly. The questions were out-of-the-box and difficult, none that I had prepared for
Software Engineer II
I applied through their careers page and submitted my resume. Google engineers also came to speak at my school. They called about two weeks after the tech talk at my school and told me they wanted me to interview on-site. Three weeks later, I was int
Software Engineer II
First, there is a technical interview, focused on your programming skills. Then, a cultural one focused on you fitting into their workplace. Overall, the interview is of average difficulty, and it is okay to say that you don't know something.
Software Engineer II
Mountain View, California, United StatesApril 1, 2020Skipped the technical screen and went directly onsite due to a referral. There were 5 onsite interviews: * 4 coding * 1 system design The interviewers were very friendly. The questions were out-of-the-box and difficult, none that I had prepared for
Software Engineer II
Mountain View, California, United StatesNovember 1, 2015I applied through their careers page and submitted my resume. Google engineers also came to speak at my school. They called about two weeks after the tech talk at my school and told me they wanted me to interview on-site. Three weeks later, I was int
Software Engineer II
Bengaluru, Karnataka, IndiaNovember 16, 2025First, there is a technical interview, focused on your programming skills. Then, a cultural one focused on you fitting into their workplace. Overall, the interview is of average difficulty, and it is okay to say that you don't know something.
