My Interview at Google in Zurich
A week ago I visited Google in Zurich, Switzerland. The reason: during the years their recruiters asked me once monthy to join Google. I had so much invitations to join Google in Mountain View, Zurich and other locations that I finally decided to see at least what they offer. After passing successfully two phone interviews I was invited in their office in Zurich for a comprehensive 1 day interview.
Google Interview Process is Like a Programming Olympiad
I was amazed how Google perform their interviews. Really! They asked me only about data structures and algorithms. I was feeling like at a programming contest. I needed to solve 10 Olympiad style problems, each for 20-30 minutes. They requested to write a source code on the dashboard.
I will not reveal any of the questions (because I signed NDA) but their interview style was like at the programming contests and Olympiads which was lost ago in my childhood and student’s years.
Believe me, a 15 years old schoolboy, a good programming contestant, can pass these questions without having any experience in commercial software engineering.
That was all. Nobody asked me about my software engineerign skills, technologies, etc. Only algorithms and problem solving, data structures, complexity, etc.
Google Interviewers Don’t Ask About Software Engineering, Technology and Soft Skills
I have been interviewed in tens of interviews and was and interviewer for tens of job candidates but I have never thought that some company could could employ anybody only by his technical skills.
What Google don’t aked me:
1) They don’t ask anything about technologies, e.g. AJAX, Java, Java Web technologies, databases, SQL, XML, Web services, multithreading and synchronization, software architecture, etc.
2) They don’t ask about software engineering, e.g. the software project lyfecycle (requirements, design, implementation, testing etc.).
3) They don’t ask about your experience. No questions about what is your current job, what is your experience, what projects you have been part of, etc.
4) They don’t ask about personal character, e.g. are you a team pleayer, are capable to manage a team, do you have experience working in an International team, do you have good communication skills, etc.
It is really strage. My experience shows that soft skills are more important than the technical skills and I always weight them more.
How Google will employ somebody that has only algorithmic thinking and analytical skills without having a team working and communicational skills? I have no idea. I asked my collegues working for Google and they also don’t have an idea. Strange …
I was Overqualified to Work in Google
I week after my visit to Google I was informed that my results at the interview were very good but I was not accepted because they don’t have a suitable position for me. It was strange because I solved well all the algorithmic problems during my whole day interview sessions in Zurich. I was a leading programing contestants for more than 10 years, a champion in tens of Olympiads and contests (Bulgarian and International) so the technical questions were not complex for me. There were no other questions except the technical ones which I solved so I believe I passed the interview successfully.
I filled an employment application form in which I requested a relatively high salary and high position because I was an Olympiads medal winner, had more than 12 years of commercial experience as software engineer, trainer, consultant and project leader, and currently hold very high technical position in Sofia. I believe Google will have such open positions in Zurich but unfortunately they didn’t. I was rejected probably because I was overqualified.