The Stars Align: Google Interview preparations (Phone and On-Site)
Even though we have not completed our six months training, Olek decided to proceed with the interview. A phone interview with a recruiter happened sometime during the first week of December. It was about technical jargon. She then asked for his availability for a technical phone interview with a Googler. Olek decided to schedule his phone interview next year in early January. We were supposed to have a week-long anime marathon during the holiday but had to change our plans. We very much spent our Christmas week training for his phone interview.
These are the courses he took in preparation from Coursera:
Now that the holidays are over, he had his technical phone interview with a Google engineer. I am unable to disclose the questions because of NDA.
He solved the main problem then two additional questions and one bonus round included on the phone call.
After that, I operated on the assumption that he will be doing an on-site interview (haha!). To prepare for a new training program, I started researching and reading others’ experiences. In general (2019–2020 version), the Google On-site interview involves four rounds of technical questions, one behavioral and one lunch (no bearing) with a Googler. Each round will last for 45 mins, and you’ll be doing the typical whiteboard interview.
I prepared a whiteboard, marker, and eraser that he can use to practice. Coding on a whiteboard is unnatural, and the unfamiliarity can cause more unnecessary nervousness during the actual interview. He was hesitant, but I made some points:
- Code on a whiteboard, so you know how it feels.
- Code on a whiteboard, so you know what to do.
- Code on a whiteboard, so you can improve your penmanship.
At the same time, I asked him to use a timer when solving a problem.
I wanted him to know his speed and code under time pressure. The inability to finish one medium question in thirty minutes means not good enough (for our standard).
Although we have yet to receive the on-site interview confirmation, we never stop training. Seven days after the technical phone interview, the recruiter called and invited us to do an on-site interview.
The recruiter asked us to send our availability. When choosing for the dates, I made sure to select the dates when the stars will align in his favor. You can calculate it using your birthday, time of birth, and the tentative date. Okay, I was not serious. We selected the dates based on Olek’s schedule and availability. He also opted to do his interview in a room with a computer.
Once the interview date was confirmed, we ramped up our training schedule, we completely ditched our time to relax and went to training right after dinner. From here onwards, he has to solve: 2 medium & 1 hard questions nightly. Our aim was to complete at least 300 Leetcode questions before his on-site interview.
Supplemental book:
Cracking the coding Interview 6th Edition
The day finally arrived, and similar to other mornings, I selected his clothes. I purposely picked his best fitting clothes and shoes to boost his confidence. I like to think that confident people can speak and communicate effectively, skills that are handy during an on-site technical interview.
At this point, he finished 301 Leetcode questions, and ranked within the top 500 on Leetcode’s weekly contest.
I made him a light breakfast and prepared his on-site interview pack:
Water bottle, ballpen & hand sanitizer (this took place in the middle of COVID-2019 early days).
He left for Google around 9:15 am, complete with a pep talk and best wishes!
Need inspiration?
I am unable to share the questions because of NDA; none of them were on Leetcode. In a funny plot twist, there was no laptop in his interview room, and he had to code on a whiteboard (good thing I insisted on whiteboard code practice!).
Results:
The first interview: He finished the question on time (no bonus round).
The second interview: Behavioral questions
The third interview: We were unprepared for this and therefore did terribly. For this part, the interviewer asked academic-like questions with specific answers. My husband’s only regret was trying to come up with answers instead of saying, “Sorry, I don’t remember anymore.”
The fourth interview: He finished the question on time (with bonus round).
The fifth interview: He finished the question on time (with bonus round).
The interview started at 10:00 am and ended at 3:00 pm. Olek uses a standing table at work, so standing for at least three hours for the interview was easy. What was unaccounted for was the discomfort of what writing on a whiteboard for hours can bring. So, train up your muscles!
When he arrived home, he said he did okay. He eventually fell asleep before dinner as if he was recouping his energy. To end the day, I made his favorite meal for dinner. I believe having food ready is essential. Prepare your dinner ahead of time. If you did well, you have a celebratory meal. If you did poorly, you have comfort food.
The hardest part was waiting, and the best way to cope with the unknown is to live continuously. Worrying over things we have no control of is not an efficient and effective way to spend time. While waiting for the results, we kept on training and sending out applications to other companies.
