Google L3 | Dec'24
Anonymous User
941
Googleinterview experienceOnsiteInterview

Hi Everyone,

I recently went through an interview process for an SDE position at Google Ads. Although I didn't make it through, I learned a lot from the experience and wanted to share my journey and takeaways.

Timeline and Background:

  • Recruiter Outreach: 29th September 2024.
  • Current Status: Graduated from NIT with CSE degree in June, 2023. I have 1.5 YOE as an SDE, currently employed at the same company.

Phone Screen Round (Elimination Round)

  • Date: Scheduled for 11th November 2024 but rescheduled to 27th November 2024 due to a Interviewer issue.
  • Interviewer: Based in Germany.
  • Format: Brief introductions followed by a coding question.
  • Question: Greedy algorithm-based medium-level problem.
  • Approach:
    1. Explained the brute-force solution first.
    2. Verified with the interviewer if coding the brute force was necessary.
    3. Presented and implemented the optimized solution.
  • Outcome: Selected
  • Tips:
    1. Stay calm and think aloud.
    2. Clearly communicate your thought process.
    3. Always confirm if the interviewer wants you to code the brute-force solution before moving to optimization.

Onsite Interviews (3 Technical Rounds + 1 Googleyness Round)
Round 1 (DSA Focused):

  • Date: 13th December 2024

  • Interviewer: Based in India.

  • Question: Based on HashMaps, Sorting

  • Details:

    1. After a quick 2-minute introduction, the interviewer directly presented a tricky problem involving Hashmaps and Sorting.
    2. I explored multiple approaches, including priority queues, sorting, and sets, but couldn't finalize or code the solution in the allotted 45 minutes in expected time and space complexity.
    3. The interviewer was largely silent and didn’t provide much feedback during the session.

  • Self-verdict: No hire

  • Reflection: Speed is important along with Accuracy

Round 2 (DSA Focused):

  • Date: 18th December 2024

  • Interviewer: Based in India.

  • Details:

    1. Problem involved Matrix operations and Mathematics. Only the matrix was provided on the platform; the question was explained verbally.
    2. Took 37 minutes to complete the initial solution.
    3. Discussed follow-up approaches verbally (DP, BFS, and more Math-based methods) but didn’t have enough time to code them.

  • Self-verdict: Lean Hire/Hire

  • Tips: Practice writing code quickly and efficiently to leave time for follow-ups.

Round 3 (Googleyness & Leadership):

  • Date: 20th December 2024
  • Interviewer: Based in India.
  • Details:
    1. After a 5-minute introduction, the interviewer asked 6-7 situational and managerial-type questions, along with follow-ups.
    2. Some questions were unexpected, requiring quick thinking and adaptability.
  • Self-verdict: Lean Hire/Hire

Final Outcome:
On 23rd December, I received a rejection email from the recruiter.

Takeaways:

  1. Being approached by Google was an incredible opportunity. But I didn't quite grasp it.
  2. In hindsight, I could have prepared more effectively, especially for time management and verbal communication.
  3. I wish I had put efforts in the right direction.

Available to Connect.

Comments (4)