My Google Interview Experience | What I learnt from 14 Google interviews

I recently had 2 interview cycles with Google, each included 7 interviews.
In this video, I share my Google interview experience, the mistakes I made during the process and the lessons I learnt from them.
I explain what happened at each step and what I would have done differently if I had to do it again.
Hopefully you can learn from my experience :)
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[@Its.all.goodman]

This is so real, like that honesty. I will share my interview experiences. I attended more than 30 companies and got rejected in all of them, except 2. One company kept me on hold and the other gave me an offer. For a certain time, I handled rejections well and after 4 to 5 months, I eventually lost my confidence and started applying for all companies irrespective of the pay they are ready to offer, it is really hard, I'm bad at coding and most of the times I got rejected in the very first round. Learnings from this is to be prepared, you need to know that concept very well before using it to solve a coding problem, for example: binary search is a searching algorithm, sometimes you may think that this problem requires some extra space to optimize, but the actual optimization might be binary search, if you understand binary search well, you can apply them easily, its all about learning the patterns). Now, Im working as a angular developer and practicing problems in my free time. I have the confidence that one day I will be a better programmer.

[@Basta11]

We have to look at it like actors in audition, sometimes we get the part, sometimes we don’t. It’s ok, work on your craft and prepare for the next audition, just do your best. After interviews, don’t think about it anymore. Relax and if they say yes, ok, if not oh well.

[@ShiranAfergan]

Love this! Really good advice 👌🏽

[@spati86]

Thank you for your insight Shiran, I interviewed with Goggle in July 2021 and got rejected after 6 rounds of interviews. It was nerve wracking and my overall confidence took a toll. Yes later I did came upto terms with it. And I feel all that word by word after hearing your story.

[@fafa_ghanbari]

Thank you, Shiron, for your honesty. I've only known you since yesterday and have watched a couple of your videos. What makes you stand out from others is the simple and understandable way you explain everything. Thanks again and keep going.

[@TF242]

The hardest for me is the ego bruising. The fact that you mentioned it just validated my shitty feeling when I got my first ever rejection... (although it was for an internal posting at an already huge company). Wishing you all the best and congrats on the wedding. :)

[@neerajprakash1808]

which company bro?

[@beedo15]

This is extremely relatable! Thank you for sharing your experience, specifically about the On-site interviews.

[@Qwahchees]

Thanks for sharing. I bombed a West Coast style tech interview a few weeks ago but ended up learning a lot from the interviews. I eventually got a offer I was excited for and I start tomorrow! I think the best piece of advice is accepting that we're not perfect.

[@ShiranAfergan]

That’s awesome! Best of luck in your new job!! 💪🏽💪🏽

[@dorlg6655]

after more than 40 interviews at Microsoft/Google/Facebook/Amazon over the last year, I think the most important tip to remember is: don't let the "No" bring you down because eventually a 'no' means that you are not the right person for the position, which is the same as saying that this position is NOT RIGHT FOR YOU (yet\ at all). keep learning, keep practicing, and the time will come and you will find the position that you belong to in the company that you belong to. in my case: eventually, I've got the "yes" I've been waiting for, and I'm glad I've got this specific one, not the others, because it suits me best.

[@ShiranAfergan]

Well-put 👏🏼 I Completely agree. All the best for your new job!

[@yashwanthd1998]

How do you get those interview calls?

[@dorlg6655]

@@yashwanthd1998 just apply to every job that might fit, And follow new openings On the career website

[@yashwanthd1998]

@@dorlg6655 have you applied on linkedin? Or any specific platform. I hope there will be thousands of applicants ,how do you stand out. How much experience you have in ds

[@dorlg6655]

@@yashwanthd1998 I applied mostly directly in the company career page. and i have about 5 years of experience in full stack/backend development

[@BharatiSubramanian99217]

This was very much needed. Thank you. I have an interview coming up so this was very helpful.

[@rikpatel]

Congrats! Great content, rejection is a learning lesson on where you need to focus more to prepare for your future interviews better. I recently had my Google's interview and even after failing I still feel confident that I can perform and get there, I just need to prepare a little better in the areas where I struggled during the interview.

[@ShiranAfergan]

That’s awesome that you feel this way 💪🏽😎 I completely agree! This is how you learn and improve

[@stevenzeng7067]

Just want to comment that I watched a lot of your videos to prepare for my interviews! I’m interning at Google this fall, and you were a major help! Interviews are also based a lot on luck, so don’t sweat it :)

[@ShiranAfergan]

I’m so happy to hear that! Best of luck in your internship! I’m glad I could help :)

[@DavidQuesada]

What an excellent video and words of wisdom, thank you!

[@vinceluu]

Hi Shiran, Just wanted to thank you for your videos. I watched a lot of them during my prep and I have offers from Microsoft, Google, and Meta!

[@ShiranAfergan]

Awesome job Vince! Super happy for you 👏🏼 which one did you choose?

[@TimoRoseNDFilms]

Hello Plesae i am currrently preparing for my interview with google any advice to help crack the interview?

[@chrisogonas]

Great pieces of advice! Thanks

[@satviksharma4897]

Congrats! Grateful for the effort you put into sharing the knowledge. Thanks

[@ShiranAfergan]

Thank you 😊

[@nins0733]

You are inspiring and very honest! 🥰

[@vinaykenguva362]

Glad to find ur video again

[@pianowhizz]

10am is the brain’s highest focus time in its circadian rhythm - always book technical interviews then. First thing after lunch judges are most lenient - so book non-technical interviews then.

[@ziomalZparafii]

At 10 my brain still sleeps. I set up my first Google interview at 16, just after my current work. I found that during my regular workday I usually do more between 15..17 than between previous 9..15. Well, I could work 2h a day at 15..17 and do 90% of my usual work heh

[@oscarherediamiranda616]

Hi guy! This is Oscar here from Peru. Thank you for making this type of video. I hope you can make more videos about this.

[@angelosorte5464]

Thank you so much for sharing this! Going to have the second interview with Google on April!

[@ShiranAfergan]

Awesome! Best of luck in your interview 💪🏽

[@sea0920]

The real problem is that even if you have done everything perfectly, somehow you get rejected and they don't tell you why. Seriously... I interviewed at Google 5 times already and in the first 3 interviews I completely understand that I didn't perform well and therefore got rejected. I prepared more hoping I can master it. But for the later interviews, I am sure I did pretty well but HC somehow doesn't extend the offer.

[@asafmor]

Great video Shiran! Good to see ya again!

[@ShiranAfergan]

😆🦎Glad you liked it 🦎😆

[@ibrahimalshubaily9520]

Congrats 🤙🏾

[@charlesopuoro5295]

Congratulations on the wedding. Thank you so much for this positive and encouraging video.

[@ShiranAfergan]

Thank you!! 😊

[@charlesopuoro5295]

@@ShiranAfergan You're most welcome. 🙏🏾

[@correabuscar]

1:30 I believe that you still have to use the google careers site in order to be in the database, I remember a google recruiter saying that (that she can't do anything if you're not in the database) on Clement Mihailescu's channel.

[@ashwanikumar415]

when you spoke about rejection, i felt terribly bad (small tear in my eye). But am glad you made this video :)

[@ShiranAfergan]

That’s sweet of you 🥹☺️

[@oreuh]

thanks for sharing your story.

[@TonyDiCroce]

The first time I really bombed in an interview hurt a lot. But now I look at it like this: frankly speaking, at the heart of most of these "leetcode" questions is some kind of trick... Sure, sometimes that trick is a generally useful thing... but frequently it's not. If you know the trick, you can answer the problem. If you don't, you cannot. Most of the time when I write code I try to write really simple, obvious code because of this advice: "Debugging is twice as hard as writing the code in the first place. Therefore, if you write the code as cleverly as possible, you are, by definition, not smart enough to debug it." - Brian W. Kernighan. So, in some ways the more trained you are at writing production code, the less prepared you are for leetcode... I have spent my entire life since I was 8 years old building software and trying to write simple code... My brain is NOT optimized for tricky code. Personally, I think you SHOULD ask candidates to write code... but that code should NOT be tricky... It SHOULD require them to use common data structures and techniques, but should NOT require them to to figure out your puzzle. So, you should not feel bad because you bombed a leetcode question. It really doesn't say much about your software engineering ability. All that said, this is the game they want to play... and these jobs pay a LOT... so we gotta learn this nonsense... but don't feel bad about not doing well on a leetcode question.

[@ShiranAfergan]

Hey Tony, you made a really good point here about writing simple code. I spent most of my career doing performance optimizations and after some point there is a trade-off between readability\maintainability and performance. It’s all about finding the right balance for the use case. I completely agree that you should not feel bad for not passing an interview and that it doesn’t say much about your engineering ability. Thanks for your comment :)

[@insoochung9029]

Hi if you don’t mind me asking was the second one through another referral? If so, were both referrals made by the same person?

[@ashokmolagavalli]

Congratulations 🎉 !

[@ShiranAfergan]

Thank you!

[@juda550]

Congrats on the marriage, as well as getting the offer from Facebook! I will also be joining Facebook soon, but as an intern :)

[@ShiranAfergan]

Thanks! And congratulations to you too 🎊 best of luck in your internship 👏🏼

[@jlecampana]

Great video Shiran, but first of all, I wish you all the success in the world in your new role of Wife! Now, this video comes at the best time possible as I'm days away from my first Interview with Google, but I must admit that I'm surprised that you didn't get the job at Google twice, you're an extraordinary and gifted programmer, moreover, Google seems to be about candidates who can communicate and explain things well, and you obviously fall in this category.

[@jlecampana]

Oh by the way, I have failed a Facebook interview in the past in the most spectacular way possible!

[@ShiranAfergan]

Thank you for the lovely words!! And best of luck in your interview, I’m sure you’ll smash it 💪🏽💪🏽 let me know how it went!

[@jlecampana]

@@ShiranAfergan I will.

[@shruthirao3865]

I have my google interview lined up too but practically itz not gonna work out for me .....

[@Truffles330]

Even I had my Google interview. But last round was quite tough after the system design round. 😢

[@casualgamer9075]

I have my first interview with google soon and 100% expect to fail. My goal is to get the interview and get some experience to prepare for other interviews with other companies. Personally, I prefer smaller employers. Great video.

[@ReivajLive]

Hey, how it went?

[@AmanSharma-vb5jl]

today finally you are smiling😁 congo mam

[@ShiranAfergan]

Haha it’s not easy for me to be natural on camera. I try to improve with each video 😆

[@AmanSharma-vb5jl]

@@ShiranAfergan keep going mam ,you rocks!

[@ShiranAfergan]

Thanks :)

[@arikxl]

מזל טוב!!

[@ShiranAfergan]

תודה :)

[@JimmyGeniusEllis]

Oh no! I didn’t get hired by Google I got hired by Facebook instead! Woe is me! How shall I ever survive! That’s a joke. I really liked your videos about this. Google contacted me randomly in May on LinkedIn and scouted me because of my previous work history with big corporations. Like you said They really are open about when you can take the interview because after I passed the phone interview I told them I would be ready to interview in January when I was done with my current project at my current corp and they went along with it. Watching your videos on the subject is part of my intense training to pass the Google interview in 2023. Thanks for sharing! Glad you got a FAANG job! I liked commented and subscribed.Questiom. Because you work for Facebook does that mean you do a lot of react?

[@tejask.v8687]

How about Bcom Graduates Can expect Questions ? Can u make a Vedio on It , It will most HelpFulll ...

[@MrEG12341]

מזל טוב שירן!

[@ShiranAfergan]

תודה! 🙂

[@bayou__]

Remind me again

[@a7med-775]

is gpa important for google interviews

[@shubhamchandra9258]

Getting rejected a couple times by Google is a common process. First time failure is almost certain if you aren't from a tech company already.

[@PlayerofNoobishness]

I think it would have been awesome to change the text font from the google colors into the blue facebook colors at the enat 10:09

[@ahmedtremo]

Thanks

[@shruthirao3865]

I'm taking up d interview tough so tat i can get to know what facts on work on

[@johngrear6506]

More than anything, this story shows that Google failed far more than she did.

[@TechPulseTrending]

Congratulations

[@ShiranAfergan]

Thanks 🙂

[@ersinerdem7285]

Which level did they start you the interview process for Google? And how many YOE you had?

[@ShiranAfergan]

They don’t tell you the exact level ahead of time but it was mid-senior. In the second round I had about 4-5 years of experience.

[@ersinerdem7285]

@@ShiranAfergan Like if you do very well, will get L5, else if still accepted, will get L4?

[@ShiranAfergan]

I don’t remember the Google level numbers but yes, if you do really well (system design is a big factor) you get a higher level

[@jamieg1802]

wow that is a ton of interviews! Do you get paid for your time in 7 interviews?

[@ShiranAfergan]

Got paid with a rejection letter 😆

[@akbar55555shaikh]

Congratulations 🎉 for your job and marriage

[@ShiranAfergan]

Thank you! 😊

[@praveenchakravarthy2776]

Such a Great Content...thank u so much!!! your videos are truely inspiration for my dream to work in google....i've one doubt which makes me so anxiety...i've 4 years of experience in software engineering(FULL STACK) in rockwell automation(3years) and siemens(present) in india...now i'm getting ready for google like learing ds and algo, system designing...my question is 1) can i apply google california directly from india 2) do i need to have master's degree for that? 3) am i eligible for google usa?...please clear my doubts!!! by the way big fan from INDIA😇

[@ShiranAfergan]

Thanks Praveen! I’m so happy you enjoy my videos and find them helpful :) I don’t know if you can apply to USA positions from India (or from any other non-US country). Maybe you can start by applying in India and ask the recruiter. Regarding question 2, normally a master’s degree is not required for SW engineering positions unless it’s for research, ML or other specific roles.

[@praveenchakravarthy2776]

@@ShiranAfergan thank you so much for your reply!!!

[@vinyass3733]

@@praveenchakravarthy2776 hey praveen, could you make it to google ? can you share your experiance

[@hello_world_zz]

תותחית

[@correabuscar]

congrats 0:12 :)

[@LokeshKumar-tk7ri]

Do you think that,DSA is enough to get job at Google

[@ShiranAfergan]

Depends on the level you’re applying for. For entry level (intern or new grad) you will only have coding interviews and one behavioral interview so DSA (including complexity analysis) is the most important part. but you will also be judged on coding style and communication skills. Might also require basic knowledge of design and OS concepts like threading and synchronization. For mid and senior positions there are other components as well like system design.

[@adityajagtap4349]

Its so demoralizing when you said you failed in the first round . Damn , Now I have no hopes .. If you can fail , I'm no one .

[@mamabear3610]

Don't say that. Just study hard and build your social network

[@kapilvaishnav6851]

Congratulations ma'am,

[@ShiranAfergan]

Thanks Kapil :)

[@pwnweb5734]

the 2nd round always suck

[@NirmalSilwal]

happy marriage :)

[@ShiranAfergan]

Thanks :)

[@zea7452]

Hi sister can I have your info on social media?

[@delliott8749]

Why did you get married?

[@_0_o_924]

🤡

[@delliott8749]

@@_0_o_924 it’s true

[@jetmangti6475]

Is it even worth to apply for a job in a company, that is leading you through so much interviews ? There are many companies out there, that are looking for sw engineers and they won`t handle you like a dirty towel. 14 interviews is overkill imho. It wastes sooo much time of applicant, that could be used for enhancing their coding skills (and earning nice money) in some other company instead. There is a big demand for SW engineers in the market in general and there are plenty of good paying employers to choose from (imho many of them working on more interesting projects...). Google, Apple and Facebook are not the only ones out there.

[@movocode]

if you don't want to get into Google or FANG then don't apply. Atleast don't demotivate young minds or freshers with your comment. Its completely worth it - as saying goes grapes are sour

[@techpentagon1014]

Please put your linkedin profile in the description below

[@picklerix6162]

I was a little shocked that Google hired one of the laziest developers that I had ever met. I guess Google finally figured it out and laid off the lazy developer.

[@AlameenAdeyemi]

Can i get a referral 😄