Upcoming Google interview, looking for some preparation advice

Question

Well I've been hitting the books wherever I can. I have an interview coming up, first one via phone, for a software engineer position. I've read all the blog posts, I've read all the accounts of interviews (some pretty old), and Google itself even suggested a reading list of books, none of which would surprise anyone here. Still, after some time preparing, I can't shake that feeling that there is such a large ground to cover, and I'm never sure whether to go with depth or breadth. I've found myself re-learning a whole area of compsci, only to forget most of the nitty details as I move on to another.

So, I don't know that there's a good answer to this question, but I'm looking for any practical advice on how to tackle the remaining weeks in advance of the interview. Part of my brain is tired from cramming, and of course the rest of it has to be utilized for some tough problems at my current place of employment.

Answer 1

Things you should know

• Google wants to hire you!

  The life-blood of any software company is its employees and Google is no different. It's looking to hire the best and the brightest and the people conducting the interview(s) want you to succede just as much as you do.

• Google will do it's best to evaluate you as accurately as possible. It's their job.

  Google is a data-driven company. Hiring decisions are not decided by manager fiat. Instead, each interviewer takes extensive notes during the interview which gets combined into a packet. That packet will then get reviewed by a separate committee, which will ultimately make the decision. So if you just weren't 'gelling' with one of your interviewers don't worry! What matters is how well you perform on the interview.

Skills you should have

Be sure to brush up on the following skills/techniques before your interview. Even if you don't get asked a question on these directly, reviewing them can certainly get your head into the right mindset.

• Data structures

  What is the difference between an Array and a Linked List? A Tree and a Graph? When would you use one over the other? How would that impact speed/memory tradeoffs?

  An interview question doesn't end at a working solution. Be able to explain the runtime of your approach and what sorts of trade offs you could make. For example, "if I cached everything it would take X gigs of RAM but would perform faster because...". Or, "if I kept the binary tree sorted while I performed the operations X would be slower, Y would be faster, etc."

• Algorithms

  Basic graph traversal algorithms, tree traversal algorithms, and two good approaches for sorting numbers.

  Make sure to practice solving a non-trivial problem using Dynamic Programming. That is your ace in the hole when it comes to tough interview questions!

• Hash tables

  This is huge. Know everything there is to know about hash tables, from being able to implement one yourself, to knowing about hashing functions, to why the number of buckets should be a prime number. The concepts involved with hash tables are relevant to just about every area of Computer Science.

• Talking points about yourself

  That first few minutes of chit-chat with the interviewer is an important time to explain any sort of experience which sets you apart. Relevant projects, significant technical accomplishments, and the like. Remember, the person conducting the interview has interviewed dozens if not hundreds of smart people just like you. So what can you say that would surprise them?

  For example, in an interview I spoke to the interviewer about a program I wrote to play the game of Go in college. It is very difficult to write an AI for the game of Go, and I have a horrible Go-bot to prove it! The bottom line is be yourself, and not just some smart person who knows how to program.

Don't stress out too much, it's just an interview like any other. Rest assured that nobody will ask you stupid questions about manhole covers or Mt. Fuji.

Answer 2

Relax

if your interview is anything like mine was, the interviewer is not there to grill you into submission, he's there to see how you think.

EDIT: this was just the initial phone interview, i don't know about anything further than that...and if i did i probably couldn't tell you anyway!

Answer 3

If you have spent the last couple of months at careercup you can afford to relax. What happens at that moment in the interview can not be planned but better be relaxed and have the energy to last the rounds.

Answer 4

The first thing you need to have is patience and stamina. You will go trough 5-9 interviews and it will takes the entire day. The questions are mostly brain crackers and not bookish.