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Google Mountain View Interview Experience

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Even if we were to search around the world, it would be a truly difficult job to find someone like Divanshu. As a Computer Science Graduate of IIIT – Allahabad, he successfully bagged job offers from an astounding three companies – all being some of the best and most admired companies – Google, DE Shaw, and CodeNation. We at TopTalent spoke to Divanshu from IIIT Allahabad about the Google Interview Process, how he managed to crack it, and his suggestions for aspirants looking to achieve something similar.

TopTalent: How do you feel about achieving this rare feat?

I feel elated and happy on cracking the Google, Mountain View offer. It is a dream come true to work for one of the most prestigious IT organizations. I am really looking forward to be a part of the organization next year. It was possible only due to the constant support of my parents and my elder brother who were more than happy to know that I have achieved this wonderful feat.

TopTalent: What other offers did you get apart from Google?

I had interned at D. E. Shaw during the summer of 2014 and got a PPO afterwards. I also got an offer from CodeNation which is a startup under the Trilogy group.

TopTalent: Can you brief us the interview process?

I participated in the Google APAC Code Jam. I stood first in India and seventh globally by solving three out of four problems. All the problems in this round required good knowledge of Algorithms. Based on the performance, Google called me for on­site interviews at their Bangalore office. There were a total of four interviews and involved questions from Programming, Algorithms, Data Structures and Operating System.

TopTalent: Can you give us a brief account of what you felt was the toughest interview?

According to me, all the four interviews had a similar difficulty level. During all the interviews, the difficulty bar was raised slowly as we approached the end of the interview. The interviewers presented a tougher question than what you have already answered.

TopTalent: What was your preparation strategy?

I was preparing for the ACM ICPC contest which played a very big role in improving my knowledge of algorithms, data structures and mathematical reasoning. It helped me to code my logic faster and accurately. Apart from that, I revised my Operating System and Database Management System courses. I also went through my past projects to gain an insight into each one of them.

TopTalent: What kind of skills do you think helped you getting this job?

My major skill is Programming and Algorithms. I have a good rank on Topcoder and other websites which was an advantage. Along with that, I have explored many different fields which helped me a lot. I have good knowledge of web development and mobile application development. I have also worked on projects involving Machine Learning, Information Retrieval and Image Processing.

TopTalent: What resources did you consult? Where did you practice problems from?

For algorithms, I practiced on Topcoder, Codeforces and Codechef participating actively in their regular contests. Introduction to Algorithms by CLRS is a nice book on algorithms. You can also learn from Topcoder Tutorials and various online blogs written by active programmers. For Operating System and DBMS, the course books are enough if you read them thoroughly.

TopTalent: Were grades a factor in you getting selected?

I was required to send all my grade cards after one week of the interview process. Then they reviewed everything and the offer was given. So, I believe that grades were also a factor involved in the selection process.

TopTalent: What’s your advice to students who are aiming for similar placement offers as yours?

Everyone has interests in different domains. One must ensure that they learn more and more about their area of interests. One should be very comfortable in expressing a thought process in any programming language of their choice since most of the companies look for your accurate implementation of the given problem. Also, Codeforces and Topcoder are nice websites to regularly practice your algorithmic skills and improve your problem solving as well. Students should also keep a focus on developing good projects to explore a variety of technologies.


Last Updated : 28 Mar, 2023
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