Comments on: My Interview With Google http://www.nomachetejuggling.com/2006/12/30/my-interview-with-google/ Rod Hilton's rants about stuff he cares about way too much. Sat, 28 Jan 2012 12:01:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2 By: Martin http://www.nomachetejuggling.com/2006/12/30/my-interview-with-google/comment-page-5/#comment-116810 Martin Wed, 25 Jan 2012 03:27:57 +0000 http://www.nomachetejuggling.com/2006/12/30/my-interview-with-google/#comment-116810 What's all the fuss about working for Google anyway? I'd rather work for 'the next Google' ... whoever that is :-) What’s all the fuss about working for Google anyway? I’d rather work for ‘the next Google’ … whoever that is :-)

]]> By: sg http://www.nomachetejuggling.com/2006/12/30/my-interview-with-google/comment-page-5/#comment-90344 sg Sun, 16 Oct 2011 06:35:19 +0000 http://www.nomachetejuggling.com/2006/12/30/my-interview-with-google/#comment-90344 Fuck google!!! Mean-ass mother fuckers!!! Fuck google!!! Mean-ass mother fuckers!!!

]]> By: Surabhi Jain http://www.nomachetejuggling.com/2006/12/30/my-interview-with-google/comment-page-5/#comment-64738 Surabhi Jain Thu, 11 Nov 2010 07:48:24 +0000 http://www.nomachetejuggling.com/2006/12/30/my-interview-with-google/#comment-64738 Really enjoyed reading your post and comments. I was rejected by Google last year and had a similar experience! Really enjoyed reading your post and comments. I was rejected by Google last year and had a similar experience!

]]> By: Rejected http://www.nomachetejuggling.com/2006/12/30/my-interview-with-google/comment-page-5/#comment-61991 Rejected Mon, 26 Jul 2010 22:26:09 +0000 http://www.nomachetejuggling.com/2006/12/30/my-interview-with-google/#comment-61991 I had similar experience about a month ago. Funny thing is that many of my ex-coworkers ended up at Google. Two of them were laid off from another big company for being incompetent before joining Google. I know for sure they would have hard time answering algorithmic questions. I'm not a god of algorithms, but had experience teaching students and I like puzzles and math. Anyway, none of questions was hard for me except for one which was easy to solve but I did not have chance to write code because interviewer interrupted me and started talking about a different matter. Not sure what was his feedback on me. Anyway, last dude who gave me 2 coding tasks, did not interact with me at all. I've written code for the first taks. He said "ok" and that was basically all words I heard from him. Then I started working on another taks and wanted to get deep in complexity of solution and how to optimize that. Dude insisted that I needed to use a prefix tree (trie) for optimization. I've conquered him and proved that prefix tree is not the right solution there. Dude did not want to discuss that anymore and left saying "I gotta go, bye". I've checked all possible solutions for the task he gave me, none of solutions mention prefix tree as a possible way for optimization... Well, I obviously got rejected because I "did not optimize complexity of my solutions". Huh? I was not arrogant during interviews. Believe me. I've expressed my ideas on solutions well enough. Hearing this is a plain insult to me. Sorry, google, I will not apply for work anymore. If google really wants to improve hiring process, first they need to do to make it open. Candidate needs to know exactly what he did wrong and where he can improve. Second, interviewers should be experienced and controlled. Idiots who don't know answer to their own puzzles/tasks must not interview candidates. Third, interviewers should meet after interviews to discuss pros/cons instead of sending anonymous letters to a "hiring committee". Fourth, HR at Google is arrogant and incompetent at best. Fire them and hire well paid and happy HR's. I had similar experience about a month ago. Funny thing is that many of my ex-coworkers ended up at Google. Two of them were laid off from another big company for being incompetent before joining Google. I know for sure they would have hard time answering algorithmic questions. I’m not a god of algorithms, but had experience teaching students and I like puzzles and math.
Anyway, none of questions was hard for me except for one which was easy to solve but I did not have chance to write code because interviewer interrupted me and started talking about a different matter. Not sure what was his feedback on me. Anyway, last dude who gave me 2 coding tasks, did not interact with me at all. I’ve written code for the first taks. He said “ok” and that was basically all words I heard from him. Then I started working on another taks and wanted to get deep in complexity of solution and how to optimize that. Dude insisted that I needed to use a prefix tree (trie) for optimization. I’ve conquered him and proved that prefix tree is not the right solution there. Dude did not want to discuss that anymore and left saying “I gotta go, bye”. I’ve checked all possible solutions for the task he gave me, none of solutions mention prefix tree as a possible way for optimization…
Well, I obviously got rejected because I “did not optimize complexity of my solutions”. Huh? I was not arrogant during interviews. Believe me. I’ve expressed my ideas on solutions well enough. Hearing this is a plain insult to me. Sorry, google, I will not apply for work anymore.
If google really wants to improve hiring process, first they need to do to make it open. Candidate needs to know exactly what he did wrong and where he can improve. Second, interviewers should be experienced and controlled. Idiots who don’t know answer to their own puzzles/tasks must not interview candidates. Third, interviewers should meet after interviews to discuss pros/cons instead of sending anonymous letters to a “hiring committee”. Fourth, HR at Google is arrogant and incompetent at best. Fire them and hire well paid and happy HR’s.

]]> By: Marius http://www.nomachetejuggling.com/2006/12/30/my-interview-with-google/comment-page-5/#comment-61915 Marius Tue, 20 Jul 2010 09:19:59 +0000 http://www.nomachetejuggling.com/2006/12/30/my-interview-with-google/#comment-61915 Great article! Thanks for sharing with us your Google experience. Google interviews are really really interesting and your story is great! P.S. Nice pictures!:) Great article! Thanks for sharing with us your Google experience.
Google interviews are really really interesting and your story is great!

P.S.

Nice pictures!:)

]]> By: Impatient http://www.nomachetejuggling.com/2006/12/30/my-interview-with-google/comment-page-5/#comment-59385 Impatient Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:36:24 +0000 http://www.nomachetejuggling.com/2006/12/30/my-interview-with-google/#comment-59385 At least they let you know about the rejection. It's been a month since I interviewed at Mountain View, and they still haven't given me their decision. :/ At least they let you know about the rejection. It’s been a month since I interviewed at Mountain View, and they still haven’t given me their decision. :/

]]> By: Joey Giraud http://www.nomachetejuggling.com/2006/12/30/my-interview-with-google/comment-page-5/#comment-59197 Joey Giraud Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:40:46 +0000 http://www.nomachetejuggling.com/2006/12/30/my-interview-with-google/#comment-59197 <i>What is puzzling is the focus on algorithmic complexity. </i> You don't know what Google does? What is puzzling is the focus on algorithmic complexity.

You don’t know what Google does?

]]> By: Google Interview Questions: Interview by google…Do you need job in google? « Indian Developer http://www.nomachetejuggling.com/2006/12/30/my-interview-with-google/comment-page-4/#comment-55843 Google Interview Questions: Interview by google…Do you need job in google? « Indian Developer Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:55:53 +0000 http://www.nomachetejuggling.com/2006/12/30/my-interview-with-google/#comment-55843 [...] full story with lot of nice pics. My Interview With Google [...] [...] full story with lot of nice pics. My Interview With Google [...]

]]> By: Seattle Interview Coach http://www.nomachetejuggling.com/2006/12/30/my-interview-with-google/comment-page-4/#comment-55165 Seattle Interview Coach Sat, 24 Oct 2009 14:18:08 +0000 http://www.nomachetejuggling.com/2006/12/30/my-interview-with-google/#comment-55165 Thanks for the detailed insights! I've compiled 140 Google interview questions. Your readers might find it helpful. Check it out: http://blog.seattleinterviewcoach.com/2009/02/140-google-interview-questions.html - Seattle Interview Coach Thanks for the detailed insights!

I’ve compiled 140 Google interview questions. Your readers might find it helpful. Check it out: http://blog.seattleinterviewcoach.com/2009/02/140-google-interview-questions.html

- Seattle Interview Coach

]]> By: Evie http://www.nomachetejuggling.com/2006/12/30/my-interview-with-google/comment-page-4/#comment-55109 Evie Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:23:46 +0000 http://www.nomachetejuggling.com/2006/12/30/my-interview-with-google/#comment-55109 Who knows if you read these comments anymore, since the article is so old, but I just wanted to say that I had a similar experience! 1st interviewer had a Chinese accent, not a Russian one, and I'm really bad at understanding accents, too. He asked simple questions in retrospect, but I just couldn't get what he was saying at the time. His notes must have also looked like "she has the brain of a chimp". Sigh. I might reapply again, but it's so hard to get enthusiastic about it when I know I might get another interviewer like him...no amount of studying/intelligence/experience can prepare someone for something like that. Who knows if you read these comments anymore, since the article is so old, but I just wanted to say that I had a similar experience! 1st interviewer had a Chinese accent, not a Russian one, and I’m really bad at understanding accents, too. He asked simple questions in retrospect, but I just couldn’t get what he was saying at the time. His notes must have also looked like “she has the brain of a chimp”. Sigh. I might reapply again, but it’s so hard to get enthusiastic about it when I know I might get another interviewer like him…no amount of studying/intelligence/experience can prepare someone for something like that.

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