Interviewing Experience at Google - Application Engineering Intern
It was a cold winter night of November when I was scrolling through my LinkedIn and a mail popped up on my cell phone.
The subject said, "2021 Application Engineering Internship Opportunity with Google India!".
At first, I was like, "Ahh.. this seems interesting. Let’s give it a read."
Neither I had applied nor been referred to this role. It was just sheer luck that the recruiter found me interesting and decided to shoot me an email.
Application Engineering? What’s that? 💼
It was not the first time I was hearing the term Application Engineering, but my initial perspective about the role was a bit off. Like, everyone, I was applying only for SWE roles till now, never thought of going in the AE direction.
When I dug deeper into the role and read more about it, not only I found it more exciting than generic SWE roles, also I found it to be more aligned with my interests and my career perspective.
Application Engineering is more business-aligned and generally focused on building products for fellow Googlers rather than for public release.
Recruitment Process 📃
Let’s dive straight into the process step by step
- Application Review & Shortlisting
- 2 x Hangout Interviews
- Hiring Committee (HC) Review
- Offer Review & Extend
Application Review & Shortlisting 👀
When I got the initial email to check my interest in the role, I was asked to fill an Interview Availability Form.
The form asked for the times when I’m available to take the interviews in a span of 10 days in the second week of December along with my preferred programming languages.
I wasn’t shortlisted till this time. Interviews will only be scheduled if I’m shortlisted for further interaction based on feedback from hiring teams.
Two days later, I got a mail saying I've been shortlisted for the interviews and mandatorily need to take part in an Interview Prep Session. The session took place in the next week.
2 x Hangout Interview 👔
Following the Interview Prep Session, I got the invitations for the interviews.
The interviews were scheduled on the very first day of the availability I gave. Both the interviews were back to back with some rest between them. Along with the schedule, they shared the links to separate Interview Documents.
Both the interviews were approximately 1 hour each and were done via Google Meet.
Coding Interview
Result: Positive
Experience: Good
Application Design Interview
Result: Positive
Experience: Average
Hiring Committee (HC) Review 🕒
A couple of days after the interviews, the recruiter emailed notifying me that I’ve done well in my interviews and they would be moving me to the next stage, Intern Hiring Committee Review.
Here I was also asked to confirm my graduating year and send the latest copies of resume and academic transcripts.
Offer! — the YaY moment! 🥳
Around a week later, the recruiter notified me that I've cleared the hiring process and they would like to extend an internship offer to me.
I was given 48 hours to accept the offer.
Are you interviewing? Here’re some tips.
Before Interviews
- Go through all the resources provided by hiring teams.
- Research about the company. Make sure you know their values.
- Prepare answers to general questions beforehand.
- Go through your resume. Make sure you know, what they know about you.
During Interviews
- Be on time. Join the call 5 minutes before the scheduled time.
- Dress formally. Just because it’s virtual, doesn't mean it's casual.
- Let the interviewer know your thought process. Keep talking.
- Ask clarifying questions, and make use of what the interviewer gives you.
After Interviews
- Ask follow-up questions relevant to the job.
- Ask the interviewer for honest feedback.
- Give closing greetings to the interviewer.
