Phone Interviews with Google?

[apu]

Anyone has any tips or previous experience regarding their phone interview process?

i've looked up on the net (using Google) and hits i found tells me that some phone interviews goes for 1 and half hours. I mean, i am only applying for their New Grad IT field technician position, what the hell am i suppose to have under my belt (as many ppl say that they test u on hardcore algorithms and the basics that u study in Uni, that have been long forgotten)

anyway, any input would be fantastic!

[polishmike]

It's pretty normal for an interview to go that long. They might ask you some technical questions but nothing extremely complex. It will be the stuff that you studied so if you know the tasks you'll be performing I would review some possible questions. I didn't interview with Google (or any other big company) but being in IT business I have a lot of friends that did. Is this you first phone interview? Do you want pointers on interviewing on the phone in general or specific IT related interviews?

[djrajio]

So, Jeremy, tell me a little about yourself.

Because they'll roll and they can't fall down the hole. And because manholes are round.

Um, okay, how about your most recent project?

Turn on two switches, wait a while and turn one off. If the bulb is on, it's the one left on. If the bulb is off and warm, it was the one you switched off. Otherwise it's the one you didn't touch.

How big was the team you were on?

You don't bury survivors.

Uh, what was your contribution to the team?

Light both ends of fuse one and one end of fuse two. When fuse one burns out, light the other end of fuse two.

How would you deal with adding a feature to a late project?

A and B cross, A comes back, C and D cross, B comes back, A and B cross.

How would you handle a conflict between coworkers?

They're seven and a half degrees apart.

What programming languages are you most comfortable with?

Sometimes I'm too much of a perfectionist and I expect too much from my teammates.

You're hired.

[apu]

yea, its my first phone interview

i've had experiences on one on ones, grp but not really phone

some pointers on IT related interviews would be nice, especially for a New Grad IT field technician position!

thanks in advance (BTW, the recruiter replied saying that the interview session should only last 30 mins instead of hours)

cheers

[polishmike]

I hate riddle questions in interviews. That's why I could never work for a big company. That and drug testing.

[apu]

thx for the insight rajio

[apu]

this is the job overview, hope it helps

BTW, i am applying for both graduate schools in US ( me at Australia now) as well as full time jobs. Although i have a bioinformatics degree but i prefer not to work in the research domain

Responsibilities:

• Provide direct support for Linux and Microsoft desktops/laptops and user access to corporate network and applications both on the network as well as through remote VPN access.
  
• Provide direct support for services such as office phones, video conferencing, and remote access.
  
• Provide direct support for Google’s corporate resources and applications.
  
• Provide direct support for Google’s office relocations and expansions.

Requirements:

• BS Degree or equivalent experience.
  
• Excellent knowledge of PC hardware and problem-solving skills.
  
• Understanding of LAN/WAN environments.
  
• Linux/UNIX desktop support experience required.
  
• Expertise in deploying and supporting phone systems, video conferencing and various wireless devices.
  
• Experience with applications in a Linux and Microsoft networked environment.
  
• Experience supporting remote users.
  
• Experience working in a global IT organization.
  
• The ability to adjust quickly to changing priorities and make quick decisions with limited information.
  
• Strong organizational, communication, leadership, and customer service skills.
  
• Strong project planning and management skills.
  
• Apple Macintosh experience a plus.

[polishmike]

I would make some notes on stuff like your strengths and weaknesses. Make a list of topics you can talk about, projects you did in school and what problems/solutions you had. Memorize the notes but never read during the interview. I don't think you have much to worry about, this looks like a startup position and shouldn't really require technical answers over the phone. They will just want to hear your people skills. Make sure you're in a quiet room when you're on the phone. No dogs or crying babies. If you're very nervous have a drink before, just don't get wasted.

I have a friend who always stands up or walks around during phone interviews. He says that helps him and also makes him sound better.

[polishmike]

I just read the description after I posted. Don't worry about technical questions. There shouldn't be any complicated ones for a position like that. I'm assuming you have basic knowledge of troubleshooting and that should be enough. Speak loud and clear and you should be fine.

Just heads up, this job will consist of replacing hard drives and ink cartridges. If you want to work in technical support I recommend smaller companies. This could be good for experience but the job will most likely suck.

[apu]

haha, yea, i realize i am not applying for any potentially 'fun' or rewarding position

but having a non-IT major as my undergrad degree (BINF + science), i cant really apply for the software engineer position (did i mention i suck at programming, well, at least not in Perl)

but thx for the tips anyways!

ALSO, anyone has contacts in big pharmas like GSK, Merck, Pfizer etc, those are actually the companies/industry i would like to step in but after checking out their employment website, they dont really have any potential vacancies for me

[englandmj7]

I work for a major tech. company in Silicon Valley and several of my coworkers are ex-Google employees. Are you applying to work for them in Mountain View?

Unfortunately for the college undergrad, the horror stories you hear of Google's selectivity are very true. I know people who went to top 10 schools, who have tons of relative experience and have gotten turned down there time and time again (not to scare you or anything )

[Kasper]

my brother went through the undergrad recruiting process recently (he just got back from mountain view this morning and is awaiting the final decision). he got 2 interviews, one with hr, which was more of a fit interview, with situations and everything, the usual kind of bullshit interview you get with HR. the second was with a software engineer (my brother is a software engineer undergrad and applied for a software engineering job). it was all technical for an hour and a half. my brother said it was extremely difficult and complex, but he made it through. his position is really different than the one you are applying too though and he applied to pretty much to most coveted position at google so that might explain why it was so difficult. but she, google is extremely selective and flying someone over and paying hotel and taxi for an interview is expensive so they really make sure there is a fit before so i guess that's why the interview was pretty hard.

[apu]

i see

well, i am applying for Google at their Sydney office, not in the US

the only relative experience i have was when i was working as an intern in a company called Ambarella (i think also based in Silicon Valley) last year

also, is the recruitment process the same if u hold a Master's degree?

[chizzua]

Usually you will be asked technical questions general to your field of work, maybe a riddle or two, and even to write some code on the spot. Make sure to explain your thought process while you are answering the question even though you may not know the correct answer. They think the ability to think outside the box is a very important characteristic in their employees. A master's degree would be helpful, but it is not the most important thing. Experience/previous projects even open source ones seem to be a major selling point.

[DaBestSpoona]

from looking at the requirements:

you gotta be careful with that phone system requirement

Phone systems especially for a large scale global company are pretty complicated, I'm pretty sure a company like google is using VOIP, it's not something you can read a book about, or search on google to bs. It's something you learn through expensive training and on the job.

[apu]

i see, i should do some homework before the coming thursday

[superdupersang]

kipnaping the head honcho's dog and mailing back bits is always a winner

[abhi900]

hi apu,

i was just going through the google pages to find about the set of questions that is being asked by google in phone interview.

i read that you had applied for the same position as me, can u please guide me what was the second round of interview about. how technical it is and what are they looking for. it will be a great help and boost to my morale if could jst let me knw.

thnx a ton mate.

cheers

abhi.

[apu]

they dont ask too many technical questions, but that means if u screw one or two up, then u r screwed

i remember one question was 'what does the command chmod 775 (or755) do in unix'

second round of interview, u go in to the office of google and talk to them for a while and then u speak to the department manager or something like that

[abhi900]

hi apu, thnx for ur feedback,

i was asked abt tht quest and difference abt routers and switch and abt some ipconfig commands.

well they said i will be having a second round but it will be a phone interview as well and more technical.

so i was wondering on tht.. what stage have u reached so far. and r u shifting to sydney as well.

cheers

abhi.

[apu]

yea, they asked me pretty much the same question abt the routers, and ipconfig /all

I asked the lead recruitment office, Raija (is she the one who spoke to u?), and she said after the phone interview, there wont be any more techical questions???

i withdrawl from the recruitment process as i decided to undertake my Masters in the US, so no point wasting their resources and my time!

Good luck on your interview, I actually wont mind to work as an intern for Google, since i have 4 months free till the semester starts

A

[soraanaam]

that means you can do the interview in your thongs

[abhi900]

yesi spoke to her, and she said there will be second round of technical phone interview. so after how many days or weeks did she call u after ur 1st round. its been nearly a week for me since i gave my last interview.

and was those questions asked to u in ur second round ..cheez i was asked in first round..... dunno if i am going to sydney for second round. did u go..????

cheers

abhi.

[apu]

i am currently in Sydney

i applied by sending an email to them and another recrutment officer replied my email and said to organize a time for phone interview, after the interview with Raija, i decided to withdrawl from the recru. process.