Re: [tlug] FWIW: Google Japan Interview Experience

[scott <scott@example.com>]

Hi everyone,

I had a similar annoying experience interviewing for Google Japan a
couple of years ago- I was applying for a assistant Technical Support /
Sysadmin position, and the interview process was pretty much identical
to what Jim described. 

IIRC I had 14 interviews @ 30+ mins apiece. The first 6 or so went
swimmingly, but gradually I began to be annoyed at the lack of
organization on Google's side during the process. There were several
problems with the scheduling, for example the person from the U.S. side
forgot about the International Date Line and scheduled a few of the
interviews a day before I had actually requested, so they landed on my
birthday, which would usually be no big deal but I had friends in town
from overseas and it turned out to be a bit of a hassle.

Also, a couple of the interviewers ended up asking me the exact same
technical questions others had asked- it seemed obvious they were not
consulting with each other and had not read each others reviews or
questions beforehand, and it really did feel kind of demeaning in a way.
I was taking time off of my already incredibly busy work schedule to
interview, so answering the same long technical questions twice was
frustrating to say the least. 

Around the time of the final interviews I was becoming apathetic about
the position- thinking if they hadn't decided yet whether or not they
were interested after all of the time I have given them, then why
continue? My last phone interview was with someone whose accent was so
severe I could barely understand his questions and had to keep asking
him to repeat them. Then during the final interviews in the office, one
guy was so condescending, maybe you know the type: Tarantino know-it-all
smirk on his face and a demeanor that just said "you are worthless and a
total waste of my time". Needless to say, I didn't get the job.

That isn't to say I wouldn't apply to work for Google again however if
the chance arose. Interviewing with them was a real learning experience-
I had never been interviewed like that before, and it was useful to get
kind of an idea about what employers are looking for in candidates and
what kinds of questions they throw at you. Also, it was an impetus to
study more to heal my bruised ego ;-)

In the end, it reminds me of something in speech by Randy Pausch- "The
walls are there to keep people out that just don't want it bad enough."
Next time I'm going to try 10 times harder.

Cheers,
Scott VanDusen
Tokyo