Google Interview Experience 2024 (L3)
In October 2023, I received an exciting opportunity from a Google recruiter on LinkedIn for an L3 Software Engineer (SWE 2) position. After an initial call with the recruiter to discuss the interview process and my background, I requested a month’s preparation time, as I hadn’t actively coded for some time but the interviews did not happen till Feb 2024 giving me about 3 months.
BackGround
I have around 2 years of experience in Samsung R&D Bengaluru as a Software Developer .
Pre-Interview Preparation (October 2023 — February 2024)
During this period, I focused on solving LeetCode medium and hard problems, specifically those tagged for Google interviews .I also went through programming track in interviewbit.com ( especially arrays, dp and graph).
I also gave a few codeforces contests whenever I could. Additionally, I gave 2–3 mock interviews with my friends to practice my problem-solving and communication skills.
Screening Rounds (February 2024)
Round 1: I was asked a hard question on Breadth-First Search (BFS) and connected components. Although I could partially solve the problem with hints, the feedback was negative. Fortunately, my recruiter secured another screening opportunity for me.
Round 2: This time, the problem involved advanced binary search on strings, with a follow-up question that required implementing a Trie data structure.
Onsite Interviews (February — March 2024)
Round 1: This was sort of a LLD question where I had to design a data structure to manage a waiting list for a restaurant.
Round 2: The question was based on backtracking. Initially, I provided a brute-force solution, but the interviewer prompted me to find an optimised approach. With a hint, I was able to implement the optimal solution.
Round 3: This round focused on a graph problem involving connected components. The interviewer asked me to write the solution and provide unit test cases.
Googleyness Round(March 2024)
In this round there is casual conversation regarding your work experience , how you managed difficulties/conflicts , how you are able to work with other people. I had gone to Korea , worked there for 2 months with other teams and the interviewer was very keen on talking about that experience.
Interview Result
I received positive feedback for all the onsite rounds and my recruiter said that we don’t need to go Hiring committee and would head directly to Team Matching. Additionally, there was a HR round, and team matching where I met with two team managers after which my team was finalised.
Team Matching with Managers
Managers want to know what kind of team you worked with and how did you fit in that, what work did you do and so on .They also asked me what kind of work was interested in.In my opinion they want to see if you are a fit for their team.
After 2 team matching round my team was finalised.
Tips for Success
1.Verbalize your thought process as you work through the problem. This helps the interviewer understand your problem-solving approach.
2. Engage in a discussion with the interviewer to reach the optimal solution as quickly as possible. This will leave good amount of time for coding and any followups from the interviewer.
3. Keeping your LinkedIn profile up-to-date.I beleive updating my LinkedIn profile with relevant skills and current company experience played a role in catching the recruiter’s attention.
Thank You for reading my story, hope it helps you for future interviews !! You can connect with me on linkedin.com/in/sahil-gautam-464406170/