Google Recruitment Process | Salary | How to apply | Prep Tips

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There is hardly anyone who doesn't know of Google. Considered to be the most powerful company in the world, Google is a tech giant that spans continents focussing on artificial intelligence, online advertising, search engine, cloud computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, etc. For any professional, working at Google is a dream. The company seeks candidates from entry-level to leadership and its hiring process is an important part of the company culture.

In this article, we will provide you with a gist of Google's recruitment process to help you prepare better for grabbing a job at one of the biggest tech companies. We have also provided links to some useful resources by Google that can help you with your preparation. 

Roles offered by Google

Primarily, Google hires for its following teams:

For engineering graduates, Google has varied job profiles such as: 

How to apply at Google?

Here is a fact about Google's hiring process- Google gets over one million job applications and CVs every year. And only 4,000-6000 applicants finally make it to the company. This means the hiring rate is approximately 1%, as the company rejects about 99% of the incoming applications. This clearly shows how stringent the application process is at Google!

To apply to the company, one can take any of the following ways:

• Online application: This is one of the most convenient methods of applying at Google. Opportunities are available on the Google career page. Candidates can fill in the online application details and submit the application along with the resume.
• Employee referral: A current employee at Google can refer your application. This is a good way to make your job application stand out from the rest.
• Sending a mail to HR: Candidates can directly send a mail to the company HR with regard to a vacant post.
• On-campus recruitment: Google visits some of the top colleges in the country for campus recruitment. The company may offer internships to students which is a great way for freshers to get exposed to Google and gain quality experience.
• Google's competitions: Google conducts coding competitions such as Hash Code, Code Jam, and Kick Start for engineers. Apart from cash prizes for winners, these competitions also help the candidates to get noticed by the recruiters. Winners may be offered job opportunities or may be considered for job interviews by Google. 

Eligibility criteria for engineering freshers

The candidate must meet the following criteria to apply for a job at Google:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering with a good academic record
• At least 65 percent marks throughout the academic career (10th, 12th, and B.Tech course individually)
• No active backlogs when applying
• Good knowledge of the internet, web search, online advertising, numerical analysis, e-commerce, firewalls, etc.
• Strong hold on any of the basic programming languages like C++ or JAVA
• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills
• Good analytical skills

Google Recruitment Process for Engineers

With a mission to organize the world's information and make it universally available, Google seeks candidates who are absolutely sure of their interests and passion apart from their skills. The hiring process at Google is as follows:

Step 1: Screening of the resume

In this initial screening step, the hiring manager screens through all the application forms and resumes received to find the potential candidates. They then contact the shortlisted candidates to brief them regarding the further steps. Here, you may be asked to do a brief online assessment, like a coding quiz, if need be.

Step 2: Interview 

The interview process is more or less the same for every job profile. It includes the following stages:

1. Virtual interviews: These are designed to assess candidate experience and key skills required for the role. These may be short video calls or phone conversations of 15-20 minutes duration.

2. Project work: Candidates may be asked to do some coding project work before heading on to the next stage. The project could be related to any case study, writing code samples, or any other assignment that helps the recruiter to understand your approach to solving a problem. 

3. In-depth Interviews: This is a rigorous stage that can include more than 3 structured interviews in a day, each of 30-45 minutes. It could be an onsite interview or over video. The questions asked in the in-depth interview stage assess your skills and knowledge to know if you match the job role. The questions could be open-ended/behavioral interview questions or straightforward technical questions. Google follows rubrics to assess the candidates to maintain transparency throughout the interviewing process.

To answer the computer science technical questions one must be thorough with topics such as data structures and algorithms, hash tables, stacks, arrays, algorithm space, time complexity, system design, and object-oriented programming. Proficiency in at least one programming language such as C++, Python, or JAVA is important. 

Step 3: Final assessment and review process

The candidate is assessed based on everything- the application form, resume, projects, assignments, and candidate responses in the interviews. Then, ranking is done based on candidate performance to determine the hiring outcomes. After proper assessment, the hiring team shortlists the best-suited candidates for the job.

Once the list of most suitable candidates is ready, the compensation committee reviews and finalizes the compensation/salary for the offer, and the top executive reviews the employment offers before they are extended to the candidate. 

Step 4: Hiring decision and offer

The recruiter reaches out to the selected candidates with the offer. Once the offer is accepted, Google's onboarding process starts wherein the concerned team preps the candidate regarding the insurance, company culture, benefits, badging, etc.

How to prepare for Google interview?

Google interview is a tough nut to crack. But a well-structured strategy can help to sail well through the process and face even the hardest interview questions confidently. One way to perform well in the interview is to PRACTICE. Apart from brushing up on your technical knowledge of important topics, practicing coding is a must since a major part of the interview will require you to put your coding skills to use. Apart from coding on a computer, try coding on a whiteboard. This practice will surely help you during the interview. Attending mock interviews or online interview coaching can also help you fine-tune your preparation. 

Salary structure at Google for engineering positions

The total compensation offered by Google for engineering positions in India is approximately INR 30 LPA with base pay ranging from INR 15 to 17 LPA. The break-up of the CTC is as follows:

FAQs regarding Google recruitment

1. Can one reapply for a job at Google after facing rejection in the past recruitment process? 

Yes, one can reapply. However, for engineering job roles, it is recommended that one waits for a year before reapplying to gain additional experience. 

2. Can I apply for multiple roles at Google?

You can apply for more than one role at once (actually three jobs within a 30-day window). However, it is recommended that you apply for jobs that actually match your skills, interests, and experience.

3. Is a computer science degree needed to be a software engineer at Google? 

No, you don't need a computer science degree. However, knowledge of at least one programming language and proficiency at coding is a must. 

4. Does Google provide any help to prepare for its technical interview?

For any job in software engineering, Google requires you to have a strong understanding of the basics of computer science, irrespective of the stream of your engineering degree.

You can refer to this video to get a brief idea about the technical interview at Google. Also, you can refer to this link to gain additional knowledge and improve your interview preparation. 

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