How I got a Google Internship (and tips!)

In college, I joined Alpha Omega Epsilon, a half-social half-professional sorority for women in engineering and technical sciences. There I met a sister who later joined Google as a software engineer after graduation. She encouraged me to apply and helped me polish my resume, word by word.

She referred me, and I received an email from the staffing. I was so excited that I worked out for extra time that day.

It was after almost three weeks that I received the next email that asked me about scheduling interviews. I interviewed, and on the second or the third day my recruiter told me they sent my packet to the hiring committee.

Things went well. I entered the team matching phase. After talking to three different teams, I was so lucky to be matched to one of the teams. My packet was forwarded to a higher-level committee for final approval.

I made it!

To be honest, whether you can get an offer from a company is actually a lot of luck. There is no such checklist that guarantees success even if you complete all the items. Doing certain things though will increase the probability of getting in, and here they are.

1. Get a referral from your friend

Getting a referral helps a lot. Google receives hundreds of applications every day and some positions accept applications on a rolling basis. Therefore, it gives priority to applications that are attached to employee referrals. The odds of giving interviews from the referrals are greater than from online applications. Connections will be of great help, especially those who you have done projects with or have attended some classes together.

2. Polish your resume

I will write a separate article about how to write a good resume for campus recruitment.

3. Apply early!

Google’s campus recruitment takes in applications on a rolling basis. The earlier you apply, the earlier you will hear back and have a higher chance of getting interviews.

4. Get lots of practice (for technical roles)

After getting interviews, the key is how well you do in them. Two parts to prepare for a technical interview: basic concepts and practical skills.

For basic concepts, read the tips from Cracking the Coding Interviews and learn the fundamentals of data structure and algorithms. The book has some practice problems but no need to finish them — most problems are covered on the LeetCode website. You can sharpen your programming skills by practicing with actual code.

Pick a language and write proficiently. The most popular languages at Google are C++, Java, and Python. You would always find an interviewer to be good at these languages. I recommend Java over C++ since it is less error-prone.

How many questions do you need to go through? You are ready if

• You can think of a big direction when seeing a new problem;
• You are familiar with the syntax of the language you choose;
• You know some common “tricks” for solving interview problems, such as sliding windows.

Find a friend to have some mock interviews and write code on a whiteboard.

Besides coding abilities, an actual tech interview tests your communication skills and a CS mindset (e.g. testing). Here are Google’s official interview tips: https://careers.google.com/interview-tips/

5. Go to Google sponsored programs and events

Every year, Google partners with schools to host workshops and talks on campus, such as to improve your resumes and conduct mock interviews. Google has also initiated many programs such as Software Product Sprint and Code Jam. Trying to get involved can be helpful and shows your interest.

When I applied for Google’s internship, I never thought it would work out. I hope you find this helpful and best luck with your job search :)

Disclaimer: Views are my own and based on public information.