You may see it when you open your computer or browse the internet. You may see it when you watch TV or play music. You might even see it driving past you in the form of a car with a super weird camera thing on the top. Wherever you see the Google logo, there’s no denying how immersed this company is in the daily lives of people across the globe. Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company, is currently the fourth largest tech company in the world. This shouldn’t come as a surprise given the evidence above. Google is simply everywhere. So, if you’re like many aspiring tech industry workers, you’re probably wondering what it takes to get hired by Google. Specifically, what are the front end developer interviews like? Career Karma has the answers, plus tips for landing a job at Google.
A Short History of Google
Google was launched in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin to market the famous search engine Google Search. Formerly students at Stanford university, the pair had established the algorithm that would eventually be used on computer systems worldwide. The company moved to Mountain View, California where its headquarters remain today. Google had an intense period of growth, during which it released several innovative services and products very quickly. These included Google News in 2002, Gmail in 2004, Google Maps in 2005, Google Chrome in 2008, and the ill-fated Google+ in 2011. In 2015, Google became a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. The company has come a long way in the past few decades and remains committed to innovation and change.
The Hiring Process at Google
So, if you’re ready to hop on board with Google, you may be wondering what the hiring process is like. Google’s hiring process can be broken down into a few steps.
- Application: When you’re looking for your dream job at Google, there’s no better place to look than the Google Careers website. You’ll be able to see various job descriptions, minimum qualifications, and preferred qualities of applicants. From there, you’ll submit your application.
- Interviews: Google typically uses a two-stage interview process. This starts with a phone or Google Hangout interview. The second stage is an in-person interview.
- Review: This part is done on the company’s end and requires a lot of sitting and waiting on your part. If you’ve successfully made it through both interview portions, the Google hiring team will then review your application and interview notes again. Google employees from different levels will look over your information and then pass it on to a senior leader. The senior leader ultimately makes the hiring decision.
- Background Check: The Google background check is intensive and looks at four criteria: criminal history, education verification, employment verification, and reference checks. All job offers with Google are contingent on passing these background checks. If all is clear, applicants will then move on to the final stage.
- Onboarding: For the most part, the onboarding process for individual employees is left up to each department’s manager. However, Google does have an email alert system called “just in time,” which pushes managers to do things that have proven to be beneficial for new employees.
Common Google Front End Developer Interview Questions
Now for the moment you’ve been waiting for: here are some of the questions asked by Google during their front end developer interviews.
- Design a webpage which can auto-post new posts when you reach the bottom of the page by using JavaScript.
- Write the code to find the balance point of the array.
- Find k-nearest points.
- Fix the tree so that the tree structure is a valid binary tree.
- Write how you would code a webpage using a whiteboard and explain what you are doing over a video phone.
- What ideas do you have for Google?
- Tell me something quirky about you.
- Tell us about the projects on your resume.
Google Front End Developer Desired Skills
Google usually looks for candidates that excel in these four categories:
- General ability
- Leadership
- Job role knowledge
- “Googlyness” (company culture fit)
Ready to Get Started?
So, now that you have the insider info on how to ace your front end developer interview at Google, you may be ready to get started! If you’re new to the coding world, Career Karma can set you up with coding bootcamps that will help you succeed in the tech industry.
About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication.