Google Web Developer Interview Questions

Google is one of the world’s most powerful and influential companies. You may use their phones, home devices, map services, search engine, or even their glasses. Whichever Google products you use, there’s no denying that google has most likely had an impact on your technology experience. So, how can you get hired at such a prestigious company? Career Karma has the breakdown. 

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 remains today. Google had an intense period of growth where 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 Google+ in 2011. In 2015, Google became the subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. The company has come a long way in the past few decades and continues to be committed to innovation and change.

Interview Questions

Ready to ace your web development interview with Google? These are some of the most commonly asked interview questions. 

• How are meta tags coded?  
• Given a database, a query returns correct output 99% of the time, however, 1% of the time, it returns wrong output. What could be the possible reasons?
• On a 2-D grid, the positions (x,y) of 3 persons are given. Find the meeting point such that sum of distances of each person from meeting point is minimized.
• Now generalize this to N persons and solve.
• Tell me about a project you’re particularly proud of. What did you do that worked out well?
• What is prototypical inheritance and why would you use it?
• Do you know about Angular?  
• How many languages exist in the world?  
• You’re given 64 horses, sort them by their speed. You have an eight-lined race court. You can’t record the speed of horses. 
• How do you cut a cake into 8 equal slices with only 3 cuts?
• What are the responsibilities of a web developer?

It’s important to keep in mind that these are just ten of the many possible interview questions that you could be asked while meeting with Google. It’s always a good idea to do your research and brush up on prominent web development concepts and interview questions ahead of time. 

Google’s Hiring Process

Now that you know what kind of questions to expect during your interview, let’s breakdown what the actual hiring process at Google looks like from start to finish. 

Step 1: Application

When you’re looking for your dream job at Google, there’s no better place to look at the Google Careers website. You’ll be able to see various job descriptions, minimum qualification, and preferred qualities of applicants. 

Step 2: 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. 

Step 3: Review 

This part is completely 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. 

Step 4: Background Check

The Google background check is intensive and looks at four parts. Criminal history, education verification, employment verification, and reference checks. All job offers with Google are contingent on the passing of these background checks. If all is clear, applicants will then move on to the final stage. 

Step 5: Employee 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 to new employees. 

Google Hiring Tips

Google usually looks for candidates that excel in these four categories: general ability, leadership, job role knowledge, and “Googliness” or company culture fit. 

Sending thank you emails to help establish connections after your interview is a great way to make an impression. 

It always helps to have references, especially with Google. Reaching out to Google team members and networking is never a bad idea. 

How to Get Started as a Google Web Developer

Ready to begin your career as a web developer with Google? If you’re new to the coding universe, coding bootcamps may be the best educational route for you. Coding bootcamps prioritize learning and career development. You’ll gain real experience and portfolio building as well as having access to a multitude of vital networking opportunities. If you’re interested in attending a coding bootcamp, Career Karma can help match you with the best one to suit your needs! In addition to its matching service, Career Karma also invites you to join their community of like minded coders as you complete the 21 day coding challenge and make even more connections.