Google Interview Experience for SWE Internship 2023 (Off-Campus)

Last Updated : 04 Jun, 2024

I applied for this internship through the Google Career website during my second year, but I didn't use a referral. After two months, I received an interview invitation. I was so happy that my resume got shortlisted for this. It was going to be my first interview for a company.

Round 1: It was a phone screening round. They asked for a brief introduction, inquired about my preferred programming language, my tech stack knowledge, the number and types of projects I've worked on, and my availability for the technical rounds.

Following that, I received the date and time for the first technical round interview.

Round 2: It was purely based on Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA). They presented me with a question that wasn't directly available on any standard platform, typical of Google. I initially discussed a brute force approach, estimating its time complexity at O(n^2). Then, I proposed a more optimized approach using a hashmap, which impressed the interviewer. I coded the solution, stating its time and space complexity, both O(n). They then prompted me to consider other approaches, so I suggested an alternative using an ArrayList, explaining my thought process. The interviewer seemed impressed with my approach.

After a week, I received an email qualifying me for the second technical round. I was overjoyed, as it was my first interview in college, and I couldn't contain my excitement.

Round 3: It was also focused on DSA. The question provided was lengthy, and I had to ask for clarification. Despite my efforts, I struggled to comprehend it fully and lacked familiarity with all the necessary data structures. I attempted a basic solution using ArrayList and LinkedList, stating their time and space complexities, but it didn't impress the interviewer. They provided hints, but I couldn't come up with alternative approaches due to my limited knowledge at the time. I made sure to ask questions about the interviewer and the company before the round concluded.

Although I wasn't selected, it was an invaluable experience, being my first interview with a prestigious company like Google. Qualifying for the round was a significant achievement for me.

For others, my advice is to focus on mastering DSA, especially for product-based companies like Google, as they prioritize these skills heavily.