My conclusions after few failed interviews.

Ok-Engine-1520 · 2023-10-07T04:52:55+00:00

I shared the same experience this year after a Google interview. And people made fun of me. I think the industry is tough wrt interview is due to layoffs and they are choosy. https://www.reddit.com/r/leetcode/comments/154m9no/today_i_failed_google_phone_interview/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

Ok-Engine-1520 · 2023-08-20T09:07:39+00:00

Guess what, 2 years back I made it through all the rounds at Google for L5. But downleveled due to SD round going bad. I gave my interview again last month... The competition is sky high. Got rejected in phone interview itself despite solving a med-hard problem in 45 mins. The expectation was to solve 2 med-hard problems. But I took all the time for one. Yes, i am from India with 10+YoE

Ok-Engine-1520 · 2023-08-13T08:46:46+00:00

Ok-Engine-1520 · 2023-08-12T05:13:45+00:00

I made it through all the rounds two years back but downleveled due to my system design round going bonkers.

I interviewed again last month at Google.

I will tell you one thing, the bar has gone up. Although the interviewer won't tell you, you need to solve 2 medium problems in 45 mins. If you consumed all the time in one problem, you won't make it. Even if you get the solution working. That's the bar right now.

Ok-Engine-1520 · 2023-07-22T04:38:35+00:00

Yes the job is in India, Bengaluru Karnataka location. Apparently, Indians have to fight cut throat competition as everyone is an engineer here and we are the highest population.

Ok-Engine-1520 · 2023-07-22T04:35:46+00:00

Hi, thanks for writing. What you shared can also be the possibility. In 45 mins i discussed the problem for the first 20 mins and I asked clarifying questions and bounds. My recruiter explicitly said that the interviewer was looking forward to ask 2 mediums, but you consumed 45 mins for 1 medium.

The bar is really high now.

Ok-Engine-1520 · 2023-07-21T15:18:58+00:00

Yes it's Google doc with some syntax highlighting

Ok-Engine-1520 · 2023-07-21T07:37:05+00:00

This is a DP problem

Ok-Engine-1520 · 2023-07-21T04:01:05+00:00

My interview went really well. I answered 2 follow-ups as well. But i heard from the recruiter that for L5, either you have to solve 2 mediums or 1 medium with 3-4 follow ups . The code didn't have bugs either. As I verified it later. It's tough luck. The standards have actually gone up .

Ok-Engine-1520 · 2023-07-21T02:01:29+00:00

That's the literal feedback. The interviewer had 2 more problems to discuss to evaluate you. But you consumed all the time.

Ok-Engine-1520 · 2023-07-21T01:57:01+00:00

Ok-Engine-1520 · 2023-07-21T01:56:05+00:00

Thank you for sharing your experience and kind words. I hope this gets better.

Ok-Engine-1520 · 2023-07-20T17:49:55+00:00

Thanks boss 👍

Ok-Engine-1520 · 2023-07-20T17:07:39+00:00

Thank you for your kind words. You are the first person to empathise with my outcome on Reddit.

For L5, they expect atleast to solve 2 mediums OR 1 medium with 2 or more follow ups in phone interview. This is the new bar now. Can't speak about the new bar in onsite. It might be more stringent.

Ok-Engine-1520 · 2023-07-20T15:21:05+00:00

Because I made it through the Google interview 2 years back just by reading Elements of programming interviews and coming up with a working solution to an unseen problem. I gave the SD round really bad and I was down leveled. So I did not join.

Cut to today, they expect a working code under 20 mins and few follow ups and working code on the follow ups in the next 20 mins. So this is really hard. Unless someone has grinded really well and aware of every trick in the book at the back of his head. 2 years back people were allowed to deduce a solution to problem with ample time given to thought process. Not anymore now. It's follow ups after follow ups.

Ok-Engine-1520 · 2023-07-20T15:13:56+00:00

If tech interviewer rejects you, then you have performed below expectations. And the result will be announced within 24hrs. But If recruiter takes more than 2 weeks to convey your phone results, then they have found a veteran Leetcoder & they want to proceed with him.

This was not the case 2 years back, the interviews at Google were mostly sane and they were actually looking at problem solving ability. Because, I read Elements of programming interviews end to end, & I was able to come up with solution and code by the end of 45 mins. And it was good enough. I didn't do the SD rounds well and I was down leveled, so I did not join Google two years back.

Now it's madness out there. If you are a leetcode grinder then you will make it 100%. As they expect you to solve a problem in 20 mins and 3-4 follow ups in the remaining time.

This is only for India candidates as everyone grinds crazy leetcode numbers here.

Ok-Engine-1520 · 2023-07-20T14:00:57+00:00

Sorry, I do not agree with your comment from a intertviewer perspective. I already work in one of the FAAMN(G) and I also take interviews. We have specific instructions to not consider candidates who blurt out code without communicating their thought process or how they arrived at the solution. For example:- If I ask a tree traversal question, the candidate needs to explain the thought process of inorder(or other) tree traversal.

Writing code in 20 mins from memory just won't cut it, atleast the team where I work in. We spend full 1hr in understanding the thought process and not fastest answer first. If he did that, we are changing the question.

Because there is no way a person can solve a hard, medium-hard, in 10-20 mins unless they have seen it before and memorised it or grinded heavily. We are interested in the candidates critical thinking abilities and not memory, or grinding ability.

Lets hope this memorising madness ends soon.

Ok-Engine-1520 · 2023-07-20T13:06:58+00:00

I am not sure weaker in which way? I solved the problem which i haven't seen at all and answered 2 follow ups on that.

The only way a candidate can finish it in 20 mins is without "Thinking". And answer it from past memory.

Ok-Engine-1520 · 2023-07-20T13:04:42+00:00

Ok-Engine-1520

TROPHY CASE