Embracing Resilience: My Journey to Google as a Senior Software Engineer
Introduction: With seven years of experience as a Software Engineer, my path to Google was marked by perseverance and resilience. Despite facing setbacks, including a layoff from CoinDCX in August 2023, I remained committed to pursuing my dream role. Join me as I share the challenges and victories encountered along the way, leading to an offer as a Senior Software Engineer (L5) at Google.
Background: Following my layoff from CoinDCX, I embarked on a journey to secure a new opportunity, including attempts to join Google dating back to 2017. Despite facing rejection multiple times for an L4 position, I continued to hone my skills and approach, determined to seize the opportunity for growth and learning.
Interview Process Overview: Reengaging in the interview process with Google, I prepared myself for the challenges ahead. The process unfolded as follows:
- Round 1 (Coding): 8:30 pm, 10th October 2023 — An array-based problem tested my problem-solving abilities, setting the tone for the rigorous assessment to come.
- Round 2 (Coding): 7:30 pm, 11th October 2023 — Dynamic programming challenges pushed me to excel, showcasing my ability to tackle complex problems with confidence.
- Round 3 (Coding): 7 pm, 17th October 2023 — Overcoming my apprehension of mathematics, I approached a probabilities and randomization-based problem with determination and adaptability.
- Round 4 (Googliness): 1:30 pm, 19th October 2023 — Sharing personal anecdotes, I sought to align myself with Google’s values and culture, emphasizing collaboration and innovation. I advised future candidates to utilize the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method and prepare genuine stories from their experiences to excel in this round. Take this round as seriously as you take coding and system design rounds. Ask you recruiter to give you atleast a week to prep for this round and prep well. Use ChatGPT to your advantage.
- Round 5 (System Design): 6:30 pm, 26th October 2023 — Leveraging my experience at CoinDCX, I tackled system design challenges with creativity and practicality, demonstrating my ability to architect solutions effectively. I shared insights gleaned from resources such as the “Designing Data-Intensive Applications” book by O’Reilly and “Byte Byte Go” videos, emphasizing the importance of back-of-the-envelope estimations, discussing pros and cons of using RDBMS over something like Mongo or DynamoDB, and thoughtful design considerations.
Verdict: Despite facing delays in the hiring process, I remained steadfast in my pursuit. Finally, in February 2024, I received the news of my approval from the Hiring Committee and a team match with Google Cloud’s EngProd team.
Finally: Joining Google as a Senior Software Engineer (L5) in Bangalore, starting 22nd April 2024. My long awaited dream finally came true! :-)
