Google is one of the most prestigious tech companies globally. Naturally, it is a preferred destination for a large number of engineering manager aspirants. However, the company maintains a strict hiring process to uphold its values and competency. Plus, preparing for Google engineering manager interviews can get quite tedious without reliable sources and guidance.
If you are preparing for a tech interview for the Google engineering manager position, look at our interview questions page and salary negotiation ebook to get interview-ready! Also, read Google Engineering Manager Interview Questions and Preparation to practice common Engineering Manager questions asked at Google and take your prep to the next level.
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- Here’s what we’ll focus on in this article:
- Understanding Google's Engineering Manager Hiring Criteria
- What Is the Google Engineering Manager Interview Process and Timeline?
- How to Crack Your Google Engineering Manager Interview
- Common Google Engineering Manager Interview Questions
- FAQs on Google Interviews
Understanding Google's Engineering Manager Hiring Criteria
Each interviewer will grade your performance on a standardized form that will summarize your attributes aligning with Google’s requirements. Although these attributes change from time to time, we have covered some common factors.
The first section of the feedback form will contain the questions that the interviewer asked you in that round. So that subsequent interviewers do not repeat the same questions.
Then, the interviewer will score you on four basic attributes. These are:
- Cognitive Ability: Googlers refer to this as GCA. Google intends to hire candidates who can adapt to new situations. Google interviewers will assess your approach to solve various difficult problems and your ability to learn.
- Role-related Experience and Knowledge: This is also referred to as RRK or RRKE inside Google. The interviewers check whether you possess adequate experience and are competent to perform the duties of a relevant position. For example, if you are applying for Engineering Manager – Android, you should have an in-depth understanding of Android.
- Leadership: Google seeks a specific leadership type known as emergent leadership. This is because you will need to collaborate with multiple teams. The company expects you to step up and lead project cycles efficiently.
- Googleyness: Google also wants to make sure that you are a perfect fit for the position and the working culture is conducive to your work methods. Interviewers will check if you exhibit company values like bias to action, being comfortable with ambiguity, and are collaborative in nature.
These attributes will change depending on the position, but the number usually does not exceed seven. They score each attribute with Poor, Mixed, Good, or Excellent, as applicable after each interview.
Then comes the final recommendation. Here, the Google interviewers will summarize your performance and recommend if you are fit for the role or not.
Recommended Reading:
Should You Be an Engineering Manager?
What Does a Google Engineering Manager Do?
What Is the Google Engineering Manager Interview Process and Timeline?
The Google engineering manager hiring process usually includes 2-3 rounds of interviews.
First off, you will need to pass the recruiter phone screen round. Then, you will have a technical phone screen round. If you clear this round, you will then need to sit for on-site interviews.
Google Engineering Manager Interview Stages
Here, we’ll talk about what each of the interview stages entails.
1. Recruiter Phone Screen
In this round, the recruiter will ask basic questions, like checking your identity and confirm whether you are a good fit for Google. You will not face any in-depth questions but rather questions that cover the basics of the role you are applying for.
2. Technical Phone Screen
After you clear the recruiter phone screen, brace yourself for serious business. Technical phone screen rounds will primarily cover data structures and algorithms. As a result, you will face open-ended questions in this round. You require answering these algorithmically and then converting your thought into code.
However, do not forget to clarify any missing information.
You will then refine your raw code, follow up with test cases, and identify the bugs.
3. On-site Interview
The Google engineering manager’s on-site interview usually consists of five rounds. These include:
- 1 Coding interview
- 2 Systems design interviews
- 2 Leadership/Behavioral interviews
Hiring Decision after the Google Engineering Manager Interview
After the on-site interview, the interviewers will submit their feedback. The final decision-making process includes:
- Interviewer feedback
- Recommendation of the hiring committee
- Review of senior leader and compensation committee
- Final executive review
- Offer letter
Recommended Reading:
An Inside Look Into Engineering Manager Interviews
Differences Between Engineering Manager and Individual Contributor Interviews
How to Crack Your Google Engineering Manager Interview
By now, you are aware of how critical Google’s hiring process is for engineering managers. Needless to say, nailing these interviews is a tough job.
Hence, we have listed some points to help you understand how to crack the Google engineering manager interview.
- Learn about Google’s culture: It is crucial to ensure that Google’s company culture suits you. You can read documents like Google’s mission statement, Google’s values, Google strategy teardown by CBS Insights, etc., to grasp how processes are run at this FAANG company. Moreover, you can ask ex-Google employees about the company and have a sneak peek at their culture.
- Practice by yourself: The first step of your Google engineering manager interview prep is practicing answering sample questions and answers by yourself.
- Practice with peers: While preparing for a Google interview, practicing answers by yourself is just the start. Interviewers prefer candidates who prefer to walk them through the thought process. Therefore, communicating your approach clearly is also of paramount importance. You can take your coding interview prep a notch above by practicing live with your peers and test your efficiency.
- Practice with ex-interviewers: If you want to get professional feedback on your interview prep, practicing with ex-interviewers from Tier-1 tech companies can be a game-changer. Integrate their inputs and work on your answers accordingly. You will get a fair idea of what Google interviewers are looking for.
In case you are unable to find such contacts, you can turn to Interview Kickstart. We work with more than 100 instructors from FAANG+ companies to help you crack the Google engineering manager interview.
Recommended Reading: Google Engineering Manager Salaries
Common Google Engineering Manager Interview Questions
Google interview questions are usually never the easiest and cover a wide range of topics, some specific to Google, while others are about judging your competency for the role.
A few of these questions are as follows:
- Design a boggle solver.
- Talk to us about a time when you failed to deliver a project.
- How will you design a system that can count the number of clicks on a YouTube video?
- Implement a SnapshotArray that can support pre-defined interfaces.
- Given a row X cols binary matrix filled with 1’s and 0’s. Find the largest rectangle containing only 0 and return its area.
Read Google Engineering Manager Interview Questions for more.
How Can IK Prepare You for Your Next Google Interview?
Interview Kickstart’s Engineering Manager Interview Masterclass is the best-in-class tech interview prep program for engineering managers. This program is tailored to help you crack the toughest engineering manager interviews. Here’s what you’ll get:
- Comprehensive curriculum that is FAANG-focused
- Mock interviews with tech leads and hiring managers from FAANG
- 1x1 discussions and feedback to help you improve your interviewing skills
- Resume building, career skills development, and salary negotiation assistance
So, are you ready to nail your next Google interview? Join our FREE webinar.
FAQs on Google Interviews
1. Does Google Still Ask Brainteasers in Its Job Interviews?
No. Google understands that these questions cannot predict how a candidate will fare at the company in the long run. Hence, it now prefers work sample tests and usually asks structured interview questions.
2. Can I Apply for Multiple Jobs at Google?
Yes, you can apply for multiple jobs. However, we recommend shortlisting your choices to jobs that match your skills, interest, and experience extensively and comprehensively. You can apply for three jobs within a rolling 30-day window.
3. What Are the Application Deadlines?
The job description usually includes the application deadlines, if any. However, Google accepts applications on a rolling basis. This allows you to apply any time after the job is posted.
Crack Your Next Engineering Manager Interview
If you need help with your prep, join Interview Kickstart’s Engineering Manager Interview Course — the first-of-its-kind, role-specific tech interview prep program designed and taught by FAANG+ instructors.
IK is the gold standard in tech interview prep. Our programs include a comprehensive curriculum, proprietary teaching methods, FAANG+ instructors, and career coaching to help you nail your next tech interview.
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