This review may seems salty (it is), but the fact is because the company is Google, you end up being asked super high-level questions that are supposed to be special and unique that in reality, do not really represent or measure one’s ability to do well in a job. My interviewer (over the phone), who was 10 min late btw to our 30 min interview, basically asked me questions about a) what will you do if you are Google CEO (suppose to measure your strategic thinking), b) how would you figure out the total number of linear miles on Google Map (supposed to measure your quantitative skill), c)what Gmail feature will you build for senior citizen users (this one is ok) d) explain internet search to a 6 year old in 60s. During the interview, I was repeatedly interrupted when I try to answer the “how” would I approach the answer, as he was only interested in the “what”, as if these vague questions do not need any additional clarifications or assumptions. If this is how solving product problems at Google look like, I am sorry but yes I certainly do not quality (despite my 10+ years of product management moving needles for different companies.).
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Quantity the number of linear road miles in Google Map
I applied through a recruiter. I interviewed at Google (Mountain View, CA)
Interview
Very standard to start with - recruiter call, then a phone screen with PM covering product design and a quick market estimation discussion. the virtual onsite is 5 rounds: product design, product strategy, analytical, technical, and googleyness and leadership. product design is easily the biggest hurdle. they want you to take a massive problem space, narrow in on a specific user, and map out pain points before even touching solutions. strategy was all about business trade offs and scale. the analytical round focused heavily on execution (with a lot of metrics) technical round does not require coding, but you have to explain system architecture and trade offs under the hood. googleyness is their behavioral round where they mostly check how you handle conflict and team coordination.once you pass, you go into team matching which can take a few more weeks. my best advice is to stop memorizing rigid frameworks. i had a mock on prepfully with a google pm and it really exposed how hard they push back on your initial assumptions (get a mutual friend or a professional coach who you don't know much, turns out to be a surprisingly good reality check). process is a marathon ngl, you’re bound to get tired but very rewarding too
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
How would you improve Google Maps for advertisers?
The process was straightforward and moved quickly. After applying online, a recruiter reached out within a few days for a brief phone screen. That was followed by two video interviews, one with the hiring manager and one with a panel of team members focused on project planning and stakeholder communication. The whole thing wrapped up in about two weeks, and the team was responsive and clear about next steps throughout.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
I walked through a specific project where a key vendor delivery slipped. I explained how I flagged the risk early in our weekly status review, reset expectations with stakeholders, re-sequenced dependent tasks, and brought the timeline back within an acceptable range by negotiating a partial early delivery.
standard 1st round digital interview, they are asking about your experience, background, some behavioural questions and technical questions. and they also share a bit more about the role, culture and expectation