How Was My Google STEP Internship Interview Experience?

I applied for a Google STEP internship in November 2020, during my second year of study. The process began with filling out a basic form and uploading my resume. Unfortunately, I missed the campus interviews at my university, IGDTUW, and was initially rejected during the resume selection phase. However, I received an email from Google on a fine January afternoon in 2021, informing me that I had been shortlisted for a technical interview. This suddenly brought joy to my day, as I was feeling so happy that I felt I was on a cloud nine.

Preparation and Misperception

Given the short notice, I had around one week to prepare for the technical round. I filled out the availability form and began my preparations. Initially, I felt unprepared for higher data structures, having only basic knowledge of arrays, strings, linked lists, stacks, queues, and binary trees. I devoted three days to dynamic programming (DP) before revising all data structures and related questions for the last four days.

Technical Interview Experience: Round One

The first round of the technical interview lasted 45 minutes. I joined the link and waited for the interviewer to start. When I greeted her, I felt so embarrassed. We exchanged introductions, and she shared a Google document with me. The first question was from trees, asking me to determine the minimum number needed to balance the branches' weight based on given weights. As I couldn’t recall this question precisely, I answered some basic tree-related questions and drew a tree on the Google document. Following her instructions, I explained my initial approach, but it didn't work in all cases. Despite her patience, my performance was subpar. During the last few minutes, I was asked to code a solution, but I wrote broken code. Still, I managed to ask about the Google work culture briefly, which brought some comfort.

Technical Interview Experience: Round Two

Despite my struggles, I had a 15-minute break to refocus. The second interview with a male interviewer began with a similar introduction. He asked basic questions about vectors and then presented a straightforward problem, which I solved with edge cases. However, he then posed a more challenging follow-up question. My anxiety took over, and I struggled to find a solution. With his guidance, I eventually came up with a basic approach, but I was left with a feeling of disappointment as it ended.

Post-Interview Reflection

I left the room at 4:00 PM and returned home, pretending to be dead until my anxiety subsided. The questions asked during the interviews included one from graphs about weighing branches and another from a matrix related to wage questions. Although the experience was taxing, it was undoubtedly a valuable one.

Outcome and Lessons Learned

Despite my efforts, I did not make it to the next stage. However, I took away several important lessons from this experience. Firstly, the importance of a proper introduction. Secondly, the need for extensive practice in data structures, especially trees and dynamic programming. Lastly, the significance of being ready to face any problem and carefully listening to the interviewer's hints. I also learned the value of speaking thoughtfully and using correct terminology during explanations.

Conclusion and Tips

To all future applicants, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

Rehearse your introductions and practice more questions. No matter the data structure, be ready for any problem. Grab hints and listen carefully, then think before responding. Speak after carefully thinking through your approach. Ensure you have plenty of rest before the interview.

And always remember, even if the outcome is not what you hoped for, the experience itself is invaluable.