Google | Software Engineer L3 | Bangalore [Offer]

Current Experience: Senior Software Developer at Service based organization
Years of Experience: 2.8 years
Position: Software Engineer L3
Location: Bangalore, India
Interview Date: June, 2023

Application:

In May 2023, the recruiter reached out to me.
I have previously given interviews with Google and my profile was in their database. (First time applied in 2019 via referral)
Despite positive onsite interview feedback, my application was impacted by a hiring freeze last year.
Considering positive onsite interview feedback from last year, the recruiter informed me that the phone interview will be skipped this time.
I requested a preparation period of 3 weeks, which the recruiter kindly accommodated.
Four onsite interviews got scheduled on 14th, 15th, and 16th June 2023.

Interviews:
1st Onsite Interview - Coding (45 mins)
Topic - Depth-First Search, Breadth-First Search, Hash Table
Difficulty - Leetcode Medium
The interviewer explained the coding question, provided test cases, and I verbally discussed my approach. I successfully coded the solution and performed a dry run on test cases, correctly explaining the time complexity.
Two follow-up questions were asked, and I was expected to code the first one while providing the approach for the second. Overall, this round went well, and I rate it as a Strong Hire/Hire.

2nd Onsite Interview - Coding (45 mins)
Topic - Sliding Window, Hash Table, String
Difficulty - Leetcode Medium
The interview began with a warm-up question, and I quickly coded the solution.
I successfully handled the first follow-up question by explaining my approach and coding the solution.
For the second follow-up question, I initially suggested a brute force approach. However, after some thought, I was able to devise an optimal solution.
I gave the correct time complexity for all solutions.
The interviewer concluded the round by asking a question about adapting the solution for different input formats, which I was expected to answer verbally.
Overall, this round also went well, and I rate it as a Hire.

3rd Onsite Interview - Coding (45 mins)
Topic - Breadth-First Search, Heap (Priority Queue), Matrix, Array
Difficulty - Leetcode Hard
The interview began with a challenging question, and I struggled a bit before reaching the solution approach. With some hint from the interviewer, I successfully coded the solution and modified it after dry running on test cases. Initially, I got confused while giving the time complexity, but after rethinking, I provided the correct analysis.
Overall, this round was challenging, but I managed to handle it well. I rate it as a Lean Hire/Hire.

4th Onsite Interview - Googleyness/ leadership (45 mins)
This round focused on behavioral questions based on past experiences and hypothetical situations. I was well-prepared with answers using the STAR pattern (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for such questions, which made this round go smoothly. I rate it as a Strong Hire.

Post Interviews:

The recruiter shared that feedback is positive and informed me that I would proceed to the team matching phase.
To proceed, the recruiter requested additional details such as internal references from Googlers I have worked with, academic and professional history, promotional summary, and a summary of key achievements and awards.
Shortly after, I had my first team match round, which went well. Approximately a week later, the recruiter informed me that my profile had been shortlisted by the hiring manager, and my profile will be passed to the Hiring Committee (HC) for further review.
After a few days, I received the call from the recruiter with the great news that I had successfully passed the HC review. Subsequently, we had a compensation discussion call, which went smoothly.
Finally, after approximately three days, I received the official offer letter from Google.