How to apply for software engineering roles at Google

This article reproduces a guide originally produced by Google and shared with our community.

google.com/careers colombia.students@google.com

If you have ever wondered how to apply for a Software Engineering role at Google, the in-silico seedbed has shared this guide written by Google with tips and recommendations:

Step 1: Prepare your CV

• Your CV must be in English, easy to read, and must highlight all your relevant technical skills and achievements. You can see sample CVs from past interns at http://goo.gl/nuo35o and structure your strengths around the following key sections:

• Education: University, major, expected graduation date (mm/yyyy), your GPA or your university’s grading scale (xx out of yy). List all relevant computer science courses.

• Technical skills: A list of programming languages and your level of proficiency in each, operating systems and/or devices you have worked with, IT skills, hardware/networking skills, etc.

• Work experience: Assemble a list of all relevant work experience (company, title, employment dates). Use bullet points to describe each job. Tell us which technologies you used, and use numbers to highlight your impact on a project (e.g., built, designed, debugged, tested).

• Extracurricular activities: Tell us about the great extracurricular activities you participate in (e.g., programming competitions, teaching assistantships, app development, startup, etc.).

• Note: To grow your experience and skills, check out our Technical Development Guide: http://goo.gl/0upgWr

Step 2: Prepare your transcript

• List every class you took and the grade you received. Use your university’s grading scale (e.g., 9.6/10).

• The report must be in English (you can translate it yourself).

• It does not need to be an official copy from your university.

Step 3: Apply online at google.com/careers

• Fill in your contact information
• Upload your CV in English
• Complete the education information (write the name of your university)
• Upload your transcript in English
• Click “Send”. Note: You do not need to send a cover letter.

Step 4: Prepare for the interview

• It is all about practice. Practice on a whiteboard for in-person interviews and on Google Docs for phone interviews. Ask a friend to ask you interview questions, and practice problems on:

  • Check our interview prep doc for software engineering: http://goo.gl/AYGURP
  • Online technical interview portal: http://leetcode.com/
  • “Programming Interviews Exposed”: http://www.piexposed.com/
  • “Cracking the Coding Interview”: http://goo.gl/nBUkl
  • 5 essential questions for technical interviews: http://goo.gl/L7mmH
  • Use TopCoder: http://goo.gl/x3MSJ

• Remember that we care about HOW you approach problem-solving. You must think out loud and ask questions.

• We want to see your coding skills. You can pick the programming language you are most comfortable with, but we typically use Java, Python, or C++.

• Try to relax and think of the interviewer as someone who wants to help you and see you succeed!

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“Success is where preparation and opportunity meet.” – Bobby Unser