How to Get
a Job at Google
Hiring Process, Careers, and Job Search FAQs
In 2004, Google paid for billboards in Silicon Valley and Harvard Square displaying a math problem followed by “.com.” Curious math whizzes solved the puzzle and after visiting the website, could submit resumes to be hired onto Google’s staff. Quite the unorthodox recruiting stunt, right?
Google is always searching for top talent, though the process is less puzzling than it used to be. If you’re curious about a technology career and want to join a major, forward-thinking company, this guide will show you how to get a job at Google.
About Google: Company Profile
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Google is a tech company that started out solely as an online search engine. Founded in 1994 by Sergey Brin and Larry Page, Google LLC now handles over 70 percent of global search requests.
Over the decades, Google has continued to evolve and the company currently offers a wide range of products and services, including email, software, and document creation for PC and mobile devices. The company also offers tech devices like mobile phones, casting devices, webcams, and much more. Due to its broad product portfolio, Google is among the top four entities in the high-tech marketplace.
Google’s headquarters are in Mountain View, California. Its primary goal is to improve Internet users’ experience as they search for information. According to Statista, Google had 135,301 full-time employees by the end of 2020.
What's It Like Working for Google?
Google is famous for creating an attractive and conducive workplace for top tech talent. The company extends incredible perks, such as free food, in-house massages, and nap pods.
Besides these perks, Google also seeks people who can bring new experiences and perspectives to its team. As a result, this gives you the liberty to readily share your ideas about company projects, helping to positively impact the user’s experience.
Life at Google: Google Company Culture
Google’s popularity does not stop at the workplace. It has an innovative corporate culture which makes it the ideal place for tech professionals. When looking for candidates with the right tech skills, the company ensures you fit their culture before they extend a job offer.
According to Google, the user is the priority before any other element. Because of this, you need to be passionate about Google’s user base to succeed at both the job and within the culture. Remember that great isn’t always good enough for Google, so giving your best during the application process for a tech role will help you get noticed.
What Do Employees Say About Google?
According to Glassdoor reviews of Google, most Google employees find the company a great place to work, especially with the perks and benefits extended to them. Employees also praise the company for boosting their productivity through these provisions.
Nevertheless, some feel that all the comfort provided at the office is a way of robbing them of their work-life balance, as they often do not have time off on weekends.
Even so, employees say the leadership is supportive as it provides the necessary tools for one to execute their duties. Colleagues and team members at Google, also called Googlers, are collaborative, value teamwork, and readily provide support and guidance.
Applying for a Job at Google: Overview
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Google recommends that you start with self-reflection before you dive into searching for a job with them. You should reflect on the meeting point between your skills, passion, experiences, and qualities. Once you feel that you fully understand your career goals, you’re ready to take the plunge and try to become a Googler.
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Now it’s time to look for a job title that you want to apply for. To find the right match, it’s important to learn more about Google and its workplace values and expectations. Resources about Google’s teams, its locations, and its benefits will help you better prepare for the application process.
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Writing a great resume is the next step to getting a job at Google. When it comes to creating a resume for Google, be specific regarding work experience and related skills, projects and their outcomes, and leadership positions and responsibilities. It also shouldn’t be too long. Concision will allow you to better showcase your skills.
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Google doesn’t require a cover letter for most jobs, but it still might be a good idea to include one. If you do, you can follow the same process that you followed for resume preparation. Ensure that you show the link between your passion and the position you are applying for. Share how you’ve made a difference in your previous job roles.
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Now you’re ready to submit the online application. For this step, Google recommends you focus on quality rather than quantity. Applicants are limited to three applications every 30 days. You may be tempted to apply for several job titles to increase your chances, but you should apply only for the jobs you’re passionate about.
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If a Google team member identifies you as a top talent, you will proceed to the multi-stage interview process. Whether you will be dealing with structured interview questions or phone interviews, this step demands adequate preparation. Google strives to make your interview experience relaxed. If you can stay calm, you’ll do fine.
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Once you complete the interviews and the team finds you fit for the job, the recruiter will call you to describe their job offer. If you accept, the onboarding team will take you through compensation, badging, benefits, and other details.
Google Hiring Process
Tech interviews can be challenging, especially if you are presented with sample tests or on-site assessments. But Google helps by making the application and hiring process easier, doing everything within its power to ensure you exhibit your skills exceptionally.
Google Job Application
To begin your application process, visit the Google Careers website to view the current opportunities. This will help you evaluate whether your skills, passion, and education accomplishments fit the desired role.
If you are looking for a technical role, you should search for jobs in the Engineering and Technology section of Google Careers. For most of these jobs, you will need a resume, recommendation letters, and college transcripts. Confirm the specific requirements from the job posting to ensure you submit all the required materials.
Google Interview Process
The interview process with Google contains various steps which vary according to the role. Job titles like software engineer could include technical assessments. Interviews for leadership roles could require situational questions looking to assess problem-solving and emotional intelligence. Below is a breakdown of the main interview tactics Google employs.
- Online assessments. This is usually a brief assessment that involves technical questions, such as a coding quiz.
- Short virtual chats. This usually involves short conversations either through a phone or video call. At this point, the recruiter and the hiring manager can identify your skill level and whether they should take you through an in-depth interview.
- In-depth interviews. Google’s interview process is thorough because the technology company seeks top talent that resonates with its core values and goals. You may also be asked to solve some open-ended questions.
Google Salaries, Employment Benefits, and Perks
Google LLC is known for its perks. That’s why its job opportunities attract lots of people. Securing a position at Google means you get to enjoy amazing benefits and rewards. Let’s find out in detail the good things that come with being a Googler.
How Much Do Google Employees Make?
According to PayScale, the average salary of a Google employee is about $120,000 per year. Google typically pays its staff more than the average salary in the tech industry, which the Bureau of Labor Statistics puts at $91,250 per year. This means you are likely to earn higher than this at Google, especially in engineering and computer technology roles.
Google Employment Benefits and Perks
Google strives to provide its employees with exclusive benefits to enhance their physical, emotional, and financial life. It provides medical insurance for employees and their dependents as well as mental health programs and apps.
The company also extends compensation and regional retirement plans to ensure employees’ financial well-being in the future. Googlers also receive numerous resources and support from colleagues for personal development.
Tech Jobs at Google: Requirements and Job Description
Google continues to search for top tech talent to meet the company’s needs as it grows. As a result, you will find different jobs on its career page, including software engineers and software developers, product managers, cloud computing specialists, research scientists, and more. Below are some of the positions that are accepting applications now.
Cloud Technical Solutions Specialist, Google Cloud Platform
Minimum Education Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience
Skills Requirements: Issue troubleshooting, customer advocacy, collaboration, proficiency in HTTP and HTML
Experience Qualifications: Experience with B2B enterprise-grade support; experience troubleshooting information technologies; experience implementing, troubleshooting, and administering network infrastructure
Location: Waterloo, ON, Canada
Google is looking for a Cloud Technical Solutions Specialist who will focus on customers’ needs. You’ll join a team that drives solutions for Google Cloud customers. You will be responsible for your clients’ seamless switch to Google Cloud and for retaining them.
UX Director, Google Health
Minimum Education Qualifications: Bachelor’s Degree in Design, User Experience (UX), Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field; or equivalent practical experience
Skills Requirements: Effective design, analytic, and management skills
Experience Qualifications: 15 years of experience in UX team leadership and management; experience creating products and growing teams; experience in healthcare, public health, or a related field; experience in leading large, complex web and mobile product design
Location: Palo Alto, CA
You will need a design portfolio of work, and experience in lead scaling and growing teams. You will also provide ideas that will shape the entire UX community. This role is strategic, and you will be expected to define and develop innovations and experiences to enhance people’s health and their quality of life.
Network Engineer
Minimum Education Qualifications: Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field; or relevant practical experience
Skills Requirements: Solid software engineering skills, including data modeling and algorithm design
Experience Qualifications: 9 years experience working with networks, 3 years of technical leadership developing networking software
Location: Cambridge, MA; Atlanta, GA; Sunnyvale, CA
As a Google Network Engineer, you will be part of a team that runs the network that serves millions of Internet users globally. You will be working on design and feature enhancements to ensure Google’s systems operate smoothly. This role also demands that you ensure the network operations are safe and efficient.
Research Scientist, Neuroscience and Machine Learning
Minimum Education Qualifications: PhD in Computer Science, Computational Neuroscience, or a related technical area; or equivalent practical experience
Skills Requirements: Familiarity with probabilistic modeling, 3D image analysis, and modern machine learning libraries like JAX
Experience Qualifications: Experience with purpose programming languages like Python and C++, experience developing and applying analytical approaches in biology
Location: Zürich, Switzerland
You will set up extensive tests and establish promising ideas quickly and broadly. Other responsibilities include managing deadlines and deliverables as you apply the latest theories to create new and improved machine learning products, technologies, and processes.
Engineering Director, Immersive Technology
Minimum Education Qualifications: Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or a related field, or relevant practical experience
Skills Requirements: Ability to inspire and motivate stakeholders to operate as a cohesive unit, ability to lead a strategy while offering detailed technical and tactical guidance to a team
Experience Qualifications: 15 years of professional working experience with 10 years in engineering and technical innovation
Location: Mountain View, CA
As an Engineering Director at Google, you will learn how the market and immersive technologies are evolving to help define Google’s place in tech ecosystems. You will also be in charge of developing technologies and building algorithms, and utilize your experience to prototype and commercialize Google’s next generation of products.
Staff Software Engineer, Research
Minimum Education Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience
Skills Requirements: Technical leadership skills, ability to work in a complex organization with cross-business projects
Experience Qualifications: 8 years of experience in software development with data structures and algorithms, 5 years experience testing and setting up software products, 3 years experience in software design and architecture
Location: Mountain View, CA
Google is looking for an engineer who can bring new ideas from multiple areas and align them with the growing industry’s needs. You will be working on a specific project that’s critical to the company. This role also requires you to be versatile as you will switch teams and projects as the need arises.
Software Developer Intern, Summer 2022
Minimum Education Qualifications: Current enrollment in a postsecondary education or training program in a subject related to software development
Skills Requirements: Ability to speak and write fluently in English
Experience Qualifications: Experience in software development; experience in coding using two popular programming languages
Location: Waterloo, ON; Montreal, QC; Toronto, ON
Google is offering a paid internship where you will experience personal and professional development and gain insights from an executive speaker series. You will be working on complex computer science solutions and creating scalable and distributed software systems.
Metro Network Deployment Engineer
Minimum Education Qualifications: No minimum degree requirement
Skills Requirements: Ability to speak and write in English fluently, ability to travel 50% of the time
Experience Qualifications: Experience with network infrastructure, device commissioning, Rack and Stack; experience leading and planning network deployments; experience planning and coordinating field operations technicians, contractors, and engineers
Location: New York, NY
As a member of the Network Engineering Team at Google, you will be working on design and feature enhancements to ensure Google’s systems are running smoothly. The tech company also expects you to solve various challenges that come with its complex network.
Corporate Operations Engineer, Technical Support Delivery
Minimum Education Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree or relevant practical experience
Skills Requirements: Excellent customer service, communication, prioritization, organizational, multitasking, and leadership skills
Experience Qualifications: Experience in programming with Java, C++, or Python; experience in troubleshooting issues for multiple operating systems; experience troubleshooting applications
Location: Hyderabad, India
You will be meeting Googlers’ computer hardware and software needs and offering support for the company’s internal tools and technologies. This means you should be highly comfortable solving problems with different operating systems and multiple devices. On some occasions, you will collaborate with the security and infrastructure teams.
Customer Engineer, Application Modernization
Minimum Education Qualifications: Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or comparable practical experience
Skills Requirements: Familiarity with application security patterns like mobile security strategies and web application security
Experience Qualifications: Experience with legacy and modern application development, experience with containers and related technology, experience with technologies and solutions in IT technology
Location: Sydney, Australia; Melbourne VIC Australia
As a customer engineer, you will assist customers in accelerating application modernization using open source cloud-native technologies and Cloud solutions. You will collaborate with Google’s sales team as a modern application development expert to differentiate and illustrate Google Cloud’s vision to customers.
How Hard Is It to Get a Job at Google?
Getting a job at Google is very hard. According to a report from Axios, Google received 3.3 million job applications in 2019. Some claim that it’s harder to become a Googler than to get into Harvard. But that doesn’t mean you should give up. Many of the best IT careers don’t require much education, and a strong set of hard and soft skills will go a long way.
How to Get a Job at Google FAQ
To be eligible to work at Google, you need a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering or equivalent experience. You also need comprehensive knowledge of the Internet, web search, numerical analysis, online advertising, and fraud detection.
Google has a hybrid workspace model where employees can work from home and in the office. Depending on the position, you may be entitled to this work arrangement.
According to Emolument, the lowest salary at Google is $51,000, which is paid to employees in entry-level jobs.
Since Google LLC focuses mostly on the Google search engine, taking computer science or software engineering courses will give you an edge over the competition. You can also consider a coding bootcamp to help you add specialized knowledge to your application.
