So you're eager to learn how to work for Google, one of the world's biggest technology companies? You're not alone. The tech giant continually receives a huge number of job applications. People all over the globe want to know how to get hired by Google. However, not all of them understand what it really takes to do so. That means you have an opportunity to gain a competitive edge in pursuit of your dream—starting right now.
Working at Google on a permanent, full-time basis is
something that more than 98,000 people get to enjoy. In 2018 alone, they helped
the company generate more than $136 billion of worldwide revenue. Just consider some
of the immensely popular products and platforms those employees have had a hand
in creating, improving, or promoting: Google Search, Chrome, Android, YouTube,
Gmail, Google Maps, Google Drive, and Google Play. Or imagine the many exciting
innovations that are now being driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and
machine learning.
In terms of careers that impact the world, jobs at Google
definitely qualify. Plus, they are known to come with amazing perks and
benefits. So it's no wonder that countless students and professionals want to
become "Googlers" (i.e., people employed by Google). The chance to
reap extraordinary rewards and help solve some of today's most interesting
challenges is highly appealing.
Here's how to improve your odds of getting hired by Google:
Explore each of the major steps below, then start back at the top and tackle
each one. With any luck, you can do more than just apply for your dream job;
you can show Google exactly why you deserve such a great opportunity.
1. Acquire Relevant Skills and Experience
Before approaching Google, career readiness should be your
top priority. That means you need to focus on developing the kinds of traits
and abilities that are highly valued. Just be careful not to make too many
assumptions.
Even though Google is a tech company, expertise related to
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) isn't necessarily seen
as the most important type of skill set. In fact, after studying the
effectiveness of its teams and hiring practices, Google learned that soft, transferable skills related
to emotional intelligence and fostering good interpersonal relationships should
be prioritized.
So part of learning how to work at Google is understanding
that hard skills, on their own, probably won't be enough to get you hired. In
addition to being great at performing job-specific tasks, the company wants
employees who are good at things like:
- Being
dependable
- Coaching
others
- Communicating
effectively
- Demonstrating
empathy
- Exhibiting
curiosity about coworkers' ideas
- Listening
attentively
- Respecting
others' values and perspectives
- Showing
generosity
- Solving
problems
- Supporting
coworkers
- Thinking
critically
Essentially, Google wants to hire people who can help foster
a work environment in which employees trust each other and feel confident and
psychologically safe enough to share their ideas and make mistakes. After all,
the company likes to work on high-risk projects that offer the potential for
big rewards. That requires building socially aware teams of Googlers who have a
wide variety of experiences and points of view.
So you don't necessarily need a degree in a STEM field.
Google has discovered that some of their most productive teams include people
who've majored in subject areas that nurture the development of soft skills and
provide broader learning opportunities—such as the arts and humanities. Also,
even though Google likes candidates with a lot of education, you may not need a
college degree at all. For many roles within the company, equivalent
professional experience can substitute for a college or university education.
The key is to pursue subjects you love as well as classes or
experiences that challenge you to grow as a thinker, communicator, and team
player. Then, clarify what you really want to do professionally. That way, you
can build your hard skills on top of a robust foundation of soft skills—making
you the full package.
When it comes to choosing the types of hard skills to
develop, it helps to know what kinds of teams you're most likely to be hired
for. Careers at
Google generally fall into one or more of the following categories:
- Technology
and engineering
- Design
- Marketing
and communications
- Business
and finance
- Sales
and support
- Human
resources
- Legal
support
- Security
and facilities management
Technology and Engineering
Since Google is a technology company, this category receives
most of the spotlight, and rightly so. After all, Google is known for hiring
some of the world's best coders and tech talent. Googlers who thrive on this
kind of team tend to enjoy solving technical challenges (big and small), which
leads to the creation of digital tools and products used by billions of people.
Here are some of the most relevant types of expertise for this category:
- Computer
programming
- Computer
science
- Data
science
- Electrical
engineering
- Information
security
- Mechanical
engineering
- Mobile
app development
- Networking
- Project
management
- Software
development
- Technical
writing
- Web
development
And here's something cool: Google has created its own technical
development guide, which you can use to plan a customized path of study. It
offers suggestions for the types of classes to take and resources to use in
order to get up to speed in the technical areas you're most interested in. For
example, in addition to programming and machine learning, the guide offers
suggestions for gaining skills related to cloud computing. It even provides
examples of coding-related questions you may be asked in a Google job
interview.
Design
Google aims to create products that are visually appealing
and easy to use. The user experience, which needs to be intuitive, always comes
first. That's why Google's design teams are so crucial to the company's
success. They work diligently to strike the right balance between function and
beauty. Graphic design and web design skills obviously apply here. But many
roles are more specialized or complement the visual design process. For
example, some of the most valued skill sets are related to:
- Interaction
design
- Motion
design
- User-experience
(UX) engineering
- UX
research
- UX
writing
Marketing and Communications
Whenever Google creates new products or significantly
improves existing ones, it needs to get the message out. But that involves more
than just notifying current and potential users of the latest developments. It
also involves creatively capturing people's imaginations. The goal is to help
foster a positive and authentic emotional connection to the Google brand, all
while putting users first. So, in addition to marketing and communications
specialists, teams in this category employ people with skills related to areas
like:
- Content
strategy
- Copywriting
- Digital
media design
- Event
planning
- Public
relations
Business and Finance
Like any other large global corporation, Google requires a
wide variety of business strategists, operations managers, financial
specialists, and similar professionals. After all, the company is always
analyzing problems and opportunities, seeking useful insights, and looking for
ways to better manage everything it does. Some Googlers in this category have
MBAs, and many have backgrounds in areas such as:
- Accounting
- Auditing
- Business
administration
- Business
management
- Compliance
- Data
analysis
- Financial
analysis
- Financial
planning
- Project
management
Sales and Support
Some of Google's core products are designed to help other
businesses succeed. That's why the company employs many professionals who are
tasked with gaining new clients or providing great service and support to
existing ones. In addition to sales representatives, teams in this category
often include professionals with skill sets in areas like:
- Account
management
- Business
development
- Corporate
training
- Instructional
design
- Project
management
- Quality
assurance
- Technical
support
Human Resources (HR)
At Google, HR is known as People Operations. That's because
the company understands that people are the real drivers of its success and
should be treated as such. In order for Google to keep thriving, talented
people must be recruited and encouraged to stay. That's why Google employs a
lot of HR specialists who find job candidates, develop and support the
company's employees, and help keep the work culture vibrant, special, and
inclusive. Useful expertise related to HR includes:
- Business
administration
- Project
management
- Recruiting
and talent acquisition
- Staff
training and development
Legal Support
The digital age has produced countless benefits, but it has
also generated new challenges. With the rapid speed of technological change,
the legal and regulatory system has, in many cases, struggled to keep up. So
companies like Google help educate policymakers and collaborate with them on
potential solutions. That's why the company employs a lot of legal and public
policy experts, including professionals who know how to conduct legal research,
negotiate contracts, and craft policies with the interests of clients and users
in mind. In addition to staff attorneys, the company hires non-attorneys with
skill sets related to:
- Legal
assisting
- Paralegal
support
- Political
science
- Public
policy
Security and Facilities Management
Google strives to create safe, healthy, and sustainable work
environments that foster collaboration. That means the company is frequently on
the lookout for a wide range of talented professionals who have the expertise
to help make that happen. Some of the most relevant types of skill sets for
teams in this category are related to:
- Civil
engineering
- Construction
management
- Hospitality
management
- Information
security
- Law
enforcement
- Property
management
- Risk
management
- Sustainability
- Threat
assessment
2. Learn About Google's Work Culture
Life
at Google is full of opportunities to follow your curiosity, learn
from other talented professionals, collaborate with people who think big, and
channel your creativity into meaningful projects. Plus, Googlers are encouraged
to talk openly, act with transparency, and stay at the top of their game each
day. They are supported in what they do via:
- Access
to relevant tools and resources
- Comfortable,
fun, and casual work spaces
- Great perks
and benefits designed to simplify their lives
That's what it's like to work at Google, at least according
to those who love their jobs there. Like any other company, Google has some
current and former employees who feel less satisfied or don't speak so
glowingly about their experiences. Also, many Googlers have said that the work
culture can vary—sometimes significantly—from one office to another.
So, where is Google located? All over the world, in more
than 150 cities across 50 countries. The company has numerous offices in North
America and Europe. According to the Google Careers website, the company also
has multiple offices in regions like Latin America, Asia, Australia, New
Zealand, Africa, and the Middle East. The head office, known as the "Googleplex,"
is located in Mountain View, California, which is part of Silicon Valley.
Of course, many aspiring Googlers want to know how to work
for Google from home. Here's the thing: Google prefers its employees to work at
its offices. Despite creating multiple technologies (such as Google Drive and
Google Hangouts) that make remote work easier, the company wants its employees
to work together in the same settings as much as possible.
That said, Google does have teams of employees who work in
different locations. In fact, 30 percent of the company's meetings involve team
members who are located across at least two time zones. And when comparing the
performance of its remote teams to teams that are fully on-site together, the
company didn't find any difference.
Some Googlers who have been with the company for an extended
period of time are able to work from home in particular situations, at their
managers' discretion (and with the support of their teams). However, as a new
employee, you cannot work for Google at home—unless you're a certain type
of contractor or
you've been hired for some kind of field position that requires you to be out
of the office a lot. Still, you may be part of projects that require working in
Google Hangouts for some of your meetings with team members in other locations.
But that obviously isn't the same thing as telecommuting from home.
That's just one reason it's a good idea to spend plenty of
time researching the company's work culture and expectations. Many current and
former Googlers have posted about their experiences online and are willing to
answer questions on websites like Quora. In addition, you can contact current Googlers
directly (especially recruiters), ask them questions, and even request a tour
of the office you're interested in working at. Basically, don't be afraid to
network with people in the company.
3. Explore Job Openings, Prep Your Resume, and Apply
Once you feel confident in your skills, experience, and
ability to contribute to Google's work culture, it's time to check out the
positions that are available. Google provides a searchable online database of job
openings for just this purpose. Simply enter the type of job you're
considering in order to see the various opportunities associated with your
skill set. Or if you're a military
veteran, search for relevant openings with your Military Occupational
Specialty (MOS) code.
If you're a college or university student, you can also
search for a Google internship using the same online database. In addition,
Google representatives visit hundreds of colleges and universities in order to
share information about various job and internship opportunities for students
and recent graduates. So let your school's career services department know that
you'd like to be notified in advance about any such visits. Some of the best
Google internships involve working with the company's business and technology
teams over the summer.
The requirements for each Google job are spelled out in the
online descriptions of each position. By exploring the descriptions of several
open positions, you'll start to get a feel for the opportunities that most
interest you. Then, you can begin matching your interests and skill sets to
specific openings.
Make a short list of the jobs you want most. (Google lets
you apply for up to three jobs at a time "within a rolling 30-day
window.")
Save or print out the job descriptions for each opening on
your list. Then, start crafting your resume, creating a separate version for
each job you intend to apply for. As you prepare your resume, focus on:
- Keeping
it as concise as possible
- Including
only your most relevant skills and experience based on what matches the
job description
- Calling
attention to your achievements—being specific about the scope and results
of successful projects you've led, managed, or contributed to in a
significant way
Make sure you proof each resume a few times and get someone
you trust to do the same thing. (Everything you send to Google should be free
of errors.) When you're ready to apply for an open position, go back to its
online job description and hit the "Apply" button. Then, sign in with
your Google account (or sign up if you don't have one already) and follow the
instructions.
Google's recruiters will review each of your applications
and determine whether you're a match for any of the openings. If you are a
match, they will schedule an initial interview. If not, they will keep your
resume and may notify you when openings that potentially match your
qualifications become available in the future.
This review process can sometimes take several weeks. So
after two months, if you still haven't been contacted by Google, you probably
aren't one of the candidates being considered. You can certainly apply for
other positions. But if you applied for some type of engineering position and
haven't been selected, Google prefers that you gain at least one more year of
experience before applying again.
4. Prepare for Your Phone or Google Hangouts Interview
If you're chosen as one of the candidates for a particular
job opening, you'll be scheduled for an interview that will take place over the
phone or via Google Hangouts. It's an opportunity to talk about your
qualifications and suitability for the job with a Googler who, if you're
ultimately hired, may be your manager or one of your peers. It's also a chance
to ask your some of own questions about the position.
Knowing how to ace a job interview is obviously super
helpful at this stage. Typically, you'll be asked a variety of questions
related to your expertise. Some of the questions may be about how you would
respond to hypothetical situations. Others may be geared toward understanding
the actions you've taken in the past in order to handle certain kinds of
challenges.
For most positions, this first interview usually lasts about
30 minutes. However, some interviews last up to 45 or 60 minutes. The longest
interviews are generally for positions on software engineering teams, which
require a lot more technical knowledge.
In fact, your first Google interview for a role related to
software engineering will require you to:
- Answer
questions about coding, algorithms, and data structures
- Write
up to 30 lines of code on the spot, in your preferred programming
language, using Google Docs so that your interviewer can see what you're
doing
- Share
your thought process as you write your code
- Answer
an open-ended question by explaining it in an algorithm and clarifying the
requirements as necessary
- Converting
your algorithm to workable and optimized code and explaining potential
test cases
Regardless of the role you interview for, it's a good idea
to practice your potential responses by having someone you know conduct a mock
interview with you. And if you're going after a role in software engineering,
be sure to practice writing code on a physical or digital whiteboard.
5. Prepare for Your On-site Interview
If you pass the first interview stage, you'll be invited for
an in-person interview conducted by about four Googlers you probably haven't
met yet. The interview will take place at one of Google's offices. It's used
for learning how you:
- Think
and approach problems
- Communicate,
make decisions, and help teams succeed
- Use
your skills and experience to make valuable contributions
- Work
as part of a group, as well as on your own
- Handle
ambiguity, assist others, and motivate yourself to keep learning and
pushing beyond your limits
As you prepare for this interview, try to imagine the kinds
of questions you'll be asked. Many of the most common job interview
questions—such as "What makes you want this job?" or "What's
your biggest weakness?"—are easy to discover with a simple Google search.
You can also ask various professionals you know to share some of the questions
they've been asked in job interviews over the years.
Ultimately, it's a good idea to create a long list of
potential questions, write down a few possible responses for each one, and
practice answering them all out loud. That way, you'll feel more confident
during your actual interview.
Other things that can help you excel at this interview
include:
- Sharing
specific stories that illustrate your strengths (as part of your responses
to most types of questions)
- Asking
for clarification and verbalizing what you're thinking when you receive
challenging or open-ended questions or an ambiguous problem to solve
- Refining
your answers out loud as it becomes apparent that your initial responses
can be improved upon
- Asking
your own questions about the work culture and your potential role in the
company
Also, keep in mind that if you are a person
with disabilities, a Google recruiter can put you in touch with its
accommodations team. That means you can talk privately about what you need for
your on-site interview with a dedicated specialist.
Of course, as with the first interview, this second
interview has some special characteristics if you're pursuing a role on a
software engineering team. For example, you'll need to be prepared to demonstrate
your expertise in areas like coding, algorithms, basic math, data structures,
sorting, recursion, and graphs. Depending on the location, you'll have the
option to use either a laptop or whiteboard to write code while figuring out
the best solution to a given problem. You'll be expected to push your
boundaries and provide detailed verbal explanations of your thought process
while exchanging ideas with your interviewers.
As part of your preparation for technical questions, Google
recommends going through the book Cracking the Coding Interview. The company also
suggests looking for examples of technical interview questions on sites such
as Stack Overflow and CodeLab.
6. Understand How the Final Hiring Decision Is Made
After passing your last interview, it's time to wait.
Everything associated with your application will be sent to a hiring committee,
which usually consists of Googlers of various standing in the company who
haven't met you. The committee will review your resume, work samples,
references, and interview scores and feedback. The goal is to ensure that you
truly meet Google's hiring standards.
Once the committee has reviewed everything, it will add its
own feedback to your "candidate packet" and send it all to a Googler
in a senior leadership position. This senior leader will review your candidacy
and either approve or reject it. If approved, your candidate packet—along with
a summary—will be sent to a Google executive for final review. If the executive
approves of your hiring, you'll receive a job offer.
At this stage, you can negotiate some of the terms of your
employment, such as your salary. And like with any other employment
opportunity, it's smart to get everything in writing.
The entire hiring process can take several weeks or months.
But every Googler has been through it, so it's seen as a badge of honor. It's
also viewed as an indication that you've proven yourself and can be trusted to
contribute, add value, support your colleagues, and grow with the company.
7. Enjoy the Great Perks and Benefits (If You're Hired)
Working for Google is a privilege that relatively few people
get to experience. The company is always striving to nurture the health and
happiness of its employees. In fact, a lot of the benefits are designed to help
employees save time and minimize the need for non-work-related decision making
so that more of their focus can be directed toward the most meaningful
activities inside and outside the office.
So, in terms of the perks, what is it like to work at
Google? The benefits vary from region to region and office to office, and they
sometimes change based on employee feedback or the needs of the company. But
depending on the location, Google has offered perks and benefits such as:
- Comprehensive
health, dental, and vision insurance
- Education
subsidies and tuition reimbursement (even for personal interest)
- Financial
planning services
- Flexible
work schedules
- Free
meals from on-site cafes (including breakfast, lunch, and dinner at some
offices)
- Free
or subsidized mobile devices
- Free
shuttle service (with on-board Wi-Fi)
- Life
and disability insurance
- Matching
charitable donations (including for time you work as a volunteer)
- "Microkitchens"
with free snacks and drinks
- On-site
classes for personal interest and professional development
- On-site
gyms and fitness classes (or off-site fitness memberships)
- On-site
health and wellness services (such as massage therapy, chiropractic, physical
therapy, dental care, and physician care)
- Opportunities
to attend or help arrange Talks at
Google, which feature talented and fascinating speakers, including
celebrities
- Paid
parental leave
- Paid
sick leave
- Paid
vacation
- Retirement
savings plans
- The
ability to bring your dog to work
All of the on-site amenities, especially at Google's largest
offices, go a long way toward simplifying the lives of employees and helping
them stay happy, healthy, and motivated. That's why it isn't surprising when
people hear about these perks and think, "I want to work for Google
too!" But, of course, the company's employees don't just enjoy awesome
benefits; they also get paid pretty well.
So, how much do Google employees make? If you work for
Google, you get the chance to earn a competitive salary. According to PayScale, Googlers make a median salary of about $113,000
in the U.S. That means half of them earn more than that amount, and half earn
less. However, another source pegs the median yearly pay closer to
$200,000 (based on SEC filings). Plus, many Googlers receive additional
compensation in the form of bonuses and company stock.
Here are a few examples of typical salary ranges for
positions at Google, based on PayScale data:
- Data
scientist: $89K to $163K
- Communications
manager: $85K to $166K
- Software
engineer: $77K to $148K
- Supply
chain manager: $70K to $157K
- Financial
analyst: $63K to $113K
- Front-end
web developer: $62K to $148K
- Project
manager: $60K to $147K
- Marketing
manager: $56K to $140K
- Computer
scientist: $56K to $139K
- Technical
writer: $51K to $140K
- HR
specialist: $51K to $97K
- Systems
administrator: $50K to $108K
- Content
strategist: $48K to $125K
- Computer
programmer: $44K to $111K
- Graphic
designer: $38K to $78K
- Administrative
assistant: $30K to $60K
8. Consider the Alternative Path of Being a Contractor
Temporary
and contract workers who are employed by outside staffing agencies may account
for roughly half of Google's overall workforce. So
depending on your skills and location, you can get a job inside Google by
looking for contract positions through an outside agency. Unfortunately, Google
doesn't publicize which staffing agencies it uses; however, you may be able to
find out by asking around or contacting some of the agencies that operate in
your region.
Each agency will have its own hiring process, which is
usually a lot faster than Google's. However, Google likely requires that
certain standards are met so that it receives a consistent quality of workers. The
company has also announced plans to start requiring the staffing agencies it
uses to provide full benefits and pay a minimum wage of $15 per hour to the
contract and temporary employees who work at Google for 33 hours or more per
week. The benefits will have to include at least eight days of sick leave, 12
weeks of paid parental leave, comprehensive health insurance, and $5,000 or
more per year in tuition reimbursement.
Many contract positions involve temporarily helping Google
teams that are experiencing a big spike in work or filling in for a bona fide
Googler who is on parental leave or short-term disability. So it's possible to
get a contract position for many of the same types of professional roles that
Google hires directly for, such as recruiting and software engineering. And if
you do well, your performance may help you land a permanent job at the company.
However, a lot of the contract positions are for jobs that
Google doesn't hire for in-house. For example, Google's cleaning crews, cooks
and chefs, and shuttle-bus drivers all tend to be employed by outside agencies.
The company also sometimes uses staffing agencies to hire contract workers
known as "ads quality raters" who do things like monitor the quality
of search results or help ensure that ads don't appear on online videos
promoting hate.
So if you want to know how to work for Google from home and
get paid, you can try searching for "ads quality rater" positions.
Just keep in mind that with Google, online jobs are fairly uncommon in the U.S.
and not widely promoted. Mostly, they are offered in non-English-speaking
countries so that the company can refine its algorithms and bring them to the
same level of quality as in English-speaking regions. Also, many of the
so-called "opportunities" you find online may actually be scams. So
be cautious.
Start Preparing for Your Dream Job
Now that you've learned about how to work for Google, you have a better chance of making it happen. So take action by following the steps outlined above.