Three months ago I received an email from a Google recruiter containing two job descriptions. She asked me whether they looked interesting to me. I answered that they did and entered the Google hiring process. The first part of it went well but the last month or so has been an experience I wouldn't recommend to anyone.
| 2006-07-05 | I received the email mentioned above from the recruiter. We exchanged a few mails in one of which I sent a link to my online CV and a phone interview was set up. |
| 2006-07-07 | The recruiter called me for the phone interview. We talked mostly about my background and she asked me a few technical questions. I was also asked to rate my skills on a number of technologies. |
| 2006-07-18 | My first technical interview. Various questions and a troubleshooting scenario. |
| 2006-07-25 | My second technical interview. |
| 2006-08-02 | Every time I was called for an interview I was told that I would get some feedback within a week. I hadn't received feedback from the second technical interview so I sent an email asking for it. |
| 2006-08-03 | I received an email with an invitation to the European headquarters of Google in Dublin. |
| 2006-08-18 | I visited Google in Dublin and went through four interviews there. They were much like the phone interviews except that I got to write some code on the white board. |
| 2006-08-23 | I received an email telling me that all my feedback so far had been positive and they would like one final phone interview with a technical manager. |
| 2006-08-30 | The final interview. The technical manager didn't call me. I sent a mail requesting a new time for the interview. |
| 2006-09-06 | The final interview, take two. Once again the technical manager didn't call me. I sent a mail expressing frustration and unhappiness about the situation. |
| 2006-09-13 | I was called by the recruiter in Dublin who apologized and promised that she would make sure that the technical manager called me the next time. |
| 2006-09-14 | The final interview, take three. This time the technical manager called me. |
| 2006-09-19 | I received an email with one last request for a phone interview with a senior technical manager based in California. |
| 2006-09-21 | The second final interview with the senior technical manager. |
| 2006-09-26 | I received an email from a recruiter based in California. I was apparently scheduled for a final interview without being asked about possible dates first. I replied that this was the third time I had been scheduled for a "final" interview and requested an explanation before proceeding further. |
| 2006-09-29 | The lead recruiter called me and apologized about the situation and promised me that he would make sure that I got a quick answer after the third final interview. He didn't offer me an explanation of the situation. |
| 2006-10-02 | The third final interview with the same senior technical manager as the second final interview. |
| 2006-10-05 | I received an email telling me that I was not a strong match for the position. |
I obviously didn't get the job. Otherwise I would probably not be writing this. From what I have heard my experience is not typical. However from my perspective it doesn't make Google look like a professional organization.
My two main complaints are:
I would expect a company like Google to have this sort of stuff worked out a long time ago. I realize that mistakes happen and human beings make mistakes. Did they all happen to me and not to others?
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