Interview

http://ecarmi.org/writing/google-internship/

"I've been working at Microsoft for over 11 years now and have experienced exactly what you described from both sides of the table -- both as an interviewee (when I was first hired) and now as an interviewer. What I am going to share with you is my experience at MS, but I have friends who work at Google, Yahoo and Facebook and they tell me it's the same over there. So these tips will help you navigate through the hiring process at most high tech companies.

1) The first thing you must realize is that the hiring process at most high tech companies is stupid. So don't take it personal. The people interviewing you are nothing but tiny cogs in a big machine. The format/content/duration of the interview is dictated by the people above. The interviewers are selected (some volunteer, others forced) among all the teams in the hiring department, and are rotated on a weekly basis to fill-in interviewer spots. The HR department schedules the interviews, and like an assembly line, moves candidates through the conveyer belt. On average, 6-7 people (including the director) will interview the candidate, and all of them have to vote "yes" before the person is hired (though I have seen directors override couple of "no" votes).

2) There is a back door entry into almost all big high tech companies. People who are referred through by internal employees that work in the hiring department (especially if that person is a manager/director or above), have a much better shot at getting hired. I estimate that at least half of all the hires are friends-of-friends of a manager or director. The candidate will still have to go through the interview process, but the interviewers are less hostile and will be hesitant to vote "no", fearing retaliation from the referring manager/director. Unfortunately, nepotism is a big problem in the tech sector and you'll have to deal with it.

3) Outsourcing and in-sourcing (through H-1B visa and F-1 for students) are a big problem in the tech sector and it has a direct impact on hiring (especially for inexperienced out of college natives). Almost all the high tech companies abuse these visas and they prefer visa holders over natives. Some directors/managers don't like H1Bs, but they cannot reject H1Bs outright, so they do it indirectly by stressing the importance of communication skills. So look for "excellent communication skills" or such verbiage on the job description. That's usually a good sign, which means you got a fair shot at the interview.

4) Your resume is perishable in the tech industry. You can save the world, move mountains with your code, but in 4 years, the projects/systems you worked are considered old and worthless and nobody wants to see them on your resume. As an engineer you are always fighting against time."

kx