Re: [tlug] FWIW: Google Japan Interview Experience

["Jim Maricondo" <jimbocho@example.com>]

Well if you count the 2 screening interviews, Shin, it would come to 9 
interviews.  I'm talking about 7 "real" interviews with engineers and 
managers.

Steve Yegge put it well in his blog post about interviews 
(http://steve.yegge.googlepages.com/google-secret-weapon) - "At some point, 
enough smart people want to work there that it's not simply enough to be 
smart; you have to market yourself."  I felt this way very much.  I decided 
to take it one step further, and see what it would be like to also interview 
at Yahoo Japan, and see if that would any way light a fire under Google.. 
But that is the subject of another posting perhaps ;-)  (It was also a very 
interesting experience, to say the least.  Wouldn't want to work there 
either.)

I have a lot of friends at the Google Mountain View office, and I used to 
live in the next city back before I came to Japan.  But I do not feel like 
moving back yet.  I was hoping that Google Japan would have a lot of 
interesting opportunities, and feel a little more like a startup than Google 
US.  But I didn't realize that they have their whole own set of different 
problems...

-Jim

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Shin MICHIMUKO" <smitimko@example.com>


> Hm, I don't think 5 to 7 times interviews are little too many. When I was 
> doing some interviews in a gaishi-kei company (Akamai), I wanted to limit 
> the number of interviews under 5 times at most.
>
> First interview is done for basic filtering to pass to the managements, 
> and the second one should be met by managements, and the last one should 
> be handled by the vice presidents or the last person to decide.
>
> I think that Google is still getting many candidates, and they can let the 
> candidates wait and shopping among the candidates. They can do it because 
> the candidates are really patient (in their point of view) and accept the 
> longer processes for them than for other companies. If we (other companies 
> than G) do it, even in Japan, many candidates will go to other companies 
> and cannot hire them.
>
> Sometimes the longer process will be done, if the hiring company is  not 
> confident to find another person. And believe me, the normal Japanese 
> companies have less interviews than gaishi-kei companies, even if the 
> companies are so huge.
>
> I hope you will be hired sooner, Jim. If Japan office is not so good, then 
> you may try to contact with US office. I heard that it's rather 
> interesting in US, than follow the policy of Japan office.