I was disappointed by my interview process earlier this month for a potential summer internship at Google. I'm sure part of it is driven by the result (I didn't get past the phone screens.) My main complaints are
- Every step of the process involved a new person. Overall, I had to be handed off through 4 different people, each one wanting a bit more information or a filled out form, until I was scheduled for the phone interviews. This was especially confusing when I had a recruiter assigned to me, and I was being emailed by both her and someone with whom she worked with at the same point in the process.
- The first interviewer was apparently a fill-in for the intended one, which is unfortunate, because he and I were a complete mismatch. He seemed to be a C/C++ guy and I have more high-level language experience, and we ended up doing what I would consider advanced bit manipulation / number theory. (The second interview was much more reasonable, and it is my own fault if I did not pass it.)
- The amount of time time that it took from the "Hi, we would like you to apply online" email to the you are not "a close enough match" email was over a month, which is much too long for simple back-to-back phone interviews. Waiting for their responses was the most frustrating and nerve-racking part of the process. I am glad at least the OP had quick responses.
Should I go through the process again, I would strongly consider asking them to expedite it in one way or another.
On a more optimistic note, I do feel like the interviews do help highlight weaknesses in your programming skills and resume presentation skills.
- Every step of the process involved a new person. Overall, I had to be handed off through 4 different people, each one wanting a bit more information or a filled out form, until I was scheduled for the phone interviews. This was especially confusing when I had a recruiter assigned to me, and I was being emailed by both her and someone with whom she worked with at the same point in the process.
- The first interviewer was apparently a fill-in for the intended one, which is unfortunate, because he and I were a complete mismatch. He seemed to be a C/C++ guy and I have more high-level language experience, and we ended up doing what I would consider advanced bit manipulation / number theory. (The second interview was much more reasonable, and it is my own fault if I did not pass it.)
- The amount of time time that it took from the "Hi, we would like you to apply online" email to the you are not "a close enough match" email was over a month, which is much too long for simple back-to-back phone interviews. Waiting for their responses was the most frustrating and nerve-racking part of the process. I am glad at least the OP had quick responses.
Should I go through the process again, I would strongly consider asking them to expedite it in one way or another.
On a more optimistic note, I do feel like the interviews do help highlight weaknesses in your programming skills and resume presentation skills.