Preparing your resume/CV

The first step on the road to working at Google is submitting your resume/CV. It’s important that your resume/CV accurately reflects your skills, experience and capabilities. If you graduated from a university within the last five years, include a copy of your transcripts (unofficial is okay), a list showing individual coursework completed and grades received, as well as the overall grade average. Please note that all resume/CVs must be submitted in English.

Submitting a resume/CV – General Information

To make it easier for Google team to determine where you might best fit within our organization, you can take a few simple steps to help us understand your qualifications.

• PDF, HTML, or Microsoft Word documents or text formats are acceptable or you can submit using plain text format.
• All resume/CV and related materials (transcripts, etc.) should be submitted in English.
• Only send essential personal information and be sure to include your name and how to contact you in the resume/CV not just your cover letter. Include your email, phone, and residence address. Do NOT include your gender, date of birth, age, family status, or personal identification numbers.

Educational Background

Your resume/CV should accurately reflect your academic achievements and accomplishments.

• Your resume/CV should show all post-secondary institutions attended, degrees conferred, and a cumulative grade point average (if available) for each degree received.
• Only report your secondary and university level education; do NOT include elementary schooling. However, if you completed a “year abroad” program as part of your pre-university education, feel free to include this in your resume/CV.
• Provide a brief description of any important projects you completed as part of your coursework.

Your Work Experience

You may be fresh out of a university, or have substantial work experience and a history of accomplishments. Either way, we want to know what skills you’ve acquired along the way. We’ll look closely at the work experience section of your resume/CV so the information you provide here is very important.

• List your experience and projects completed, accomplishments, etc. by your position with each employer.
• We also want to see concise, important details on your specific accomplishments and the impact your efforts had on your company.
• If you worked while attending a university, either during the summer or concurrent with your course work, be sure mention this even if it isn’t specifically related to a potential job at Google.

Additional Information

Google values talent and intelligence, group spirit and diversity, creativity and idealism. Googlers range from former neurosurgeons and puzzle champions to alligator wrestlers and Lego maniacs.

• Include the names and contact information of 2-3 references. These can include faculty advisors, co-workers, managers, or others who can talk knowledgeably about your skills and abilities. We don’t need copies of any written references you already have.
• Be sure to include any awards you’ve received, articles you’ve published, or conference presentations you’ve given. We don’t need to see copies of any awards or publications, just a reference to them.

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Preparing for Interview at Google

Preparing for your interview

Google’s interview process will vary by position but you can generally expect to have 1st round interviews over the phone or on-campus and 2nd round interviews on-site at Google.

Interview Process

1st round interviews will either take place on your college campus or via phone. Both phone and in-person interviews are 30–45minutes in length (depending on the role) and qualitative and open-ended in nature. The goal of the interview is to gain a better understanding of your problem solving abilities, communication style, leadership skills and passion for Google.

2nd round interviews will take place on-site at Google. Second rounds usually take the full day and consist of two to four back-to-back interviews with our Googlers, a lunch, and tour of the campus.

Who will you meet?

There are usually two contacts that will handle your candidacy throughout the interview process:

On-Campus interviews (University Programs): A member of the University Programs Team will meet you for your 1st round interviews on-campus. They are not interviewing you, but setting up and facilitating your on-campus interview experience. They will also communicate with you about your status after the 1st round interview.

Phone or On-Site interviews (Google Recruiter): If you are a PhD student or applied for a position that is not holding on-campus interviews, you will have your 1st round interviews via the phone. Your recruiter will set this up for you. For everyone (on-campus and phone interviewed candidates) that passes through to 2nd round interviews, a recruiter will become your main point of contact and handle your candidacy through to your final status.

Who will you interview with? Both 1st and 2nd round interviews will be conducted by Googlers from the function that you applied to. For example, if you are interviewing for an engineering role, you will be interviewed by an engineer.

Interview Content and Preparation

Your Background: Your interviewer may ask you a little bit about your work and academic background. Please prepare yourself for these questions beforehand.

Problem Solving: Google is interested in learning more about how you solve problems. These questions will require you to walk Google team through a complicated scenario and discuss how you concluded your answer. Don’t worry about being right or wrong–just answer to the best of your ability.

How to answer: Please be yourself. Google believes in bringing your whole self to work and making the best possible match for you and for Google. Be candid and active in your interview and to answer your questions clearly and concisely. If you need to take a moment and think through your answers, please do. It will help you and your interviewer understand your thoughts more clearly.

What to wear: At Google, you can be serious without a suit. While Google has no formal dress code, you should look presentable during the day of your interview. Business casual is fine.

What to bring: Please bring an extra copy of your resume/CV and your unofficial undergraduate/ graduate transcripts.