google research interview questions

20 Google Research Interview Questions and Answers

Prepare for the types of questions you are likely to be asked when interviewing for a position where Google Research will be used.

Google Research is a division of Google that focuses on artificial intelligence and machine learning. They are responsible for many of the company’s major breakthroughs, such as the Google Brain project. If you’re interviewing for a position at Google Research, you can expect to be asked questions about your experience with machine learning and artificial intelligence. In this article, we’ll review some common Google Research interview questions and how you should answer them.

Google Research Interview Questions and Answers

Here are 20 commonly asked Google Research interview questions and answers to prepare you for your interview:

1. What is your understanding of Google Research?

Google Research is the research and development arm of Google. They are responsible for many of the technological advances that we see in Google products, as well as developing new products and technologies that may be used in the future.

2. What is the difference between research and development in an organization like Google?

Research is all about finding new ways to do things and developing new technologies, while development is all about taking those new technologies and turning them into products and services that people can use. In a company like Google, research is often done by a small team of people who are constantly exploring new ideas, while development is done by a larger team that takes those ideas and turns them into reality.

3. Can you give me some examples of products that have emerged from Google Research?

Some examples of products that have emerged from Google Research include:

-Google Street View -Google Translate -Google Brain -Google Maps

4. Is there a particular focus area for Google Research? If yes, then what are they?

Yes, Google Research focuses on a few different areas, including machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision.

5. Why do you think working at Google Research will suit your career goals?

I believe that working at Google Research will allow me to be at the forefront of technological innovation. I will have the opportunity to work with some of the brightest minds in the industry and to contribute to cutting-edge research projects. Additionally, I believe that the resources and support available at Google will be invaluable in helping me to achieve my career goals.

6. Do you need to be an expert in machine learning or artificial intelligence to work at Google Research?

No, you don’t need to be an expert in machine learning or artificial intelligence to work at Google Research. However, it would be helpful if you have some knowledge in these areas.

7. Can you explain what deep neural networks are? Are they widely used by researchers at Google?

Deep neural networks are a type of machine learning algorithm that are used to model complex patterns in data. They are similar to traditional neural networks, but they have more layers, which allows them to learn more complex patterns. Deep neural networks are used by researchers at Google for a variety of tasks, such as image recognition and natural language processing.

8. What’s the difference between machine learning and AI?

AI is a field of computer science and engineering focused on the creation of intelligent agents, which are systems that can reason, learn, and act autonomously. Machine learning is a subset of AI that deals with the creation of algorithms that can learn from and make predictions on data.

9. Can you explain how reinforcement learning works?

Reinforcement learning is a type of machine learning that is concerned with how software agents ought to take actions in an environment so as to maximize some notion of cumulative reward. The agent learns by trial and error, receiving positive reinforcement when it makes a correct decision, and negative reinforcement when it makes a wrong decision.

10. How does transfer learning differ from traditional methods of training machine learning models?

Transfer learning is a method of training machine learning models where knowledge learned in one task is applied to a different but related task. This is different from traditional methods of training machine learning models, which typically involve starting from scratch with each new task. Transfer learning can be more efficient because it allows the model to leverage knowledge already learned in a different context, which can speed up the training process.

11. What do you understand about recommender systems? Have you ever built one yourself?

A recommender system, or a recommendation system, is a subclass of information filtering system that seeks to predict the “rating” or “preference” a user would give to an item. It is widely used in different areas, such as movies, books, news, research articles, products, etc. I have not built one myself, but I am familiar with the concept and how they work.

12. What is a Turing Test?

A Turing Test is a test of a machine’s ability to exhibit intelligent behavior equivalent to, or indistinguishable from, that of a human.

13. What are generative adversarial networks (GANs)?

A GAN is a type of artificial intelligence algorithm used to generate new data samples that are similar to a training data set. GANs are made up of two neural networks, a generator and a discriminator, that compete with each other in a zero-sum game. The generator creates new data samples, while the discriminator tries to classify them as either real or fake. As the two networks train, the generator gets better at creating data that is indistinguishable from the real data, and the discriminator gets better at identifying fake data.

14. What are autoencoders?

Autoencoders are a type of neural network that are used to learn how to compress data. The aim is to learn a representation (encoding) for the data that is smaller than the original input, but still contains all of the important information. The autoencoder then tries to reconstruct the original input from the learned representation.

15. What is the advantage of using recurrent neural networks over other types of neural networks?

Recurrent neural networks are advantageous because they can take into account previous inputs when making predictions. This is helpful when dealing with time series data or any other type of data where the order of the inputs matters. Other types of neural networks are not able to take into account previous inputs, which can lead to less accurate predictions.

16. What is data augmentation?

Data augmentation is a technique used to artificially increase the size of a training dataset by generating new data samples from existing ones. This is done by applying random transformations to the original data, such as rotation, translation, or flipping, in order to create new, slightly different versions of the original data samples. This can be useful when training machine learning models, as it can help to reduce overfitting and improve generalization.

17. What is the difference between supervised and unsupervised learning?

Supervised learning is where the data is labeled and the algorithm is told what to do with it. Unsupervised learning is where the data is not labeled and the algorithm has to figure out what to do with it.

18. What are some common mistakes people make when building decision trees?

Some common mistakes people make when building decision trees include:

– Not considering all of the possible outcomes when making decisions – Not properly weighting the importance of each decision – Not taking into account how likely each outcome is – Not updating the tree as new information becomes available

19. How would you use clustering algorithms to build a recommendation engine?

There are a few different ways to use clustering algorithms to build a recommendation engine. One way would be to use them to cluster together items that are similar to each other. This would allow the recommendation engine to suggest items to users that are similar to items they have already shown interest in. Another way to use clustering algorithms would be to cluster together users who are similar to each other. This would allow the recommendation engine to suggest items to users that other users who are similar to them have shown interest in.

20. What’s the best way to evaluate the performance of a machine learning model?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the best way to evaluate the performance of a machine learning model will vary depending on the specific model and the data it is being applied to. However, some common ways to evaluate machine learning models include using accuracy measures, confusion matrices, and ROC curves.

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Google interview questions and answers (SWE, PM, etc)

No matter what role you're applying for, Google interview questions are tough. To get the job, your answers will need to be outstanding.

If that sounds daunting, don't worry, we're here to help. We've helped thousands of candidates get jobs at Google and we know exactly what sort of questions you can expect in your interview.

Below, we'll go through the most common Google interview questions and show how you can best answer each one.

Here’s an overview.

6 most-asked Google interview questions and answers (behavioral)

• Google software engineer questions and answers
• Google product manager questions and answers
• Google engineering manager questions and answers
• 200+ Google interview questions (by role)
• More guides and resources

One more thing before we start - if you've got a SWE or PM interview at Google coming up, you'll probably want to read our bespoke guides to prepare with:

• Google SWE interview guide
• Google engineering manager interview guide
• Google product manger interview guide

Okay, let's go!

Click here to practice mock interviews with ex-Google interview coaches

Whichever role you’re applying for, you can expect to face lots of behavioral questions as part of your Google interview process. Google uses behavioral questions to assess your leadership ability, your ability to work in cross-functional teams, your motivations, and your general “Googleyness”.

Let’s zoom in on six of the questions you’re most likely to get at Google and look at how you should approach them, with a sample answer for each.

1. Why do you want to work at Google?

You can expect to be asked this question at least once in your Google interviews. Interviewers want to know that you’ve got the right motivations for joining the company, and you’re not just in it for the prestige or the money.

Aim to give two or three compelling and specific reasons. Do your research so that in your answer you can talk about specific things that attract you to the company. It’s great if you can show that you’ve spoken to Googlers about why they enjoy working there, so try and do some networking if possible.

Things to AVOID:

• offering vague, generalized praise for Google
• spending too long answering (aim for 1 minute)
• giving an answer that lacks structure

Let’s see what a good answer looks like:

Example answer:

“I want to work at Google for three reasons.

First, I'm excited to join Google because of its deep technical culture. I loved my PhD in Computer Science and for me, programming is a hobby, not just a job. I know that by joining the company I'll be working with colleagues who are as excited as I am about advanced technology.

Second, I'm attracted to Google because of its spirit of innovation, exemplified by the famous 20% policy—whether or not that policy is still a hard and fast rule at the company today. Being creative and pursuing novel opportunities is what inspired me to organize a coders club and internal innovation events in my previous position, which ended up reducing turnover in my team by 15%. It sounds like Google is a place that encourages special projects like these.

Finally, I studied with Anika Kumar and Aaron Fox, who were part of the same PhD program and now work at Google. Both of them are enjoying their time here and encouraged me to apply to join the team.”

For a more detailed look at how to ace this crucial question, check out our “How to answer "Why Google?" interview question” guide (written for PMs but relevant to all roles).

2. What is your favorite Google product?

Googlers are passionate about their products and interviewers want to see that you share this passion. Of course, they’ll also want to see that a) you are able to understand what makes a good product and b) your communication skills are good enough to explain your reasoning.

It doesn’t really matter which product you pick, the key is giving some good reasons as to why, and structuring your argument properly.

Engineering candidates often get asked this as a kind of warm-up question in a technical interview (PMs are also asked this but will need to give a more in-depth answer ).

Let’s see an example.

Example answer

“As a software engineer, one of my favorite Google products is Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE). I started using it a year ago in my current role, and I absolutely love using it.

It allows me to have a really high level of control and I’ve been learning how to take advantage of the very advanced configuration options. I particularly like the deployment options it offers such as the rolling updates, blue-green deployments, canary releases.

I’ve also found that the integration with Cloud Storage, Cloud SQL, and Cloud Pub/Sub is really smooth.

So yes, I love using GKE and I think it’s fantastic that Google provides this kind of infrastructure because it makes it much more accessible for small businesses to launch apps. I’d love to work on making something like this myself.”

3. Tell me about a time you failed at work

Even Google execs make mistakes. In fact, they make lots of mistakes, as you can see from this graveyard of discontinued Googe products ! The key to acing this question is to show that you’re someone who owns their mistakes and sees failure as a learning opportunity. So use a real failure, explain what went wrong, and what you learned.

Again, we recommend using the SPSIL framework. For this question, the Lessons part is the most important, and has the benefit of enabling you to conclude on a positive note.

“About 6 months ago I was working on a project where I had to implement a new online booking feature for a client. I had a tight deadline and was working under pressure to get it done. I was in such a hurry that I didn’t take as much time as I normally do to check my code for bugs. 

Unfortunately, it did have a bug and it caused a lot of follow-on problems on the client’s website.

I tried to solve it but I quickly started to feel a bit out of my depth, so I decided to ask for help from my manager as well as team member who had a lot more experience than me. We worked together to identify the root cause of the issue, and we came up with a plan of action.

We had a very frank meeting with the client where we laid out the extent of the problem and the steps we were going to take to fix it.

We had to work some long hours to get everything fixed, but in the end, we were successful. We missed the deadline, but not by too much, and our relationship with the client actually improved in the long-term as they saw how committed we were to fixing the problem, and that we had been transparent with them.

I learned three things through this experience. One, don’t skip on testing code properly or you’ll pay for it later on. Two, it’s important to always be transparent and honest, in this case both with my manager and then with the client. And three, I learned that when you have to tell someone that something has gone wrong, it’s a lot better if you can also explain what you’re going to do to solve the problem.”

Get more tips on answering this common question in our guide: 5 ways to answer ‘Tell me about a time you failed’ interview question

4. Tell me about yourself

Google interviewers frequently use questions like this one to break the ice and to get to know a little bit about you. These questions set the tone for the interview as a whole. 

The interviewer will likely follow up on one or more of the details you share in your answer, so be prepared to dive deeper into certain points of your past experience. 

Google interviewers love entrepreneurship and “scrappiness”, so if you have any examples of side projects, things you’ve set up yourself, include them briefly in your answer. That said, this question isn’t about your private life. Everything you say should be designed to convey the idea that you’re very well suited to the role in question.

“I’ve just left my role as an engineering manager at Thanus, an online gaming service, where I hired and developed my own team of 6 engineers from scratch. During my time there, I’ve revamped the product backlog by classifying work items into Epics, and I built the architecture to overhaul our risk and fraud services.

Before Thanus, I was a lead software engineer at Sweep, an online travel booking company. That’s where I got to try my hand at project planning with management teams for the first time, and where I built out the new service-oriented-architecture for our lodging services. 

And in my free time, I love fixing things and I spend way too much time in the basement fiddling around with robotics. So that’s me in a nutshell. Would you like me to go into more detail on any of that?”

5. Tell me about a time you led a team through a difficult situation

Google wants to employ people who are ready to take on difficult challenges, and ready to show leadership even if their position doesn’t explicitly demand it.

If you don’t have experience in leadership positions, consider using examples from outside the workplace. The requirement here is to show that you’re resilient, capable of owning a problem, and able to align people around you towards a common goal.

“I spent three years working at a small start up, and after an initial period of rapid growth, revenue dropped off and we started losing money.

I was leading a team of five, and understandably people were extremely worried about their jobs. I also had pressure from the CEO to implement cost-cutting and revenue-generating measures that would help us get back to break-even as soon as possible.

As a team leader, my primary focus was on keeping the team motivated and productive, even in the face of uncertainty. My first action was to schedule a meeting to specifically discuss the situation and provide an honest and transparent overview of what was happening.

I acknowledged the challenges that the company was facing, but I also emphasized that our team was essential to the company's success and that our work was valuable to the company's mission. I was already holding bi-weekly 1-1s with each team member but I made it clear that if they had any pressing concerns outside that time they could always come to me.

We also came up with a list of team actions we could take that would reduce costs and over the next 6 months I arranged bi-weekly updates with the CEO to show how we were progressing. 

Through these actions my team played a major part in getting the company back on track, and I made sure this was visible to the CEO. There were no lay-offs in our area and morale and productivity stayed strong.

It was a difficult experience to go through but I learned that when you’re managing a team, constant communication is vital in a crisis. People always have doubts and hypothetical scenarios you hadn't even thought of, and it’s really useful to provide a space where you can listen to them and give them a more accurate picture of what’s going on, even if that picture is incomplete.”

6. Tell me about a time you dealt with conflict

Google interviewers often ask questions about conflict, especially in management position interviews. They want to know that you’d be able to effectively manage the conflicts that inevitably arise when people are solving complex problems and working under pressure.

“In my past job, when I first joined I was very eager and frequently jumped in with ideas and volunteered to lend a hand in many tasks.

I began to notice in our team meetings that one of my coworkers began cutting me off when I presented ideas. Later, when I volunteered to help with a task that concerned his functional area, he neglected to give me the information and resources I needed.

To solve this, my first step was to examine my own behavior to understand how it may have sparked the conflict. I determined that my eagerness to contribute to the discussions and project may have overstepped some bounds.

My next step was to meet with my coworker. I politely expressed how his behavior was preventing me from speaking up in meetings and helping with important tasks, then asked if I had overstepped any boundaries. He agreed, explaining that I had taken up too much time in the meetings, giving him and others less of an opportunity to present their teams’ work.

First, I apologized for my initial behavior, and promised I would be more attentive to the time I spent speaking in meetings and would only volunteer for tasks when I was confident I was well equipped to contribute. In exchange, I requested that he approach me in case further issues arise, instead of closing me off from discussions or projects. He agreed.

We each adjusted our behavior and avoided further conflict while working together.

This experience taught me to be much more receptive to coworkers’ feedback and work to keep my contributions quick and to the point in meetings. Also, it taught me to address issues as soon as they arise, as we were able to move on from that conflict very quickly instead of allowing it to grow into a larger problem.”

Learn more about how to ace this question by using our guide: 5 ways to answer "Tell me about a time you had a conflict"

Now we’ve covered the most common behavioral questions, let’s zoom in to more role-specific questions you can expect to face at Google. 

7. Google software engineer questions (and answers)

Google software engineers solve some of the company’s most difficult problems through code, while working closely with cross-functional teams.

As well as the common behavioral questions we’ve laid out above, as a software engineer you can expect to face a range of coding questions and some tough system design problems.

Let’s take a look at some typical examples we’ve found from our analysis of Google SWE interview reports on Glassdoor.

Can you confidently answer the nine questions below? If so, you’re well on the way to acing your Google interview!

7.1 “How would you design X?”

Google system design interviews are typically given to software engineer and TPM candidates at levels L5 and up. Each system design interview lasts 45 minutes and is focused on one complex problem such as “Design Google Maps.”

You’ll want to approach the problem in an extremely structured way and talk through your thinking with the interviewer as you go.

Let’s take a look at a brief answer outline:

Example answer outline: Design Google Maps

Ask clarifying questions

• What are the functional and nonfunctional requirements? (e.g. route planning, time and distance estimations, identifying roads, availability, accuracy, etc.)
• How many monthly average users are there? How frequently do they access the app?

Design high-level

• How will your system designate the fastest route from point A to point B? (Dijkstra’s algorithm, Bellman Ford Algorithm, Floyd-Warshall Algorithm, etc.) 
• How will you store the above information?
• How will you optimize the system to only take into account relevant roads instead of all roads in the world or country?

Drill down on your design

• How will you map out the architecture, and what components will you use to handle requests? Which components will you build yourself versus using specific tech (Cassandra, Hadoop, WebSocket managers, etc).
• Can you dive deeper on a specific aspect? (traffic predictions, estimated time of arrival, etc.)

Bring it all together

How can you improve what you’ve built? Are there bottlenecks you could resolve or aspects you could optimize?

Check out our guide on Google system design interviews for more help on acing these questions.

7.2 "Given a binary tree, find the maximum path sum. The path may start and end at any node in the tree."

Google software engineer candidates can expect questions on common data structures and algorithms, including graphs, arrays, strings, dynamic programming, recursion, and more.

Talk through your thinking and be ready for your interviewer to interrupt and pick holes in your answer.

“To find the maximum path sum in a binary tree, we can use a recursive algorithm that traverses the tree and keeps track of the maximum path sum found so far. At each node, we can calculate the maximum path sum that includes the current node by adding the value of the node to the maximum of the maximum path sum from the left subtree and the maximum path sum from the right subtree. We can then update the global maximum path sum if the maximum path sum that includes the current node is greater than the current global maximum.

Here's the Python code for the algorithm:

The algorithm uses a nested function dfs to perform a depth-first search traversal of the binary tree. At each node, dfs returns the maximum path sum that includes the current node and at most one of its subtrees. The max function with the arguments 0 and the recursive call to dfs ensures that negative sums from a subtree are ignored.

The curr_path_sum variable calculates the maximum path sum that includes the current node, its left subtree, and its right subtree. We update self.max_path_sum if curr_path_sum is greater than the current maximum path sum. Finally, dfs returns the maximum path sum that includes the current node and at most one of its subtrees to the parent caller.

In this example, the maximum path sum in the binary tree with root node 1 , left child 2 , and right child 3 is 6 , which corresponds to the path 2 -> 1 -> 3 .”

You'll need to work through lots of coding interview examples before your Google interview. We recommend using our coding interview prep guide as a jumping off point.

7.3 How do you ensure quality and catch errors?

We’ve seen this question reported numerous times on Glassdoor. Google products come with high quality expectations and interviewers will want to know how you’ll ensure that your code is effective and bug free.

“In my current role, there are various ways in which I ensure quality and catch any errors I might have made. Firstly, I review my code myself. Then I conduct a code review with another engineer on the team to identify potential bugs, improve code quality, and ensure compliance with coding standards.  Sometimes we use automated tests, like unit tests and integration tests.

I’m always trying to improve the quality of my work, and one thing that’s really useful for this is user feedback. Not only for catching bugs but for better understanding how the customers are using our product and how we can make things work better for them.”

7.4 “How would you design a database for a tiny URL implementation?

This is another common system design question at Google. Again, the key to a strong answer is giving a well-structured answer. Let’s take a look at an example.

“To clarify, I’m going to design the data schema, database architecture, and choose a database technology to use for the tiny URL implementation, assuming a simple in memory or local store file would not be suitable for this system.

Given a network with about 300 million daily active users, let’s say 20% (60 million) are frequent original posters who post roughly 1 URL a day, meaning we’d need to create about 60 million URLs a day, or 695 URLs a second. A single server won’t meet this requirement, so let’s go for a distributed system, with a caching layer for the links that get the most traffic.

Here’s an idea of what the system could look like:

A potential problem with this is that the whole system relies on the central ID generator being up all the time, which is a risk if it fails, and it may slow down the system. We could fix this by making a few more ID generators, which the API servers could go ‘round robin’ through to find a new number.”

Remember that the answer above is the shortened version of a realistic sample answer. For a deeper dive into how a hypothetical candidate would design the system above, as well as examples of follow-up questions by the interviewer, consult our guide on how to answer system design interview questions .

7.5 Given a row's x cols binary matrix filled with 0's and 1's, find the largest rectangle containing only 1's and return its area.

This problem can be solved using the concept of the largest rectangle in a histogram. The idea is to treat each row of the matrix as a histogram, where each bar in the histogram represents the number of consecutive 1's in that row up to that point. Then we can find the largest rectangle in each histogram using the same algorithm as for the largest rectangle in a histogram problem.

Here's the algorithm to solve the problem:

• Initialize a variable max_area to 0.
• Convert the binary matrix to a histogram by counting the number of consecutive 1's in each row up to that point. This can be done using dynamic programming, by defining a new matrix height where height[i][j] represents the number of consecutive 1's in the ith row up to the jth column.
• For each row in the matrix, find the largest rectangle in the corresponding histogram using the algorithm for the largest rectangle in a histogram problem. Update max_area if the area of the largest rectangle is greater than max_area .
• Return max_area .

Here's the implementation of the above algorithm in Python:

In this implementation, we use dynamic programming to calculate the height matrix, which stores the number of consecutive 1's in each row up to each column. We then iterate over each row of the matrix and use a stack to find the largest rectangle in the corresponding histogram. We update max_area if the area of the largest rectangle is greater than the current max_area . Finally, we return max_area .

To test the function, you can create a binary matrix and call the function with it:

7.6 "How would you approach a complex programming problem where you are not sure of the right solution?"

This is a fairly typical behavioral question for SWEs to face at Google. You’ll want to demonstrate that you’re not fazed by working outside your comfort zone and that you have a method for approaching complex problems.

“I find that when faced with a really hard problem, approaching it in a logical manner always helps. So first I would take the time to really make sure I understand the problem statement and any constraints or requirements that come with it.

Next, I would try to break down the problem into smaller, more manageable subproblems. This would help me identify any patterns or similarities between the subproblems, and I can then work on each subproblem individually before combining them into a solution for the larger problem.

Once I have a good understanding of the problem and its subproblems, I would explore different approaches to solving the problem. I would look for any existing algorithms or data structures that might be relevant and try to apply them. I would also brainstorm my own ideas and solutions, even if they seem unconventional or unorthodox.

After exploring different approaches, I would evaluate each one to determine its feasibility, efficiency, and correctness.Once I have identified a suitable approach, I would implement it and test it thoroughly. I would start with small inputs and gradually increase the size of the input to make sure that the solution works for all cases. I would also consider edge cases and any potential failure points to ensure that the solution is robust and reliable.

Finally, I would iterate and improve the solution. I would look for ways to optimize the solution, improve its performance, or simplify its implementation. I would also consider feedback from other engineers or users to identify any areas for improvement.”

7.7 Given the root node of a binary search tree, return the sum of values of all nodes with value between L and R (inclusive). The binary search tree is guaranteed to have unique values

This google coding interview question assesses whether you can use relevant algorithms to solve problems.

• Initialize a variable sum to 0.
• Traverse the binary search tree in-order (left, root, right), and at each node: a. If the node value is less than L , recursively traverse the right subtree. b. If the node value is greater than R , recursively traverse the left subtree. c. If the node value is between L and R , add it to the sum and recursively traverse both the left and right subtrees.
• Return the final sum .

Here's the algorithm in Python:

In this implementation, we use a helper function dfs to traverse the tree in-order and recursively update the sum variable. We use the nonlocal keyword to indicate that the sum variable is a reference to the outer scope's variable, and not a new local variable. We also define a TreeNode class to represent the nodes of the binary search tree.

To test the function, you can create a binary search tree and call the function with the root node and range limits:

7.8 How would you design Google Search?

Google interviewers often like to ask you to design a Google product in your system design interview.

Check out this Google Search design from a Senior SWE. Click here to download this diagram in full.

7.9 Describe a challenging software project you have worked on in the past. How did you approach it?

This is a very typical question for an SWE at Google, often in the first-round of interviews.

Be ready with a strong example and use a framework to structure your answer. We always recommend the SPSIL framework.

"Sure. One of the most challenging projects I’ve faced was creating a web-based project management tool for a large organization. The tool needed to have multiple features including project creation, task assignment, progress tracking, resource allocation, and reporting.

We faced several obstacles during its development. The main problems we encountered were:

• The tool needed to integrate with multiple systems, which required extensive work to ensure the smooth flow of data between the systems.
• There were varying needs and priorities from different stakeholders, which led to some changes in requirements mid-project.
• We encountered some performance issues during testing, which required us to optimize our queries and make other changes to improve the tool's performance.

To overcome these challenges, we adopted an agile methodology that allowed us to adjust to changing requirements and incorporate feedback from stakeholders. We also worked closely with the stakeholders to ensure that we were meeting their needs, and we leveraged automated testing and monitoring tools to detect and address issues early.

Despite the challenges, we were able to successfully develop and deploy the project management tool. The tool was widely adopted by the organization and helped improve project management processes.

This project taught me several valuable lessons, including:

• The importance of gathering requirements and working closely with stakeholders to ensure that their needs are met.
• The benefits of adopting an agile methodology and using automated testing and monitoring tools to detect issues early.
• The value of perseverance and adaptability in overcoming challenges during software development.
• The need to prioritize performance optimization during development to prevent performance issues during testing and deployment"

To see more examples and a detailed explanation of the SPSIL framework, check out our guide on how to answer Google behavioral questions .

For lots more Google software engineer questions go to section 6.1 of this guide.

We also recommend reading our Google software engineer interview guide, which has all the information you need to prepare for your Google SWE interviews.

8. Google product manager questions (and answers)

Google PMs must take on a range of tasks, including designing product features, improving existing ones, and setting product vision, all while working with a diverse range of stakeholders.

For that reason, product manager interviews at Google involve questions across a wide range of areas: Design, Analysis, Strategy, Cross-collaboration and Execution.

Let's look at some typical questions and how you should approach them.

8.1 How would you improve X product?

Google product managers must be able to consider user experiences from the customers’ perspective and use that point of view to design and improve products.

To answer product improvement questions you’ll need to combine your understanding of the product space with technical and business considerations.

We recommend using the BUS framework to structure your answer. Let’s take a look at an example answer outline.

Example answer: How would you improve Google Chrome?

Business objectives

Start off by considering the different goals we might want to aim for:

• User acquisition: do we want to try and bring Google Chrome to an even wider audience?
• User frequency: do we want to focus on increasing the amount of time and frequency users spend on the platform?
• User satisfaction: Improve how satisfied users are with the product?

Each objective requires us to select a different North star metric. Let’s imagine the interviewer agreed you should focus on increasing user satisfaction. You could suggest using NPS scores or Help Center ticket numbers, etc.

User problems

You’ll want to segment your user base. You could segment them into three segments according to how they use Chrome - Power / Medium / Light.

After segmenting users you can see that it makes sense to focus on power users, and you can drill down into their pain points:

• High power usage, drains battery
• Productivity problems - too many tabs open

Choose a user problem to focus on and suggest solutions. Let’s say you focus on productivity, you could suggest the following solutions:

• Smart tab management system that learns from your behavior
• Universal search bar to more quickly find the tab you need
• Meeting notifications with links that enable you to join meeting immediately

After you’ve given your solutions, there’s a good chance the interviewer will ask you to prioritize them. So be ready to use a prioritization framework and make a recommendation, being sure to link back to the business objective.

The outline above is a summary of a superb “Improve Google Chrome” answer given by an ex-Google PM. We recommend watching the video to see the full answer, complete with interviewer’s feedback. 

8.2 How would you design X?

Google interviewers use this question extremely frequently. They want to assess your customer empathy, creativity, and ability to use a structured approach to managing products.

Again, we recommend that you structure your approach to design questions by using the BUS framework . Check out the abbreviated sample answer below.

Sample answer: Design a computer keyboard

Business objective

First, clarify the question and confirm its scope:

• What's the business objective and target user?
• Are we designing a mouse to go with it?

Let's assume that the interviewer wants you to design a keyboard for casual gamers, and that the business objective is to maximize revenues.

Brainstorm typical problems casual gamers face when using standard computer keyboards:

• Keys are slow to respond, collect dust underneath over time, aren’t easy to replace
• Keys that are repetitively used wear out
• Keyboard is uncomfortable to use for long periods of time

(see more user problems in the full answer, here ).

Most gamers' primary objective is probably to win at the game they play. As a result, it makes sense to prioritize solving problems which will help users improve their performance, like problem one.

Here are some solutions which could help solve this problem:

• Build keys that don't need to be pressed as hard / deep to register input
• Build keys which register user input quicker using alternative technologies 
• Build keys that can easily be removed to clean the keyboard

You'll want to prioritize your solutions using a simple framework that allows you to compare effort and impact.

Your prioritization framework might lead you to conclude that solution a) is low effort and high impact. Make sure you link back to the business objective you outlined at the start of the interview and confirm how this solution meets that objective.

There are always trade offs when choosing solutions: in this case, the keys could become overly sensitive, increasing user errors. Show that you're comfortable considering trade offs and be ready to discuss how you might mitigate for them.

Want to see more detail on how to answer this question? For the complete answer and an explanation of the framework, take a look at our guide to product design questions .

8.3 What’s your favorite product and why?

“What’s your favorite product and why?” is a common question asked during PM interviews at Google. Interviewers ask this question to assess:

• Your understanding of product design
• Your ability to deliver constructive criticism
• Your knowledge of a specific product

Example answer: 

"My favorite product right now is Instagram. 

Here’s how I’d like to go about answering this question: First, I’ll explain what the product does at a high level and its business objectives. Second, I’ll outline the target users and their problems. And finally, I’ll explain how the product solves those problems better than competitors and why that makes it my favorite product. 

Does that sound okay to you?¨

(Explain the product)

"Before I explain why it’s my favorite app, I’ll quickly review how Instagram works.

Instagram has two main types of users: end users and advertisers. 

End users choose accounts to follow (e.g. friends and family, influencers, brands, etc.), which in turn creates a personalized feed of photos and videos that provides information, entertainment, and inspiration. These users can also upload photos and videos to share with their own followers. 

Advertisers sell products and build their brand on the platform. They can do this by paying for ads that show up as recommended posts and stories, by building an engaging account that people want to follow, or a combination of the two."

(Define the business objective)

“The more time users are on the app and the deeper their engagement, the more rewarding the platform is to advertisers, which creates a virtuous cycle. Therefore, in terms of its business objectives, Instagram is most likely interested in user engagement and revenue.”

“I tend to use Instagram mostly as an end user, not an advertiser, so let me explain more about the product from that user perspective. Instagram provides solutions to common problems for users like me. 

One, people often experience boredom in their free time, especially in scenarios where they don’t have much time, and they’re only carrying their phone, like in waiting in line for a coffee. 

Two, it is tough to find one easy place to share casual photos, promote artwork, or build a small business where there are many users who are likely to find and share your content.”

(Solutions)

“Instagram solves these problems better than competitors in a few ways.

“First, by giving users the option of exactly what accounts to follow, there’s a really high chance a user’s feed is full of content they’re going to enjoy as soon as the app launches on their phone. This is a better solution than some alternatives which first require you to choose the type of content you want to engage with before really providing value (like TikTok and Twitter).

“Second, the primary design of the app as a mobile experience built around visuals might be Instagram’s biggest advantage over its competitors. For instance, reading a tweet or a lengthy Facebook post while walking is harder than glancing at a picture. 

The core design of the app therefore makes the barrier to engage with Instagram content really low compared to other alternatives. It also makes it easy for users to curate their content, with attractive photos and easy to use visual effects.”

(Trade offs and improvements)

“One trade-off here is that the focus on visual content inhibits users’ ability to post long-form or written content. This may drive certain users to other social media products, such as Facebook or blogging sites. 

However, the benefits of the visual content ultimately trump the downsides, as it creates a cohesive and visually stimulating experience that keeps the user scrolling. Also, users who want to promote long-form or written content can easily share portions of it with links to their website or other work, if they so choose.”

(Summarize)

“So that’s why Instagram is my favorite product. The endless feed of visuals optimized for mobile provides a simple solution for users looking to be entertained. Given how easy it is to use and engage with the app, it builds a virtuous cycle that creates more revenue opportunities for advertisers.”

Click here for a complete explanation of how to answer the "What's your favorite product" question as a PM.

8.4 Can you define success metrics or react properly to a metric change?

Google asks two types of metric (“analytical”) questions: metric definition and metric change. They test if candidates can perform basic data analysis and select key metrics that matter most to the success of a product. 

Below is an abbreviated example answer to a typical metric change question at Google, using a three-step method.

Example answer: YouTube traffic went down 5% —how would you report this issue to the executive team?

(Define the metric change)

Here are some questions that immediately come to mind to help clarify the question: How do you define “traffic,” what segments and device types is it affecting, and when did it start?

(Explore possible root causes)

Assume the interviewer tells you that the average time spent watching per session is down 5% month-over-month worldwide on mobile only. Now, brainstorm potential factors. Assume the interviewer has asked to focus on internal factors only. 

Internal factors:

• Data accuracy (e.g. confirm reporting tools are working as expected)
• Context (e.g. it could be an expected seasonal drop)
• Access to the product (e.g. possibility of a major outage)
• Product changes / quality (e.g. possibility of code that introduced a bug)

Assume the interviewer has confirmed that the reporting is working as expected, there is no seasonal drop, and there has been no major outage. Consider product changes: Did they release any significant feature changes?

The interviewer says that the user interface for the video player was recently changed on mobile, which involved making the “Send video to device” button two times larger, and reducing the “Full screen” button by half its original size. 

(Discuss and conclude)

At that point, you could form a hypothesis and say something like, “Have you noticed a change in the frequency at which the ‘Send video to device’ and ‘Full screen’ buttons are being used on mobile? Maybe mobile users are having a harder time tapping the ‘Full screen’ button now that it’s smaller, and are tapping the ‘Send video to device’ button by accident because it’s too big?”

8.5 How many emails does Gmail receive a day?

This question is given as an example analytical question in the prep pack Google sends to product manager candidates.

Google interviewers no longer ask tricky brainteasers such as “how many golf balls fit in a Boeing 747” but they do still ask these kind of estimation questions to test your ability to work with numbers and understand the product market.

Let’s see an example answer outline.

• Ask clarification questions
• Does that include “spam” emails that go direct to Promotions and Social folders?
• Can you give me an idea of the amount of active users Gmail has, or would you like me to use an estimate?

Let’s imagine that the interviewer wants us to include the spam emails and wants us to make our own estimate for the total Gmail users. 

• Map out your calculations

It’s a good idea to explain the calculations you’re going to make to the interviewer before you do them. Be sure to segment users in this type of question as it’s a key PM skill.

• Estimate Gmail total active users
• Segment users
• Estimate emails received by each user segment to get total

We lay out these three steps to the interviewer and they’re on board. We can then start our calculations.

• Round numbers and calculate

1.Let’s estimate that Gmail has 1 billion active users. In the United States probably more than half the population use Gmail but in countries such as India and China that proportion will be much lower, so 1 billion worldwide seems about right.

2. We can use the 80/20 rule and say that 20% of Gmail users will be highly active. They use Gmail for work and on average could receive 10 emails in their main inbox per day. Meanwhile the other 80% user Gmail for personal use, let’s say they receive five personal emails per day.

3. Remember that we need to include spam emails. We can estimate that a typical user receives 10 emails per day directly to their promotional and social folders.

• Let’s estimate the emails sent by each segment

Highly active: 20% of 1 billion = 200million x 10 = 2.billion emails per day

Less active: 80% of 1 billion = 800million x 5 = 4 billion emails per day

Spam: 1 billion x 10 = 10 billion emails per day = 10 billion emails per day

Now we can add the numbers and get the total = 16 billion emails per day

• Sense check your results

When you get your answer, take a minute to check if it seems plausible. Sometimes a small math error can lead to a crazy number, so if it doesn’t make sense then you’ll want to go back and check your calculations.

In this case, you could say to the interviewer that 16 billion emails per day seems reasonable and you’re happy to make that your estimation.

Click here to learn more on how to answer estimation questions in PM interviews

9. Google engineering manager questions (and answers)

Engineering managers at Google must have similar technical skills as those tested in software engineer interviews, with an emphasis on soft skills like people and project management. This is because they’re moving from managing individual features to managing projects and teams.

So, be ready to answer lots of behavioral questions that test your ability to lead engineers, in addition to coding and system design interviews. 

Let’s go through some typical questions.

9.1 How would you deal with low performing engineers?

Google wants to know if your people management skills are up to scratch. If possible, answer these types of questions with an example from your past experience, rather than giving a hypothetical answer.

"I actually have some experience with this at my current company. Around a year ago, the productivity of one of my engineers started to drop significantly.

I hold regular 1-to-1 meetings with each team member and give them regular feedback. And so I used one of these meetings to talk about his low productivity, giving him two examples of tasks that he had taken much longer on than I expected.

He admitted to me that he was bored by his work and feeling very demotivated, and this was the root cause of his low productivity. 

My next step was to arrange another meeting with him where we talked openly about the kind of work he would prefer to be doing and what opportunities there were. We created a plan of action together and set clear goals. We agreed that if he reached them, then within 6 months he would be given greater responsibilities and more autonomy, which is one of the main things he wanted.

Over the next few months we used our 1-1s to check in with how he was progressing to these goals.  I gradually gave him more responsibilities and more autonomy and the productivity and quality of his work was consistently good. I recently made him lead engineer.

This experience taught me that regular meetings with team members are vital in creating an open, honest space to communicate in. If I hadn’t already established a good working relationship with the engineer, he may not have trusted me enough to explain how demotivated he was and the situation would have been much more difficult to resolve."

For more tips on how to answer these types of people management questions, read our people management primer for tech interviews guide.

9.2 How would you balance engineering limitations with customer requirements?

Your Google interviewers will test your project management abilities with questions like this one that explore how you balance trade offs and align different stakeholders.

"I would approach balancing engineering limitations with customer requirements by following a structured process. 

The first step is to understand the customer requirements and the engineering limitations. This would involve working closely with the product management team and the engineering team to gather the necessary information.

Once we have a clear understanding of the requirements and limitations, we would evaluate the feasibility of meeting the customer requirements within the given engineering limitations, factoring in time, budget, and resource constraints.

We would then prioritize the customer requirements based on their impact on the customer experience and the feasibility of implementation. This would help us to focus on the most important requirements and ensure that we deliver value to the customer.

In my experience it’s really important to communicate the limitations and trade-offs to the product management team. This would involve setting realistic expectations and managing them effectively. Regular communication and feedback would be necessary to ensure that everyone is aligned and informed.

Finally, we would continuously iterate and refine the product based on feedback from the customers and the engineering team. This would help us to identify and address any issues and ensure that we are delivering the best possible solution within the given constraints."

For more help on these kind of management questions, check out our guide to program management questions.

9.3 How would you design a messaging app?

Real-time messaging apps are a common standalone product, or a built-in feature of larger systems. For this question, you might be asked to design a specific app, like Google Chat or Telegram, or a new messaging app.

• What is the scale and profile of the user base?
• What features should be incorporated into the messenger? (e.g. text, video, audio, read receipts, message encryption, etc.)
• Should we focus on monetizing the system?
• How many servers will this system need, and how will clients connect to them?
• How will the senders and receivers of messages connect to the servers and database?
• Where will the messages be stored, and for how long?
• How will you scale the system, and where are the bottlenecks?
• Deep dive into a component: sent, delivered, read notifications; push notifications; media sharing; database design; etc.
• Have you met the initial goals you and the interviewer laid out for the system? 

To see another example of how to answer this question, watch this ex-Google engineering manager answer "Design Telegram":

9.4 How do you set a vision for your team?

As an engineering manager or manager of any sort at Google, you’ll need to be able to get your team aligned in pursuit of a common purpose, a shared vision. 

So be prepared to explain exactly how you do this, giving specific examples of actions and processes.

“Sure, setting a clear and compelling vision for my team is critical to achieving our goals and ensuring that everyone is aligned and motivated. So let me explain how I do it in my current role.

The starting point has to be the company’s business objectives. Every 6 months I sit down with the senior members of the company and review the company's mission statement and strategic plans. We articulate these in the form of company OKRs.

I then get my team of engineers to brainstorm goals we can set to help the company meet these OKRs. We refine these goals into our own Engineering OKRs.

Once we’ve done this, I like to develop a narrative that articulates an overall vision, to help the team understand how their OKRs contribute to the broader goals of the company and where they might take us in the next 6 or 12 months.

I find that the most important factor is making sure that every member of the team contributes in this activity. The more they feel that they own the goals we’ve set out, the more they will buy into the overall vision and will be more motivated to achieve it.”

9.5 How would you set up a geographically distributed team?

At Google your team may be spread out around the world and even if they're not, Google's hybrid work model means on any given day half of them will be working from home. You'll need to demonstrate you know how to manage a remote team effectively.

“Sure. To begin with, there are the critical things necessary when setting up any team, remote working or not. I’d want to put in place clear project management procedures with clear timelines and milestones, as well as regular meetings to track performance and motivation and encourage growth. 

But I agree that with a geographically distributed team there are certain extra challenges that arise, so here’s what I’d do specifically on that.

Effective communication is critical with remote teams, so I would want to make sure that we have the necessary tools to communicate easily  - obviously at Google I wouldn’t envisage this being a problem! I’d also want to establish a shared working schedule. I’ve worked with engineers across different time zones before and I think it can work well, but I’d hope to establish some overlap hours where all team members are available for meetings and to work in sync. 

I do think that with remote teams you need to make an extra effort to encourage team building and build a sense of community. The exact way to do this sometimes depends on the personalities of the team and I’d ask them for ideas as to how they’d like to do this, but it could be a bi-weekly video call where we play games and quizzes together for an hour, that kind of thing.

Finally, I’d make sure that some of the hiring criteria relates to remote working ability - so even more than ever I’d be looking for engineers who are self-motivated, have good communication skills, and are comfortable working in a remote environment.”

We've got more Google engineering manager questions below, but if you haven't already checked it out, click here to read our Google engineering manager interview guide , it covers everything you need to know.

10. Over 200 Google interview questions (by role)

These questions are all real interview questions asked at Google in the last few years (source: Glassdoor.com) .

We've listed questions reported for the following roles; software engineer , product manager , engineering manager , technical program manager , and data scientist .

10.1 Google software engineer interview questions

• "Given a binary tree, find the maximum path sum. The path may start and end at any node in the tree." ( Solution )
• "Given an encoded string, return its decoded string." ( Solution )
• "We can rotate digits by 180 degrees to form new digits. When 0, 1, 6, 8, 9 are rotated 180 degrees, they become 0, 1, 9, 8, 6 respectively. When 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 are rotated 180 degrees, they become invalid. A confusing number is a number that when rotated 180 degrees becomes a different number with each digit valid.(Note that the rotated number can be greater than the original number.) Given a positive integer N , return the number of confusing numbers between 1 and N  inclusive." ( Solution )
• "Given two words ( beginWord and endWord ), and a dictionary's word list, find the length of shortest transformation sequence from beginWord to endWord , such that: 1) Only one letter can be changed at a time and, 2) Each transformed word must exist in the word list." ( Solution )
• "Given a matrix of N rows and M columns. From m[i][j], we can move to m[i+1][j], if m[i+1][j] > m[i][j], or can move to m[i][j+1] if m[i][j+1] > m[i][j]. The task is print longest path length if we start from (0, 0)." ( Solution )

"Given a robot cleaner in a room modeled as a grid. Each cell in the grid can be empty or blocked. The robot cleaner with 4 given APIs can move forward, turn left or turn right. Each turn it made is 90 degrees. When it tries to move into a blocked cell, its bumper sensor detects the obstacle and it stays on the current cell. Design an algorithm to clean the entire room using only the 4 given APIs shown below." ( Solution )

Implement a SnapshotArray that supports pre-defined interfaces (note: see link for more details). ( Solution )

"In a row of dominoes, A[i] and B[i] represent the top and bottom halves of the i -th domino.  (A domino is a tile with two numbers from 1 to 6 - one on each half of the tile.) We may rotate the i -th domino, so that A[i] and B[i] swap values. Return the minimum number of rotations so that all the values in A are the same, or all the values in B  are the same. If it cannot be done, return -1 ." ( Solution )

• "Your friend is typing his name   into a keyboard.  Sometimes, when typing a character c , the key might get long pressed , and the character will be typed 1 or more times. You examine the typed  characters of the keyboard.  Return True if it is possible that it was your friends name, with some characters (possibly none) being long pressed." ( Solution )
• "Given a string S and a string T, find the minimum window in S which will contain all the characters in T in complexity O(n)." ( Solution )
• "Given a list of query words, return the number of words that are stretchy." Note: see link for more details. ( Solution )
• "Given an array of words and a width  maxWidth , format the text such that each line has exactly maxWidth characters and is fully (left and right) justified." ( Solution )
• "Given a matrix   and a target , return the number of non-empty submatrices that sum to target ." ( Solution )
• "Given a rows x cols binary matrix filled with 0's and 1's , find the largest rectangle containing only 1's and return its area." ( Solution )
• "Your car starts at position 0 and speed +1 on an infinite number line. (Your car can go into negative positions.) Your car drives automatically according to a sequence of instructions A (accelerate) and R (reverse)...Now for some target position, say the length of the shortest sequence of instructions to get there." ( Solution )
• "Given strings S and T , find the minimum (contiguous) substring W of S , so that T is a subsequence of W . If there is no such window in S that covers all characters in T , return the empty string "" . If there are multiple such minimum-length windows, return the one with the left-most starting index." ( Solution )
• "A strobogrammatic number is a number that looks the same when rotated 180 degrees (looked at upside down). Find all strobogrammatic numbers that are of length = n." ( Solution )
• "Given a binary tree, find the length of the longest path where each node in the path has the same value. This path may or may not pass through the root. The length of path between two nodes is represented by the number of edges between them." ( Solution )
• "Given the root node of a binary search tree, return the sum of values of all nodes with value between L and R (inclusive). The binary search tree is guaranteed to have unique values." ( Solution )
• "A group of two or more people wants to meet and minimize the total travel distance. You are given a 2D grid of values 0 or 1, where each 1 marks the home of someone in the group. The distance is calculated using Manhattan Distance , where distance(p1, p2) = |p2.x - p1.x| + |p2.y - p1.y| ." ( Solution )
• "You are given two non-empty linked lists representing two non-negative integers. The digits are stored in reverse order and each of their nodes contain a single digit. Add the two numbers and return it as a linked list." ( Solution )

System design:

• How would you design Google's database for web indexing
• How would you design Google Docs
• How would you design Google Search?
• How would you design Google Home (voice assistant)
• How would you design Amazon's books preview
• How would you design a social network
• How would you design a task scheduling system
• How would you design a ticketing platform
• How would you design a system that counts the number of clicks on YouTube videos
• How would you design a webpage that can show the status of 10M+ users including: name, photo, badge and points
• How would you design a function that schedules jobs on a rack of machines knowing that each job requires a certain amount of CPU & RAM, and each machine has different amounts of CPU & RAM? Multiple jobs can be scheduled on the same machine as long as it can support it

Click here for everything you need to know about the Google software engineer interviews .

10.2 Google product manager interview questions

Product design:

• Re-imagine the emergency phone call system (e.g. calling 911)
• Design an app for waste management
• Design an app for a theme park
• Redesign the shopping cart for online grocery shopping
• Design a bookshelf for kids
• Design an alarm clock for people with hearing difficulties
• How would you design a data center on the moon?
• Design a search engine for a cat gif library
• If you were to build the next great feature for Google Search, what would it be?

Product improvement:

• How would you improve restaurant search?
• How would you improve Google Maps?
• How would you improve Gmail?
• How would you improve Chrome?
• How would you improve the UX of an app you use frequently?
• How would you improve YouTube Music?
• How would you improve WhatsApp?

Favorite product

• What is your favorite product and why? How would you improve it?

Estimation:

• How many messages per second does Gmail receive? 
• What is your favorite restaurant? Estimate how much money they make in a year
• How much did taxi rides increase or decrease worldwide during Covid?
• How many police stations are there in the United States?
• Estimate the number of street lamps in New York City
• Estimate the market size for a parental control app
• Estimate the market size for oil changes
• Estimate the market size for vintage watches
• How many self-driving cars would be needed to transport every person in London?
• What metrics would you set for YouTube in a developing country?
• What are the key metrics for an API in a cloud?
• Select a product and choose the metrics that you would gauge to measure its success
• Asana made a new ticketing system—how would you measure its success?
• How would you measure metrics for BART (i.e. Bay Area Rapid Transit)
• What metrics are important for Google Docs?
• You notice a 30% change in usage of your product, what would you do? 
• As a PM in Gmail you come in on Monday, take a quick look at the metrics dashboard and see received emails have dropped 15% last weekend over the weekend(s) before. What do you do?

Googleyness and Leadership:

• Tell me about a time when you set and achieved a goal
• Tell me about your biggest weakness
• Tell me about a time when you failed
• How would you solve a problem that you have no idea how to solve?
• Describe a project that you lead from concept to delivery
• Tell me about your most proud achievement
• How well do you work in a fast paced environment?

Cross-functional collaboration:

• Tell me about how you work with others and achieve the desired results
• Tell me about a time when you had to work with a difficult teammate
• Tell me about a situation where internal company issues affected your job, and what did you do to resolve it?
• Tell me about a time when you were able to create a win-win situation
• Describe how you would convince Engineering to work on a Business-requested feature that would interfere with their existing work, especially if the Engineering team is working on meeting a deadline
• How do you resolve conflicting product requirements? What or who determines which requirement takes the hit?  (Answer)
• How would you manage through a latent field failure or bug that is directly impacting customers and driving return rates up or support contacts? 
• Your largest customer is loudly advocating for a new feature which is not in your prioritized roadmap. Sales, eager to please, have gone straight to Engineering to see if they can drop everything and get this done. What do you do?
• Imagine you’re a PM in Google’s consumer hardware organization. What would you build next?
• What should Google’s role be in the Metaverse?
• If you are CEO of an airport what is the one thing that you would do next?
• You as a startup got all the talents who have capabilities to build an autonomous vehicle. What would you do?
• How would you price car insurance for autonomous vehicles?
• How do you see the "creator economy" evolving over the next ten years? If Google wanted to make a new major product investment within this space, what would you recommend we build?
• How would you drastically boost smart home sales over 5 years?
• Pretend Google wants to acquire iRobot. What do you look for, and how would you position yourself?
• How would you revolutionize the car wash industry?
• How would you grow X product? 
• Should Google offer a StubHub competitor? That is, sell sports, concert, and theater tickets? 
• How would you monetize [a certain product] more effectively?

Craft and execution:

• You're given seed funding to pursue any opportunity. What do you go for and why? Then what's the user journey? What's the Total Addressable Market?
• If a basic version of Maps has to be built, what all info would  you gather initially? What would your first MVP look like? What would you do if you had data of all the World's traffic?
• Draft a plan for a start-up that is ready with their MVP to launch a courier service. They have built pods to deliver goods from destination A to B. Keep in mind they do not have a lot of cash to burn.
• Pick a product of your choice. What are the goals of the product? What’s in your monthly business review deck for the leadership team? 
• Imagine I'm a VC, offering you $20M to build any technology-enabled product/service you'd like. Please walk me through how you would get started? (Problem, Solution, User, Monetize, TAM) 
• At what milestone or markers would you look for to determine if a product isn’t performing well and what considerations do you make before you sunset the product? What is the process you would lay out? How do you handle the stakeholders? 
• You are about to launch a new app that is of strategic importance for the company. 1 month out from launch, internal Dogfood suggests the app isn't ready (you are below target on several key metrics including CSAT). What do you do? 
• Imagine you launch a new feature, and the day after launch usage drops dramatically. How do you go about inquiring what happened?
• What is the difference between C and SQL, HTTP and HTTPS?
• Explain what cookies are to a grandmother
• How does a DNS work?
• How would you troubleshoot browser based security problems?
• Explain recursion
• How does Google Calendar work? ( Answer )

Click here for everything you need to know about the Google product mangager interview.

10.3 Google engineering manager interview questions

• Why are you an effective R&D leader?
• Tell me about yourself
• Why Google?

People management:

• How do you deal with low performers?
• How do you handle conflicts?
• How do you handle people who are not team players?
• How do you deal with high performers? 
• Tell me about a time you developed and retained team members

Project management:

• As a manager, how do you handle trade-offs?
• Describe how you deal with change management
• Describe in detail a project that failed
• Describe a project in the past that was behind schedule and provide concrete to steps that you took to remedy the situation
• Tell me how you would balance engineering limitations with customer requirements
• How would you design Google Docs?
• How would you design Google Home (voice assistant)?
• How would you design a ticketing platform?
• Design an in memory cache for webpages
• Design a boggle solver
• Design a distributed ID generation system
• How would you design Google's database for web indexing?
• How would you design a webpage that can show the status of 10M+ users including: name, photo, badge and points?
• How would you design a system that counts the number of clicks on YouTube videos?

Click here for everything you need to know about the Google engineering manager interview

10.4 Google technical program manager interview questions

Google TPM candidates can expect to face a range of program management and questions as well as interviews on system design, coding and leadership.

General / End-to-end:

• Tell me about a time you had to manage a technical program from end-to-end
• How would you manage hypothetical project XYZ (e.g. replace discs in a data center)?
• What methodology do you use in your projects and programs?
• What makes a successful program manager?

Prioritization:

• How do you prioritize your work?
• How do you make decisions?
• How do you deliver programs on a tight timeline and with limited resources?
• How do you prioritize and allocate resources when your team is too small?
• What is a critical path in project management?
• How do you make sure you deliver quality outcomes in your projects?
• Describe and whiteboard a continuous deployment system. And a continuous build system.
• Compare the agile and waterfall methodologies.
• Imagine you find a critical bug in software the day before the release date. How do you handle the situation?

Kickoff / Sunset:

• What's your process to kickoff programs?
• What's your process to sunset programs?
• You're joining a project with no timeline and which didn't have a kickoff. What do you do?
• How do you handle additional requirements in the middle of a project?
• How do you build a forecasting tool / document?
• How do you forecast a project with no history?
• How do you manage risks on projects?
• Tell me about a time you had to manage a significant risk on one of your programs?
• How do you choose to build in house vs. to use a third party solution?
• What's your process to work with vendors on your projects / programs?
• Design a server infrastructure for GMail
• Design a global system to upgrade software on a fleet of machines
• Design a web cache
• Design a file transfer system that can move 100 Petabytes of data from the US East Coast to the US West Coast
• How would you deploy a solution for cloud computing to build in redundancy for the compute cluster?
• Design Facebook (read heavy)
• Design GDrive (write heavy)
• Design Whatsapp

Technical explanation:

• What happens when you enter a URL in your browser?
• How does the cloud work?
• What is the Ethernet?
• What is the difference between TCP and UDP?
• Describe the TCP protocol?
• What are threads? What is multi-threading?
• What actually happens when a file is deleted on a machine?
• Describe the memory structure of an operating system (heap, data, and stack)?
• Explain XYZ technology listed on your resume
• Write a program to find if an integer is a palindrome
• Write a program to select two numbers which sum is lower than a target number
• Write a progam to reverse a string (no built-in functions can be used)
• Implement a queue in an array
• Parse all lines in a CSV file with a given string

Leadership:

• Tell me about a time you worked with a difficult engineer / executive / stakeholder / client
• Tell me about a time you failed
• Tell me about the biggest challenge you faced as a TPM / in your current role
• Tell me about a time you faced a technical and people challenge at the same time
• Tell me about a time you had to work with a "superstar" and how you dealt with them
• Tell me about a time your team didn't agree on the path forward
• How do you manage someone who doesn't deliver what they promised / underperforms
• What makes a good leader?

Click here for everything you need to know about the Google technical program manager interview .

10.5 Google data scientist interview questions

Data scientist candidates at Google can expect to face questions across statistics, machine learning, SQL, and coding, as well as the usual behavioral questions.

General Statistics

• In what situation would you consider mean over median?
• For sample size n, the margin of error is 3. How many more samples do we need to make the margin of error 0.3?
• What is the assumption of error in linear regression? ( Solution )
• Given data from two product campaigns, how could you do an A/B test if we see a 3% increase for one product?

Statistical Probability

• I have a deck and take one card at random. What is the probability you guess it right?
• Explain a probability distribution that is not normal and how to apply that.
• Given uniform distributions X and Y and the mean 0 and standard deviation 1 for both, what’s the probability of 2X > Y? ( Solution )
• There are four people in an elevator and four floors in a building. What’s the probability that each person gets off on a different floor?
• Make an unfair coin fair. ( Solution )

Machine Learning

• If the labels are known in a clustering project, how would you evaluate the performance of the model?
• Why use feature selection? ( Solution )
• If two predictors are highly correlated, what is the effect on the coefficients in the logistic regression? What are the confidence intervals of the coefficients?
• What is the difference between K-mean and EM?
• When using a Gaussian mixture model , how do you know it is applicable?

Statistical coding

• W rite a function to generate N sample from a normal distribution and plot the histogram. ( Solution )
• Write code to generate iid draws from distribution X when we only have access to a random number generator.
• Coding in R, multiply all a[i,j] in a i rows j columns dataset.
• Given a list of characters, a list of prior probabilities for each character, and a matrix of probabilities for each character combination, return the optimal sequence for the highest probability.
• How would you find the top 5 highest-selling items from a list of order histories?
• Can you explain how SQL works?
• Given three columns of data, how would you compare the first three to the last three?
• How do you calculate the median for a given column of numbers in a data set?
• What are some ways to effectively reduce the dimensionality of a data set? ( Solution )
• How do you invert a binary tree? ( Solution )
• How do you code the simulation model to get the probabilities of a given scenario?
• How do you sort your priorities when engaged in multitasking?
• Describe a past project you worked on.
• In what direction do you see your career moving?
• Do you prefer working in small or large teams?
• How do you push back when disagreeing with a manager?
• What are the top competencies that you are bringing to our company
• You have a Google app and you make a change. How do you test if a metric has increased or not? ( Solution )
• How do you detect viruses or inappropriate content on YouTube?
• How would you compare if upgrading the android system produces more searches?
• The outcome of an experiment is that 5% of one group clicks more. Is that a good result?
• How would you measure the time spent in Google Search per day per user? If the average searches per day per user data goes down, but the average searches per country goes up, how would you explain it?
• How would you remove bias and make inferences from data about two ad campaigns?
• Given there are no metrics being tracked for Google Docs, a product manager comes to you and asks, what are the top five metrics you would implement?

Click here for everything you need to know about the Google data scientist interview.

Are you ready for your Google interviews?

We hope you’ve found this guide to Google interview questions useful. As you prepare, you’ll probably want to deep-dive into more information specific to the role you’re targeting. To do this, check out one of our Google interview guides below:

• Google product manager
• Google associate product manager
• Google product marketing manager
• Google program manager
• Google technical program manager
• Google software engineer
• Google engineering manager
• Google system design interviews
• Google data scientist
• Google (technical) account manager
• Google machine learning engineer
• Google data engineer
• Google site reliability engineer

Whichever role you’re applying for at Google, you'll be expected to give very strong answers and show off excellent communication skills. Use the guides above to structure your prep and practice answering questions on your own.

However, if you really want to get your interview performance up to the next level, the best way to do this is to do as many mock interviews as you can. 

We’ve put together a coaching service where you can practice Google mock interviews one-on-one with real ex-interviewers from Google. Start scheduling sessions today.

Related articles:

Google Business Intelligence Interview Questions + Guide 2024

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Beyond its well-known search engine that returns 5.9 million searches per minute, Google boasts a vast ecosystem of products and services—from cloud computing to mobile operating systems and innovative hardware ventures.

Google Interview Guides

Google interview questions, google salaries by position.

Most data science positions fall under different position titles depending on the actual role.

From the graph we can see that on average the Product Manager role pays the most with a $182,008 base salary while the Business Analyst role on average pays the least with a $128,648 base salary.

30+ Common Google Interview Questions

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Google’s interview questions are notoriously difficult — getting hired by one of the biggest tech companies in the world isn’t easy. But if you’ve reached the interview stage, know you’re already ahead of most people who’ve applied (especially since Google only hires about 0.2% of its applicants!). To help you prepare, we’ve pulled together some of the most common questions in Google interviews. 

In this guide, we’ll go over:

General Google Interview Questions

Role-specific interview questions at google, tips for preparing for google interviews.

Many common questions asked in Google interviews focus on how you interact with Google’s products. These questions partially serve to see how familiar you are with Google and its history, but the interviewer also wants to understand how passionate you are about the company. Some typical questions include: 

• Why Google?
• What is your favorite Google product? Why? How would you improve it?
• How does Google stand out from its competitors?
• What are some other sites you visit frequently? Why do you like them?
• Is there a Google product that you don’t like to use? Why?  
• If you don’t get hired at Google, what other companies would you be happy working for?  
• In your opinion, why is the Google homepage mostly blank space?   

Googleyness and Leadership Questions

Historically, Google used tricky brain teasers to test candidates’ ability to tackle challenges and work through complex problems. However, Google replaced those with behavioral and situational questions called “Googleyness and Leadership” (G&L) questions. 

Non-technical interviews are usually filled with G&L questions. But even software engineers and other technical positions need to answer a few of these hypothetical and behavioral questions.  

In G&L interviews, the interviewers are looking for specific skills, such as time management , communication , initiative, and problem-solving . These interviews feature questions like, “ tell me about a time when… ” or “ imagine that…, ” which allow you to put yourself in the shoes of a specific role at Google and explain how you would act in a given situation.

Forage Find

Use the STAR method to map out your answers to behavioral questions: explain the Situation, Task, Action, and Result!

Some G&L questions include: 

• Tell me about a time you had to lead or influence your coworkers. 
• Let’s say you’re working on a major project with a team. Several issues arise the day before it’s due, leading to your teammates sending you competing requests, each marked as urgent. How would you respond to their requests?
• Tell me about a time you had a conflict with a manager. How did you resolve the problem?
• Imagine you are managing a team of five people. Two teammates often don’t contribute to the team’s efforts, but when they do, their work is of high quality. How would you handle this situation?
• Tell me about a time you set a challenging goal for yourself and failed to meet it. What did you do, and how did you handle it? 

A common mistake Google recruiters see is candidates not asking for clarification or further information on some of the more vague behavioral questions. Remember that hypothetical and situational questions are a little vague by design, and asking clarifying questions allows the interviewer to see your thought process. 

“Be confident in yourself and your capabilities,” advises Eaven Portillo, co-founder and COO at Sortium. “You don’t have to know everything, just the willingness to learn (and actually follow through) goes a long way.”

Technical and Coding Interviews

Coding questions.

If you’re applying for a highly-technical role at Google, you’ll likely undergo several coding interviews. Each interview lasts about 45 minutes, and you’ll use the majority of the time actually coding. Typically, you’ll receive one problem, and in the given time, you need to analyze the problem, produce working coding, and walk the interviewer through your thought process clearly.  

>>MORE: Check out some of the most commonly asked coding interview questions .  

The types of questions Google interviewers ask are usually similar to medium-difficulty LeetCode problems , such as:  

• Assume you are climbing a staircase , and reaching the top takes “n” steps. How many distinct ways can you climb to the top by climbing either 1 or 2 steps each time? 
• If you have a given 2D binary grid wherein “1” represents land and “0” represents water, write a code to return how many islands exist. 
• A conveyor belt must be loaded with packages to be shipped out within a given number of days. The number of the package is the same as its weight. Each day, the conveyor belt is loaded with packages in order of weight. The conveyor belt cannot hold more weight than the maximum weight capacity of the ship. What is the lowest weight capacity for the shipping boat that will be able to hold all the packages on the conveyor belt within the given number of days? 

Sometimes, when approaching problems like this, you’ll think of multiple possible solutions. In that case, mention your ideas to the interviewer and explain why you think one solution is better than the others. Of course, you want to find the optimal solution, but you also want to show the interviewer that you’ve thought deeply about the problem. 

Crush the coding test

Prep for your next assessment with our free Girls Who Code Technical Interview Prep course.​

Other Technical Questions

Besides questions focusing on data structures, algorithms, or dynamic programming, your technical interview may include questions about computer science concepts. 

“Don’t be afraid to get a lil’ nerdy and passionate,” says Portillo. “Interviews are not a doctor’s visit.”

The types of technical but non-coding questions Google might ask include: 

• Explain what congestion control is in transmission control protocol (TCP). 
• What is the difference between programming and scripting? 
• What is agile software development?
• How would you explain API to a child?
• Describe a web architecture and its components. 

>>MORE: Learn some technical interview questions common to all careers . 

Interviews for certain technical positions may also include more tailored interview questions. For example: 

If you’re applying for a role in data analytics , you may see questions such as:

• How do you work to ensure data is free from bias?
• Can you explain why exploratory data analysis is an important step to take before implementing any machine learning models? 

Applicants for UX (user experience) positions may get questions like: 

• Explain the difference between responsive web design and native mobile application development.
• Can you tell me how user personas influence the UX design process?

Cybersecurity candidates could have interview questions such as: 

• What can happen if there’s a cyberattack on a computer network?
• How are privacy and security related?

Non-Technical Interviews

Going into a non-technical interview at Google, you’ll likely see more Googleyness-type questions that give you a chance to highlight your problem-solving and analytical thinking skills . Additionally, the interviewer will ask knowledge-specific questions for the department you’re trying to work in. 

Business strategy and finance applicants may have questions like: 

• Describe your experience using Excel and SQL for financial analysis.
• How would you explain the importance of financial reports to someone who doesn’t work in finance?
• What changes would you make to Google’s business model, given the opportunity? 
• What areas of Google do you think are underinvested? Why?

Candidates interviewing for e-commerce and marketing roles could have questions like:

• How have your experiences using social media made you better at advertising on social platforms?
• What programs do you use to improve your keyword research in search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM)?
• How do you think the digital marketing landscape will change in the next five to ten years? 

>>MORE: Learn how to answer common marketing analyst interview questions . 

Project management interviewees might encounter questions like:

• How do you determine when you’ve finished a project? What metrics or standards do you use? 
• A team member suggests using their relative’s company for outsourcing part of the product delivery process. How would you handle this situation? 

>>MORE: Check out the types of questions typically asked in project manager interviews . 

Talk to Your Recruiter Regularly 

If you have easy access to your recruiter, leverage that! Your recruiter can give you a lot of information and details on what to expect in your interview. They can also provide support and proprietary resources to help you prepare.  

Prepare Questions for the Interviewer

Beyond asking for clarification on G&L or technical questions, asking the interviewer questions at the end of your meeting can show them you’re proactive and excited about the role. While the interviewer wants to see if you’re the right fit for the role, you also want to check if the job fits you! Asking questions about the daily responsibilities and opportunities for advancement can help you determine if that role at Google is a good fit. 

>>MORE: See more questions you should ask in interviews . 

Get Personal With Your Responses

When conducting interviews, Portillo says, “I’m looking for a story, a memory, something that sparks that twinkle in their eye of a moment in their past when they were happy or passionate.”

Being able to answer a coding or knowledge-based question is great, but connecting with the interviewer and showing off your passion and excitement for the role can boost your chances of success. 

You want to be able to “talk to the person as if you’ve known them your whole life,” adds Portillo. So, practice your responses and make them personal to you and your experiences. 

Explore Your Resources 

Besides the resources you can get through your recruiter, the internet has nearly unlimited books and websites that can help you prepare to answer some of the more challenging questions your Google interviewer may ask. For example, “Cracking the Coding Interview,” by Gayle Laakmann McDowell, is a book new hires often cite as a core resource they used to prepare. 

If you’re not preparing for a technical interview you still have plenty of options. Going through mock interviews with friends and family and rehearsing your responses can help. 

Additionally, you can learn how to best prepare for your interview with the National Urban League’s Career Readiness job simulation . 

Image credit: IgorTishenko/ Depositphotos.com

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• The Top 32 Google Interview...

The Top 32 Google Interview Questions (With Sample Answers)

10 min read · Updated on April 05, 2022

“Google, what questions should I expect in my interview?”

When you think about dream careers, certain companies come to mind; they're the companies that make your resume look great just for being on there.

And Google is, perhaps, the crown jewel of such employers. Founded in 1998 by a couple of Stanford Ph.D. students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google grew from an internet startup to only the third business in the United States to be valued at one trillion dollars.

As an employer, Google has a reputation for unbelievable benefits, a work culture that encourages employees to experiment, and even the ability to bring your pet to work with you at the Googleplex.

And you'd get to work at a place called the Googleplex, where roaming goats mow the lawn. How cool is that?

But how do you get a job with Google? As you might expect, Google gets a lot of applications and if you land an interview, you're just getting started. Here's what to expect from a job interview at Google, and how to stand out from the crowd to land that dream job.

How to answer Google interview questions

Google interviews are not like most job interviews. Some of their questions are very difficult — and some of them sound just plain silly. The first step in learning how to answer your Google interview questions is to understand what Google is trying to accomplish with each question. The key to that lies in the four main types of questions you'll get at a Google interview:

Behavioral : This is the “getting to know you as a person” portion of the interview; they help shed light on soft skills and competencies vital for the position in question and overall success within an organization. The interviewer may ask a question like “Give me an example of a time ...”  Behavioral interview questions are designed to learn about your likes, dislikes, ethics, and other personality traits to see if you're a good fit for the team.

Situational: Situational questions pose hypothetical scenarios that are related to the position you're applying for. These questions test your knowledge, processes, and experience.

Leadership: These can be anything from talking about a leadership role you've had on a project to talking about your biggest failure as a professional and what you learned from it. How you talk about your own leadership abilities during an interview says a lot about your leadership qualities.

Communication: Communication is one of the soft skills that employers value highly and answering communication style interview questions is critical. The hiring team has already paid attention to your communication skills over emails and on the phone by this point, and now they want to see what you bring to the table when you're actually sitting at it. Don't forget that body language and tone of voice can say just as much as your words.

Thinking about each of these categories, run through your job history and think of some scenarios, successes, and lessons that you'd want to highlight. Then use the STAR method , focusing on the situation, task, action, and result of each situation.

Here's how it works:

Situation : What are some of the challenges that you have faced at work? Think about some of your biggest successes, difficult projects, or even significant failures that lead to important lessons. Start your answer by providing an overview of the situation.

Task: What was your task in that situation? How did you approach it and what responsibilities were yours? Give the interviewer brief insight into your role in this situation.

Action: Here's where you can get a little more specific. What steps did you take to overcome the challenges in the situation? How did you communicate? Did you delegate tasks? Think about the skills you applied — both hard and soft — to get the job done.

Result:  What was the end result of all of that work? Be ready with the details here. Did it increase company profits on the west coast by 33 percent? Did you help improve organic traffic to the website? Give numbers, percentages, or any other quantifiable statistics you have to show how your work paid off for your employer.

Top 4 Google interview questions 

Here are the four most commonly asked interview questions from Google with sample answers: 

What is one of your favorite Google products, and how would you improve it?

Of course Google wants to know that you know and appreciate their products, but they want more than a shower of affection here. Did you know that Google wants each employee to dedicate 20 percent of their time innovating? That's how serious Google is about keeping their company on the cutting edge of technology. 

Answer this question by doing a deep dive into one of their products, showing that you truly understand how it works and the value it brings to both the company and the world at large. Then, talk about what could make it even better and how that could be achieved. 

Example: I love the Google Nest Learning Thermostat. It seems so simple, but the way that it learns our preferences throughout the day to adjust the temperature in our house as needed is truly innovative. Not only does it lower the temperature when we're gone and bring it back up by the time we walk in the door after work, it will pay for itself in no time with what we save on the power bill.  

How could it be better? Make it compatible with more products, like the Apple Home Kit. You're losing potential buyers there.

Why do you want to work for Google?

Zeroing in on the free food and ability to bring your pet to the Googleplex isn't what you want to do here — even if it's the real answer. What makes Google a great fit for your skills, and talk about both the company and the specific job you're applying for. This is your chance to show that you understand the company and that you're the right fit.

Example: I love that Google is always creating new devices and apps. I've worked on a lot of apps in the past, and I think I would learn a lot in this position. I also think I could bring some new ideas to the team.

How would you explain how this Google product works to a four year old?

This is a communication test that can be daunting if you're not ready for it. Chances are the interviewer will use a Google product that is connected to the job for which you are applying, so focus on those. Make sure that you understand how the product works and what it does fully. If you truly understand it, you should be able to simplify your explanation enough that the four year old can get the right idea.

Example (using Google Pay): You know how we pay the cashier at the grocery store for our food? With Google Pay, I can use my phone to pay the cashier and the money comes right out of my bank account. I don't have to worry about losing my card.

Have you ever taken a big risk, professionally, and failed? What made you take the risk, and what did you learn from it?

As mentioned earlier, Google loves innovation and that doesn't come without risks. The ability to see an opportunity, evaluate that risk, and the willingness to go for it are all qualities that Google loves. And if you fail, there needs to be some sort of takeaway that makes the next effort more likely to succeed. 

Example: Three years ago I convinced my company to switch to a new virus protection software in November. Our current subscription was up at the end of the year, and I didn't realize how much work was involved in switching over the whole company. We ended up paying for both softwares for a short time. The new software is better, but I need to do a better job of assessing the hours and manpower needed to make such a big switch before green lighting it.

28 more interview questions from Google 

The list of possible Google interview questions is endless, but here are some that have popped up for others, according to Glassdoor and Quora.

If I open your browser history, what will I learn about your personality?

Tell me about a time in which you had to navigate ambiguity.

Tell me what you are most passionate about outside work.

Tell me a time when you had to "sell" or propose a solution to an Engineering or Stakeholder Team.

How many golf balls can fit in a school bus?

Out of learning and earning, what do you prefer most?

Share your previous experience of working in an unstructured environment, and how did you manage your work or team?

How would you present ideas that require you to get your team's buy-in. How would you modify your behavior to influence your team members' opinions?

What was the most valuable feedback you received? Feedback you gave?

Describe a situation where you had challenged the status quo in regards to a particular project or initiative you were a part of.

Technical/Skills Questions 

What is multi-threaded programming?

How do you think digital marketing will change in the next five years?

How do cookies pass along in HTTP protocol?

Design a mobile social app for a chain of local orthodontist offices.

Company-Specific 

Tell us what you know about Google's history?

Do you think Google should be charging for its productivity apps (Google Docs, Google Sheets, etc.)? Why or why not?

What steps would you take to enhance YouTube's business model?

Why do you think that the Google search page is mainly blank?

Questions to ask the interviewers

It's always essential to come to an interview with a few of your own questions at the ready. Remember, you're trying to learn about the company as much as they are trying to learn about you. Asking a few thoughtful and detailed questions shows that you are engaged and sets you apart from the competition. 

How do you measure success in this position?

How will this role help Google address it's biggest challenges?

What is your favorite thing about working here at Google?

What has surprised you the most about working for Google?

What is the team currently working on?

Conclusion 

When all is said and done, an interview with Google is still a job interview. It may be unlike any other job interview you've had, but your goals should be the same. You want to impress the interviewer, show off your knowledge, and also get a feel for the company and the culture. 

The best way to feel confident going in is to do your research ahead of time. Practice answering some of these questions and remember what the interviewer wants from you. If they ask “How many golf balls can fit in a bus?” They're not looking for a number, they're looking for your thought process. 

And remember, Google loves innovation. Show them that you are qualified for the job, ready to take the job to the next level, and will bring something to Google that they've never seen before. 

Unsure how to answer these interview questions? Our expert interview coaches know how to impress all the major companies you may interview for. 

Recommended Reading:

The Top 23 Amazon Interview Questions

How COVID-19 Has Changed the Interview

How Interview Coaching Can Help You in a Competitive Job Market

Related Articles:

How to Prepare for a Software Engineering Job Interview

27 Financial Analyst Interview Questions (with Great Answers)

27 Supervisor Interview Questions (and Great Answers)

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MockQuestions

Google Mock Interview

To help you prepare for a Google job interview, here are 39 interview questions and answer examples.

Google was updated by Kevin Downey on February 5th, 2024. Learn more here.

Question 1 of 39

What do you consider to be your greatest work-related accomplishment?

Why the Interviewer Asks This Question

Answer example.

With this question, your interviewer wants to gain a sense of your values and personal motivation because your accomplishments can say something about both of those. They're also looking for concrete evidence of your competency as they consider you for this role at Google. A successful answer will highlight your passion for your work and the aspects that give you fulfillment. Be sure to mention any accolade or outcome that directly followed this accomplishment. Assure your interviewer that you continue to set career goals in the field and would continue to do so in this new opportunity at Google.

"There are a couple of work-related accomplishments that come to mind. During my recent annual performance review, my director commended me for being so flexible and adaptable over the last year and a half during a pandemic. Our team was under immense pressure when we had a drastic amount of turnover and I had to help lead the way in several projects I hadn't previously been working on. While I'm not a person that needs a pat on the back, it was very humbling to be recognized personally by them. I've also collected a number of comments that I've received from my colleagues that I work with on a daily basis. From my first day on the job, they've always appreciated my honesty, knowledge, and friendly personality."

Next Question

39 Google Interview Questions & Answers

Below is a list of our Google interview questions. Click on any interview question to view our answer advice and answer examples. You may view 17 answer examples before our paywall loads. Afterwards, you'll be asked to upgrade to view the rest of our answers.

Table of Contents

• 1.   Accomplishment Questions
• 2.   Adaptability Questions
• 3.   Behavioral Questions
• 4.   Career Goals Questions
• 5.   Communication Questions
• 6.   Compatibility Questions
• 7.   Competency Questions
• 8.   Conflict Questions
• 9.   Critical Thinking Questions
• 10.   Diligence Questions
• 11.   Direct Questions
• 12.   Discovery Questions
• 13.   Diversity Questions
• 14.   EQ Questions
• 15.   Experience Questions
• 16.   Job Satisfaction Questions
• 17.   Leadership Questions
• 18.   Stress Questions
• 19.   Teamwork Questions

Accomplishment

1. What do you consider to be your greatest work-related accomplishment?

Written by Ryan Brunner on October 30th, 2021

Adaptability

2. How would you handle the continually adapting and changing work environment at Google?

With this question, your interviewer is looking to gauge your adaptability to change and your ability to be adaptive in the workplace at Google. Because Google operates in an ever-changing online environment and always doing what is necessary to stay at the top of their game in their market, all staff members need to be able to take on changes with ease. You need to come to your interview prepared to show your interviewer that you can embrace change. If possible, provide an example of a time when you adapted and made last-minute changes in your work.

"I'm probably in the minority on this, but I absolutely thrive in a continuously changing work environment and have the ability to do so with ease because of my desire to always be learning and growing on the job. Being adaptive starts with a positive attitude and a desire to improve and I would gladly bring both of these traits to work at Google."

3. Working at Google, you will experience changes on a regular basis. When have you had to handle major workplace changes in the past?

Time and time again, Google has proven that they think big and take risks in all that they do. In their mission to make information as organized and accessible as possible, Google needs to always remain fluent in how they come to the market. For just about every employee at Google, this need for fluidity is also true. What comes with this mentality is continual change and new approaches. Being able to swivel the focus of your work is a necessary skill for you to have if you were to join the Google team. Talk to your interviewer about a time when a significant change occurred in your work in the past. Carefully describe how you adjusted to this change in a healthy, positive and effective manner.

Written by Rachelle Enns

1st Answer Example

"I was leading a large project last year that was mapped out entirely when the client called to say that their budget was slashed in half. Because of this, our team had to re-do the entire proposal in a short amount of time as this was a very high-profile client. It took the entire project team an additional four days of work but, in the end, the client was delighted with our work and it resulted in new opportunities with them. While I was certainly disappointed upon receiving the initial call from the client, my positive attitude and ability to re-plan the project was key for our success in the end."

2nd Answer Example

"I would say that being in the software and technology industry means changing major components on projects on a very regular basis. I have grown in this area throughout my career and really appreciate the variety and quick thinking that it requires. I am very well accustomed to changing gears at a moment's notice and would bring the ability to adapt very well to your team here at Google."

Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback

Anonymous Answer

Rachelle's Feedback

4. What is your favorite Google product?

Google launches new and exciting products on a regular basis because they are committed to providing new ways to make our lives easier. Your interviewer is interested in knowing which Google products you use the most, or find to be the most useful, in your life. Prior to your interview, be sure to research the full line of Google's products so you are able to speak with passion about which is your favorite. As you answer, don't hesitate to talk about any of their products that you find intriguing but have yet to try.

"While I own a Pixel, a Chromebook and have a Gmail account, I would have to say that my favorite Google product is Google Earth. We use Earth to teach our children about the wonderful places around the globe and love the detailed images that we can see of great places like the Grand Canyon and the Great Wall of China."

"Well, choosing just one is awfully tough for me. I am an active user of many Google products. Of course, I use Google Chrome, and I use your search engine multiple times per day. In the end, I would have to say that my favorite product is Google Maps as I am on the road and heading to an unfamiliar place frequently. Maps really save me time and energy with its great user interface and accurate mapping."

Kevin's Feedback

5. What challenges do you anticipate in this role if hired at Google? How would you plan to meet those challenges head on?

Challenges will always be present when starting a new job. Whether you are climbing the corporate ladder or applying at a new organization, a career move can be challenging because of the changes in tasks, the context in which these tasks are executed, expectations, environment, and employee relationships. Discuss a couple of responsibilities present in this new role at Google that could present a learning curve for you. Consider all factors as you talk about your ability to recognize and tackle the challenges if you were to be hired for the job.

"I anticipate a few challenges in this new role at Google, but I do feel that they are all manageable. In coming to work with any new team, the first challenge is to become fully acquainted with the staff that I would be working closely with. I think it's critical to acclimate to their styles and the collective energy of the team because I know teams are more effective when they move cohesively. So I'd plan on doing this through both casual conversations and formal one-on-one sessions. Another challenge for me in this role would be stepping into a new industry. Prior to embarking on a new job search, I knew that the space that Google operates in would be very intriguing and thought-provoking for me and I'm ready to make this leap in my career."

Career Goals

6. We seek to hire highly ambitious people. Where would you like your career with Google take you?

According to some people, it can be a challenge to climb the proverbial ladder at Google, but that's not to say that you would remain stagnant in this position with the organization. With having so many dynamic teams and opportunities, there are certainly plenty of opportunities to grow and develop over your career with Google. Prior to your interview, take some time to put some serious thought into your career goals and ambitions. At the same time, be sure to research the Google teams and where you could see your ambitions fitting in the most and talk openly with your interviewer about your career goals.

"One of the reasons I was so excited to apply and interview with Google is because of the endless growth opportunities you appear to offer your high-performing employees. My biggest goal in my career is to be in a management role where I can lead a team of individuals to success. I know that competition is stiff within Google when it comes to promotions and I am not afraid of proving myself and my abilities to lead others if offered this position."

"What interests me most about Google is that there are so many options when it comes to professional and skills development. As you can see from my resume, I have a wealth of experience in customer service and help desk work. Right now, I am working part-time on a computer science degree and have a strong interest in getting into user experience design in the future."

7. If you could start your career over again, what direction would you take?

As you likely know heading into your interview, Google is one of the most innovative companies in the world when it comes to appreciating and taking care of their employees. Google is all about getting to know their employees and learning what drives them in their work. During an interview, a hiring manager will be able to tell a lot about your personality by learning about your other career interests. As you prepare to answer a question like this, there is no right or wrong answer and many directions that you can take your answer. You can shed some insight into your personality and personal life by talking about a dream job that you've always had. You can also steer your answer towards Google and tech in general to show your true passion for the industry.

"I certainly do not regret the direction I have taken my career. But if I had to start over in a new direction completely, I would likely pursue my degree in education and become a teacher. Both of my parents were teachers, and they both had very fulfilling and personally rewarding careers in giving back to future generations. I enjoy coaching and leading others so, any tasks in my current career that are related to these skills are very welcome."

"In all honesty, my dream career would be to be a drummer in the world's most famous rock band! I do play some percussion in my personal time and play with a new cover band in the bay area. As for right now, my career is focused here at Google and drumming is a fun time for me outside of work."

8. What excites you the most about the potential to become a Googler?

As part of the fun and active Google workplace culture, it is important to know that the staff members at Google are referred to as 'Googlers.' By tossing this question your way, your interviewer wants to hear you speak with passion and conviction about what you are most looking forward to in being employed by Google. You obviously have the chance here to take your answer any way that you want, so don't hesitate to be creative. If you feel you've done a good enough job discussing your qualifications for the role you are interviewing for, don't hesitate to talk about the Google commitments or crazy culture and way of life at Google. If you feel you need to reiterate your skillset further for your interview, you can take your answer in that direction as well. No matter how you answer, be sure that your interviewer fully sees the excitement you have about this opportunity with Google.

"In all honesty, your world-changing and transformational work environment has me super excited for this opportunity. Having worked in the traditional cubicle-based environment for the past 9 years, it is easy to feel stuck in a rut and disjointed from your colleagues. Knowing that I was looking at a new career path, Google hits the top of my list for how revolutionary you are as an employer and I'd be proud of calling this my work home until retirement."

Communication

9. Describe your communication style. How will it benefit you in this job with Google?

Effective communication is critical in ensuring that cross-functional teams at Google are working towards a unified mission. At some point during your time with them, your interviewer will be looking to get a sense of how effectively you communicate. As you answer, describe how you lead conversations with subject matter experts, cross-functional stakeholders, team members, and customers. Your interviewer will ideally want to hear that your communication style fits well in the overall Google culture and environment.

"I would say that my communication style is open and straightforward and find that this works well in a work environment like Google. My job puts me working with many colleagues from across the organization on a daily basis, where I am relied upon to be the expert in my area. By being clear and concise in communication, my colleagues can take information and run with it easily without questions being asked. I also am a great listener that uses reflective listening skills on the job."

10. Google hosts hundreds of university outreach events to find top talent. How would you "sell" Google to a talented graduate?

Coming into this interview, you may think that everyone wants to work for Google. When it comes to the employment of recent top graduates in their field, the competition can be stiff for potential employers. If this question is posed during your interview, there is a good chance that you may have the opportunity to represent Google at college recruitment events and your interview wants to hear how you would sell Google as a great employer. Keep your answer to the point, exciting, and full of fun facts related to working for Google.

"If I were to sell the idea of working for Google, I would sell the fact that once Google is on your resume, you are set for life. While Google sets the stage for a successful career, it also changes the mindset of each employee by teaching people to perform at a level that few others tap into."

"I would sell Google by reminding them that working for Google is like winning the employment jackpot. Who wouldn't want to win that jackpot as their first move right out of college where they can enjoy inspiring workspaces, fitness centers onsite, helping to respond to crises around the world, and work for a company that cares so much about their staff."

11. How would you explain Google Ads to someone unfamiliar with online advertising?

The better you understand a concept, the easier it is to explain it. With this question, your interviewer is testing to see how well you know the idea of Google Ads. Google Ads is one of the primary sources of revenue for the organization and they have completely shifted the thought process for advertising moving forward in an online world. From a 10,000 foot perspective, Google Ads can target customized advertisements to searchers based on keywords that they use within their search. Prior to your interview, be sure to do some quick reading on the overall concept of Google Ads and come to your interview prepared to explain them in Layman's terms.

"Google Ads is explained easily as an online advertising service where business owners can pay money to Google in exchange for Google users to see their videos, services, or product offerings. I would tell them that while the advertisements they see and hear on the TV and radio to out to a large audience, what sets Google Ads apart is the fact that ads are tailored to an individual based on the words they use to search. This puts companies that advertise through Google at a distinct advantage knowing that their money spent is targeted towards people that have a much higher chance of being interested in their product or service."

"If I needed to explain Google Ads to someone, I would rather show them an example and then explain it using the visual. Google Ads is a way for businesses to buy an advertisement online, targeting a particular audience based on the words that they use to search. Take for example a coffee company. It makes way more sense to target advertising at people searching for a list of related words versus paying the same money to shoot an advertisement to a regional radio station."

Compatibility

12. Why should we hire you?

Your interviewer will make efforts to separate unqualified candidates from top performers. And, they'll be able to identify top performers based not only on their candidate's experience and skills but also on their passion for the work they do, their integrity and character, and how thoroughly they've prepared for the role. They are asking this question to see if you have identified the qualities they are looking for in their target talent. As they state online, their employees, whom they call Googlers, take their responsibilities very seriously. They "listen carefully to others' views and opinions, collaborate with stakeholders," and they state that "co-creation is essential to belonging." So, after sitting with your work history for a moment, determine how these qualities apply to you, and how they qualify you as a Googler.

Written by Kevin Downey on February 4th, 2024

What You Need to Know

They describe their work environment as incredibly inclusive. "Only when everyone has not just a seat at the table, but the power to help shape it, can we build new structures that do not exclude. At Google, we are incorporating voices that challenge and enrich us as we co-create a workplace and world where we build bridges across communities and no one is othered."

How to Answer

Spend time learning everything you can about their people, their culture, their work environment, and how they take care of their employees. Read through their tips and tricks on navigating their interview process. "Align your skills and experience with the job description. Tie your work directly to the role qualifications. Be specific about projects you've worked on or managed. What was the outcome? How did you measure success? When in doubt, lean on the formula, 'accomplished [X] as measured by [Y], by doing [Z].' If you've had a leadership role, tell us about it. How big was the team? What was the scope of your work? If you're a recent university graduate or have limited work experience, include school-related projects or coursework that demonstrate relevant skills and knowledge. Keep it short. We don't have a length requirement, but concision and precision are key, take careful aim with your information. Tell us how you've made a difference and use data to back it up. Draw a direct line between your passion and our position. Let us see who you are a bit."

Experienced Example

"I live by that ancient proverb, 'the one who says the least is most worth listening to.' And, for the person who lives by that, it goes both ways. That person is, by nature, a great listener. This is one of the reasons I feel like I would serve as a great Googler. I listen carefully to other's views and opinions and carefully consider them before volunteering my thoughts. In many cases, I wait until I am asked before I volunteer something. I thrive in atmospheres that are collaborative by nature. Also, I am good at what I do, and that is because I love my work and have fun doing it. It never gets old when you're passionate about it. That doesn't mean I don't need breaks from my work. Of course, I do. I take breaks mainly because I want to recharge so I can get back to it and perform at my best. I could go on and on. But, aside from my track record, references, skills, and experience, it is my attitude, character, and passion that I feel makes me your ideal candidate."

View This Question and Answers

13. Culture fit is important to us at Google. How would you describe your personality?

Google has been awarded the Best Company Culture for many years for several excellent reasons. One of the reasons is the excellent perks that they provide to their staff and these perks include flexible hours, a pet-friendly work environment, inspiring workspaces, and onsite fitness centers. On top of incredible perks like free chef-prepared meals, free health and dental, hybrid car subsidies, nap pods, video games, ping pong, and on-site physicians, Google also presents a well-rounded understanding of employee needs which includes pay, perks, amenities, work/life balance and more. While putting some serious thought into this prior to your interview, briefly discuss why your personality will work well with Google's values and principles.

"I would describe myself as a customer-obsessed worker bee on the job. I like to give and receive feedback, which I implement immediately when I am given feedback. I am adaptable and not stuck on particular rules in the workplace and I believe this is vital to success here at Google. I believe in flexibility and creativity while remaining considerate to my employer and my colleagues."

"I would describe my personality as collaborative and positive. I like to spend my time thinking of ways to fix problems rather than dwell on them. I lead with kindness, I make healthy choices, and enjoy lending a helping hand to colleagues along the way. From what I've heard from a close friend that works here with Google, I would fit in well with the overall at Google and would thrive as part of your team."

14. We encourage innovation at Google. What would innovation mean to you in this role here?

As you research Google prior to applying and interviewing with them, you'll find that they have eight principles of innovation that they use to create a culture of innovation at their company. These principles include: 1. Think 10x 2. Launch, then keep listening 3. Share everything you can 4. Hire the right people 5. Use the 70/20/10 model 6. Look for ideas everywhere 7. Use data, not opinions 8. Focus on users, not the competition In proposing a question on innovation during your time with them, your interviewer will be looking to hear you talk about how you feel you can live any of these principles in the role that you are interviewing for with Google. As you answer, don't hesitate to give an example of a time that you utilized one or two of their principles to be innovative in your past.

"Throughout my career, I've always tried to think about the bigger picture and how new innovations can best impact the end user. I think that it's easy to get caught up in what the competition is doing and only focus on small-scale changes. When I was researching my next, and hopefully last, career move, I can't tell you how excited I was to read Google's principles of innovation. The 'Think 10x' and 'Focus on users, not the competition' principles really resonated with me and I think they are so important for your department to focus on. If I were fortunate enough to be hired for this role, those would be front of mind in all that I do here."

"Innovation isn't something that comes from one place or one frame of mind and I know that Google has that same frame of thought after reading your principles of innovation. In this role, I see innovation coming from data and new ideas. I am a firm believer that data can be so useful in coming out with new products for consumers. Can you explain to me how you are currently using data to better the work of your department?"

15. Why do you want to work for Google?

There are a wide variety of reasons a position with Google is considered highly competitive and sought after. Your interviewer is curious about what your personal motivations for pursuing this job opportunity are, and whether you are pursuing this position for the right reasons. Your interviewer needs to make sure your motives are consistent with their principles. They need to make sure you are excited about joining a movement bigger than yourself, would fit into their culture, and be effective at building relationships with their teams. "Googlers are expected to do their utmost to create a supportive work environment where everyone has the opportunity to reach their fullest potential."

Google is ranked highly as a desirable place to work, and their positions are coveted. Not only for their company perks, such as having a gym and relaxation stations on-premises, or for being a dog-friendly workplace. "Google's affection for our canine friends is an integral facet of our corporate culture. We like cats, but we're a dog company, so as a general rule we feel cats visiting our offices would be fairly stressed out. However, before bringing your canine companion to the office, please make sure you review our Dog Policy."

How to Prep

When preparing for your interview, learn all you can about the company and their team sites. View their YouTube channel and familiarize yourself with their locations. Read their blog and how they go about taking care of their Googlers. Take the following tips and bits of advice from Google's recruiters to heart as well. "Have you ever discovered you're good at something you're not passionate about? Many of us have. This may be a result of the work you like to do, or it may be something you've had to get good at because of a previous project or role. The more skills you have, the better, but it's hard to build a fulfilling career on something that doesn't excite you. Once you've taken some time to focus on what you're looking for, you can get a better idea of who we are, what we're about, and what it's like to work at Google. Our goal is for you to feel like you know us a bit better, and that you've got enough information to feel like you're applying for the right jobs. The goal here is the job or jobs you land on should exist at the intersection of who you are and who we are. Have a better sense of who we are and what part of the company and role seems like the best match for where you want to go."

"I want to work for Google because they are pioneers who are at the forefront of the future and because they've taken a far more responsible approach to introducing AI to the world. Side note: I prefer Bard to the other AI chat models out there, more personality, and am thrilled about the advancements in AI-generated images as well. I love the fact that so much of the workforce is based on a self-managed, think tank, collaborative atmosphere where you can bring your dog to work and feel free to be your whole self. I want to work with teams who think like me and who will value me for my contributions as much as I value them. I could go on. But there is no company I'd rather work for. And if I don't win this position, I will keep watching the job alerts and will keep applying to positions that align with my passions until I hopefully do earn a position here."

16. In your own words, describe what Google's company mission means to you.

Google's mission statement is, "To organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." While it would be good to have this memorized coming into your interview, your interviewer is really looking to hear how this mission resonates with you and what you feel it truly means. No matter how you answer this question, be sure to express your excitement for the mission if you were to be fortunate enough to join Google.

"To organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful."

"Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. To me, this means that Google wants to be the ultimate purveyor of information; making knowledge available and ready to anyone who seeks it out."

17. In your opinion, what has been the biggest advancement in technology this past year?

Google is on a mission to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful to all people. To do this, Google has been and continues to be very innovative in the technologies that they put to market. To get an overall sense of your interest in the advancements of technology, your interviewer is proposing this question to you. Display to your interviewer that you have an invested interest in the technology industry by discussing your thoughts on recent advancements. If needed, don't hesitate to do some research ahead of your interview so you can speak to this question knowledgeably.

"I think that the pandemic has really accelerated automation and digitization in many industries. I have personally felt that the expansion to 5G networks has certainly had a huge impact across the world. 5G has allowed people to access information from anywhere and at any time. This has greatly impacted both the business world and personal lives of many."

"I may be a bit biased because my current job has me working directly with it, but I think that the Internet of Behaviors (IoB) has taken great strides and will continue to change lives into the future. Using the IoB, businesses are now able to follow the behavior of customers and use that data to better market and sell. I could see this as very useful here at Google. Could you talk about anything that you are currently doing with the IoB?"

18. What do you believe is the biggest challenge that Google faces today?

As you researched this role at Google, applied, and then prepared for your interview, it's easy to assume that Google has it all! They create a massive variety of products, and they have the market for services that most people in the world use on a daily basis. But if you put some thought into it, you can easily think of some things that keep Google as an organization up at night. Talk to your interviewer about what you believe is a current challenge for them. Having the 'right' answer is not the biggest concern in your response. Primarily, your interviewer is looking for proof that you are engaged in how Google keeps its market share in all areas of the tech sector that they hold.

"I know that people are using the internet on their phones much more than they used to. With this comes the fact that most people use apps on their phones versus a search engine. My best guess is that Google's biggest challenge is currently capturing those mobile users as they move away from a desktop or laptop experience."

"If I had to guess one challenge that Google faces today, I would say it's in being defined as a search engine. Not everyone easily recognizes Google as a company that puts out such a great variety of solid products in the tech sector. I would assume that the innovative products that Google has released have had to overcome the shadow of the 'Google is a search engine' stigma."

19. Looking at our products and services, what do you think we do better at Google than any of our competitors?

Before your interview, be sure to research Google and any awards or recognitions they have recently received. In their industry, and competitive space, put some serious thought into where you believe that they truly stand out. Be sure to speak positively about Google's recent achievements to show that you are interested and engaged in their work. As you research, some recent awards that you'll see that Google has won include Best Company Perks & Benefits, Best Company Happiness, Best Leadership Teams, Best Product & Design Team, Best Engineering Team, and Best Company Outlook. Depending on the role you are interviewing for at Google, you can also take your answer in the direction of how their products are far superior to those of their competitors.

"When I was preparing for this interview I noticed that Google is awarded for employing a top CEO for Women, and Diversity. The topic of women in tech is one that is continually growing in popularity and Google is a trailblazer in this particular arena. I find this awesome and inspiring when thinking of coming to work for Google."

"When it comes to simply searching through a search engine, Google completely dominates any competition out there. The fast search and rapid speed of responses are second to none. On top of this, the added toolbar, maps, news, and shopping functions continue to make users keep coming back again and again."

20. What are one or two behaviors or attitudes that are most likely to cause conflict with you at work?

To get a sense of how you will interact with the various staff at Google that you will be working closely with, your interviewer wants you to be open and honest about the kinds of potential interpersonal challenges you might have. Prior to your interview, put some serious thought into the attitudes and behaviors that irk you the most, and don't hesitate to talk candidly about them. As you answer, make sure that you discuss how you work with these personality types so your interviewer gets a strong sense that you are able to work effectively with any member of the Google team.

"Honestly, my two pet peeves in colleagues are laziness and disrespect. I was raised by my parents and grandparents to take pride in myself and my work and I expect my colleagues to do the same. I also was raised to show respect for all people that I work closely with and expect the same shown to me. I've worked with a couple of colleagues during my career that didn't give their full effort and I was never hesitant to talk with them when I felt they could give more effort. As well, I've been in a few situations where colleagues weren't respectful. Just last week, I witnessed a colleague show complete disrespect towards another colleague by brushing off their opinions on a project we were working on. To draw the line, I called out the disrespect among our group of five and asked the person to start being respectful when working as a part of my team."

Critical Thinking

21. At Google, we take pride in our ability to stay one step ahead of our competitors. How will you contribute to this trend?

Prior to your interview with Google, it is critical that you research the organization and who its most vigorous competitors are. As you research, look for important information that proves what Google does best in their market and who is trying to do it better. As you answer, speak openly with your interviewer about your ability to work competitively and how you plan to contribute to the continued success of Google in the role that you are interviewing for. In the US, Google has over 60% of the market share with Bing holding just over 30%. But Google doesn't consider Bing or Yahoo to be their more threatening competitor. Amazon and Apple are among the strongest competitors, which makes sense when we stop thinking of Google as a search engine and start thinking of it as a tech company.

"I believe the best way to stay ahead of your competitors is to remain innovative and never shut down an idea. When you listen to your employees and encourage them to have great ideas, you can succeed far beyond any company not based on collaboration and innovation. I will contribute to the success of Google by committing my most attentive work to you every day, and helping to bring new and innovative ideas on a regular basis."

"I think that the best way to stay ahead of competitors in the tech market is to keep your products as simple as possible, while also remaining innovative. People want simple and easy products that they can understand. What I've seen from your competitors lately is that they overcomplicate their products. Google products and services are always easy to use, and I will continue to contribute to this trend."

22. How do you keep up-to-date on new trends and changes in your line of work?

Google is an organization that believes in career and personal development and one way that your interviewer will try to gauge your belief in career development is by asking a question like this. Ideally, they want to hear that you go the extra mile by participating in continuing education opportunities, attending seminars or training, and reading up on your field. Show your interviewer that you are passionate about your field and growing within it by openly discussing how you stay on top of industry trends and news.

"I keep up to date on new trends and ideas in our field through a variety of sources. I am a member of the UX Collective and subscribe to and read their weekly newsletter. This is a great source for new happenings and great ideas. Over the past two years, my current employer has sponsored me to go to some great seminars across the country. I love having the opportunity to meet and network with others in my field and built some great contacts recently."

"I keep up on new trends in this industry by taking additional continuing education credits and do so both in-person and online. I also follow a few of my favorite influencers on social media as I find they post some very thought-provoking and intriguing articles and blog posts on a regular basis."

23. Here at Google, we take privacy and confidentiality very seriously. Are you willing to sign a non-disclosure agreement if required for this role?

Signing a non-disclosure agreement is quite common in the software and technology industry. If hired at Google, you may become privy to trade secrets, pending patents, and other innovative projects that must remain confidential. Talk to the interviewer about your willingness to sign an agreement. If you are currently under a non-disclosure or non-compete agreement with your present employer or have been at any time in the past, now is the time to discuss that.

"I have had one job where an NDA was required in the past, although I am not currently required to have one. If hired at Google, I would have no hesitation in signing one."

"I am happy to review any privacy and confidentiality agreements that you have at Google and sign one if required for my employment."

24. If you had the ultimate power, what is one way that you would help make an impactful difference in the world?

Google is well known for its philanthropic efforts and boasts an amazing donation of $1 billion in annual grants and 1 million employee volunteer hours annually. Community involvement and giving back to those in need is something that Google takes pride in and your interviewer would like to hear that you would make a similar difference if given the power. Prior to your interview, be sure to research some of Google's community initiatives so you can speak to Google's efforts in giving back while you answer. Some very unique ways that Google gives back are through the Code for America program and the Khan Academy.

"One way that I already make an impact is by starting with my local community. I volunteer as a reader in our local elementary school, and I also teach kids coding camps at the local community college during the summer months. It feels great to help people and step out into the community. If given the ultimate power, I would ensure that all children throughout the world would have equal access to literacy materials in their native language."

"I would like to help with Google's plan to provide 1 million employee volunteer hours over the next five years. It's vital that we give to those less fortunate than ourselves. I truly believe that and look forward to joining your cause if am hired for this role. Your question is surely thought-provoking. I think if I were to be given the power to make an impactful difference in the world, it would be to bring clean water to every part of the world. It's hard to believe that there are places around the globe that don't have access to reliable and clean water."

25. Tell me about yourself.

This question is your interviewer's first chance to get to know you, not only as a candidate but as a person. They place a lot of emphasis on making sure this opportunity is the right fit for you, and that you are not only passionate about working for Google, but also passionate about the work the position you are applying to entails. They make it clear on their careers site, that there's a lot that goes into making sure you're the right fit before offering you the job. "We get excited about interviewing and take it seriously because, at the risk of sounding cliche, Google is what Googlers make it. Our process can be rigorous, but it's also meant to be friendly, warm, and gives you the opportunity to get to know us better too."

Google's recruiters want to make sure you have a positive experience while going through the application process and make extra efforts to ensure all your questions are answered while offering useful tips and advice along the way. The following advice they offer should prove useful not only for this question but for every question in your interview. "Tell us who you are, what you do, where you'd like to be. Focus on you. Your skills, interests, and goals are the result of your life, your experiences, your triumphs, and your failures. If we hire you based on your skills, we'll get a skilled employee. If we hire you based on your skills, and your enduring passions, and your distinct experiences and perspectives, we'll get a Googler. That's what we want. "Take some time to ask yourself a few of these questions: What is something you learned that made everything that came after easier? Have more of your achievements come as a result of solitary effort or teamwork? What do you enjoy more, solving problems or pushing the discussion forward? What is the most rewarding job you've ever had? Why? "Describe the best team you ever worked with. What made that experience stand out? Now, sit with your history for a moment. Consider all the best, most rewarding elements of your experience, and let them come together to create a picture of where you want to go next in your career."

"I have always loved working in this field and solving these kinds of problems. My mother always says I am the most creative, analytically-minded person she's ever known. Numbers and programming have always been a part of my upbringing. Both my parents are mathematicians. And early on, we started discussing the increasing velocity of exponential factors, especially when it comes to technological achievements. Now, with the recent breakthroughs of AI and quantum computing, we are about to see a transformation unlike anything that's come before. So, I want to be working with the horse I am betting on, and that's Google. I've waited a long time for the right position to become available that caters to my passions. As soon as I got the job alert, I raced home and applied."

26. Who is the smartest person that you know and why do you consider them smart?

In an attempt to get to know your personal side a bit better and see the type of person they'd be hiring at Google, your interviewer is asking this question. You can have fun with this question and choose a family member, friend, mentor, author, or celebrity. Just be sure that you can back your answer and prove why you consider that person to be the smartest. If you can relate your response to an influencer in your industry, that's the best way to approach this question. A great way to keep this conversation going would be to ask the interviewer the same matter in the end.

"To me, the smartest person I know of is the author Brene Brown. She has such unique concepts, and I have never seen anyone be able to dissect and analyze statistics quite like her. She's brilliant and I truly enjoy listening to and reading her work. Who do you feel is the smartest person you know?"

"The smartest person I have ever met in my life is my grandfather. From a very young age, he instilled in me a work ethic and knowledge that spanned from the end of the World War II era all the through to today. His knowledge he brought to me spanned both his life and career. From starting as a small business owner to growing his business to a multi-state and location entity by the time he retired and then passing the business along to my dad and his sister. A couple of things that I still bring with me to this day are the importance of relationships in any type of business and that taking risks on the job is what leads to growth."

27. If you could pick a Google Doodle of the day, what would it be?

Prior to your interview, it's important to know that the Google Doodle is a playful and temporary alteration of Google's logo on their website's homepage. The Doodle is often associated with holidays or special events around the world. Google introduced the very first Doodle in 1998 for the Burning Man festival. Google has a great time with their Doodles and they even deploy a team of employees called the Doodlers that create these illustrations. While you have some fun answering this question, know that how you answer can give some very good insight into who you are as a person and future employee at Google.

"If I could create a Google Doodle of the day, I would create one for National Donut Day - my favorite fun holiday. Who doesn't love donuts? I would make the O's' in Google delicious looking pastry creations."

"This is sure a fun question! If I could create a Google Doodle, I would make one in honor of International Volunteer Day on December 5th. The Doodle could portray people all over the world, helping each other out and help bring awareness to such an awesome recognition day."

28. What do you like to work on in your spare time?

With this question, your interviewer would like to hear more about the interests that keep you occupied and engaged when you are not in the workplace. While there is no wrong or right response to this question, you want to ensure that you are insightful and show an interest in activities that will resonate with Google and their culture. You could mention volunteer time, family events, books that you like to read, or ways that you enjoy further educating yourself.

"In my spare time, I love to read books on how technology shapes our lives and the future of business. I also spend time with my kids and am a volunteer little league coach. I am usually on the go and thoroughly enjoy being an active part of my community and our future generations."

"Over the last two years, I've tried to learn and hone a lot of DIY projects around my house. In all honesty, Google and YouTube have been my greatest allies in this endeavor. This past year, I've completed a full bathroom remodel project and a backyard patio and fire pit build."

29. Google celebrates diversity in many ways. In which ways do you celebrate those different from you?

Diversity and inclusion are celebrated topics at Google, and your interviewer would like to know that you share this mindset. One of Google's five commitments is including all voices in what they do. This commitment has Google committing to diversity & inclusion efforts both inside and outside the workplace. As you answer this question, share with your interviewer the ways that you celebrate diversity and inclusion in the workplace. If you have had the opportunity of working in a culturally diverse organization, talk about the positive experiences you gained from that experience and would bring to the Google team.

"As a visible minority myself, I make a conscious effort to include others in learning about my unique culture. Also, I am broad-minded when it comes to the needs and differences of others. Diversity to me is not simply a matter of culture, but also of gender identity, age, and more. I am conscious of being sensitive to others in every action that I take in the workplace."

"I appreciate the open and transparent effort that Google makes when it comes to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. I embrace those different from me and utilize those differences as learning opportunities. I feel very fortunate to have worked in a very culturally diverse environment for the past 12 years. While working closely with people from all over the world, I've learned to be sensitive to the needs of others and empathetic to the fact that everyone walks a different path, whether that be related to gender identity, sexual orientation, heritage, and more."

30. How would you rate your performance in this interview so far?

If asked this question during your interview, your interviewer at Google is looking for you to give an honest assessment of your interview to this point and to clarify if you are satisfied with your interview performance. If your interview were a flop, you would know, and it's much better to address outright your performance than try to sweep it under the rug. Conversely, if you feel your interview is going well, you can surely express your confidence to your interviewer.

"I believe that this interview has been quite informative. I am confident that our discussion has been very thorough and I'm happy with my performance. Is there anything that I can clarify for you from this conversation?"

For example: "I am not sure if I have been able to portray myself 100% accurately in this interview. I honestly was quite nervous coming in to interview for my dream job with Google. If there is anything more I can clarify for you, I would be happy to do so."

31. If you had to improve in one area as you join the Google team, what would it be?

With this question, your interviewer wants to learn that you are self-aware of your weaknesses and desire professional growth. Think about opportunities for improvement relevant to this particular role at Google and be open and honest with your interviewer on your shortcoming for the job. Avoid mentioning any weaknesses that could compromise your application. Talk less about the area of improvement. Instead, discuss the actions you are actively taking to improve. A strong answer will demonstrate to the interviewer that you have done your homework regarding the job qualifications and the company culture at Google.

"I think the biggest area for improvement for me in this role would be honing my cloud skills. In my current role that I've held for the past three years, I have had some opportunities to work in the cloud atmosphere. If hired for this role at Google, I would focus a lot of time and energy in my initial weeks on the job to shadow new colleagues in this area to become familiar with Google's cloud."

32. What are your weaknesses?

Your interviewer not only wants to not only hear about your strengths but also your self-perceived weaknesses. How well you know yourself, and where you are at in your professional development, will help them assess your emotional intelligence, drive, ambition, and experience. Collectively, this should inform them of how capable you are of holding yourself accountable while taking ownership of your growth opportunities. This is integral to Google's culture and is the baseline for one of its guiding principles. "Accountability: Google holds all individuals responsible for their actions, and ensures that, where appropriate, those individuals hold others accountable too."

At Google, they have a saying, "Learning is more than just knowing, it's the ongoing quest for understanding." This is reiterated frequently by Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google and their parent company, Alphabet. For example, "Learning is what makes information useful, and what enables people to apply knowledge to make things better for themselves, their families, and their communities."

When asking about your weaknesses, try to think of them as growth opportunities. Any time you fail, consider what the lessons you learned from those failures stand to offer your future success. As Sundar Pichai says, "Wear your failures as a badge of honor." "Keep pushing your limits." "In life, don't react. Always respond." Lastly, when it comes to discussing your growth opportunities, don't feel shy about it, or worry that your interviewer might judge you for them. As long as you take ownership and are working on improving and expanding your skills, you'll be showcasing yourself as an asset rather than a liability. As Sundar Pichai says, "Let yourself feel insecure from time, it will help you grow as an individual."

Entry Level Example

"One of my weaknesses is feeling intimidated and shy about speaking up when I have something to contribute. You see, throughout school, I was always that kid who was raising his hand. I knew all the answers, and it always happened that my teacher stopped pointing at me for the answer, hoping some of the other kids would raise their hands in response to their questions. Then, after being placed in all the AP classes, eventually the same thing happened. So, I stopped raising my hand, feeling timid and worried about being alienated. I alienated myself instead, trying to fit in. But, I am anxious to outgrow that. Now that I've graduated from college, and am ready to launch into an exciting career, I am determined to find a position with a think-tank atmosphere, surrounded by like-minded people who won't be intimidated by me trying to contribute, and who will value what I have to say. That's one of the things I found really attractive about Google's culture, is that they make a point of letting it be known that at Google, everyone's voice is heard."

33. If hired for this role at Google, how long will it take you to make a meaningful contribution to our team?

Ideally, your interviewer would like to know that you are prepared to contribute to this role at Google right away. If you were to be a successful candidate, put some serious thought into how you would be able to make a viable contribution to the company upon starting. Talk to your interviewer about your plan to create a fast impact in this role by thoroughly reading the job description and matching your skills and experiences for the job.

"I am interested in making an impact on Google right away and have already crafted a plan to make that happen. I am a solid software engineering professional, and I plan to learn everything I can about your processes right away. Once I know your processes, I am confident that I could be helping to increase the activity for your department within the first few weeks of my onboarding."

"As we have discussed, my skills and experience are a perfect fit for what you are seeking in your next hire for this role at Google. I have put some serious thought into this question and I am confident that once I was to meet my team and get orientated into the systems and processes that I would be up and running on the job in no time. To put a time on this, I would think that could all happen within the first month on the job."

Chad's Feedback

34. We consider research to be the backbone of what we do at Google. Do you think it's important to conduct research before beginning a project or would you rather jump right in?

Talk to your interviewer about your work habits and the way in which you prefer to approach a new project. If you have a sense of how Google prefers to approach the work in the role that you are interviewing for, you should discuss that method. For instance, if your interviewer tells you that they prefer extensive research before beginning a project, that is your queue to talk about your excellent research skills. Carefully reading the job description prior to your interview will help you to answer this question.

"I agree that research is the backbone of a strong project. Without it, important details are missed and a lot of time can be wasted. I like to research before starting a project so that I can lay out a plan and understand the potential hurdles that may come. I don't hesitate to talk with subject matter experts involved in the project."

"Although there are some instances where jumping in right away may be required, I always prefer to research and learn as much as possible before I begin a project. Research can include reading materials and talking with others. If hired on your team at Google, I'd be curious to learn the best practices in the department for project work."

35. How do you define success in the work that you do?

How success is measured on the job can come down to many different factors. In asking this question, your interviewer is looking to get some insight into what would drive you and motivate you in the work that you would be performing in this role with Google. Prior to your interview, try to put some thought into what success means to you. Tell your interviewer how you see success and be sure to tie your answer into the success that you plan to bring to the Google team if you were to be offered this job.

"I define success by my ability to reach the goals that are set out for me in my work. Being a goal-oriented person, I have always worked with my director or manager on setting the bar high so that I can feel satisfaction while my employer wins as well. I also define success as winning as a team. I thrive in a team-based environment and would look forward to bringing the ultimate team player mindset to Google."

"In my work, full-scale success happens when the needs of my customers are exceeded and the organization I represent is highly profitable. This scenario provides the ultimate win-win scenario for all involved and helps build long-lasting customer relationships that are built on success. In this role with Google, I would envision success to fit this same mold."

Job Satisfaction

36. What do you think you will like about this role with Google?

At some point during your interview process, your interviewer wants to hear what you are looking forward to learning and experiencing in this new position with Google. Now is the time for you to talk about what truly excites you about this opportunity! It's always a good idea to share how this position will challenge you and help you grow. Knowing that you are interviewing with a company that is world-renowned for having a great culture and company perks, it is perfect to talk about any of the benefits that Google provides to their staff as well.

"I look forward to working for a company that thinks big and takes risks. The idea that I could be a part of creating products and tools of the future, that will benefit billions of users, is very inspiring to me."

"While I am confident that I will find joy in bringing new and game-changing products to the market for Google, I am most looking forward to the possibility of an employer that is making so many positive changes in the world. It's important for me to be a part of something greater and I absolutely love that Google works hard in providing over a million hours of volunteer time each year and looks to advance sustainability in our world in all that you do. These are efforts that I would love to take part in and would help me feel so fulfilled in a job with Google."

37. At Google, we seek to hire natural leaders. What leadership skills and qualities would you bring to this role?

Google's mission to unite the world through information while providing a world-class work environment takes true leadership skills and capabilities from every team member. In asking this question, your interviewer is looking to hear you talk about any leadership experiences and skills that you would bring to their team if hired for this position. Whether you are interviewing for an actual leadership titled position or not makes no difference when asked this question. Your interviewer wants to hear how you can be a natural leader if hired as part of their team.

"While I've never held titles like supervisor, manager, or director, I've always taken pride in my ability to take the lead with any team that I've been a part of. If I were to be hired at Google, you would quickly find out that I am a teammate that brings compassion, empathy, and integrity in all that I do on the job. My colleagues are drawn to these qualities and look to me to lead by example and provide assistance when needed. I also bring a sense of respect to a team by being courteous and civil in all situations."

"A true leader is one that creates and nurtures a culture for success. During my career over the last five years as a manager of a large team, I do this by giving every employee a voice and making them a part of any important decision-making processes. I keep open lines of communication among my entire team and operate with a total open-door policy. I also prefer to lead by example and take the bull by the horns when needed because people respect a leader that is willing to dive in when the going gets tough."

38. What resources and strategies do you have in place to handle stress on the job?

While Google is often noted for being very innovative in its unique workspaces and overall fun atmosphere, they are also a very tenacious organization when it comes to being the best in their industry. With that tenacity comes the desire for their staff to perform at the highest of levels at all times. Prior to your interview, be sure to put some serious thought into how you manage daily stresses on the job so you are able to paint a clear picture for your interview on you can handle the stress that comes with this role at Google with ease. As you answer, discuss the tools and resources that you lean on to help navigate stress in your work environment.

"I have developed a few techniques and philosophies around stress management myself, the principles of which are ones that are deeply rooted in my personal and professional experience. The first principle for me is the eight-hour workday. As much as possible, I delay any tasks or activities that pop up outside of normal work hours until I actually start the workday. I think it's important to draw this line for others to respect my personal time. I also dedicate no more than two hours at a time to deep project work. Deep work is any activities that need to be performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive capabilities to their limits. The other key to maintaining a stress-free work environment is being on task and organized. I utilize many tools to help keep me on track and organized and these tools include a detailed work calendar and project list with deadlines and milestones clearly outlined."

39. What values and traits would you bring to to the Google team that would help promote teamwork and collaboration?

Teamwork and collaboration are essential in Google's pursuit of organizing the world's information and making it universally acceptable. Prior to your interview, it will be important for you to research this role and who you will be working closely with so you can effectively layout how you work effectively with others for your interviewer. Your interviewer wants to know that you can collaborate effectively with any staff member at Google, so talk about how you facilitate cooperation. As you answer, don't hesitate to explain why a true team effort is so important in the work that you will be doing in this role.

"Throughout my career, I've always been commended for being the ultimate team player. It begins with clear communication, including listening. I value what my team wants to bring to the table, and I encourage them to brainstorm and collaborate together. I also rely on my ability to read people, and I try to respond appropriately. I also know my limitations. We were all educated and trained in our niche areas. I know I can't be everything to my colleagues nor do I try, so I never hesitate to enlist the help of a subject matter expert when their input is needed."

30 Academic Researcher Interview Questions and Answers

Common Academic Researcher interview questions, how to answer them, and example answers from a certified career coach.

Embarking on a career as an academic researcher requires more than just a passion for knowledge. It demands critical thinking, meticulous attention to detail, and the ability to communicate complex ideas effectively. As you prepare for your interview, it’s essential to showcase not only your research skills but also your commitment to contributing valuable insights to your chosen field.

In this article, we will delve into some of the commonly asked questions in an academic researcher interview. We’ll provide tips on how best to answer these questions and help you articulate your unique approach to conducting rigorous, impactful research.

1. Can you describe a research project you’ve led and the impact it had on your field of study?

This question is probing your ability to manage complex tasks, complete them, and see the bigger picture of your work. As an academic researcher, your goal is not just to finish projects, but to contribute meaningfully to your field. Therefore, hiring committees want to see that you have a track record of doing just that. They’re also interested in your ability to convey complex ideas to a broader audience— a key skill when you’re trying to secure funding or present your findings.

Example: “One of my most impactful research projects was developing a novel algorithm to predict disease progression in patients with Parkinson’s.

I led a team that collected and analyzed data from over 5000 patients worldwide, which we used to train our machine learning model. Our algorithm outperformed existing models by 15% in terms of accuracy.

This project not only advanced our understanding of Parkinson’s but also provided doctors with a more accurate tool for predicting disease progression. This can significantly improve patient care by allowing for earlier intervention and more personalized treatment plans.”

2. What methods do you typically use to keep your research organized and how have these methods evolved over time?

As an academic researcher, it’s paramount that you manage your data, references, and findings meticulously. Interviewers want to understand your approach to staying organized throughout the research process. They’re interested in not just your current methods, but also how you’ve adapted and improved them over time, as this gives insight into your ability to learn, grow, and handle the complex, evolving demands of research.

Example: “I utilize digital tools like reference management software, such as EndNote and Zotero, to keep track of sources. I also use project management platforms like Trello for task organization. Over time, I’ve found cloud-based solutions like Google Drive invaluable for real-time collaboration and easy access to data anywhere.

In terms of evolution, I initially relied heavily on physical note-taking but transitioned to digital methods for efficiency. The ability to quickly search and categorize information digitally has significantly improved my research process.”

3. Can you discuss a time when your research findings did not align with your initial hypothesis? How did you handle this?

Research is not about proving what you think is right—it’s about finding the truth. Sometimes, that means disproving your own ideas. Your ability to adapt to unexpected results, draw new conclusions from them, and pivot your research efforts accordingly is a critical skill in academia. This is why hiring panels often ask this question—to gauge your flexibility, objectivity, and resilience in the face of unexpected research outcomes.

Example: “During my PhD, I hypothesized that a specific gene mutation would lead to increased cancer susceptibility. However, the data showed no significant correlation.

I initially double-checked my methodology and data analysis to ensure there were no errors. Once confirmed, I embraced these unexpected results as they challenged pre-existing assumptions in the field.

This led me to explore other potential factors influencing cancer risk. My findings eventually contributed to a more nuanced understanding of genetic influences on disease. It was a valuable lesson in scientific humility and adaptability.”

4. How do you approach the process of writing and submitting a research grant proposal?

This question is designed to assess your strategic thinking and planning skills in relation to securing funding for research. As an academic researcher, a significant part of your role is to secure the financial resources necessary to conduct your studies. Your ability to write a compelling, thorough, and successful grant proposal is key to your success and the success of your research.

Example: “Writing a research grant proposal requires strategic planning and clear communication. I start by thoroughly understanding the funding agency’s goals, aligning my project with their objectives. Then, I develop a compelling narrative that outlines the problem, its significance, and how my research will address it.

In crafting the proposal, I focus on clarity and conciseness, ensuring each section directly supports the overall aim. I also include a detailed budget and timeline to demonstrate feasibility.

Before submitting, I seek feedback from colleagues to refine the proposal. Finally, I ensure all guidelines are strictly adhered to for successful submission.”

5. What steps do you take to ensure your research is ethical and follows the guidelines set by the institution?

Ethics forms the backbone of academic research. It’s the cornerstone of credibility, validity, and respect for any contributions made in the field. As such, hiring committees want to ensure that potential researchers are not only aware of the ethical guidelines and principles in their field but also have a proven track record of adhering to them. This question helps ascertain that you’re committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity and ethical conduct in your research.

Example: “To ensure my research is ethical and adheres to institutional guidelines, I start by familiarizing myself with the institution’s ethics policy. This includes understanding the principles of informed consent, confidentiality, and non-maleficence.

Then, I design my study in a way that respects these principles. For instance, I make sure participants are fully informed about the purpose of the research and their rights before they participate.

I also seek approval from the relevant ethics committee before commencing any research. They provide an external review to confirm my research meets all ethical standards.

Lastly, throughout the research process, I maintain transparency and honesty in data collection, analysis and reporting. This ensures integrity and credibility in my work.”

6. Describe your most challenging research project. What made it difficult and how did you overcome those challenges?

This question is designed to probe your problem-solving skills and perseverance in the face of adversity. Conducting academic research is often a long, arduous process, filled with unforeseen challenges and complications. By asking this question, the interviewer wants to understand your approach to overcoming obstacles and how you adapt when unexpected difficulties arise. They are also interested in learning about your analytical skills, and how you apply them to solve complex problems.

Example: “One of the most challenging research projects I undertook was a comparative analysis of climate change policies across different countries. The difficulty lay in gathering accurate and up-to-date data from various sources, given the language barriers and differences in reporting standards.

To overcome this, I collaborated with international researchers for data verification and translation. Additionally, I developed a standardised template to ensure consistency while comparing diverse policy frameworks. This experience taught me the importance of collaboration and adaptability in overcoming research challenges.”

7. How have you handled disagreements or conflicts with collaborators during a research project?

Conflict is a natural part of any job that involves working with others, and academic research is no exception. Whether it’s a disagreement over the direction of the research, the interpretation of data, or the division of labor, it’s not a question of if you’ll face conflict, but when. By asking this question, hiring managers are looking for evidence that you can handle conflicts professionally and constructively, while still contributing effectively to the team’s goals.

Example: “In my experience, disagreements are often due to miscommunication or differing perspectives. When conflicts arise during a research project, I believe in addressing them promptly and openly.

I usually start by listening to the other party’s viewpoint to understand their perspective. This not only helps me gain insight into their thought process but also demonstrates respect for their opinions.

Once I have understood their stance, I share mine as well. The goal is not to prove who is right or wrong, but rather to find common ground where we both can agree.

If we cannot reach an agreement independently, I am open to involving a third-party mediator or our supervisor. Their neutral perspective often helps resolve the conflict effectively.

This approach has always helped me maintain positive relationships with collaborators while ensuring the success of our projects.”

8. Can you provide an example of a time when you had to alter your research methodology due to unforeseen circumstances?

Research is seldom a straight path. Unexpected roadblocks, sudden changes in conditions, or surprising results can necessitate a shift in methodology. Interviewers want to know if you are flexible, adaptable, and resourceful in the face of these unexpected challenges. Your ability to alter your research methodology while maintaining the integrity of your work is a key skill in the ever-evolving world of academic research.

Example: “During my PhD, I was working on a project that involved analyzing large sets of genetic data. Initially, we planned to use traditional statistical methods for analysis. However, as the dataset grew larger and more complex, it became clear that this approach would not be sufficient.

We had to shift our strategy and incorporate machine learning techniques to handle the complexity and volume of the data. This required me to quickly learn new skills and adapt to using different software tools.

Despite the challenge, this change in methodology led to more accurate results and contributed significantly to the success of the research project. It underscored the importance of flexibility and adaptability in research.”

9. How do you prioritize your research projects and manage your time effectively?

As an academic researcher, you’ll often find yourself juggling multiple projects, each with their own set of deadlines and demands. Hence, your potential employer wants to be assured that you have the ability to organize your workload, prioritize tasks and manage your time effectively. Your response to this question will provide insight into your project management skills and your ability to maintain productivity even under pressure.

Example: “Prioritizing research projects depends on their urgency, impact, and alignment with my areas of expertise. I often use project management tools to track progress and deadlines. For time management, I divide my day into blocks dedicated to specific tasks such as data analysis or writing. This approach helps me stay focused and productive.

Moreover, I believe in regular communication with team members and stakeholders. It ensures everyone is aligned and aware of any changes or challenges that may affect the timeline or outcome of the project.

Finally, it’s crucial to maintain a balance between work and personal life. Taking breaks and ensuring adequate rest can significantly improve productivity and creativity.”

10. How do you approach the peer review process, both as a reviewer and as a researcher receiving feedback?

Peer reviews are a cornerstone in maintaining the credibility and quality of academic research. When hiring for an academic researcher, it’s critical to understand a candidate’s approach to both giving and receiving feedback. The way you handle critiques of your own work, as well as your ability to provide constructive feedback to others, speaks volumes about your professionalism, integrity, and commitment to advancing knowledge in your field.

Example: “As a reviewer, I approach the process with an open mind and focus on providing constructive criticism. My aim is to help improve the quality of research rather than finding faults.

When receiving feedback, I view it as an opportunity for growth. It’s about understanding different perspectives that can enhance my work. I welcome all comments and take time to reflect upon them before making revisions.

In both roles, respect, professionalism, and communication are key elements in ensuring a productive peer review process.”

11. In what ways have you used technology or software tools to assist in your research?

The academic landscape is brimming with an array of technologies and software tools designed to streamline and enhance research activities. When hiring an academic researcher, your potential employer wants to know that you are comfortable and proficient in using these tools. This not only ensures you can keep pace with the dynamic academic environment, but it also indicates your ability to leverage technology to yield more accurate, efficient, and comprehensive research results.

Example: “I have utilized various technology tools to streamline and enhance my research. For instance, I used software like NVivo for qualitative data analysis, which helped in organizing and interpreting complex datasets.

For literature reviews, EndNote was instrumental in managing citations and bibliographies. Moreover, Google Scholar and databases like JSTOR were essential for sourcing relevant academic articles.

Moreover, I employed project management tools such as Trello to track progress and ensure timely completion of tasks. These digital tools not only increased efficiency but also improved the accuracy of my work.”

12. Can you discuss a time when you had to explain complex research findings to a non-technical audience?

This question is critical as it helps the interviewer understand your ability to communicate complicated ideas with clarity and simplicity. In the world of academia, it’s not enough to just produce significant research. You also need to be able to translate your findings in a way that people without technical expertise can understand. This skill is particularly important when presenting research to stakeholders, funders, or the general public.

Example: “During my PhD, I conducted research on genetic algorithms which was quite complex. However, I had to present these findings at a university open day to prospective students and their parents. To make it comprehensible, I used the analogy of evolution – survival of the fittest. I explained that just as nature selects the best traits for survival, genetic algorithms select the best solutions to a problem. This simplified explanation helped them understand the concept without delving into technical jargon or intricate details. The feedback was positive, indicating they found the talk engaging and informative.”

13. How do you handle the pressure and stress associated with meeting research deadlines?

Research work is often driven by strict timelines and high expectations, whether it’s a funding cycle, a conference submission deadline, or the pace of a competitive field. Potential employers want to be confident in your ability to manage stress, prioritize tasks, and maintain quality work under pressure. Your response will give them insight into your time management skills, resilience, and overall suitability for the rigorous world of academic research.

Example: “I believe in proactive planning and organization to manage research deadlines. I start by breaking down the project into manageable tasks, setting realistic goals for each task, and prioritizing them based on their importance and urgency.

To handle stress, I ensure a balanced work-life routine with regular exercise and relaxation activities. This helps me maintain focus and productivity during work hours.

Moreover, I use mindfulness techniques to stay calm under pressure. It enables me to make rational decisions even when facing tight deadlines.

In case of unexpected obstacles, I am flexible enough to adapt my plan quickly without compromising the quality of work.”

14. What strategies do you use to stay updated with the latest developments in your field of research?

The field of academic research is constantly evolving, with new discoveries, methods, and theories emerging all the time. It’s important for a researcher to stay at the forefront of these developments to ensure their work is as accurate, relevant, and innovative as possible. Therefore, hiring committees are keen to know how you plan to stay informed and adapt to the shifting landscape of your research area.

Example: “Staying updated in my research field is crucial. I regularly read academic journals and attend webinars or conferences related to my area of study. This not only provides me with new insights but also allows me to network with other researchers.

I also subscribe to relevant newsletters and follow influential figures on social media platforms for real-time updates. Furthermore, participating in online forums and discussions helps me understand different perspectives on emerging trends.

Lastly, I engage in continuous learning through courses and workshops which enhance my knowledge base and skills. These strategies ensure that I am always at the forefront of developments in my research field.”

15. How do you ensure the quality and accuracy of your data collection and analysis?

Accuracy and integrity are the backbone of academic research. Therefore, potential employers want to ensure that you have robust strategies in place for collecting, analyzing and interpreting data. They are interested in learning about your attention to detail, your understanding of statistical methods, and your ability to minimize bias and error to produce reliable and valid results.

Example: “To ensure the quality and accuracy of data collection, I use a systematic approach. This involves clearly defining research objectives, using reliable sources, and implementing rigorous data validation techniques.

For analysis, I employ statistical software to minimize human error. Cross-validation methods are used to check for consistency in results.

Regular audits help identify any discrepancies early on, allowing for timely corrections.

Lastly, peer reviews provide an additional layer of scrutiny, ensuring objectivity and validity in my work.”

16. Discuss an instance where your research significantly contributed to your field?

As an academic researcher, your value is often measured in terms of your contributions to your field. The interviewer wants to understand the depth of your experience and how your research has made a difference. This question provides an opportunity to demonstrate your expertise, your ability to find innovative solutions, and your impact on knowledge advancement within your area of research.

Example: “One significant contribution I made was during my PhD research on climate change impacts on agriculture. My team and I developed a predictive model that could forecast crop yields under various climate scenarios.

This breakthrough allowed farmers to make informed decisions about their farming strategies, potentially saving them from financial losses due to unpredictable weather patterns. Our findings were published in a top-tier journal, which led to further research in this area. This work also influenced policy discussions around agricultural adaptation to climate change.”

17. How have you incorporated interdisciplinary perspectives into your research?

The academic world is increasingly recognizing the value of interdisciplinary perspectives in research. This approach often results in innovative solutions and fresh insights into complex problems. Hence, hiring committees want to know if you can think beyond the confines of your own discipline, collaborate with researchers from different fields and integrate diverse methodologies and theories into your work.

Example: “Incorporating interdisciplinary perspectives into my research has been crucial in broadening the scope and enhancing the depth of my findings. For instance, while researching climate change impacts, I integrated insights from environmental science, economics, and sociology. This allowed me to analyze not only the ecological effects but also the economic implications and societal responses.

By engaging with different disciplines, I ensure a more comprehensive understanding of complex issues. It also fosters creativity and innovation, as it encourages the cross-pollination of ideas between fields. This approach has significantly enriched my research outcomes and its relevance for diverse stakeholders.”

18. What is your experience with securing funding for your research projects?

Securing funding is a critical part of academic research, and it’s a task that often falls to the researcher themselves. A potential employer would want to know that you have the skills and experience to successfully seek out, apply for, and secure the funding necessary to carry out your proposed projects. This question probes your ability to navigate this complex and often competitive process.

Example: “I have a solid track record in securing funding for research projects. I’ve successfully obtained grants from various sources including government bodies, private organizations and academic institutions. My approach involves identifying suitable funders, tailoring proposals to their specific interests, and demonstrating the potential impact of the research.

My expertise lies in crafting compelling narratives that highlight the significance of the project. This includes showcasing its originality, feasibility, and relevance to current societal or academic challenges.

Moreover, I maintain strong relationships with past funders which often leads to repeat funding. These connections also serve as valuable networks for collaborative research opportunities.”

19. How do you approach the process of publishing your research findings?

The process of getting research findings published is a critical part of an academic researcher’s job. It’s not just about doing the research, but also communicating your findings effectively to the wider scientific community. This question aims to understand your experience and approach in this area, ensuring you have the skills and perseverance to navigate the often complex and lengthy process of academic publishing.

Example: “Publishing research findings begins with selecting the most appropriate journal. I consider factors such as the relevance of my topic to the journal’s focus, its impact factor, and audience.

After selection, I prepare my manuscript in line with the specific guidelines provided by that journal. This includes structuring it into sections like abstract, introduction, methodology, results, and conclusion.

Once the draft is ready, I seek feedback from colleagues or mentors before submitting. Upon receiving reviewers’ comments, I revise accordingly ensuring all concerns are adequately addressed.

The process requires patience and resilience due to possible rejections or requests for revisions. It’s a continuous cycle of learning and improving.”

20. Can you provide an example of a research project where you encountered ethical dilemmas? How did you address them?

Ethics are the backbone of credible, responsible research. As an academic researcher, you’ll often be dealing with sensitive data, groundbreaking discoveries, or contentious topics. The interviewer wants to assess your understanding of research ethics, your ability to navigate ethical dilemmas, and your commitment to maintaining the highest standards of integrity in your work.

Example: “In a previous research project, we were studying the effects of certain medications on mental health. One ethical dilemma was whether to continue the study despite negative side-effects experienced by some participants.

We addressed this by conducting an interim analysis and consulting with our ethics committee. We decided to modify the dosage for those experiencing adverse effects while ensuring they were fully informed about potential risks. This balanced the need for valuable data with respect for participant welfare.”

21. What experience do you have with teaching or mentoring students in a research context?

A large part of being an academic researcher is often about passing on your knowledge and expertise to the next generation of scholars. Whether you’re guiding PhD students through their dissertations or helping undergraduates get their first taste of research, your ability to mentor and teach is key. This question allows interviewers to assess your suitability for this crucial aspect of the role.

Example: “I have had the opportunity to mentor several undergraduate and graduate students during my PhD. I guided them in developing their research proposals, conducting experiments, analyzing data, and writing reports. This involved regular meetings to discuss progress, troubleshoot issues, and provide feedback.

In addition, I’ve also supervised interns on specific research projects. My focus was not just on imparting knowledge but also nurturing critical thinking skills to enable them to conduct independent research.

Overall, these experiences have honed my ability to communicate complex ideas effectively and foster a productive learning environment.”

22. How do you approach collaborations with researchers from different fields or institutions?

Collaboration is the lifeblood of academic research. Not only does it allow for the exchange of ideas, but it also often leads to breakthroughs that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. As such, hiring committees want to know that you have the ability to work well with others, even if they come from different disciplines or institutions. Your ability to navigate these relationships can greatly impact the success of your research.

Example: “Collaborating with researchers from different fields or institutions requires a blend of open-mindedness, effective communication, and respect for diversity. I approach such collaborations by first understanding their expertise and research methodologies. This helps in identifying common grounds and potential areas of synergy.

I believe in maintaining clear and regular communication to ensure that everyone is on the same page regarding objectives, roles, and timelines. Using collaborative tools can facilitate this process.

Respecting diverse perspectives is crucial as it often leads to innovative solutions. Therefore, I always value inputs from all team members, fostering an environment where everyone feels heard and appreciated.

In essence, my approach is centered around mutual respect, proactive communication, and leveraging collective intelligence to achieve our shared goals.”

23. Can you discuss a time when your research findings had practical implications or real-world applications?

Researchers are not just confined to the world of theory, they play an essential role in shaping our society, economy, and environment. Practical implications and real-world applications of research findings are often what drive societal advancements. Interviewers ask this question to gauge whether you understand the importance of research translation, and to assess your ability to create meaningful impact through your work.

Example: “During my PhD, I was part of a team researching the impact of climate change on agricultural yield. Our findings highlighted specific regions that would be most affected by changing weather patterns.

These results were not only published in academic journals, but also caught the attention of policy makers and NGOs working towards food security. They used our research to prioritize their efforts and resources in those vulnerable areas.

This experience showed me how academic research can directly influence real-world decisions and policies. It reinforced my belief in the importance of practical applications for research outcomes.”

24. How do you ensure your research is accessible and comprehensible to the broader academic community?

The art of research isn’t just about generating new knowledge—it’s also about making that knowledge accessible and comprehensible. Your ability to communicate your findings in a clear, plain language that can be understood by a variety of audiences is key. It ensures that your work has the potential to influence other researchers, policy-makers, and even the public. This question is asked to understand your skills and strategies in presenting your research in an accessible and comprehensible manner.

Example: “To ensure my research is accessible and comprehensible, I use clear language and avoid unnecessary jargon. I also provide a concise abstract that summarizes the key points of my work.

I believe in the power of visual aids like graphs, charts, and diagrams to present complex data in an easily digestible format.

Moreover, I make it a point to publish in open-access journals whenever possible, ensuring maximum reach.

Lastly, I engage with the academic community through seminars, webinars, and conferences to explain my work and receive feedback. This two-way communication helps me understand if my research is being understood correctly and what improvements can be made.”

25. What strategies do you employ to handle the challenges of conducting fieldwork, if applicable?

The essence of a researcher’s job is to navigate the uncharted territories of knowledge, and fieldwork can pose a myriad of challenges, from logistical issues to unexpected findings. Therefore, it’s critical to know that you have strategic problem-solving skills and can adapt on the fly, ensuring the validity and reliability of your research work while managing resources efficiently.

Example: “Conducting fieldwork can indeed present unique challenges. I prioritize meticulous planning, which involves understanding the environment and potential obstacles, then developing contingency plans.

Equally important is building relationships with local communities or stakeholders as they often provide valuable insights that enhance the research quality.

I also employ technological tools for data collection and analysis to ensure accuracy and efficiency. Lastly, maintaining ethical standards throughout the process is non-negotiable to uphold the integrity of the research.”

26. Discuss a time when you had to defend your research findings against criticism.

As an academic researcher, you’re often required to present your findings to a range of audiences, including peers, who may not always agree with your conclusions. Therefore, your ability to defend your research and handle criticism is a significant part of your role. Interviewers want to assess your problem-solving skills, your ability to handle conflict, and your commitment to the integrity and quality of your research.

Example: “During my PhD, I conducted research on the impact of climate change on crop yield. My findings suggested a significant negative effect, which was criticized by some peers who believed the impact was negligible.

I defended my findings by systematically presenting the robustness of my methodology and data sources. I also highlighted previous literature that supported my conclusions. Furthermore, I welcomed their critique as an opportunity to further refine my study, resulting in a more comprehensive paper.

This experience taught me the importance of open dialogue and constructive criticism in academic research.”

27. How do you approach the process of developing a new research question or project?

The heart of an academic researcher’s job is to create and explore new research questions or projects. A prospective employer needs to understand how you approach this task, as it will provide insight into your critical thinking abilities, creativity, and command of the research process. Your answer will help them determine if your research style aligns with the institution’s goals and values.

Example: “Developing a new research question or project begins with identifying gaps in the current body of knowledge. I dive into existing literature, noting areas that lack clarity or require further exploration.

Once an area of interest is identified, I formulate a preliminary research question. This question must be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound (SMART).

The next step involves designing a methodology suitable for investigating this question. The method should align with the nature of the question and could involve quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods approaches.

Throughout this process, it’s crucial to maintain flexibility as initial plans may need adjustment based on findings or unforeseen challenges. Rigorous review and refinement ensure the final research question is robust and valuable.”

28. What is your experience with interdisciplinary research and how has it influenced your work?

This query is designed to gauge your collaborative abilities and your versatility as a researcher. Interdisciplinary research is increasingly important in academia as it allows for a more comprehensive understanding of complex issues. It also testifies to your ability to adapt and learn new methodologies or theories outside your primary research area, thus indicating intellectual flexibility and curiosity.

Example: “I have actively participated in interdisciplinary research throughout my academic career, collaborating with experts from fields such as psychology, sociology, and computer science. This approach has enriched my perspective, allowing me to tackle complex problems using diverse methodologies.

The influence of this experience is evident in my work’s depth and breadth. It encourages innovative thinking and fosters a holistic understanding of the research topic. I believe that integrating knowledge across disciplines leads to more robust findings and impactful solutions.”

29. Can you describe a situation where you had to adapt your research methods due to resource constraints?

The path to knowledge discovery is rarely straightforward. As a researcher, you’re constantly required to improvise and adapt to unforeseen challenges, whether it’s a sudden budget cut, unexpected results, or difficulties in data collection. This question is designed to gauge your problem-solving skills and your ability to think on your feet, both of which are critical for success in academic research.

Example: “During my PhD, I was studying the impact of climate change on certain species. However, due to budget constraints, we couldn’t afford extensive fieldwork.

I adapted by leveraging online databases and remote sensing data for preliminary analysis, thus reducing the need for physical site visits. This not only saved costs but also allowed us to cover a larger geographical area in our research.

It was challenging to ensure the accuracy of secondary data, but it taught me how to be resourceful and adaptable in conducting rigorous academic research.”

30. How do you handle situations where research findings might be controversial or unpopular?

Scientific integrity is paramount in any research role, and sometimes, the truth that research uncovers isn’t what people want to hear. Hiring managers ask this question to gauge whether you can stand by your work, even in the face of adversity or resistance. They want to know if you have the courage and conviction to present your findings honestly, regardless of public opinion or external pressures.

Example: “In research, it’s crucial to uphold integrity and transparency, regardless of the potential controversy or unpopularity of findings. My approach involves presenting data objectively and ensuring that my methodology is robust and replicable.

I believe in fostering open dialogue around controversial topics. This includes acknowledging different perspectives while maintaining a firm commitment to scientific rigor.

If faced with backlash, I would engage critics constructively, addressing their concerns directly and professionally. After all, science thrives on discourse and scrutiny. It’s about discovering truth, not winning popularity contests.”

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18 Researcher Interview Questions (With Example Answers)

It's important to prepare for an interview in order to improve your chances of getting the job. Researching questions beforehand can help you give better answers during the interview. Most interviews will include questions about your personality, qualifications, experience and how well you would fit the job. In this article, we review examples of various researcher interview questions and sample answers to some of the most common questions.

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Common Researcher Interview Questions

What inspired you to pursue a career in research, what do you think sets research apart from other disciplines, what do you think is the most important skill for a researcher, what do you think is the most exciting thing about research, what do you think is the best thing about being a researcher, what do you think is the worst thing about being a researcher, what do you think is the most challenging thing about research, what do you think is the best thing about conducting research, what do you think is the worst thing about conducting research, what do you think is the most important thing to remember when conducting research, what do you think is the best way to approach research, what do you think is the worst way to approach research, what do you think is the most important thing to keep in mind when writing a research paper, what do you think is the best way to format a research paper, what do you think is the worst way to format a research paper, what do you think is the most important thing to consider when choosing a topic for a research paper, what do you think is the best way to go about finding sources for a research paper, what do you think is the worst way to go about finding sources for a research paper.

There are many reasons why someone might be inspired to pursue a career in research. For example, they may be inspired by the opportunity to make new discoveries that could improve the lives of people around the world. Or, they may be motivated by the challenge of solving complex problems and pushing the boundaries of knowledge.

It is important for interviewers to ask this question because it can help them to understand a candidate's motivation for pursuing a career in research. This can be helpful in assessing whether the candidate is likely to be successful in their role and whether they will be a good fit for the organisation.

Example: “ I have always been fascinated by the process of discovery and the role that research plays in advancing our understanding of the world around us. Pursuing a career in research allows me to contribute to this process and to make a difference in the world. ”

There are a few reasons why an interviewer might ask this question. First, they may be trying to gauge your level of experience and expertise in research. Second, they may be trying to understand your research process and methods. Finally, they may be trying to assess your ability to communicate and collaborate with other researchers.

This question is important because it can help the interviewer understand your level of experience and expertise in research. Additionally, it can help them understand your research process and methods. Finally, it can help them assess your ability to communicate and collaborate with other researchers.

Example: “ There are a few key things that set research apart from other disciplines: 1. The scientific method: In order to be considered research, an investigation must follow the scientific method, which is a systematic process for gathering and testing evidence. This ensures that research is as objective and unbiased as possible. 2. Peer review: Another key element of research is peer review, which is the process by which experts in a field check each other's work to ensure its quality. This helps to ensure that only the best and most reliable research is published. 3. Replication: Research is also designed to be replicated, or repeated, in order to verify its findings. This helps to ensure that the results are not simply due to chance or error. ”

There are many important skills for researchers, but some skills are more important than others. The most important skill for researchers is the ability to think critically. Critical thinking is the ability to analyze data and information and make decisions based on that analysis. It is important because it allows researchers to understand complex problems and find solutions to those problems.

Example: “ There are many important skills for a researcher, but some of the most important include: -The ability to ask clear and concise research questions -The ability to design effective research studies -The ability to collect high-quality data -The ability to analyze data effectively -The ability to communicate research findings clearly and effectively ”

There are many possible reasons an interviewer might ask this question to a researcher. They may be trying to gauge the level of enthusiasm the researcher has for their work, or they may be trying to assess how well the researcher understands the implications of their research. Additionally, the interviewer may be trying to determine if the researcher is able to articulate the significance of their work in a way that is understandable and relatable to a lay audience. Ultimately, it is important for the interviewer to gain a better understanding of the researcher's motivations and perspective on their work in order to get a sense of how well they will be able to communicate their findings to the public.

Example: “ There are many exciting things about research, but one of the most exciting things is the opportunity to make new discoveries. Every day, researchers are uncovering new information about the world around us and the universe we live in. This constantly expanding body of knowledge provides us with a greater understanding of our place in the world and how we can improve our lives. ”

There could be several reasons why an interviewer might ask this question. They may be trying to gauge the researcher's level of commitment to their work, or they may be trying to identify what motivates the researcher to do their job. Additionally, the interviewer may be trying to assess the researcher's ability to reflect on their work and identify areas of improvement. Ultimately, it is important for the interviewer to understand what the researcher finds most rewarding about their work in order to determine whether or not the researcher is a good fit for the position.

Example: “ There are many great things about being a researcher. One of the best things is that researchers get to learn new things all the time. They also get to help other people learn new things by sharing their findings with them. Researchers also get to travel to different places to conduct their research, which can be very exciting. ”

The interviewer is trying to gauge the researcher's self-awareness and ability to reflect on their work. This is important because it shows that the researcher is able to identify areas for improvement and is committed to professional development.

Example: “ There are a few potential drawbacks to being a researcher. First, the job can be quite isolating. Researchers often work alone in their labs or offices, and they may not have much interaction with other people on a daily basis. This can be lonely and frustrating for some people. Second, research can be slow and tedious. It can take years to complete a study, and the results may not be immediately apparent. This can be frustrating for people who want to see quick results. Finally, research can be expensive. Funding for research projects is often limited, so researchers may have to make do with less money than they would like. This can make it difficult to conduct high-quality research. ”

There are many potential challenges that come with research, such as finding accurate and reliable sources, developing a hypothesis, conducting experiments or surveys, and analyzing data. The most challenging thing about research can vary depending on the project and the researcher's individual skills and experience. By asking this question, the interviewer is trying to understand what the researcher feels is the most difficult part of the research process and why they feel that way. This information can help the interviewer determine if the researcher is a good fit for the project and if they will be able to overcome any challenges they may face.

Example: “ There are many challenges that come with research, but I think the most challenging thing is trying to find accurate and reliable information. With so much information available online, it can be difficult to know what is true and what is not. This can make it challenging to find the right data and resources to use for your research. ”

There are many reasons why an interviewer might ask a researcher what they think is the best thing about conducting research. It is important to remember that research is a process of inquiry that is used to uncover new knowledge or to confirm existing knowledge. The best thing about conducting research is that it allows us to constantly learn new things and to deepen our understanding of the world around us.

Example: “ There are many great things about conducting research, but one of the best things is that it allows you to explore new ideas and discover new knowledge. It can be very exciting to be on the cutting edge of new discoveries, and research allows you to do just that. Additionally, research is a great way to learn more about a specific topic or subject that you are interested in. Conducting research can help you gain a deeper understanding of the world around you and how it works. ”

The interviewer is trying to gauge the researcher's ability to reflect on their work and identify areas for improvement. This is important because it shows that the researcher is constantly trying to improve their methods and is willing to listen to criticism.

Example: “ There are a few potential worst things about conducting research, depending on the individual researcher's perspective. One worst thing could be the amount of time and effort required to produce high-quality research results. This can be especially true in fields where data is difficult to collect or analyze, or where experiments are expensive or time-consuming to carry out. Another worst thing about conducting research could be the pressure to publish results in prestigious journals, which can lead to cut corners being taken in the research process. Additionally, some researchers may find the constant criticism and peer review process to be frustrating and demoralizing. ”

An interviewer would ask this question in order to gauge the respondent's understanding of the research process and their ability to identify key components of a successful research project. It is important for researchers to be able to identify the most important aspects of their work in order to ensure that they are able to effectively communicate their findings to others. Additionally, this question can help to reveal areas where the respondent may need further training or education in order to improve their research skills.

Example: “ There are a few things that are important to remember when conducting research: 1. Make sure you have a clear research question that you want to answer. This will help guide your research and keep you focused. 2. Do your background research and make sure you understand the topic area you are researching. This will help ensure that your research is accurate and complete. 3. Be sure to use reliable and credible sources for your research. This will help ensure that your findings are trustworthy. 4. Be organized and keep track of your data and findings. This will help you to see patterns and trends in your data, and make it easier to write up your results. 5. Be critical of your data and findings, and try to identify any potential biases or errors. This will help you to produce more accurate results. ”

The interviewer is likely looking for qualities that the researcher has that make them successful at their job. This might include qualities such as being able to effectively plan and execute research projects, being able to troubleshoot problems that arise, and being able to communicate findings to others. It is important for the interviewer to gauge the researcher's self-awareness and ability to reflect on their own work in order to get a sense of how they might approach future projects.

Example: “ There is no one answer to this question as different researchers will have different opinions on the best way to approach research. However, some general tips that may be useful include: developing a clear research question or hypothesis, reviewing the relevant literature, designing an appropriate study methodology, collecting and analyzing data, and drawing conclusions based on the findings. It is also important to communicate the results of one's research in a clear and concise manner. ”

There are a few reasons why an interviewer might ask this question. First, they want to see if the researcher is familiar with different research approaches and can identify which ones are less effective. Second, the interviewer wants to gauge the researcher's critical thinking skills and ability to identify flaws in research methods. Finally, this question allows the interviewer to get a sense of the researcher's opinion on the best way to conduct research.

This question is important because it allows the interviewer to assess the researcher's knowledge of research methods, critical thinking skills, and opinion on the best way to conduct research. By understanding the researcher's thoughts on this topic, the interviewer can get a better sense of their thought process and whether they would be a good fit for the position.

Example: “ There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the worst way to approach research depends on the specific research question and context. However, some general approaches that could be considered bad ways to approach research include: 1. Not Defining the Research Question Clearly If the research question is not clearly defined from the outset, it can be difficult to know what direction to take the research in and what data to collect. This can lead to a lot of wasted time and effort, as well as potentially biased or irrelevant results. 2. Relying Too Much on Secondary Data While secondary data can be a valuable resource, it should not be relied upon too heavily. This is because secondary data may not be relevant to the specific research question or context, and it may also be out of date. In addition, secondary data cannot be controlled by the researcher, so it may not be possible to obtain the level of detail required for the research. 3. Collecting Data Without a Plan It is important to have a plan for how data will be collected before starting to collect it. This plan should specify what type of data will be collected, how it will be collected, and who will be responsible for collecting ”

The interviewer is likely trying to gauge the researcher's writing ability and whether they are able to produce a well-thought-out, comprehensive research paper. The most important thing to keep in mind when writing a research paper is to make sure that all of the information is accurate and that the sources are reliable. The paper should also be clear and concise so that the reader can easily follow the argument.

Example: “ There are a few things to keep in mind when writing a research paper that will help ensure your paper is well-received by your audience. First, make sure to choose a topic that is interesting and relevant to your audience. Second, take the time to thoroughly research your topic and provide well-supported arguments for your position. Third, be sure to edit and proofread your paper before submitting it for review. By following these simple tips, you can increase the chances that your research paper will be well-received by your intended audience. ”

The best way to format a research paper may vary depending on the discipline, but there are some general guidelines that can help a researcher ensure their paper is well-formatted and easy to read. Some important considerations for formatting a research paper include margins, font size and type, line spacing, and page numbers. Proper formatting can help make a research paper more accessible and easier to read, which can ultimately lead to more impactful research.

Example: “ There is no one correct answer to this question. Different researchers have different preferences for how to format a research paper. Some common elements that are typically included in a research paper are an abstract, introduction, literature review, methodology, results, and discussion. ”

There is no one answer to this question, as it depends on the specific field of research and the preferences of the journal or conference. However, some elements that could make a research paper poorly formatted include using an incorrect citation style, not following the required page layout, or using too many graphics and images. Poorly formatted papers can be difficult to read and may be less likely to be accepted for publication.

Example: “ There is no one "worst" way to format a research paper. However, there are several common formatting errors that can make a paper difficult to read and understand. These include: • Not using proper headings and subheadings to organize the paper. • Not using clear and concise sentences. • Not using proper grammar and punctuation. • Not citing sources properly. ”

There are many things to consider when choosing a topic for a research paper, but the most important thing is to choose a topic that is interesting and relevant to the researcher. The topic should also be something that the researcher is familiar with and has some knowledge about. Additionally, the topic should be something that is not too narrow or too broad, and it should be something that has been researched before.

Example: “ There are many things to consider when choosing a topic for a research paper. The most important thing is to choose a topic that is interesting and relevant to you. It is also important to choose a topic that is narrow enough to be covered in a single research paper. Additionally, it is important to consider the resources available to you when choosing a topic. Finally, it is also important to consider the audience you are writing for when choosing a topic. ”

One of the most important aspects of research is finding reliable sources. Without sources that can be verified and relied upon, the researcher's findings will not be credible. Therefore, it is important for the interviewer to ask how the researcher plans to find sources for their paper in order to ensure that the research is of high quality.

Example: “ There is no one answer to this question as it depends on the topic of the research paper and the type of sources required. However, some tips on finding sources for a research paper include using online search engines such as Google Scholar, looking through bibliographies of relevant books and articles, and searching for open access journals that cover the topic. Additionally, contacting experts in the field and asking for recommendations can be helpful. ”

The interviewer is trying to gauge the researcher's ability to find reliable sources of information. This is important because research papers are only as good as the sources they are based on. If a researcher cannot find reliable sources, then their paper will not be credible.

Example: “ There are a few ways that researchers can go about finding sources for their papers that are considered to be less than ideal. One way is to simply do a Google search on the topic and hope that relevant sources come up. This is often not very effective, as much of the information that comes up in a general search may not be relevant or reliable. Another way is to ask friends or colleagues for recommendations. This can be somewhat helpful, but it is often limited to the resources that those individuals are aware of. A better way to find sources is to use a database or search engine specifically designed for academic research. These tools will allow you to narrow your search to more reputable and relevant sources. ”

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• Networking Interview Questions

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What is the network?

According to Merriam-Webster, Network is usually an informally interconnected group or association of different entities like a person, computers, radio stations, etc.

For example, Dominos has a network of 1232 branches across India. As the name suggests the computer network is a system of peripherals or computers interconnected with each other and has a standard communication channel established between them to exchange different types of information and data.

Why is the computer network so important?

Have you ever heard of the Internet or the NET? I guess you have, as you are already reading this article on Interviewbit surfing the internet. But, have you ever thought about the internet? The Internet is a network of a network connecting all different network-enabled devices which enable data and information sharing between them and that makes computer networks a core part of our life and technical interviews.

Below is the list of all commonly asked networking questions in technical interviews from basic to advanced levels.

Basic Networking Interview Questions

1. what is an ipv4 address what are the different classes of ipv4.

An IP address is a 32-bit dynamic address of a node in the network. An IPv4 address has 4 octets of 8-bit each with each number with a value up to 255.

IPv4 classes are differentiated based on the number of hosts it supports on the network. There are five types of IPv4 classes and are based on the first octet of IP addresses which are classified as Class A, B, C, D, or E.

Also, check out Scaler topics' Free Computer Networks course with certification to learn the fundamentals of computer networking. 

2. Explain different types of networks.

Below are few types of networks:

3. Explain LAN (Local Area Network)

LANs are widely used to connect computers/laptops and consumer electronics which enables them to share resources (e.g., printers, fax machines) and exchange information. When LANs are used by companies or organizations, they are called enterprise networks . There are two different types of LAN networks i.e. wireless LAN (no wires involved achieved using Wi-Fi) and wired LAN (achieved using LAN cable). Wireless LANs are very popular these days for places where installing wire is difficult. The below diagrams explain both wireless and wired LAN.

4. Tell me something about VPN (Virtual Private Network)

VPN or the Virtual Private Network is a private WAN (Wide Area Network) built on the internet. It allows the creation of a secured tunnel (protected network) between different networks using the internet (public network). By using the VPN, a client can connect to the organization’s network remotely. The below diagram shows an organizational WAN network over Australia created using VPN:

5. What are the advantages of using a VPN?

Below are few advantages of using VPN:

• VPN is used to connect offices in different geographical locations remotely and is cheaper when compared to WAN connections.
• VPN is used for secure transactions and confidential data transfer between multiple offices located in different geographical locations.
• VPN keeps an organization’s information secured against any potential threats or intrusions by using virtualization.
• VPN encrypts the internet traffic and disguises the online identity.

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6. what are the different types of vpn.

Few types of VPN are:

• Access VPN: Access VPN is used to provide connectivity to remote mobile users and telecommuters. It serves as an alternative to dial-up connections or ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) connections. It is a low-cost solution and provides a wide range of connectivity.
• Site-to-Site VPN: A Site-to-Site or Router-to-Router VPN is commonly used in large companies having branches in different locations to connect the network of one office to another in different locations. There are 2 sub-categories as mentioned below:
• Intranet VPN: Intranet VPN is useful for connecting remote offices in different geographical locations using shared infrastructure (internet connectivity and servers) with the same accessibility policies as a private WAN (wide area network).
• Extranet VPN: Extranet VPN uses shared infrastructure over an intranet, suppliers, customers, partners, and other entities and connects them using dedicated connections.

7. What are nodes and links?

Node: Any communicating device in a network is called a Node. Node is the point of intersection in a network. It can send/receive data and information within a network. Examples of the node can be computers, laptops, printers, servers, modems, etc.

Link: A link or edge refers to the connectivity between two nodes in the network. It includes the type of connectivity (wired or wireless) between the nodes and protocols used for one node to be able to communicate with the other.

8. What is the network topology?

Network topology is a physical layout of the network, connecting the different nodes using the links. It depicts the connectivity between the computers, devices, cables, etc.

9. Define different types of network topology

The different types of network topology are given below:

Bus Topology:

• All the nodes are connected using the central link known as the bus.
• It is useful to connect a smaller number of devices.
• If the main cable gets damaged, it will damage the whole network.

Star Topology:

• All the nodes are connected to one single node known as the central node.
• It is more robust.
• If the central node fails the complete network is damaged.
• Easy to troubleshoot.
• Mainly used in home and office networks.

Ring Topology:

• Each node is connected to exactly two nodes forming a ring structure
• If one of the nodes are damaged, it will damage the whole network
• It is used very rarely as it is expensive and hard to install and manage

Mesh Topology:

• Each node is connected to one or many nodes.
• It is robust as failure in one link only disconnects that node.
• It is rarely used and installation and management are difficult.

Tree Topology:

• A combination of star and bus topology also know as an extended bus topology.
• All the smaller star networks are connected to a single bus.
• If the main bus fails, the whole network is damaged.
• It is a combination of different topologies to form a new topology.
• It helps to ignore the drawback of a particular topology and helps to pick the strengths from other.

10. How are Network types classified?

Network types can be classified and divided based on the area of distribution of the network. The below diagram would help to understand the same:

11. What are Private and Special IP addresses?

Private Address: For each class, there are specific IPs that are reserved specifically for private use only. This IP address cannot be used for devices on the Internet as they are non-routable.

Special Address: IP Range from 127.0.0.1 to 127.255.255.255 are network testing addresses also known as loopback addresses are the special IP address.

Intermediate Interview Questions

1. what is the dns.

DNS is the Domain Name System. It is considered as the devices/services directory of the Internet. It is a decentralized and hierarchical naming system for devices/services connected to the Internet. It translates the domain names to their corresponding IPs. For e.g. interviewbit.com to 172.217.166.36. It uses port 53 by default.

2. What is the use of a router and how is it different from a gateway?

The router is a networking device used for connecting two or more network segments. It directs the traffic in the network. It transfers information and data like web pages, emails, images, videos, etc. from source to destination in the form of packets. It operates at the network layer. The gateways are also used to route and regulate the network traffic but, they can also send data between two dissimilar networks while a router can only send data to similar networks.

3. What is the SMTP protocol?

SMTP is the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. SMTP sets the rule for communication between servers. This set of rules helps the software to transmit emails over the internet. It supports both End-to-End and Store-and-Forward methods. It is in always-listening mode on port 25.

4. Describe the OSI Reference Model

Open System Interconnections (OSI) is a network architecture model based on the ISO standards. It is called the OSI model as it deals with connecting the systems that are open for communication with other systems.

The OSI model has seven layers. The principles used to arrive at the seven layers can be summarized  briefly as below:

• Create a new layer if a different abstraction is needed.
• Each layer should have a well-defined function.
• The function of each layer is chosen based on internationally standardized protocols.

5. Define the 7 different layers of the OSI Reference Model

Here the 7 layers of the OSI reference model:

6. Describe the TCP/IP Reference Model

It is a compressed version of the OSI model with only 4 layers. It was developed by the US Department of Defence (DoD) in the 1980s. The name of this model is based on 2 standard protocols used i.e. TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) and IP (Internet Protocol).

7. Define the 4 different layers of the TCP/IP Reference Model

8. Differentiate OSI Reference Model with TCP/IP Reference Model

9. What are the HTTP and the HTTPS protocol?

HTTP is the HyperText Transfer Protocol which defines the set of rules and standards on how the information can be transmitted on the World Wide Web (WWW).  It helps the web browsers and web servers for communication. It is a ‘stateless protocol’ where each command is independent with respect to the previous command. HTTP is an application layer protocol built upon the TCP. It uses port 80 by default.

HTTPS is the HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure or Secure HTTP. It is an advanced and secured version of HTTP. On top of HTTP, SSL/TLS protocol is used to provide security. It enables secure transactions by encrypting the communication and also helps identify network servers securely. It uses port 443 by default.

Advanced Interview Questions

1. what is the ftp protocol.

FTP is a File Transfer Protocol. It is an application layer protocol used to transfer files and data reliably and efficiently between hosts. It can also be used to download files from remote servers to your computer. It uses port 27 by default.

2. What is the TCP protocol?

TCP or TCP/IP is the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. It is a set of rules that decides how a computer connects to the Internet and how to transmit the data over the network. It creates a virtual network when more than one computer is connected to the network and uses the three ways handshake model to establish the connection which makes it more reliable.

3. What is the UDP protocol?

UDP is the User Datagram Protocol and is based on Datagrams. Mainly, it is used for multicasting and broadcasting. Its functionality is almost the same as TCP/IP Protocol except for the three ways of handshaking and error checking. It uses a simple transmission without any hand-shaking which makes it less reliable.

4. Compare between TCP and UDP

5. What is the ICMP protocol?

ICMP is the Internet Control Message Protocol. It is a network layer protocol used for error handling. It is mainly used by network devices like routers for diagnosing the network connection issues and crucial for error reporting and testing if the data is reaching the preferred destination in time. It uses port 7 by default.

6. What do you mean by the DHCP Protocol?

DHCP is the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol.

It is an application layer protocol used to auto-configure devices on IP networks enabling them to use the TCP and UDP-based protocols. The DHCP servers auto-assign the IPs and other network configurations to the devices individually which enables them to communicate over the IP network. It helps to get the subnet mask, IP address and helps to resolve the DNS. It uses port 67 by default.

7. What is the ARP protocol?

ARP is Address Resolution Protocol. It is a network-level protocol used to convert the logical address i.e. IP address to the device's physical address i.e. MAC address. It can also be used to get the MAC address of devices when they are trying to communicate over the local network.

8. What is the MAC address and how is it related to NIC?

MAC address is the Media Access Control address. It is a 48-bit or 64-bit unique identifier of devices in the network. It is also called the physical address embedded with Network Interface Card (NIC) used at the Data Link Layer. NIC is a hardware component in the networking device using which a device can connect to the network.

9. Differentiate the MAC address with the IP address

The difference between MAC address and IP address are as follows:

10. What is a subnet?

A subnet is a network inside a network achieved by the process called subnetting which helps divide a network into subnets. It is used for getting a higher routing efficiency and enhances the security of the network. It reduces the time to extract the host address from the routing table.

11. Compare the hub vs switch

12. What is the difference between the ipconfig and the ifconfig?

13. What is the firewall?

The firewall is a network security system that is used to monitor the incoming and outgoing traffic and blocks the same based on the firewall security policies. It acts as a wall between the internet (public network) and the networking devices (a private network). It is either a hardware device, software program, or a combination of both. It adds a layer of security to the network.

14. What are Unicasting, Anycasting, Multicasting and Broadcasting?

• Unicasting: If the message is sent to a single node from the source then it is known as unicasting. This is commonly used in networks to establish a new connection.
• Anycasting: If the message is sent to any of the nodes from the source then it is known as anycasting. It is mainly used to get the content from any of the servers in the Content Delivery System.
• Multicasting: If the message is sent to a subset of nodes from the source then it is known as multicasting. Used to send the same data to multiple receivers. 
• Broadcasting: If the message is sent to all the nodes in a network from a source then it is known as broadcasting. DHCP and ARP in the local network use broadcasting.

15. What happens when you enter google.com in the web browser?

Below are the steps that are being followed:

• Check the browser cache first if the content is fresh and present in cache display the same.
• If not, the browser checks if the IP of the URL is present in the cache (browser and OS) if not then request the OS to do a DNS lookup using UDP to get the corresponding IP address of the URL from the DNS server to establish a new TCP connection.
• A new TCP connection is set between the browser and the server using three-way handshaking.
• An HTTP request is sent to the server using the TCP connection.
• The web servers running on the Servers handle the incoming HTTP request and send the HTTP response.
• The browser process the HTTP response sent by the server and may close the TCP connection or reuse the same for future requests.
• If the response data is cacheable then browsers cache the same.
• Browser decodes the response and renders the content.

In today’s world, it is very hard to stay away from the Internet and that is what makes networking one of the most important interview topics. As of 2021 if we check the facts, there is a total of 1.3 million kilometers of submarine optical fiber cables set globally to connect the world to the Internet. These cables are more than enough to revolve around the earth more than 100 times.

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Which of the following uses UDP as the transport layer protocol?

127.0.127.195 is a:

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In the network layer stack, which layer is responsible for the link to link communication:

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Which of the following layer is responsible for routing

SMTP uses which protocol at the transport layer

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Deep Dream: An In-Depth Exploration

In artificial intelligence (AI), one of the most intriguing and visually captivating innovations is Deep Dream. Developed by Google in 2015, Deep Dream is a computer vision program that enhances and alters images to create surreal, dream-like visuals. This fascinating technology leverages convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to interpret and manipulate images, resulting in a unique fusion of art and science.

In this article, we will discuss the origin, working, and implementation of Deep Dream.

Table of Content

Origins and Development of Deep Dream

Understanding deep dream, how deep dream works, code implementation of deep dream, creative applications and use cases, future developments and research directions, deep dream – faqs.

Deep Dream originated from Google’s research in deep learning and neural networks . The primary objective was to understand and visualize how neural networks perceive and process images. By reversing the traditional use of CNNs , which typically classify and recognize patterns within images, researchers repurposed the networks to generate and amplify patterns. The result was a series of striking, otherworldly images that captured the public’s imagination.

The name “Deep Dream” was inspired by the movie Inception, reflecting the recursive nature of the process where the network “dreams” within its layers, enhancing patterns iteratively.

Image production by a machine is a feature of deep dreaming. These incredibly creative images are produced by a neural network, which is really a collection of statistical learning models driven by surprisingly straightforward algorithms inspired by evolutionary processes. Scientists have sent millions of photos into these networks to “train” them, then gradually changed the network’s parameters until the required classification was achieved. How the algorithm has been taught has a significant impact on the entire process of improving the image pattern. Accordingly, if an algorithm is trained to identify faces in any image, it will likewise try to determine faces from any image through using algorithmic pareidolia.

At its core, Deep Dream uses a CNN trained on a massive dataset of images. A CNN is composed of layers of interconnected nodes, or neurons, each layer responsible for recognizing different levels of features within an image—from simple edges to complex objects.

When an image is fed into Deep Dream, the program identifies and enhances the patterns it has learned to recognize. This is achieved through a process called “inceptionism,” where the network is instructed to maximize the detection of features at various layers. For instance, if the network identifies a pattern resembling a dog, it will amplify this pattern, making the image appear as though it is filled with dog-like shapes and forms.

The code implementation of deep dream are as follows:

Image used :

Step 1: Importing the libraries

We at first import all the neccesary libraries required for our analysis.

Step 2: Loading the pre-built convolutional neural network

• Load Pre-Trained Model: Load the InceptionV3 model with ImageNet weights, excluding final classification layers.
• Model Summary: Use base_model.summary() to display the model’s architecture and details.
• Select Layers: Choose intermediate layers mixed3 and mixed5 for output extraction.
• Create Output List: Compile a list of outputs from the selected layers.
• Define New Model: Create deep_dream_model using the same input as InceptionV3, but with outputs from the selected layers.
• Purpose: Utilize this new model for DeepDream experiments to enhance or visualize features learned at various network depths.

Step 3 : Loading and pre-processing the image

• Load and Resize Image: Use tf.keras.preprocessing.image.load_img() to load an image from a specified file path and resize it to 225×375 pixels.
• Display Image: Display the resized image using plt.imshow() .
• Convert Image to Numpy Array: Convert the PIL Image object to a Numpy array with tf.keras.preprocessing.image.img_to_array() , making it suitable for model processing.
• Normalize Pixel Values: Commented out line for normalizing pixel values by dividing by 255 (not executed).
• Preprocess Image: Use tf.keras.applications.inception_v3.preprocess_input() to apply necessary transformations for InceptionV3, adjusting pixel values to match the model’s training format for accurate predictions or feature extraction.

Step 4: Getting the activations

The code expands the single image into a batch for model prediction, then retrieves activations from the mixed3 and mixed5 layers of the DeepDream model. It finally checks the shapes of these activations to confirm the dimensions of the feature maps extracted from these intermediate layers.

Step 5: Calculating the loss

• Expand Image Tensor : Expand the image tensor into a batch of size one.
• Pass Through Model : Pass the image batch through the custom DeepDream model to obtain activations from intermediate layers.
• Calculate Mean Activation : Compute the mean activation value for each layer, representing the average intensity of features.
• Collect Mean Values : Gather these mean values into a list.
• Compute Final Loss : Sum all mean activation values to obtain the final loss.
• Purpose : The loss quantifies the overall intensity of features across different layers, used to optimize and enhance the image’s features in the DeepDream process.

Step 6: Backpropagation

• Define DeepDream Algorithm : The code defines a basic DeepDream algorithm using TensorFlow and Keras.
• Compute Loss : Calculate the loss from activations of intermediate layers.
• Calculate Gradients : Compute gradients with respect to the image.
• Normalize Gradients : Normalize the gradients.
• Update Image : Adjust the image to maximize the loss, accentuating features.
• Rescale Image : Convert the image from the [-1, 1] range to [0, 255].
• Convert Format : Change the image to an 8-bit format suitable for display.
• Manage Process : Run the DeepDream optimization for a specified number of epochs.
• Display Progress : Periodically display the evolving image and print the current loss value to track feature enhancement progress.

Step 7: Generating images

The run_deep_dream function leverages a pre-trained model to enhance features in an image through iterative optimization, adjusting the image to maximize activation loss, and producing a visually enhanced output.

Deep Dream Output

1. Artistic image modification

The use of deep dreams to transform typical photographs into creative masterpieces has been regarded as a huge step forward in digital art and visual content creation. Deep dream promotes a transforming process that goes beyond typical artistic skills, resulting in visually appealing compositions.

2. Medical imaging enhancement

Deep dreaming can help improve the accuracy and analytical capacities of medical imaging. The use of deep dream techniques in medical imaging improves the visibility of critical characteristics and variations, allowing for more precise and detailed diagnoses.

3. Augmented reality and gaming.

Deep dream is an influential player in augmented reality and gaming, improving user experiences by creating visually appealing and engaging settings. The visual landscape of gaming and augmented reality has heightened realism and detailed features as a result of its integration, increasing engagement and generating innovative user experiences.

4. Scientific research

Deep Dream can replicate parts of human visual perception and hallucination, making it useful for researchers studying these phenomena.  Using features in biological images (such as microscopy images) to emphasize certain structures or patterns for research and analysis.

DeepDream’s future advances promise major advances in algorithmic strategies for creating more detailed and diverse images. This includes real-time processing capability, multimodal integration, and user-friendly tools for increasing access. Ethical considerations, such as responsible usage standards and bias prevention, are critical as DeepDream’s applications grow, especially in scientific research, creative exploration, and commercial and therapeutic fields. DeepDream is an educational tool that promotes understanding of neural networks and AI principles by providing interactive learning experiences. These advancements demonstrate DeepDream’s ability to innovate and inspire while addressing ethical and societal concerns across different fields.

To summarize, deep dream is a blend of artistry and AI, demonstrating the vast potential of AI-enhanced visual creation. Its transformative impact on art, medical imaging, augmented reality, and gaming shows its adaptability and ability to create and inspire. Furthermore, with each image given to the algorithm, it improves and beats its past results.

What is the main purpose of deep dream technology?

Deep dream technology’s primary purpose is to provide visuals with surreal and dreamlike aspects, enabling a transformative artistic and interpretative process.

How does deep dreaming contribute to advances in artificial intelligence research and development?

Deep dream advances AI research and development by highlighting the potential of generative models to promote innovative interpretative capabilities, artistic innovation, and transformational applications across multiple domains.

How does deep dream differ from typical image processing techniques?

Deep dream differs from typical image processing methods in that it enhances and modifies visual characteristics inside images to create dreamy properties, therefore surpassing conventional image manipulation paradigms.

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Goldman Sachs interview questions: the definitive list

If you’ve landed an on-site interview with Goldman Sachs, you might be worried about it. You probably should be.

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You’ve done great to get this far, but the process is still far from over. Luckily, you’ve probably already done a HireVue interview – which means that you’ve already got an idea of what sort of questions to expect.

Still, in-person interviews are a bit different. You’ll want to be interesting, build a connection, and generally be as charming as you are well-qualified – and you’ll certainly have to be well-qualified to get all the way to the interview stage.

The questions below have been pulled from a variety of sources, including Glassdoor, Wall Street Oasis, and Reddit, and they’re overwhelmingly questions that have been reported by entry-level positions for analysts and associates.

101 Goldman Sachs interview questions

Why do you want to join us?

Walk me through your CV.

Why Goldman Sachs?

Why do you want to work in banking/sales/trading/etc.?

How does Goldman Sachs make money?

What do you think [your role] does?

Explain the Greeks and how they impact option prices

Does a car wash or a gym have a higher CapEx?

How do you manage a difficult conversation?

What is an example of a time when you had to use technical skills to solve a problem?

Describe one time where you took a leadership position in a group project.

How many tennis balls can fit in a [Boeing] 747?

Perform a DCF model for me.

Walk me through a paper LBO.

Describe a challenge you once faced in a project.

What is a conflict you have faced before and how did you solve it?

Where do you see yourself in five years?

How do you work in fast-paced environments?

How are companies valued?

Who is the CEO of Goldman Sachs?

What sectors are you currently interested in?

Why are you interested in this position?

Why do you think you’ll be a good fit for Goldman Sachs?

Give me an example of when you persisted through something difficult.

What’s the difference between a cross default and a cross acceleration?

Why did you choose to study [your major]?

How do you find coefficients in the market?

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

What’s your take on the global financial crisis?

What’s the business model of the last project you worked on?

What’s your Cumulative Performance Index (CPI)?

What is the riskiest sector: Telecommunications, Aviation, or Retail?

Walk me through a previous deal you worked on.

A new team member has joined a project you have been working on. What is your approach?

If a team member sends you an email with incorrect materials that makes it difficult for you to complete an urgent task, but had already left for the day, would you call them?

What is something you’re proud of that isn’t on your resume/CV?

If you were aware that one of your co-workers was doing something unethical, what would you do?

How do options work?

What interests you about world markets?

If your project partner had a sudden personal emergency, what would you do?

What did you do at your last job?

Describe a time you were under pressure.

Pitch me a stock you’d like to invest in.

Tell me about [sector].

How would you go about getting information in a timely manner from an outside entity?

Describe a recent news event you saw and its impact on markets.

How do you see yourself getting to know your new colleagues?

What was your favorite thing you studied?

What do you think of cryptocurrencies?

What are the different kinds of Financial Instruments?

What are the main businesses of Goldman Sachs?

What kind of risk does each business area have?

What are bonds?

What are the risks associated with bonds?

How do you mitigate the risk associated with a Financial Instrument/bond?

How do you perform a risk assessment?

What do you do if someone criticizes your work?

How do you promote team building?

Tell me about a time when you learned from a mistake.

Tell me a time when a team member wasn’t contributing to a project. How did you handle that?

Why are you leaving your current role?

Why should we hire you?

How have your past experiences influenced your career decisions?

Tell us about a time you’ve had to meet performance metrics.

Describe a time you had to complete a complex task in an unconventional way.

How do you communicate with stakeholders?

What is something you read about in the news that may be applicable to Goldman Sachs?

Where will the markets be in a year’s time?

How do you deal with having 2 or 3 critical deadlines before EoD?

How would you deal with a situation in which a client wants a disclosure from you that would violate the bank’s policies?

How did you prepare for this interview?

Pitch a short stock.

What would you do if you sent a report and found a mistake?

Talk about a time you were under pressure.

What was your thesis about?

How do you handle an irritated client?

Given the current macroeconomic situation, how would the valuation of a company via DCF be affected?

How do the three financial statements fit together?

What does a bank do?

What does an investment bank do?

What’s your view on the cost of capital environment?

Would you rather invest in [Stock A] or [Stock B]?

What is your perception of Goldman Sachs?

Tell me about a deal you recently saw in the news.

How many gas stations are there in the USA?

Tell us about a time you remained motivated on an important project even after facing several setbacks. How did you deal with the setbacks?

How many degrees does the angle have when a clock shows 11:55?

Describe a time when you had to decline an opportunity due to certain circumstances; what was your decision-making process?

Tell us about a time you were working with a colleague that gave you pushback.

How do you fit Goldman Sachs’ culture?

What’s the best project you’ve worked on?

What is the relationship between bond prices and interest rates?

Tell us about a time when a team member didn’t pull their weight.

What are your future aspirations?

How do you manage your time?

How do you see interest rates changing in the next six months?

How would you set your own targets?

What would you do if someone took credit for your work?

How do you handle negative feedback?

How do your goals in life intersect with working at Goldman Sachs?

What do you hope to get out of this job?

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Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) is a type of deep neural network which has proven to perform well in computer vision tasks such as image classification, object detection, object localization and neural style transfer. In this post, I will explain about the different layers that make up a convolutional neural network: convolution layer, pooling A convolution layer transforms the input image in order to extract features from it. In this transformation, the image is convolved with a kernel (or filter). layer and fully connected layer.

yes - mark short - not your typical goldmanite.. Plymouth U ni grad. Begun career in BO at Dresdner

Any thoughts on the Goldman MD class announced last week? Any surprises?

Are these questions for the video interview? I heard that there are more behavioral questions such as " tell me a time when your manager held you accountable for something"

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Top 50 Google Interview Questions (Example Answers Included)

Mike Simpson 0 Comments

By Mike Simpson

Updated 6/22/2022.

Every year, Google receives about 3 million applications. That’s only a little less than the entire population of Silicon Valley, which comes in just below 3.1 million .

Plus, only about 0.2 percent of those applicants are hired. Now, 0.2 percent of 3 million is 6,000 people, so that’s a ton of hiring. Plus, not every applicant is actually qualified, so your odds might be much better than that statistic shows if you are.

But beating the odds isn’t something you’ll do by accident. You have to be ready to nail the Google interview questions. Here’s how to pull that off.

Google Interview Process

The Google hiring process is a well-oiled machine, honed over years and years of looking for the best and brightest. While there can be some variation from one role to the next, the bulk of the process is typically similar.

First, most technical candidates will take a short skills assessment. For example, you might have to complete a coding quiz if you’re looking at certain software development roles.

After that comes a short phone or video interview or two. Usually, you’ll speak with a recruiter first. If that goes well, you might have a quick chat with the hiring manager or a potential colleague.

Next, you might need to complete a small project. Again, this is more common with specific roles, such as programming or marketing jobs. However, everyone should be prepared for another assessment to be safe.

If the project goes well, it’s time for an in-depth interview. Actually, it’s a series of interviews – potentially three or four – all possibly happening in one day. It’s intense, but it can also be a great chance to see what Google has to offer.

Once that’s all done, they’ll decide whether to extend an offer. If so, you’ll be contacted with the details.

How to Answer Google Interview Questions

Before we dig into some examples, let’s take a moment to talk about how you should answer Google interview questions. After all, Google has a reputation for asking some strange ones, many of which felt more like brain teasers than real interview questions.

Do you feel adequately prepared to talk about how many golf balls it would take to fill up a school bus? Probably not. The mere idea of facing off against a question like that would rightfully leave any candidate nervous.

Now, some of the questions were deemed so difficult that the company eventually banned them (lucky for today’s candidates, we think). Plus, there is evidence that these bizarre hypotheticals don’t actually lead to better hiring, which may be why you don’t see as many of those tricks today.

So, that means you don’t have to worry, right? Well, no. Even if you’re only going to face “normal” interview questions, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a strategy. It’s also important to prepare, increasing the odds that you’ll impress during your Google interview.

Let’s start with the basics. If you want to stand out for all of the right reasons, research is your friend. Start by scouring over the Google job description. That way, you can learn the ins and outs of what the hiring manager needs to find, giving you all of the foundational tools you need to incorporate the right details into your answers.

Next, take it up a notch by reviewing th e company’s mission and values statements . You’ll find out more about the organization’s mentality, priorities, perspective, and culture , and additional tidbits you can weave into your responses.

Finally, get on social media. Look at Google’s profiles for insights about recent accomplishments, and even do a quick news search for more details. If you can discuss a new achievement during an interview, there’s a decent chance you’ll impress.

Alright, now you have a ton of information, what do you do with it? Well, if you’re asked a straightforward interview question, it’s pretty easy. For example, if the hiring manager wants to know if you have a skill, start with a simple “yes” or “no.” With the former, add an overview of how you acquired or used the skill. With the latter, pivot by discussing your willingness to learn or any steps you’re taking to improve in that area. Done!

But what about behavioral interview questions? Well, here’s what you need to know.

Google Behavioral Interview Questions

Overall, Google loves behavioral interview questions. They help hiring managers learn more about how you think and what you would do in specific situations.

Plus, most Google behavioral interview questions ask you to describe past experiences . Since many people think past success predicts future potential, it’s not a surprise that behavioral interview questions might make up the bulk of your Google interview.

Okay, but how do you handle those tricky behavioral interview questions ? Those don’t have “right” or “wrong” answers in most cases, so what do you do?

The key here is to adopt the right strategy. Take the STAR Method and then combine it with the Tailoring Method . Together, those let you create meaningful, engaging, relevant answers, increasing the odds that you’ll make a good impression during your interview.

If you want to learn more, check out our article on behavioral interview questions for additional details.

Just remember, hiring managers tend to ask more generalized interview questions as well as company specific ones . That’s why we created an amazing free cheat sheet that will give you word-for-word answers for some of the toughest interview questions you are going to face in your upcoming interview.

Click below to get your free PDF now:

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Top 3 Google Interview Questions

Now, it’s important to note that the Google interview questions you face will vary depending on the position. They aren’t going to ask a software engineer the same set of questions they’ll use when hiring a recruiter.

However, certain questions are more common, applying to a range of niches. Here’s a look at the top three Google interview questions you may encounter.

1. What is your favorite Google product? What would you do to improve it?

This is a question that helps the hiring manager gauge your familiarity with Google’s offerings. Luckily, any Google product will do, as long as you can speak about it with enthusiasm and provide a relevant recommendation.

EXAMPLE ANSWER:

“My favorite Google product is YouTube. The platform itself is incredibly engaging, while also empowering for those who want to share their thoughts, talents, and tips. I’ve personally used it extensively to find answers to questions, gain new skills, or simply enjoy some entertainment. As for how I would improve YouTube, I would create an option for refining what videos are recommended. For example, clicking on a single video on a new topic can cause a feed to get flooded, even if the person no longer has an interest in that topic. Implementing the ability to request that YouTube show a person less content that is similar to a particular video would potentially alleviate this problem.”

2. Who do you believe are Google’s main competitors? How does Google stand apart?

With this question, the hiring manager can determine whether you have a solid idea of which other companies dominate spaces where Google also sits. This can be especially relevant in product-oriented roles, including everything from product manager positions to software developer jobs, where finding opportunities to outshine other companies comes with the territory.

“Google has several main competitors, including Microsoft, Facebook, Netflix, Waze, and several others, depending on the specific space. One of the main differentiators is Google’s ability to integrate its services, creating a cohesive cross-platform experience. Additionally, Google has such a wide range of offerings. It promotes a degree of familiarity you don’t necessarily get with some of the competitors, making using the products and platforms feel like a natural part of daily life.”

3. How do you make sure that you are your colleagues remain accountable?

Accountability is critical in the eyes of every employer. Google wants to know that you’ll handle your tasks and hold yourself to a reasonable standard. Additionally, the hiring manager may favor candidates who can also help team members stay accountable, especially if group projects are the norm.

“For me, accountability is always a priority. One of the key steps I take is to track all of my deliverables and associated due dates. A list allows me to create notifications and block out time on my calendar as necessary, ensuring I can focus on the task and finish on time. When a project is larger, I also use the mini-milestone approach. This creates an opportunity for me to examine each step along the way, making it easier to chart a course. As far as when I’m working with my colleagues, I find that follow up is often effective. At times, this many involve scheduling team meetings to discuss our progress or transition work between coworkers, or simply reaching out to see if they are on target or if I can offer assistance.”

47 More Google Interview Questions

As mentioned above, Google hires professionals for a variety of departments. Not everyone is going to face the same questions, as some only make sense for specific roles.

Here are 27 more Google interview questions you might face, depending on the job you’re trying to land:

• Why do you want to work for Google?
• Tell me what you know about Google’s history.
• Do you think that using legal names when setting up a Gmail account should be mandatory?
• How do you think digital marketing will change in the next five years?
• If you needed to find a given integer in a circularly sorted array of integers, how would you go about it?
• Do you think Google should be charging for its productivity apps (Google Docs, Google Sheets, etc.)? Why or why not?
• Tell me something about yourself that you didn’t include on your resume.
• If an extremist video makes its way onto YouTube, how do you think it should be handled?
• Tell me about a time where you and a manager were in conflict. How did you ultimately resolve the problem?
• What is multithreaded programming?
• How would you describe Adwords to someone completely unfamiliar with the product and online advertising?
• If you were tasked with increasing Gmail’s user base, what steps would you take to make that happen?
• Describe a technical issue you once encountered. How did you solve it?
• Tell me about three non-Google sites that you visit frequently. What do you like about them?
• How do cookies pass along in HTTP protocol?
• Explain the function of congestion control in TCP protocol.
• If an advertiser wasn’t seeing the benefit of Adwords due to poor conversions, how would you convince them to stay on board?
• Pick an app on your phone’s home screen. What do you like about it? What do you dislike about it?
• What steps would you take to enhance YouTube’s business model?
• Describe a time where you failed at something. How did you recover?
• Why do you think that the Google search page is mainly blank?
• How would you describe a balance sheet to someone who isn’t familiar with accounting principles?
• If you were working with a client who suddenly became hesitant about transitioning to a cloud solution, what steps would you take to put their minds at ease?
• What is the biggest threat Google faces today?
• If there was an autosuggest issue for searches in a developing country, what steps would you take to resolve it?
• Tell me about an area where you believe Google is underinvested.
• Describe a time when a project was being overwhelmed by scope creep. What steps did you take to get it back on target?
• Which Google product is your favorite?
• Is there a Google product that you hate using? If so, why?
• If you could add a feature to Gmail, what would it be?
• How will self-driving cars impact transportation, logistics, and daily life?
• Do you think Google does enough to protect user privacy?
• Which of the company values do you relate to the most?
• Tell me about a time when a project stakeholder wanted to head in one direction, but you thought it wasn’t the right move. What did you do?
• Describe the difference between programming and coding?
• Tell me about a time when you took an existing piece of functional software and updated it.
• How do you ensure your code is clean and your documentation is thorough?
• Can you tell me about a time when you set a challenging professional goal and achieved it?
• Tell me about a time when you set a goal at work and missed the mark.
• What’s the biggest challenge you faced in your last position? How did you overcome it?
• What did you learn from your most recent failure at work?
• If I looked at your browser history right now, what would I learn about your personality?
• What are you most passionate about outside of work?
• What steps do you take to stay on top of emerging technology trends?
• If Google didn’t hire you, where else would you be happy working?
• Tell me about a time when you stepped up as a leader even though you weren’t officially in a leadership role.
• What’s the most valuable feedback you’ve ever received?

5 Good Questions to Ask at the End of a Google Interview

When you are finished answering Google interview questions, you typically get to ask a few yourself. This is a crucial opportunity. Not only will it ensure you can get details that may not have been covered, but it also lets you gauge whether the job is actually right for you.

If you don’t know what to ask, here are five good questions for the end of any Google interview:

• Is there anything about working for Google that surprised you when you first started?
• What is the biggest challenge that Google faces today? How does this role help address that challenge?
• What does a typical day look like in this role?
• How would you define success for this job?
• What do the most successful people in this position have in common?

Putting It All Together

Ultimately, it’s normal to be a bit nervous when you head into your Google interview. But if you use the tips above, you can arrive prepared. Then, your chances of shining go up dramatically.

Remember, you’re a great candidate. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t have been invited in for an interview. So, take a deep breath, relax, and show the hiring manager that you are the best person for the job.

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• What Is Your Greatest Weakness?
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• Tell Me About Yourself
• Why Should We Hire You?

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Co-Founder and CEO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Mike is a job interview and career expert and the head writer at TheInterviewGuys.com.

His advice and insights have been shared and featured by publications such as Forbes , Entrepreneur , CNBC and more as well as educational institutions such as the University of Michigan , Penn State , Northeastern and others.

Learn more about The Interview Guys on our About Us page .

About The Author

Mike simpson.

Co-Founder and CEO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Mike is a job interview and career expert and the head writer at TheInterviewGuys.com. His advice and insights have been shared and featured by publications such as Forbes , Entrepreneur , CNBC and more as well as educational institutions such as the University of Michigan , Penn State , Northeastern and others. Learn more about The Interview Guys on our About Us page .

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