How to Work at Google: Navigating the Application and Interview Process

Jobs at Google are highly sought after but difficult to get. The tech giant’s competitive pay, employee benefits, generous time off, and on-site amenities like juice bars, fitness centers, and bring-your-pet-to-work policies likely at least partly explain why the company has made Glassdoor’s list of Best Places to Work in 2025 [1]. Google has consistently been on this list for 15 years straight.

While many job offerings at Google focus on tech, you can find openings across other divisions like marketing, HR, and maintenance. 

Google is quite selective in its hires. The process from application to offer is a challenging one. For those interested in working at one of the most prolific and profitable tech companies, it’s best to understand the application and interview process. 

Navigating Google’s job listings

Google’s job listings are all found online. The Google Careers page is the employment hub, giving interested candidates a central location to search for new job opportunities. Start your search by entering keywords and adding filters to narrow your results. 

For example, a search for “software engineer” returns more than 2,000 jobs, so filters are necessary to customize your list. You can filter by subcategories like location, experience, skills, degree, job types, and organizations. You can also browse through job descriptions, which offer details about the daily duties, skills required, and education standards.

Common job openings

As you might expect, Google’s job directory leans heavily toward the tech categories. Common job openings include: 

Software engineer

Software engineers typically have strong coding backgrounds with experience in Java, C#, JavaScript, and Python. They develop, test, and implement new programs and updates that keep the company’s well-known search engine functioning at its best.

Product manager

Product managers have managerial experience along with user experience (UX) design, IT, and project management skills. They launch and test new products, work across multiple teams, and focus on collaboration with others. 

Research scientist

Highly educated and knowledgeable about developing new ideas, research scientists work with others to solve problems, test solutions, and share their knowledge to elevate the tech landscape for all. They usually have a PhD and extensive skills in ​​fields like computer science, hardware, software performance analysis, machine learning, and natural language processing.

Understanding Google’s hiring process

To help eager candidates apply for jobs, Google explains the hiring process. It’s a multistep approach that requires a strong resume and interviewing skills. 

Consider what you can offer Google.

Google is looking for qualified, talented employees, so the company does pay attention to your experience, but it’s just a small portion of what the hiring managers look for. 

To work for Google, you also need leadership skills and “Googleyness,” or your compatibility with the company’s unique culture. If you thrive in ambiguity, value humility, and always look at situations with an alternative perspective, you’ll get high marks for Googleyness.

Do your research.

Google wants candidates who understand what the company is all about. Part of Google’s hiring suggestions include researching the company. To do so, you can: 

• Review the website, exploring the About Us section and pages like Meet the Team. 

• Spend time scrolling through its social media pages to gain more insight.

• Search for news articles and read the company blog.

• See if any LinkedIn connections are willing to chat about their current job at Google.

Write a fresh resume and apply online.

Google expects a fresh, innovative resume that aligns with your desired role. Using the job description as a guide, tailor your duties and achievements to those listed in the job description. Some tips to consider include the following:

• Mirror the skills Google needs: Match them with the skills you have, keeping the order consistent with the job description on your resume.

• Rank your previous experience: Align your previous employment with the most important skills. It’s okay if your employment isn’t in chronological order.

• Add statistics to your resume: Let them showcase your accomplishments. Hiring managers appreciate measurable results, like increased revenue, team retention, or user engagement. For clarity, list these statistics in a bulleted list on your resume. 

• Aim for a one-page resume: Remember, hiring managers skim these documents for the most pertinent information. Strong, succinct information is eye-catching. 

As you might expect, all applications are delivered digitally. 

Work through the interview process.

If your resume stands out, you’ll go through an interview process. While the process varies based on the role you seek, most applicants will complete:

• Assessments to measure your fit within the culture and verbally test your skill set.

• Short virtual chats with hiring managers that serve as a pre-interview primer.

• A project simulation to evaluate skills.

Once you advance through each of these stages, you can expect to have an in-person interview next. 

Google takes interviews seriously and usually includes three to four interviews with various hiring managers and supervisors in one day. All applicants are graded using the same rubric and answer open-ended questions during interviews. 

To answer interview questions succinctly, use the STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, Result. State the situation, describe the task or project, highlight the action taken, and end with the results. Mention both quantifiable results, like “website traffic went up 30 percent,” and the lesson you learned from the situation. 

Selection process

Everyone involved in the interview process gets together and selects the best candidate. If it’s you, you’ll receive an offer. If accepted, you’ll become a “Noogler,” Google’s nickname for a new Google hire.

If you don’t succeed, plan to try again. Many Googlers apply multiple times before getting an offer. However, if you apply for an engineering role, Google asks you to wait a year to build your skills before reapplying. 

If you dream of working at Google, you'll have to navigate the application and interview process to earn a spot. With a strong understanding of the process, you can prepare your resume, fine-tune your interview skills, and take your shot at becoming the newest Googler.

Build in-demand skills to become a Googler through Coursera

If your ambition is to work for Google, you could bolster your resume through online courses. You can select courses based on the role you’d like to have within the company. For example, you can consider options like the Google UX Design Professional Certificate on Coursera. To help fast-track your career in UX design, this Google-specific certification covers foundational UX concepts like user-centered design, accessibility, and equity-focused design, with end-to-end projects to maximize your learning potential. Other options include the Google AI Essentials or Google Cloud Fundamentals: Core Infrastructure. You’ll find these programs and more on Coursera.