The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at Google in Feb 2011
Interview
A recruiter called me and did a 10 minute phone screening. It mainly focused on my accomplishments and club involvement in university and my relevant skills pertaining to the position. I passed the screening and the recruiter invited me to set up a time to take the 2-part administrative skills test at Google HQ.
A week later I went to Google to take the skills test. It consisted of 2 logic games (I used an LSAT logic games prep book to study), and then one essay question asking to plan an offsite to reward 100 outstanding Google employees with a budget of $50K. This consisted of showing the budget and trip itinerary you would create and composing an email inviting the employees on the offsite.
That same day my recruiter called me back to say that I had passed the test, and that she would send my resume to teams looking to interview. 5 days later I got a call from a team looking to interview, and three days later I had an on-site interview for two separate positions within the same team. The interview was pretty standard, mostly questions about what I like/don't like about administrative tasks, "what if" questions pertaining to the job, such as "what if you were planning a holiday party for 700 employees, and a week before the party another team cancels their party and now you're in charge of hosting 1400 employees, how would you handle it"? The interviewers were fairly relaxed and we had a good time. There was plenty of laughing going on :)
3 more days later my recruiter called to say the interview went really well and that she would let me know when to schedule my final round interview since there were more candidates.
A week later after me following up with her twice, she informed me that they wanted someone with more experience, but that my resume would stay in circulation at Google and that the team I interviewed with thought highly of me.
Interview questions [2]
Question 1
You are planning an offsite for 100 outstanding Google employees. Your budget is 50K. Describe the plan and compose an email that would be sent to the invitees.
What if you were planning a holiday party for 700 employees, and a week before the party another team cancels their party and now you're in charge of hosting 1400 employees, how would you handle the situation.
They asked some random questions.
THe table was dirty and oily. The guy was high on something. This is a horrile place. i don't want to work there even if they pay $12 bucks.
The interview process started with an initial screening call with a recruiter, lasting about 30–45 minutes. They discussed my resume, experience, and fit for the role. This call was non-technical and mostly focused on background and behavioral questions.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
They asked me to describe a time I managed multiple priorities and deadlines. They wanted to see how I organized tasks, communicated with team members, and solved problems under pressure.
A Google interview felt surprisingly simple and easy. The questions were straightforward, the pacing was calm, and the whole conversation moved smoothly without pressure or complexity. Person interviewing was very nice.