recruiter > tech screen on coderpad with advanced sql and some python data manipulation. the onsite was a 5 round loop: data modeling, pipeline design, python coding, advanced sql, and a googleyness/behavioral chat. the pipeline design round is the absolute filter imo - they throw a massive ques at you, like designing a real-time analytics pipeline for ad-click tracking system, and you have to map out the batch vs streaming architecture, idempotency, and how to handle late-arriving data from scratch. the modeling round was all about star schemas, handling slowly changing dimensions (SCDs), and optimizing tables. it felt very practical; it’s more about how you structure data at a massive scale and handle edge cases. for prep, i focused on kimball methodology and practicing streaming architectures. i did a few mocks on Prepfully with google DEs specifically for the pipeline design round and that helped me lot. Skimmed through DataLemur for ques and practice and yeah ofcourse blind/reddit for recent experiences
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
design a data pipeline to process clickstream events from millions of users in real time
I applied online. I interviewed at Google (Sydney)
Interview
Online application, then reached out for a phone call with an external recruiter. Here was told to expect two (eliminatory) technical interviews, no behavioural assessment. These technical interviews were scheduled about two weeks apart. Heard back within a day or two from final round.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Standard medium, and hard leetcode questions respectively.
I applied online. I interviewed at Google (Stockholm, ) in Mar 2024
Interview
The process consisted of a recruiter screen, an online coding assessment, a technical phone interview, and a final virtual onsite with multiple rounds. In total there were four technical rounds plus one behavioral round. The interviews focused heavily on data structures and algorithms, problem solving under time pressure, and clear communication of approach. One round included a system design discussion. The process was well-structured and professional, and interviewers gave minimal hints but were fair and engaged.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
How would you handle high traffic in a distributed system?