Google is one of the most prestigious institutions for software engineers today. Working there means a chance at shaping the future with your own hands. But is it too tough to get into Google? Do you have to have a degree? What is the process?
These are some of the questions that flurry your mind as soon as you dream to be placed in Google.
Here we are going to talk about 6 things that you need to do to get a job in not just Google but in any of the other top-tier tech companies like Amazon, Facebook, and Microsoft.
Programming Languages And Coding
For becoming a software engineer this is the minimum qualification that you need.
You can learn to code from various online portals and take different courses. Getting a certificate would be recommended if you have taken a course.
Then, you could learn more advanced topics through video tutorials. You could use YouTube for this. You need to take the tutorials on topics like:
This very much depends on your interest that which kind of development you choose.
As far as a programming language is concerned, you can learn Java or Python first, whichever interests you more.
Work On Some Personal Projects
After you have taken the courses and learned from the video tutorials you should test out your practical knowledge by taking up a few personal projects. You can take something that you are interested in building.
For instance, if you are interested in gaming, maybe you can make a simple game, or if you are interested in problem-solving, you can compete in a coding competition.
Try to build the project by yourself and take help only if you get stuck. For instance, If you get stuck on something that is related to programming you can use Stack Overflow or other forums and ask the questions.
Get Some Work Experience
After you have worked on a few personal projects, you can try getting a job or an internship so that you will have some experience before you start shooting for the top tech companies.
Yes, you might as well get to the top companies in the beginning, you can always take a shot, but if you don’t you can start with the lesser-known companies and make your way up from there.
Ways to apply for jobs
It might come off as something strange, but applying for jobs online is not the best strategy, just because you are not the only one doing that. Everyone is.
Instead, getting your first job through LinkedIn or in-person networking would be recommended.
But yes, you cannot be using LinkedIn or in-person networking for applying to Google or the other top tier companies. In that case, you can combine the following three steps:
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Make sure that you attend the recruiting events and the career fairs that are happening around you.
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If any of your friends are working there, just ask him/her to pitch in for you and give you a referral.
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And then, you can also apply online.
If you combine all the three, it will increase your chances of getting an interview at the top tier by a lot.
Learn Data Structures And Algorithms
In their interviews, most of the top-tier tech companies would ask you questions about data structures and algorithms. So you should make sure that you are well prepared with the answers.
You can learn the basics and advances of Data structures and Algorithms from our complete Data structures and Algorithms Tutorial. Tutorial Covers
You can learn all these and continue with the one that you like the most.
Practice Coding For Interviews
At top companies like Google and Facebook, the coding interviews are pretty tricky but preparing for them is somewhat straightforward
After you have got a good foundation of data structures and algorithms, you can use these for practice:
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Leetcode — for practicing coding-interview problems.
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Cracking the Coding Interview — It is a popular book on coding interviews
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Daily Coding Problem — it sends you one problem a day.
After you have practiced for some time, you can start doing mock interviews.
For mock interviews, you can just ask your friends to help out.
Importance Of A Good Resume
The importance of a good resume cannot be stressed enough, you can find out how to write the best software engineer resume here.
Keep Applying
Don’t lose hope and keep applying. It might take a few attempts but the next could be your lucky shot.