Google Careers: How I Got My Design Job at Google

Google Careers: How I Got My Design Job at Google

Tony Aubé shares how he got his design job at Google. As written in HackerNoon, this is his story, lightly edited and republished with permission.

After four years spent leading user experience and user interface at a startup, I felt it was time to work on something different. I took the jump and interviewed for design roles at Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google in Silicon Valley. I ended up receiving three offers and joined Google.

Here is the breakdown of the entire interview process at Google for a design role.

What is the design interview like at Google?

The job interview process took about two months. My experience at Google was similar to other tech companies in Silicon Valley:

  • Phone call with a recruiter
  • Design challenge
  • On-site interview
  • Job offer

The first step is to get in contact with a recruiter at the company. Referrals are the best way to get your foot in the door at a company.

I reached out to a former colleague who now works at Google, and he gave me a referral. I got an email from the recruiter the very next day.

1. Phone call with a Google recruiter

Once connected, a recruiter will usually call you for an informal chat. The call shouldn’t be stressful.

In the phone interview, the recruiter wants to understand:

  • Who are you?
  • What is your specialty?
  • Why are you looking for a new job?
  • Why are you interested in the company?
  • What do you want to work on?
  • Why are you a great candidate?

The recruiter will also ask for a portfolio and a resume they can forward to the design team for a design interview. Recruiters primarily look for great design and positive impact and are less focused on the industry or area of work.

2. Design challenge

Google gave me a choice of three design problems in a three-page PDF document. They are unrelated to Google but focus on redesigning everyday things. The design challenge felt a lot like being back in design school.

Here are my tips for the Google design challenge:

  • Make an impression. Don’t do the bare minimum, as it shows. You don’t want the design team to think you could do better and that you’re not interested in the company.
  • Take your time. If the recruiter tells you it’s an eight-hour assignment, take 12 hours. If they ask for a user interface, give them an interactive prototype. Going beyond the requirements can show you care about joining. However, recruiters are also looking for someone who uses their time wisely. If your solution is terrible, saying you spent 30 hours on it won’t help.
  • Show you can handle the full design process. I researched all three options, picked one problem, and explained my choice. I did user interviews, wireframes, the user interface, a prototype, a few user tests, and some branding and logo design.

3. On-site interview

My on-site interview at Google was typical for tech companies. My on-site job interview at Google schedule was:

  • Show up around 9 or 10 a.m.
  • Portfolio presentation (1 hour)
  • General job interview (45 minutes)
  • Lunch with a buddy (1 hour)
  • Technical job interview (45 minutes)
  • Design review (45 minutes)
  • Whiteboard exercise (45 minutes)
  • Walk out sometime between 3 or 5 p.m.

Google portfolio presentation

The first part of the on-site job interview is a keynote presentation. You will present your portfolio in front of five to 10 people. They are a mix of recruiters, designers, managers and engineers. The recruiter will call you a week before to help you prepare.

  • Introductions: Introduce yourself, your background, education and experience (5 to 10 minutes)
  • Present two to three design projects (15 minutes each)
  • Questions: Answer questions from the panel (5 minutes)

The portfolio presentation shows the entire design process, from early brainstorming sketches to final pixel-perfect mockups. Consider the following tips for your Google portfolio presentation:

  • Explain your projects. Disclose the length of the project, how big your team was, and what your contribution was. If you don’t, these will be the first questions asked. Explain it upfront.
  • Rehearse. You want to be able to recite your presentation without any notes. Ask friends and other designers for feedback.
  • Bring a notepad. Write down everyone’s name. You’ll meet many people at the on-site job interview and will probably have follow-up discussions. Remembering names will facilitate those discussions.

General Google job interview

The general interview is usually with a higher-up manager. It’s very laid back, similar to the phone interview. They want to know more about you and your background. The interviewer will also fill in some of the details you might have not explained during your presentation.

Lunch with a buddy

Someone will take you out for lunch at around noon. The recruiter might tell you this is informal and not part of the job interview. This isn’t necessarily true; the lunch is definitively part of the interview.

Lunch is where they determine your culture fit or whether the team would get along with you. Be friendly and enjoy the free lunch. Use this occasion to ask personal questions.

Google technical job interview

During the technical job interview, they will want to make sure you are hands-on and able to deliver real work. Some sample Google technical job interview questions include:

  • What software do you use
  • How do you deliver assets to engineers?
  • How well do you understand the technology? (This can be HTML, CSS, Swift, iOS, Android or Unity.)
  • Do you have any complementary skills, such as animation, photography, illustration or 3D work?

I was even asked to open up my computer and show my project files. It’s a clever way to see if you’re organized. Can you easily find a file? Do you properly group and name layers?

Google design review

The design review is about understanding your taste and your eye for good design. The recruiter will most likely ask you to open an app on your phone. It could be an app you already own, or they could ask you to download a brand new one you have never used before. They might ask:

  • What is your first impression of the design?
  • How is the onboarding experience?
  • Do you believe this is a well-designed app?
  • What do you think of the color palette, logo design or icon style?
  • What would you improve about the user interface or user experience?
  • Why do you think they did “X” this way? How would you do it better?

Google whiteboard exercise

The whiteboard exercise evaluates your design thinking and process. You will draw some wireframes in response to a design challenge. Here are some important things to remember:

  • Take your time. Understand the whiteboard interview is more about the process and not the result. The interviewer doesn’t expect you to develop a perfect and polished solution.
  • Don’t start designing right away. The challenge will be very broad on purpose. The recruiter expects you to narrow it down. Start by asking questions. For example, if the problem is “design the perfect gifting experience,” ask who will be using this, what kind of gifts are involved, and other questions. Then, pick one of the pain points and start a mockup.
  • Don’t assume the solution. Think outside the box. The answer doesn’t necessarily have to be an app.
  • Be comfortable with uncertainty. You might find possible two solutions. Present both of them, and list their pros and cons. Explain the solution you think is best. It’s also OK to move on even if you’re unsure.

The bottom line

Don’t get fixated on one company. Although Google was my dream company, I interviewed at other companies. I was ready to join any of the other companies if Google didn’t work out.

The team will take some time to discuss your job interview and decide. The follow-up can take a few weeks. Understand that you aren’t the only one interviewing, and they may not make a decision before they’ve met everyone. The recruiter might ask you to send additional information or even return for more interviews.