Experienced IT professionals shared how they prepared for interviews at Google, Meta, and Microsoft. For example, a product manager shared two lists of questions: one for managers, the other for IT workers.
Experienced IT professionals shared how they prepared for interviews at Google, Meta, and Microsoft. For example, a product manager shared two lists of questions: one for managers, the other for IT workers.
Jung-Yu Lin worked at Yahoo, Meta, and PayPal before joining Google. Lin says one of his best strategies is to practice mock interviews. He uses career-building platforms like IGotAnOffer, where people role-play interviews with people who work or are applying for jobs at the same companies, Business Insider reports .
«I scheduled four different mock interviews with other candidates who were also trying to get a job at Google,» Lin said.
According to Lin, this was helpful because he not only got a different perspective on his own answers, but also learned from his partner.
According to Lin, in order to be able to discuss issues well and ask informed questions at the end of the interview, he sets up a Google Search alert for the company he is interviewing with.
«Before an interview, I review everything that has happened in the last week, and if there are any significant or big changes, I ask the interviewers or recruiters what it means for the company or for the industry,» he says.
This shows that you are interested in both the company and industry trends, Lin added.
Sarah Bonu joined Meta as a product manager earlier this year. She previously worked at Accenture, Microsoft, and Snap. Sarah said she prepares a list of questions to ask at the end of an interview.
For the manager:
For hiring managers:
«I really like this question because it helps me gauge the workload of the team,» she said of the latter question. «I ask this question to virtually all hiring managers.»
Anthony Mace worked at Google for eight years before founding his own consulting firm in 2022. He believes it is very important to prepare a portfolio that stands out from the rest.
He says there’s a huge influx of talent from coding courses, where everyone is given the same project template. «I can see that you haven’t really put in the effort to do something of your own.»
He suggests creating a portfolio of coding projects on Github or other platforms that mimic what the role entails in real life, and talking about them in interviews.
«Imagine working in a real company with a team of other engineers,» he says. «Today, I encourage my clients to create portfolio projects in pairs or with a team of other people, and to think about how you work as a team, because that’s what hiring managers and recruiters are looking for.»
