Google Android Engineer Interview

The phone screening typically spans 30 to 45 minutes and involves a standard profile review. You can anticipate a mix of objective Android developer questions and general technical coding questions – although, interestingly, the coding will not involve any coding on the spot.

The discussion often extends to your resume and behavioral questions. They're interested in knowing more about you, your background, and your past roles.

Here are a couple of example questions:

• Can you explain the architecture of an Android app you've previously worked on?
• What are the key differences between Activities and Fragments in Android?
• How would you approach optimizing the performance of a slow-loading screen in an Android app?
• Walk me through your experience with [specific technology or framework mentioned on your resume] and its role in your projects.
• Can you highlight a particularly impactful project you've worked on and the outcomes it achieved?

In Google's technical phone screen, be ready for a deep dive into coding with a focus on data structures and algorithms. They involve shared problem-solving, where questions related to basic problem-solving skills and Android fundamentals are asked. 

The unique twist here is that Google prefers using Google Docs for coding, unlike other companies that might use tools like CoderPad. This means you won't have the comfort of an IDE with auto-indentation, auto-complete, or syntax highlighting.

Despite the absence of these conveniences, your interviewer expects you to churn out syntactically correct code. It's a bit challenging, so practicing beforehand is crucial. If you can, team up with a Google Android engineer for some real-world practice sessions. Platforms like Prepfully can help you in this regard—you can directly book some time with a Google Android Engineer here.

Here are a few example questions for this round:

• Implement a binary search tree and describe its time complexity for various operations.
• Solve a problem using a hash table and explain why it's the most suitable data structure.
• Write an algorithm to find the shortest path in a graph.
• Implement a sorting algorithm and discuss its efficiency in different scenarios.

The Google Android onsite typically spans 4-6 rounds, with a mix of general coding and Android-specific assessments.

• The first 2-3 rounds involve Android/Coding Onsite interviews. Depending on your experience level, you might face more coding rounds.
• Next up are the 1-2 System Design Onsite interviews, particularly crucial for the more seasoned candidates. 
  

If you've showcased your projects effectively on your resume, some rounds may delve into detailed discussions about them. This means you need to present your projects in a compelling manner, as they can serve as valuable talking points during the interview process. Consider looking into the Google iOS Engineer and Meta Android Engineer guides for further preparation.

Coding Questions

When it comes to Google interviews, the coding rounds take center stage. Google stands out among FAANG companies as it prioritizes coding skills even more than system design. In these rounds, they're not just testing your speed but focusing on the complexity of your solutions. Be ready for anything since Google interviewers can ask a wide range of questions, possibly ones you've never encountered.

Expect questions that revolve around solving data structure and algorithm problems. For example, they might throw a challenge like implementing a specific algorithm or optimizing code for a given problem.

But, it's worth noting that Google doesn't just stop at general coding inquiries. For Android-specific roles, there's a dedicated round where they dive deep into topics like Handler Loopers, ViewModel Internals, MVVM Architecture, Multithreading, Memory leaks, Networking, and Database intricacies. Expect questions that test your in-depth knowledge of Android development, perhaps asking you to explain how you'd handle a specific scenario or optimize performance in a given context. For additional resources, consider reviewing the Meta iOS Engineer Interview Guide.

It's crucial to be well-versed in both general coding problem-solving and Android-specific concepts for a successful Google interview.

System Design Questions

If you're interviewing at Google, the system design interview is typically the second most important round, after coding interviews. They can pretty much throw any design question at you, so be prepared for anything. You'll likely encounter both high-level and low-level design questions like:

• Design a Content Delivery Network (CDN)
• Design a Ride-Sharing System
• Design a Collaborative Document Editing Platform
  

Google interviewers often incorporate linchpin questions into the design problems. These are tricky because missing a specific aspect means you can't fully solve the problem. 

For instance, in an older Google system design question, the challenge was to set up a service in a foreign country, and the interviewer dropped the detail that there's a dependency on some third-party service.

Behavioral Questions

So, Google's last round is the behavioral one. Surprisingly, it's considered the easiest among FAANG companies. You might not even have to go through it – Google's behavioral rounds are optional, and it's a bit of a mystery who gets them and who doesn't. So, don't stress too much about prepping for it.

If you do end up with behavioral questions, you would be asked stuff like:

• Can you talk about a time when you had to deal with a coworker who was tough to work with?
• Tell me about a time when you got feedback that wasn't so great.
• Share a story about mentoring a junior colleague and how your advice didn't quite get through.
• If you had to plan a team event, what would your approach be?
• For tackling Google's behavioral round, our advice is to dig into your past experiences at work. Think about times you faced challenges, worked with others, or received feedback. Practice different scenarios, emphasizing collaboration and how you experienced personal growth. Make sure to check out Google's values and culture to align your responses. Oh and, don't forget to do some mock interviews to get comfortable sharing your experiences authentically.