Google Hardware Engineer Interview Guide

During this stage, you'll have a chat with a recruiter who will dig into your background, resume, and motivations. They're basically looking to see if you're a good fit for the role and the company culture. So, be sure to articulate your passion for hardware engineering and explain why Google is the ideal place for your career to flourish.

• Tell me about yourself.
• Why Hardware Engineering?
• Why Google?

This interview is a deeper dive into your technical skills. While there's a mix of skills, experience, and behavior-related questions, the focus tends to lean toward the technical side. They might throw some basic electronics questions your way, and you could find yourself discussing topics like RF and high-speed data interfaces. 

So, brush up on these areas and be prepared to showcase your practical experience.

• What high-speed data interface have you worked with?
• Describe the difference between a Microstrip and a Strip Line.

The onsite interview consists of five 45-minute sessions, with four interviews focusing on technical aspects and one interview centred around behavioural questions.

Technical Interviews:

You’ll typically encounter four technical sessions with six interviewers who are hardware engineers, team leads, and other senior design professionals from Google. Here's 5 tips and insights into these interviews:

• Expect a range of digital design questions that test your practical skills. For instance, you might be asked to lay out the analog/digital signal chain for measuring an accelerometer on a smartwatch. But don't limit your preparation to just digital design and verification – be ready for logic design, verilog coding, scripting, and design problem questions too. A pro tip: Be ready to present circuit designs and codes in a Google Doc – this often comes up. Consider UX design as a complementary field by exploring the Apple UX Designer and Amazon UX Researcher guides.
• Questions will cover a range of subjects, including finite state machines, digital design and verilog, caches, memory architecture, mux design, RF, and high-speed design concepts.
• One of these rounds will likely involve a coding assessment, where you'll be required to solve problems using Python. For instance, they might ask "how would you use Python scripting to automate a repetitive hardware testing process?"
• Don't forget to brush up on the basics of electrical engineering – topics like finite state machines, digital design, verilog, caches, memory architecture, mux design, RF, and high-speed design concepts could be on the table.

Behavioural Round

The final interview of the onsite assessment focuses on evaluating your behavioural fit with Google's culture and values. 

Expect questions that delve into your past experiences, your current role, and your aspirations. In particular, be ready to discuss what you are seeking in your next role and how you see yourself contributing to Google's dynamic environment.

Given that it's Google, anticipate questions that align with their unique work culture – those 'Googleyness' questions that capture the essence of what it's like to be a part of the Google family. For more insights into how to align with Google's culture and values, explore the Google's Googleyness Interview guide.

Interview Questions:

• Design a flexible PCB layout optimised for RF signal integrity and minimal interference.
• Tell me what you know about I2C.
• What are some effects of an impedance mismatch on a high-speed circuit?
• Describe 3-wire vs. 4-wire SPI implementation.
• What do you know about trace impedance control in a PCB fabrication? What tolerance do I design for on impedance-controlled traces, and what would I do if the fabrication house couldn't meet the specified tolerance?
• How do DIMM modules work?
• Explain how you would utilize scripting to parse and analyse a complex configuration file for a hardware design.
• Define leakage power and explain its significance in low-power design.
• Describe the operation of a flip-flop. How is it different from a latch?
• Explain the challenges associated with multi-domain clocking and how you would handle clock domain crossings.
• Describe the communication protocol used in DDR4 memory interfaces. How does it differ from previous generations?

Tips for Google Hardware Onsite Round

Here are four tips for the Google Hardware Onsite Round:

• Cover a spectrum of technical topics including finite state machines, digital design, verilog, caches, memory architecture, mux design, RF, hardware engineering, power optimization, and communication protocols, and high-speed design concepts.
• Emphasise your practical experience, as Google values your ability to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world scenarios.
• Be prepared for a coding round and practical design challenges that test your ability to solve complex problems effectively.
• Familiarise yourself with Google's values and culture. Showcase your adaptability, teamwork, and innovative thinking, as they align with Google's ethos.