Hello there! Yes, I’m talking to you. I know why you’re here. You want to learn about the Google interview process for the Data Center Technician role. I bet you got an email from a Google Recruiter who found your resume online somewhere (probably LinkedIn) who wants to setup a call. Or maybe you applied to one of the many available Data Center Technicians (DT for short) roles either on the Google Careers website, or on some online job board. Whatever the case I can help you because I’m a DT at Google, I know the interview process, and I’ve gone through interview training at the company.
Some Ground Rules Before I Start
What I write in this post isn’t any secret, nor is it any different than what a Google recruiter will tell you.
Also, I’m under a Non-Disclosure Agreement with Google so there are some topics I can’t discuss in detail. Those topics are the following:
- Specific interview questions asked during interviews
- Salary (because this depends on the local market, the job level, and the candidate’s years of experience)
Step #1 In the Google Interview Process: The Email
The first step in the Google interview process is an email from a Google Recruiter. The email contents vary, but usually the recruiter wants to know if you’re interested in a DT role at a particular data center. The email will contain the data center location and a sentence or two about the role. It will not include a salary.
Also in the email is a link to the recruiter’s calendar. There, you can pick a day and time to speak to the recruiter further about the position.
How Did The Google Recruiter Get Your Email?
Some people asked me how did a Google Recruiter did their email address because they didn’t apply for a position with company. Or they applied years ago and never heard anything back.
The company loves to hold onto resumes and reach out to people in the future to see if they are interested in a particular role that fits their professional experience.
Also, some Google Recruiter use LinkedIn to find potential candidates. Some people may get a LinkedIn Message instead of an email from a recruiter.
Step #2 In the Google Interview Process: The Phone Call
The second step in the Google interview process is the phone call with the Google Recruiter. This phone call is usually 30 minutes, but it can run slightly longer than that. This is phone call is for the recruiter to do the following:
- Explain the role
- Ask questions about your technical skills and learn about your professional experience to determine which role level that fits you
- Give a salary range for that role level
- Answers any questions the potential candidate has
DT Role Levels
There are four DT role levels: DT 1 – DT 4.
The DT 1 level is the entry-level role. These individuals spend the most part of their day swapping defective hardware on the data center floor.
On the other end is the DT 4 level, which one could think of a Senior level. These individuals spend most of their time working on projects, delegating work to lower level DTs, and act as an escalation for problems the other levels cannot resolve.
Step #3 In the Google Interview Process: The Virtual Interview
The third step in the Google interview process is the virtual interview with an employee in the data center. That employee could be another DT, an Operations Manager (OM), or even a Site Lead (who is over the entire data center).
Google does not offer any on-site interviews anymore. Each interview happens through Google Meet with the link provided by the recruiter via an email.
There are three interviews each candidate goes through in one day in no particular order:
- Hardware / Operating System (OS)
- Networking
- Behavioral
Each interview lasts about 45 minutes each, with a 15 minute break in-between.
I highly suggest you choose a quiet location so you can speak to and hear the interviewer without disruption. Another suggestion is to blur your background, or apply some other visual effect if you in your home and want to keep your privacy. Or you can find a room in your home with a plain background. I provide more tips like the above in this article on my site.
The interviewer will provide an introduction, most likely ask for you to give an introduction, and will allow time for questions either during the interview or at the end.
The questions during the virtual interview are the standard troubleshooting questions regarding computer hardware, computer OS, and networking devices. Google doesn’t ask brain-teasers or trick questions anymore (and hasn’t for years) so don’t worry about that. These questions can be quite complex, especially if you’re interviewing for a high level like DT 3 or DT 4.
Step #4: Fit Call
If you pass the virtual interview then the final step is the Fit Call. This is another interview you will have with your team to determine if you are a good cultural fit. Expect anywhere from three to four people to show up. Again, these individuals range from DTs to Site Leads.
In my opinion, this interview is an extended behavioral interview. The team wants to make sure you aren’t going to cause issues with the team because you are combative or you are too meek.
Unfortunately, strong candidates do fail the Fit Call and don’t get the job. That is a bad sign, and I highly suggest if that happens to you to review your personality. I know this is going to sound rough, but no one wants to work around a negative person or a “Know-It-All” or someone who doesn’t want to learn a new process for at least eight hours per day.
Final Step: Rejection Or Offer
The final step of the Google interview process for a Data Center Technician role is getting a notification from your recruiter that either you got the job or didn’t get it.
A rejection doesn’t automatically mean you can’t work for Google ever. However, you will have to wait for some time. I can’t find the particulars for this role, but Google does have a one year waiting period for those who didn’t pass Engineering-related interviews. That’s so those individuals can gain the relevant experience.
If you get an offer your Google Recruiter will provide an offer letter that contains the following:
- The role level (DT 1, DT 2, DT 3, or DT 4)
- Total compensation (which includes base salary, equity, and bonus)
- The start date
- Information about relocation
- Sign-on bonus amount
You have five days to accept the offer, or contact your recruiter if you want to negotiate. If you want to do the latter just know that takes time. The recruiter has to go back to local management and provide them with your request. Then the local management will most likely get their superiors involved to see if they can approve it. If not, then talks can continue for quite some time, which can push out your start date. I’m not saying you shouldn’t negotiate, but to prepare yourself for a long process.
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