About joining Google and Microsoft

As I did not go to work in Google and Microsoft

And then the last star was extinguished ... Pigeons woke up, their crows were cleaning their feathers, dogs were rummaging in the dustbin in search of food. The sky in the East slightly covered with a pinkish haze. Pulled a light autumn wind. He still retained the freshness of summer, but in him the approach of autumn was smelled.

Here, my uncle Vasya, my neighbor, climbed under his ancient Moskvich, which he repaired more than drove him. Oddly enough, he started his clunker in just half an hour. Baba Klava from the fifth floor, as usual, cursed herself reassuringly that she was not allowed to sleep. Morning inflamed brighter and brighter.

A thin ray of sunshine crept into the crack between the curtains and began to quietly wake me up. In the end, I could not stand it, I woke up, and I wondered what to do with myself on this wonderful morning. I decided to conduct a small experiment: find out how the admission to work in Google and Microsoft. I wanted to compare them.

I didn’t have much hope - small for such large offices, and lazy. Previously read Poundstown "How to move Mount Fuji." Chose 2 vacancies for a C ++ programmer.

So, my little story in chronological order (I will clarify the language of communication in which language, as I believe, for some it is interesting):
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I publish at the request of my friend, who has long wanted to get on Habr, but I have no invites, alas, to help him. So this article is, in part, “pleading”.
This is his article, we also came up with an article about " Boyar programming ". I hope these articles are worthy of an invite for him.

On August 30 , in the morning - on the HeadHunter website (hh.ru) I sent a resume for an SDE job at Microsoft - I didn’t find how to send a resume from the Microsoft website (I found it more precisely, but somehow everything is confusing). Vacancy developer in the Moscow office for the system Dynamics NAV. Summary in Russian.
On August 30, half an hour later in the morning — on Google (www.google.com/jobs) sent a resume to the position of Software Engineer Intern, also to the Moscow office. There is already a trainee vacancy. Filled out the form on the site in English. Attached a summary in English.
August 30, in the afternoon - the answer came from Google from the automatic system, such as a letter came, man, everything is OK.
August 31 , in the evening (on Sunday!) - came a response from HR from Microsoft with a request to write in Wednesday a resume in English, fill out a questionnaire and solve 2 problems. The task is about a thread-safe queue, and about checking triangles. A letter in Russian, communication, if there are any questions in Russian.
September 2 , afternoon - came the response from HR from Google. Invited for an interview in the Moscow office. September 3 and 4 corresponded to the account date, agreed on September 9 in the morning. Corresponded in English.
On September 2 , in the evening, I sent a solution to Microsoft for a problem, a questionnaire and a resume. The most difficult thing was to fill in the questionnaire - I do not like essays. Problems, questionnaire and resume in English, letters in Russian.
September 3 , in the morning - a letter from HR from Microsoft, such as a questionnaire, etc., was received, everything is OK. Russian language.
September 3-9 - I'm getting ready, reading all sorts of smart books, biting my elbows, and if the interview time at Microsoft coincides with Google where to go, storming my clumsy English ... Well, you understand.
September 9 , morning - the first interview in Google. Office in Moscow in the business center of the hotel Baltschug, near the Kremlin. He came in, very nicely spent time, communicated with HR in Russian, and the interview was conducted by an employee of domestic origin (1 pc.), But in English - he talked for an hour, they love tasks for recursion, intelligence tasks (www.binging.com). Dramatically increased self-esteem on the account of English - they understood me, and I understood them. Gave a t-shirt.
September 9-15 - I think silence is everywhere. I think it did not work, well, to hell with it.
September 15 - a letter from HR from Google. Want to talk more, September 15-17, correspondence, agreed on the 19th morning two interviews.
September 19 , morning - two interviews at Google. In general, the same as September 9th. T-shirt is not given. By and large, I was interviewed by a real Odmin - bearded, patato, puffed up, and further in the text. I was not ready for Odmin, I was scared - the interview with him was not very successful. I piled up in the trees. Talked to HR. She said everything is OK - I can try in a year. And it will be very good if I become a candidate of science. And it will also be very good if I go not to C ++, but to Java, although the vacancy was told only about the advantages. I said that I do not mind Java. And yet ... Well, in general, did not fit.
September 19 - October 7 , as in the song "I click, but in response to silence ... A strong woman cries by the window." Microsoft is silent.
October 7 - a call on a cell phone - they invite, well, finally.
October 9 - 4 interviews at Microsoft. Office in Krylatskoye. Carry on a free minibus. The language of communication is 5-10 minutes in English, the rest of the hour in Russian. They did not give anything. Talked very nice. Tasks from the Fukuyama book and from the website braingames.ru. At one of the interviews, it turned out that “suddenly” I would be interviewed in C #. And also ... In general, here, too, did not fit. Come in a year.

Morality

Going for interviews is necessary and important to know what happens to them and what to be ready for.
The environment is generally friendly. The tasks proposed at the interviews are not super complicated. It is enough to know the basic algorithms and be able to use them. Plus, try to think logically in the tasks for ingenuity.
Do not be afraid to communicate in a foreign language (I know, already tired of it).
As for offices, workplaces, working conditions, office response rate - everything is about the same everywhere. Somewhere a little better, somewhere a little worse.
There is an assumption that in the Moscow offices they are now recruiting people for specific tasks. They need ready profile specialists, but this is just my guess.
Separately - I smoked a smoking camera at Microsoft.

PS ... meanwhile, a new morning and a new day are coming, and I again have a problem, what should I do this time?