I had already decided to move back to China, and then I got an email scheduling an interview, so I perked right up.
The HR confirmed my location and that it's RTO 3 days a week. Then she asked me to rate my SQL and Python on a scale of 1-5.
Then, unexpectedly, there was a rapid-fire Q&A.
SQL: explain GROUP BY, how many kinds of JOIN there are, and what HAVING does.
Python: explain functions, which packages I commonly use, do I know NumPy, and what's the difference between a list and a tuple.
After that I mentioned on my own that I would need an H-1B transfer, and I could feel her lose interest right away. I followed up with two emails and then got ghosted, haha, sob.
What I learned about applying to Google:
In the past two years I've put in 20+ Google referrals, and every single one got a rejection email within two days. Ruthless, fast, and precise.
Then this month, after I gave up, I casually mass-applied to 5 roles, and one of them got picked up by an HR in the US.
My advice: unless you have a very strong referral who can put your resume right in front of the hiring manager, just mass-apply to the roles that are a strong match. Sinking to the bottom of the pile is better than being thrown out, and you might get fished back up. I had heard a rumor that applying to too many roles gets you blocked by the system. From my own experience, clearly that's not true. If you see an opening, apply, and having a relevant background is what matters most.
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