INTERVIEW SPECIAL ....The interview tactic Google's bosses use to vet candidates

INTERVIEW SPECIAL The interview tactic Google's bosses use to vet candidates





In a brainteaser of sorts, Larry Page and Sergey Brin ask the applicant to question himself in front of them

Google has an infamously difficult interviewing process. Over the years, it has ditched the brain teaser questions it once asked many candidates, but it's still no walk in the park.

So if interviewing for a position with an ordinary Google manager is difficult, what is it like interviewing with the founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin?
Tim Armstrong, who is CEO of AOL, knows.

Before joining AOL in 2009, Armstrong spent a decade at Google where he helped build its multi-billion-dollar-a-quarter ad business from scratch.

After a quick meeting with Google's then Chief Business Officer Omid Kordestani, Armstrong flew to California for an interview with Page and Brin.

Interview yourself

“They basically said at the beginning of the meeting, after a few questions, `We're not really sure what to ask you. Ask yourself the questions. What questions would you ask yourself, if you were us?' Armstrong said. “So I said, `Look, I'm a very direct person, very honest. Here's what I would ask, the following questions'.“

Armstrong later learned that this interaction wasn't the result of Brin or Page being unprepared or lazy. Instead, it was a common tactic they used to help judge a candidate's character.

“I realised later, after working with them, that that was not an anomaly, that was one of their tactics,“ Armstrong said. It's unclear if Brin and Page still use the same approach to screen people.

Despite the odd first meeting, Google's founders left a lasting, positive impression on Armstrong.

businessinsider.in

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