How not to get an internship at Google

By: Nitesh Srivastava

This photo was taken either during the first week of my internship, or shortly before security arrived to escort me off the premises. (Photo courtesy Nitesh Srivastava)

My colleagues here at MBA IRISH ECHOES asked me to write about the famed Google interview process, given that I interned with Google Fiber during my time in the Notre Dame MBA program. Here is my story. Full disclosure: I may or may not have embellished some of the details.

I never liked using Google or other online search engines. I always preferred instead to shout my questions at passersby on the street, or (as is high fashion nowadays) to make up my own facts. However, when I received an email in February 2016 that Google wanted to interview me for a marketing internship with Google Fiber, I figured that visiting www.google.com might be a prudent first step in preparing for the interview. I regained consciousness some days later with dozens of tabs open in my browser, my keyboard imprinted on the side of my face, and my phone informing me that my interview began in five minutes. 

Fortunately, Google’s casual dress code meant I did not need to spend precious seconds combing my hair or buttoning my shirt. I sprinted to my interview and, mostly because I had built up so much speed, had no choice but to kick open the door after yelling at it to get out of my way.

I could tell that I had startled my interviewer. My chance to make a good first impression was slipping away. Instinct kicked in, and I began the conversation with the new slogan I had thought up for the company:

“WHY YELL AT STRANGERS WHEN YOU CAN JUST GOOGLE IT?”

My interviewer was speechless, and I was now driving the discussion. The next step was to demonstrate my proficiency in marketing. I noticed my interviewer was holding a can of Coke. I grabbed it out of his hand and chugged it in front of him.

“ALSO, COCA-COLA IS A BRAND,” I said.

Again, my interviewer was stunned. He finally opened his mouth to ask a question, but I would have none of that. As quickly as I had arrived, I sprinted out of the room and back to my house. I locked the door and barricaded the entrance with my living room furniture, lest my interviewer try to chase me down with his question.

I received an internship offer about a week later. My only regret about the interviewing process is that I don’t think I made as big of an impression on my interviewer as I thought; when I ran into him that summer at Google’s headquarters, he seemed surprised to see me and mentioned something about incorrectly filed paperwork.

About Nitesh

In reality, Nitesh’s interviews were conducted over Google Hangouts, so chugging his interviewer’s Coke was not an option. Nitesh is concentrating in marketing and business analytics, and did his undergraduate studies at Northwestern University. Follow Nitesh on Twitter and Instagram, or reach out to him on LinkedIn.