Google must be doing something right in their candidate triage algorithms. I applied for one job and they suggested another that was a better fit, which I hadn't even considered.

I applied to a bunch of places and only Google seemed to perceive the whole package instead of myopically focusing on my recent education or last job. The whole process was much smarter than any other company in the interview cycle.

Just to clarify, this is a fulltime SW eng position at Google? If so, that's a phenomenal achievement and career change.

Do they still weed out candidates who don't have a background in math and algorithms for roles as SRE ones? When I read about your improved triage experience, it's the first question that pops to my mind.

I had studied a lot of ML but all the technical questions were focused on traditional algorithms, so this was still a little retro. The math requirement was minimal but I had more than enough from the ML coursework.

Bamberg's Math 23a / 23c is phenomenal set of classes at Harvard. You will work like a dog but learn almost all the math you need for ML.

Also, this shows (again) that Google-like interviews are tailored for fresh grads. Basically, your studies were preps for these interviews.

I think that's true for the technical portion, or more precisely someone who has recently refreshed their knowledge in college junior level algorithms and data structures. (equivalent of Harvard CS121 at minimum, ideally CS124).

Could you please share more about your application process? I applied for couple of jobs and in their career portal... never received even an acknowledgement.

There was Data Analytics Career Fair at Harvard, which is another advantage of being a student here. You get invited to the career fairs.

Thank you. Long time ago, someone informed me that their career site is merely an eyewash.

Yeah one anecdote, ageism must be solved! Good job Google, we did it!

You see why people criticize the orange site for worshiping corporate a bit too much?

>> As impressive as your achievement is, I'm equally impressed that Google finally started addressing their perceived ageism problem.

>>> Yeah one anecdote, ageism must be solved! Good job Google, we did it!

It's posters like you that turn people off HN.

Counterargument: the commenter was buried into oblivion, which I suspect might turn a few people onto HN :D