How I Ranked in the Top 5% of Google Software Engineers
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- čas přidán 26. 07. 2024
- There's little information out there on how to be a good Software Engineer once you land a job. In this video, I share the 7 things I did to rank in the top 5% of Google Software Engineers.
Why I don't have impostor syndrome: • Why I Don't Have Impos...
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3:50 - 5:00 is a very very important message, you should print that out and frame it somewhere on your room
There are numerous studies which indicate that the vast majority of humans experience diminishing returns in productivity after 40-50 hours of work per week, where real work and real learning plummet even if the individual perceives more work/learning done. This drop becomes exaccerabated when sleep, nutrition and exercise are sacrificed, and they usually are, for more work hours. Further studies in psychometrics have shown that normal people are actually only capable of 3 hours of concentrated cognitively heavy real learning per day.
Smart, sharper individuals (such as Clement and Elon) have larger capacities for work and cognitively demanding tasks. Ultimately, I think it's dangerous to advise people to "just work harder" because it imbues a sense of misplaced righteousness in the successful. The fact of the matter is that most people really are trying their best. Yes even those "only" working 40 hour work weeks. And its arguably the best for them to work that much. They're capped either by 1) genetic limits (which are real and have been repeatedly tested) 2) medical issues (eg. insomnia worsen for insomniacs under high workload - reducing productivity) 3) Real world responsibilities.
@@jeffbronson3696 +
Ok you are epic
Something that needs to be mentioned that this work needs to be measurable. Just doing extra hours where its not being noticed doesn't help. Many large companies will have employees log amount of time they spend on certain tasks. If you are on contract and just one of many with no option for overtime than this really doesn't help you too much, its becomes more about a value add in what you are sharing with your team that makes you stand out. On salary you are uncapped and if still logging time that 12hr work day will show up when managers go back and look at your review typically.
@@jeffbronson3696 totally agree, also Elon's work or others could be diversified enough to support 8+ hours of work per day,
not 8 + hours per day in front of a computer screen which might be the case for others
1. Put in a lot of work. Do not put in the bare minimum
2. Take advantage of your strengths
and manage your weaknesses
3. Make sure you are recognized for accomplishments. Have 3 people that can vouch for you.
4. Make sure your manager knows your goals, concerns, accomplishments and work.
5. Actually WANT the high performance rating.
Create your opportunities
6.
Do not discount the importance of luck
Should pin this as well!!
He's telling the truth! My manager told me I got my return offer because I smashed the like button and subscribed...
Me too! And im in freaking high school!!!!!
There are 6 ratings
1) Needs improvement
2) Consistently meets expectations
3) Exceeds expectations
4) Strongly exceeds expectations
5) Superb
6) Qualified to be ex-Google😁
Ex-millionaire
ex-friend
Absolute solid advice. This all applies heavily in my field of work as well, keep up the videos mate!
Being proactive about seeking out opportunities is a crucial "skill" that people often forget about in their day to day. Great tips again!!
you had me at 3:11 that's epic.
Seriously though, I think Clement's video is the most helpful one I've found recently. He actually talks about career advices beyond the interviewing stage, and that's where a lot of the contents don't have.
I think your tip on "hard work pays off" needs to be contextualized.
There are numerous studies which indicate that the vast majority of humans experience diminishing returns in productivity after 40-50 hours of work per week, where real work and real learning plummet even if the individual perceives more work/learning done. This drop becomes exaccerabated when sleep, nutrition and exercise are sacrificed, and they usually are, for more work hours. Further studies in psychometrics have shown that normal people are actually only capable of 3 hours of concentrated high cognitive learning per day.
Smart, sharper individuals (such as yourself and Elon) have larger capacities for work and cognitively demanding tasks. Ultimately, I think it's dangerous to advise people to "just work harder" because it imbues a sense of misplaced righteousness in the successful. The fact of the matter is that most people really are trying their best. Yes even those "only" working 40 hour work weeks. But they're capped either by 1) genetic limits (which are real and have been repeatedly tested) 2) medical issues (eg. insomnia worsen for insomniacs under high workload - reducing productivity) 3) Real world responsibilities
+
This is a very good point. I totally agree that it does need to be contextualized or elaborated on; I'll probably dedicate an entire video to this topic. Thanks for the well-thought out comment / feedback!
@@clem thanks for the acknowledgement Clément. Have a good day.
@@clem Really looking forward to hearing you talk more about this. I've been using an app called Forest to track exactly how much time I stay focused on cognitively demanding tasks in a day (immersed in coding, or writing a story, testing my ability to remember something I've learned) and I was surprised to find that, while I got a lot accomplished, it was only about 4 hours total! I'd love to know how many hours in the day you are able to engage in cognitively demanding tasks. Thanks, Clement!
There are also reports that suggest people who work 60 hour weeks earn double that of people who work 50 hour weeks. Ie, increased returns on every additional hour worked
You can't control how tall you are, you can't control how smart you are, what you can control however is how much effort and how much work you put into something. Well said.
Very insightful. Thank you for sharing this, Clement!!
Congrats Clement. I'm proud that you got the experience you need and are making your business a success. You look like a happy man...and that's a damn good thing.
I appreciate the kind words! And yes, I'm a happy man, and a hungry one! #ForeverHungry
(at the risk of sounding like a motivational speaker 😂)
Dude, you're awesome!!! Love your channel. I suck at programming... But, I love the transparency!
Thanks!
Having a good manager is so crucial. In the same company, I started with a very good manager, and everything went well until he left. I then go stuck with a horrible manager, who was just insecure and I had to leave after that. Luck is definitely a big part of it.
Dang man. That's awesome. All about dedication, passion and consistency.
It always is!
Thank you for being 💯
Forever and always.
This was very insightful. :)
This is really helpful man... thanks 🔥
🔥🔥🔥
I love your humor lol. I definitely hit the Like button. These are very helpful tips, especially the self awareness thing. Thank you.
@3:11 who else was expecting "EX-GOOGLE-TECH-LEAD"?
he even did the hand gestures
EX GOOGLE AND FACEBOOK TECH LEAD
@@rrqwee121e1asd EX FRIEND, EX HUSBAND AND EX GOOGLE AND FACEBOOK TECH LEAD.
"The more work you put in, the more reward you will get out". This highly depends upon the company culture. :) and should not be treated as the rule of thumb.
I can work as many hours as I like it won't make any significant difference. Even getting a very high performance rating only has a marginal impact on pay increases. And that's true of the majority of companies in my experience.
These are v good tips. A lot of them I knew but needed a reminder. Talking to your manager and communicating well... I think this is something a lot of us software engineers forget to do, and perhaps aren't aware that they're not doing. Me included. Unconsciously incompetent. This is great, thanks Clement.
Your content is unique and supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, really appreciate your effort. thanks for sharing your valuable knowledge.
Really glad you like it! And this comment is absolutely supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
Hey man , I have been watching your videos . Great content . I have , just like you, got a bachelor in mathematics but not want to go more toward the computer science of things. I am doing some programming classes at a university , C++ and java.
How have you been able to from a mathematician background to dive into programming and algorithms do quickly and to learn so much in depth about everything ??
I love the thought that forms called 'triple down on your strengths, double down on your weaknesses.'
this was great.
I'm about to start at amazon and this is the right info at the right time
When hard work meets opportunity, uncommon wisdom, wit, and very good soft skills, it gets a superb performance rating. 😊
I'd love to see a series with your insights about life in general because most of what you talk about in your videos is great advice that applies beyond the world of software engineering. Many people would benefit from that, especially because, as you said, your soft skills are excellent. You'll be giving truly useful tips in a charismatic, memorable way. 😊
Thanks for all the video ideas!
Bro thanks for giving us these useful tips.
Great video Clement..Easily, one of your best IMO
Amazing, amazing!!
I needed this feedback. Golden 7 points.
8:13 is SUPER important
That’s my favorite card trick so far, it’s sooooo clean. Btw, after seeing TechLeads video in how toxic the Facebook culture is I’m worried that it’s the same in other companies as well, is that the same with google ? Also, one last thing. If you were 17 years old and wanted to get into google after growing up, what path would you follow ?
😎for the card trick
As far as the cultures go, I can't say I've experienced any such kind of toxic culture, especially at Google. In general, I do think this depends a lot on the team you join; some teams might be a little bit more "hardcore" than others.
And that last question sounds like the topic of a future video 😛
@@clem Awesome, can't wait for it (if you decide and make the video). Also, a video with all the Google perks would be also very interesting.
I wish that someday I will meet an interviewer like you Clement, Surely I will enjoy and pass the interview 😎
You inspire me every day and, I thank you for that 🙂
Excellent content!
Thanks Clément!
Great video as always! Hope i can buy algoexpert so when a coding interview start i am prepared
I did the work really hard thing when I was young. Yes, the company management were well aware of the time being put in. And they praised the results. But frankly the reward was nowhere near worth the effort. So I stopped bothering as I'm not going to kill myself to make somebody else rich. And you are going to burn out if you consistently try to work 100 hours a week. Once I got older and wiser I realised the value of my time. And working like a maniac is not a good use of that limited resource.
Really great advice, thanks
what percentage of onsite interviews turn into offers for new grad SWEs?
Hey Clement, would you be willing to share tips for people in the project matching stage for Google internships? I'm currently in it for the winter (off cycle) and could use advice on how to optimizes my chances to get a match!
80 hrs pretty extreme but yeah you gotta prove yourself early on. Don't crash and burn though. That's why they have exercise and gyms there they somewhat work half way with you.
Hey Clément - are there any open source material you recommend for self-taught folks looking to learn algorithms? I want to make sure I have the prerequisites covered to really take advantage of algoexperts. Thanks!
Codewar and leetcode
One of the most valuable videos.
Question about point #3. (7:00-8:12) Communicating work, accomplishments, goals and concerns. Any suggestions on how best to "push a little bit"? Unsolicited weekly written reports? Might something like that backfire?
Excellent!
highlights:
put in extra time
double down on strengths, remember and work on weak link
seek opportunities
get work visibility - manager's attention and peers'
Also, gang bang the like button
So it was superb video, thanks you)
I hear people saying: the more a person is capable of doing a stuff, the more he becomes transparent. ...I am from a dnt corne' of the world, yet m enjoying ur brilliance every sec ... I dont know how to thank u ... m jus waiting more man.
Really useful tips
Hi Clement
Can you do a video on soft skills on software engineering?
Good idea!
@@clem did you made it?
cool stuff!
Hi Clement, I really wanted to ask you what kind of SW you are, do you wark as a front end or whatelse?
This is GOLD.
I wish I'd seen this earlier. Great tips. Btw, What's your thought on work-life balance?
I do not agree. Doing unpaid overtime just for the sake of getting promoted is not a good idea. First it is not sustenable. You won't be able to do overtime forever. And if you get promoted, they will expect you to heave at least the same performance you obtained when you did overtime. What will you do then, more overtime?
Yes
You are a really good speaker
where to start
This video boosted my IQ by 100, thanks Clement!
Chris Jereza same here...now my IQ is 130!!
@@QuanMa Nah your IQ is still 30, you're tripping :P
it needs a state machine for the interactions, it may solve the bug...
Clement what's your GitHub?
Hello clement once again! I was wondering if it is harder for people from abroad (us non-residents) to be accepted at companies like google? What do you think?
Joan Perez Lozano There is not enough supply in the US market for these jobs, so these big tech companies look for talent abroad so it’s not hard to get a job if you’re hard working. Just know if you’re on an H1B (or whatever it’s called) Visa was called, they’ll treat you like a slave.
Luke Ivanov thanks for your response Luke!! Yikes I did not like the term slave 😂
@@lukeivanov2327 Treat you like a slave? Well, I'm not from US and that's gonna suck for me in the future :/ Idk though, I feel like (and hope) that not all companies are like that. We'll have to wait for Clement to give us his input on that
Joan Perez Lozano check out The Tech Lead on CZcams. One of his latest videos talks more about this subject.
Haris Papadopoulos Look up The Tech Lead on CZcams. One of his latest videos talks about this subject in more detail.
You are amaziiingggggg ..
Way easier to sell interaction skills than lets say solving complex problems in simple ways. Agree on the publicity need, unfortunately either your manager does it or you have to divert effords from real work.
Clement you hit the nail in the head with this vieo. I just got a return offer for a great tech company doing the things you said inadvertently lol
Fantastic!
@@clem when are you gonna teach us those card tricks tho?
Hey Clément, is there any platform or way that you have for us to contact you directly regarding questions? I had left a message on a previous video and just wanted to follow up with it! Thanks for the time and video once again!
Hey Daylen,
It's very hard for me to answer every question that comes my way since I get so many these days. I try to answer as many CZcams comments as I can (or to make videos for popular topics), and I also occasionally answer LinkedIn messages. The AlgoExpert Contact Form is also an option, but that's strictly meant for AlgoExpert-related stuff.
Feel free to ask me your question here.
@@clem I am a third year computer science major at my university in Canada, transferred from a biological sciences major. Because I am a transfer I am behind on my computer sciences courses and I’m taking my algorithm course next semester. I’m wanting to apply to summer internships, but to pass some of the key word checks as well as show that by the time I take the internship I would have completed my algorithm course. Many companies, like google, end their acceptance for applications end of December for the summer internships, and thus I would not have began taking my algorithm course and I will just be wrapping up my current semester. My question is, how can I convey on my resume that I am taking an algorithm (as well a data base course) next semester, but will be completed before the internship begins? I feel like putting “in progress” would be miss leading as they may interpret that as in taking it in this current semester and will be finish the course in the end December.
@@clem Also on a side note. Maybe this is something you can address in a future video, but when ever I try and contact a google recruiter on LinkedIn like you have suggested multiple times I always run into the problem that "Profiles outside of your network have limited visibility", therefore I am unable to message these recruiters via email.
Kindof toxic advice for the work hours - productivity isn’t linear over time. You’re not 2x as efficient at 80 hours per week, as you’d be at 40 - maybe the first week, but by the 6th month you’ll be burned out and might be less than 1x as effective, and probably cranky frustrated and unpleasant to be around.
What you should care about is efficiency and controlling the narrative regarding your output. Find the optimal balance of keeping physically and mentally healthy, and maxing productivity so you can keep moving the ball with your output, be clean with your work because those are the artifacts that get reviewed and looked back on, and can control the narrative on how people see your performance.
sir, please make a tutorial video on sorting visualizer
It's coming, it's coming, it's coming! A tiny bit more patience! 😊
Thank you so much💟
Video on International internships for students in US
Love this guy
Thank you so much Clement!
This man is brutally honest....
Brutal honesty is the best kind of honesty.
I think you'd make a fantastic manager. You're a great communicator. Your videos are entertaining and insightful.
Hey, I really appreciate this comment; thanks!
@@clem No problem, keep up the good work!
You are a humble and aware person with an open mind. I like that. Luck is one component out of many others.
Defo depends if your project isn't a death march and your manager knows what he's doing. Don't risk your time if there isn't a likely reward. But if there is, like Clem says, go all out.
very helpful. thank you. Why did you quit FB?
1. Put in a lot of work, go the extra mile.
The more work you put in the more reward you will get out.
If you put in twice as much , you will get out twice as much.
2. Be extremely self-aware of what your strengths are. Find things that you're really got at and shine/ excell in them. (They can be soft skills). Find ways to exercise them. Triple down on them.
3. Have a very close relationship with your manager. They should be intimately familiar of your work, accomplishments, goals, concerns. If they aren't, make sure they do. If they don't have enough facetime/attention from them, find a way to get it.
4. Have visibility in your work and accomplishments. Perhaps send an e-mail it mention it in a meeting. Have good relationship with at least 3 people.
5. Be very aware of your weaknesses and don't let them become your criptonite. Don't forget what your main function is and focus on that and on improving your weaknesses. Frequently the weaknesses will be your soft skills.
6. These performance ratings will not be handed to you on a silver platter. These companies will reward you based on performance. They will not tell you how to get that performance rate, you will need to create it yourself. You also have to want that rating, then you will do the stuff necessary. Seek out opportunities.
7. You need to be a bit lucky (in a great environment for performance, great group, great project etc)
The real problem is working more than 40 - 45 hours a week if you lose your own life ... and that has no monetary return
damn, got CME for my 1st internship. Brutal. Returning next summer, and hope i can do better :)
You got this! EE, SEE, and S comin' up!
8:20....priceless!!!
😉
I second Jeff Bronson and think you should do a video on "put in a lot of work". I actually measure my time spent in productive applications with RescueTime and I find that I can usually only put in 3 hours a day spread across 13 hours with heavy doses of pain management like CZcams and Hacker News in between to alleviate pain. I do not understand how Elon Musk is able to work 80-100 hours whereas I can usually do 15.
what coding Bootcamp did attend?
The time you put in one thing specifically software does not correlate to linearly increased output. The performance will diminish dramatically after some time.
very good advice clement! I can tell that your work ethic is amazing just by the way you talk about this topic. I have a question for you, I'm currently a community college student for CS and I will probably be transferring out this up coming fall term, I'm a bit older then usual CC age (23) and I was thinking about just going to coding bootcamp and seeing if I can still possibly land a gig with that in the meantime while i still finish my schooling. WHats your advice on it? Seen anyone like my situation at the bootcamp you were at? Thanks
I don't know if I've seen anybody in this _particular_ situation, but I've certainly seen people in _similar_ situations. As far as I can tell, this wouldn't be a bad move. Nothing will be guaranteed, but it could actually end up being a very good move that'll equip you with more practical skills and a better shot at whatever company you want to join!
@@clem Thanks for the reply Clement!
I've been in the same situation. If you're transferring to a university, there will be more opportunities for side dev work. Once you get there, start networking and looking for startups/making websites for clubs, etc. You will build your portfolio and gain skills.
This is really informative I can really apply these to what I'm doing. This video provided me alot of value.
Really glad the video provided a lot of value!
Does google offer remote positions
flip two card with white card on bottom, squeeze hold for the top one?
Which coding bootcamp did he go to?
Smashed like an subscribe. The next day I was given a raise.
8:20 - man, these Google guys can hold a poker face... Dude! I almost started writing it down! :D
@Clément Mihailescu Where can I contact you (I have not linked)
If you could go back in time and able to get offers from any company after graduating from bootcamp, will you still choose Google or will you choose a different company?
"There are some things you can't control in life. You can't control how tall you are" Clem outing himself as a short person with that being his first go-to
ahahaha another great intro ahahaaha!! LAUGHINH HARD!
What school(s) did you go to? I’m concerned that since I went to a no-name school it’ll be hard for me to get a competitive job :/
Ruilin Lin He went to UPenn
But don’t let that stop you! Names only mean so much. You can always let your skills do the talking :)
Just a question, why did you leave Google?
Did you start your career at google, or worked at some other tech company before bagging the entry level role ?
he started his career at google after completing a coding bootcamp and self-studying for interviews
Superb at L4 doesn't equal top 5% dude
Loooooooooooooool
I can make it simple and shorten the vide. Basically when ever you want to look good you need to achieve something that matters and make it clear you did it.
But dont code 70 hours a week or something like that. The above is all you really need to do. Because few people will look you 24 hours a day what you do. Most business managers wont even understand what you do.
So if you really want to opimize just do 20 hours and communicate lot about what you are doing. Keep people on loop and listen them. Thats it. Its enough really as long as you can deliver. And if you can't deliver communicate it too. You're always better off when communicating. Always looks better, always gives better impression. Always look more active that way to other people. Even if you can't deliver. Always better result.
oh yeah, "over" communicating is usually beneficial.
What does it mean to host interns?
0:52 might as well just write a program to figure that out!
Well I've done all that before and it didn't pay off the slightest and even backfired. It's all about being in a good company. In small or medium sized companies you can put in as much efford as you want, they will always tell you that there isnt any budget to give you a raise. And it backfired at me in a way that some colleagues who were longer in the company feared their own positions and started to talk bad about me with the CEO which lead to me being let go. And that was only 1 company of 5 i've already been in. small and mid sized companies are simply the worst. They hire you as an assistant and after 2 month you are suddenly Administrator with the salary of an assistant. If you get into the giant tech companies you are good to go but trying hard is definitely not always a guarantee to get what you deserve.