Адема рассказала как она проходила две стажировки в DeepMind и в Google в 2022 году 😇
Hey everyone, I am Adema and I just did two amazing SWE internships at DeepMind and Google. So, I am here to share with you tips and tricks of my interview preparations for FAANG companies.


Let’s start with background information about me. I am doing a bachelors degree at Nazarbayev University in Computer Science . I got 3 SWE internship offers in my third year, mainly to Amazon, Google and DeepMind. By the way, I started coding as a freshman in this university, so it is never late to start coding)


First step. Improve your CV.
- Follow the CV tips from here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYUy1yvjHxE
- Show that you have experience with a variety of programming languages in your CV. This is especially good for internships, it shows that you are curious and can work on many different technologies.
- Get your CV reviewed in @sns_internships or similar groups. This is a must!
- Don’t underestimate the power of referrals.


How I prepared for coding interviews?
- First, I revised the topics in computer science in general in interviews.school, starting from basic string to dynamic programming. In parallel, I tried to solve at least 5 interview questions, 3 of which were topic wise, and 2 of them were really random. Make sure you really understand the solutions and consider more than one solution.
- Once I finished revision, I started solving a minimum of 10 problems and did mock interviews everyday. Ask for feedback and work on your weaknesses.
- Get leetcode premium with your friends and prepare for company specialized problems. In my experience, it is really relevant for Meta(Facebook) and Bloomberg!
- If you are applying for company X, search who recently or ever did the interview with them. Ask about their experience! Know what to expect! Know the interview process for company X. In leetcode discussion, you can even find questions that have recently been asked in company X.
- I interviewed at Facebook, Bloomberg, Palantir, DeepMind, Google and Amazon in this order. I didn’t get the offer from the first three companies, but got the other three:) The interview process for all those companies can be found online by simply searching: interview process for [company X]. As for DeepMind, I can’t share it as I signed an NDA for that.


One important question. How to get noticed by companies?
- Participate in their events! Example: Google holds some workshops in their website: https://grow.google/live-training/
- Participate in any hackathons and coding competitions!
- Apply even if you think you don’t have enough experience. Even if you get rejected, you will stay in their database, and there is a less chance of getting rejected next time and sometimes they will reach out to you because of your old CV.


Final note. Even if you prepare hard and still don’t get the offer. Don’t give up! Sixty percent of the process consists of luck. There will be other chances for you along the way! I interviewed with Google in my second year and completely failed it. I was devastated but I found hope and now I have done my dream internships! So never give up! Believe in yourself and good luck!