Video summary
How He Cracked GOOGLE as a Fresher from a Bachelor’s of Engineering | Google Journey | Parth Ostwal
Main summary
Key takeaways
Overview
Parth Ostwal (2025 graduate) shares his journey of cracking Google as an off-campus fresher and argues that the degree name (B.Tech/BE) is not the deciding factor—skills and preparation are.
He also emphasizes that in the AI-era interview process, candidates must adapt: interview rounds now heavily test problem-solving and communication, along with technical fundamentals.
Key arguments & takeaways
1) BE vs B.Tech doesn’t matter
Many candidates worry that not having a B.Tech (or even a software-focused degree) will block them. Parth’s example:
- He has a Bachelor of Engineering background
- He became a Software Engineer at Google
- He cracked off-campus
- He even worked as a Google intern (Cloud team) before joining
Core message: focus on DSA + practical skills, not the degree label.
2) Rejection didn’t stop him
He describes a phase where he was targeting top companies, faced rejection in a final round, and felt it was devastating—but continued anyway.
His breakthrough:
- A Google internship (winter)
- Led to a PPO
- Eventually resulted in full-time work
3) College preparation: healthy competition + resources
Parth highlights:
- The importance of peer groups and a coding culture (especially competitive programming)
- Seniors providing resources
- Following structured preparation paths such as:
- Luv CP / Luv’s playlist
- Striver
- DSA sheets
- Participating in regular contests
When progress plateaus, he suggests:
- Leaning on peers for motivation
- Staying in a group to avoid stagnation
4) Transitioning between Competitive Programming and DSA
He argues that Codeforces (CF) and LeetCode overlap in the shared goal of building problem-solving skills.
A suggested progression:
- Use Codeforces early (roughly first/second year → start third year)
- Build intuition from story/problem interpretation
- Move to LeetCode closer to placements
- Focus on interview-readiness
He also mentions starting with CodeChef first to build confidence (comfort with lower difficulty / ratings) before switching to CF.
5) Google interviews: not just “standard DSA”
Based on his experience/observations, Google questions can be:
- Story-based
- Sometimes not straightforward or purely pattern-based like typical “standard DSA templates”
He believes Google tests:
- Problem solving
- Often requiring CS fundamentals and structured reasoning
6) Communication is “supreme”
Parth strongly emphasizes interview communication:
- Explaining clearly
- Handling hints
- Accepting corrections
- Recovering quickly after mistakes
He warns that even if a candidate knows the solution, performance can fail if they cannot present it well.
He connects this to major-company dynamics, including behavioral/HR-style rounds, and warns not to underestimate them.
7) Example path: Zomato → Google
He describes Zomato as extremely challenging:
- Early rounds: heavy DSA + core subjects
- Additional rounds: system design
Later, he says he received an offer from Google and stopped further application after clearing major Google rounds (including final discussions like team/manager/comp).
8) CS fundamentals prep approach
His approach included:
- Starting with YouTube playlists and notes
- For deeper companies (example: Zomato), using additional references like:
- “top 50” style question resources for CN/DBMS/OS
- Learning theory first, then applying via interview-style questions
9) System design prep (avoid “tutorial hell”)
His method:
- Design a system yourself (think mentally in LLD/HLD terms)
- Compare with YouTube approaches to identify gaps
- Practice iteratively
He cautions against only watching tutorials without doing real problem solving.
10) Working at Google: culture + AI realities
Culture: He contrasts office culture across locations and mentions an inclusive culture without a rigid “sir/ma’am” hierarchy.
AI reality: He supports using AI to speed up information gathering and reduce manual effort, but warns against over-reliance:
- AI-generated code can be wrong
- PR review effort increases because engineers must verify AI work
He shares an incident where AI suggested UI steps that didn’t exist, reinforcing the need for human verification.
11) Off-campus and resume strategy
Parth argues off-campus hiring is possible, especially when:
- There is high volume
- There’s variety in applications
Resume improvement loop:
- After rejections, revise resume content
- He notes issues like starting with plain text and missing technical phrasing/keywords
He discourages waiting to “be ready” and recommends applying while preparing.
12) How interns get PPO: relentless ownership
He describes the anxiety of PPO timelines—internship felt like a narrow window.
What he credits:
- Asking many questions
- Getting continuous mentor feedback
- Treating the internship as the primary chance to prove capability
- Working almost every day to deliver results
13) LinkedIn networking at scale
He emphasizes “cold approach” on LinkedIn:
- Ask for mentorship/referrals
- Avoid generic messages
He claims:
- He built connections early
- Reached about ~30,000 connections
- When needing referrals, he contacted hundreds (around ~500) to improve odds
Actionable advice he repeats
- Don’t treat AI as a replacement for DSA—use it for assistance, not bypassing thinking.
- Build problem-solving first (CF → LeetCode timing strategy), then sharpen communication.
- Prepare for behavioral/HR rounds seriously.
- Apply off-campus aggressively and improve your resume iteratively.
- Network via LinkedIn with high volume and thoughtful outreach.
Presenters / contributors
- Parth Ostwal (Parth Bhai / Parth Oswal Bhai) — Google Software Engineer; main speaker
- Kartik Bhai — podcast host / mentioned contributor (appears in conversation but not heard as a separate speaker in the subtitles)