If you’re interviewing for a role at Google, you’ll need to prepare for the behavioral interview. In particular, you’ll want to focus on stories that demonstrate your Googleyness.

The most important thing to remember when preparing for a Google behavioral interview: prepare well, but don’t rely too much on a script. Above everything else, Google interviewers want to see authenticity, and memorizing a script is hardly the way to show that.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to prepare properly for your behavioral interview at Google, with expert tips and insider insights from one of our ex-Google interview coaches, Christian.

Here’s a brief overview of what we’ll cover.

Key takeaways from this Google behavioral interview guide:

  • Google behavioral interviews assess you not on how well you align with its culture but on how much you can add to it.
  • Google wants candidates who have taken calculated risks and show willingness to be uncomfortable in the service of growth.
  • The most compelling candidates at Google don't shy away from talking about a real failure.
Click here to practice 1-on-1 with ex-Google interviewers.

Let's get started!

1. What is the Google behavioral interview?↑

Google uses behavioral interviews to assess job candidates based on their past experiences. They can appear at any point in the Google interview process. They may even be used as icebreakers or transition questions during technical screens. 

The frequency and type of behavioral questions will vary per role, but be prepared for many.

Now, what will your interviewers be looking out for?

1.1 What is Google looking for in a candidate?↑

What Google is looking for in candidates

 

An interviewer at Google will be looking for candidates who meet their four main attributes:

  1. Role-related knowledge and experience. This is often referred to as "RRK" or "RRKE" internally. The company wants to make sure that you have the right experience, domain expertise, and competencies for the position you're applying for. For more information, take a look at our guide to the Google RRK interview.
  2. General cognitive ability. This is often referred to as "GCA" by Googlers. The company wants to hire smart employees who can learn and adapt to new situations. Here your interviewer will try to understand how you solve hard problems and how you learn. For more information, take a look at our guide to the Google GCA interview.
  3. Leadership. Google looks for a particular type of leadership called “emergent leadership.” You'll typically be working in cross-functional teams at Google, and different team members are expected to step up and lead at different times depending on when their skills are needed.
  4. Googleyness (i.e. culture fit). The company wants to make sure Google is the right environment for you. Your interviewer will check whether you naturally exhibit the company's values, including being comfortable with ambiguity, having a bias to action, and having a collaborative nature.

In a behavioral interview round, interviewers evaluate you on those four attributes but are laser-focused on assessing your Googleyness. But what exactly is Googleyness? 

1.2 What is Googleyness?↑

Googleyness is a shorthand way of talking about the attitudes and character traits that Google wants its employees to have. It was originally coined by Google's former head of people operations, Laszlo Bock.

The term can be a bit nebulous, so we asked ex-Google hiring manager and interview coach Christian how the company defines the term in practice.

According to him, Google defines Googleyness across the following dimensions:

  • Thriving in ambiguity. Can you act decisively in an ambiguous environment that operates at scale like Google?
  • Bias toward action. Can you make decisions with incomplete information? "Google wants candidates who are not just great thinkers but great doers," Christian says.
  • Collaborative team-first mindset. Can you work well within cross-functional teams where your individual brilliance matters less than making the team smarter?
  • Moonshot thinking/10x thinking. Are you the type to aim beyond what seems realistic and hold yourself to genuine excellence?
  • Intellectual humility. Do you have the humility to admit you're wrong and to learn from your mistakes and failures?

One hidden facet that runs through all the Googleyness dimensions is "taking the courageous or interesting path." 

When asking you about your resume and past experiences, Google interviewers are not on the lookout for a set of optimal decisions. "They want evidence that you are the kind of person who takes calculated risks, bets on themselves, and is willing to be uncomfortable in the service of your growth," Christian says.

Here are some questions to ask when thinking about stories that display this hidden facet:

  • Was there a moment when you chose the harder path? 
  • Was there a time you took on a project no one else wanted? 
  • Did you ever make a move that didn't make obvious sense to the people around you?

Your story doesn’t have to be dramatic. It just has to demonstrate how you made a deliberate choice with clarity and clear values.

Click here to learn more about Googleyness.

1.3 What are the most common behavioral interview mistakes Google candidates make?↑

According to Christian (ex-Google hiring manager), the following are the most common mistakes that people make in a Google behavioral interview:

  • Being too polished. Google values authenticity. If you come in with a script and sound like you’ve rehearsed word for word, your interviewers may get suspicious. They may even wonder if your stories are real.
  • Overclaiming. Overstating your achievements, like saying you’re wholly responsible for a team result without going into the nuances, will raise red flags. Interviewers are trained to spot this and will probe you deeply on your answer. 
  • Avoiding the failure story. "The most compelling candidates talk about a real failure clearly, without defensiveness, with genuine learnings," Christian says. If every story you tell is a success story, you’re not demonstrating Googleyness. 
  • Playing it safe. When asked a hypothetical or situation question ("What would you do if...?"), playing it safe is a red flag. Christian’s tip on the best way to answer: "Take a stand, explain your reasoning, and stay open to pushback and follow-up questions."

Applying for a specific role? Check out our behavioral interview guides for product managers and software engineers to learn the most common questions for your role.

Coaches who contributed to this guide

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Christian O.
Management consultant, Account executive, HR manager, Marketing manager, Product marketing manager, Sales manager, Strategy and operations manager
Ireland, Italy
5.0 (4 reviews)
6 clients (16% rebook rate)
Profile picture for Christian O.
Christian O.
Management consultant
Account executive
HR manager
+ 4 other
Ireland, Italy
5.0 (4 reviews)
6 clients (16% rebook rate)
Browse more Google behavioral interview experts

2. What are the most common behavioral questions asked at Google?↑

Now that you know more about the Google behavioral interview, let’s look at some example questions. 

To help you prepare strategically for your job interview, we used Glassdoor data to identify the real questions asked in interviews for a few top tech roles.

This question bank is divided based on where you are in your prep: Top 5 if you’re in a hurry, per category if you have a specific topic you want to focus on, and per role if you want to see the most relevant questions for your role.

Feel free to skip to the section most relevant to your needs.

Note that we've edited the language in some of the questions for clarity or grammar.

Let’s get into it.

2.1 Top 5 Google behavioral interview questions↑

First, we wanted to highlight the 5 most common behavioral questions that Google asks across every role we’ve studied.

You’ll see that regardless of the role, Google wants to know how you lead even without the title, and how you handle failure, conflicts, and ambiguous situations. 

Click on each question for a deep dive on how to answer.

2.2 Google behavioral questions by category↑

Here are the most common categories of questions you'll get at a Google behavioral interview. The most relevant themes will depend on your role. For example, if you're up for an engineering manager role, you'll get mostly leadership or project management questions.

2.2.1 General Google behavioral questions

First up are the general behavioral questions that may come up for any role. Here, your interviewer is looking for an overall view of your past experiences and what you will be like as an employee at Google. You’ll see that regardless of the role, Google is curious about your resume, your motivations, and why you want to work for them specifically. 

Example behavioral questions asked at Google: General

  • Why Google?
  • Tell me about yourself
  • Tell me about this [past related project] that you worked on
  • Tell me about a challenge or conflict you faced at your past/current job. How did you handle it?
  • Tell me about a time you had to change
  • Tell me about a time when you had to come up with a creative solution to solve a problem.
  • Tell me about a time you created something from nothing
  • Tell me about your biggest achievements in your past work
  • Tell me about the last time you failed, and what happened
  • Tell me about your favorite Google product
  • Tell me about the skills that you possess that will help you succeed in this role
  • Why this position? Where do you see your career moving?
  • Why are you leaving your former position?
  • What are your strengths and weaknesses?
  • What makes a good [job title]? What makes a bad [job title]?
  • If you had coffee with Sundar Pichai what would you talk to him about?

2.2.2 Google behavioral questions: Teamwork

Many employees at Google have to work in cross-functional teams with other engineers, product managers, PMMs, data analysts, etc. You’ll need to be able to communicate clearly, work with others efficiently, and build trust and relationships.

Your interviewer will be looking for you to share stories from your past experience that demonstrate a spirit of collaboration and partnership. Give it a try using the following questions.

Example behavioral questions asked at Google: Teamwork

2.2.3 Google behavioral questions: Leadership/people management

In addition to a collaborative nature, Google is looking for employees who demonstrate emergent leadership. This is because most roles will involve not only working in teams, but also leading when appropriate.

Expect questions about your approach to developing and retaining team members, leading teams through difficult situations, resolving conflict, etc. 

Example behavioral questions asked at Google: Leadership/people management

2.2.4 Google behavioral questions: Project management

Finally, you may be asked one or multiple project management questions, which dive into your productivity and how you effectively lead projects end-to-end. Some of these questions are specific to certain roles.

If you’re interviewing for a position that entails managing and leading project teams, expect questions about your project management philosophy, your ability to deal with complex and ambiguous situations, and your experience delivering results.

Example behavioral questions asked at Google: Project management

  • Tell me about a time you had to handle a project that was late.
  • Tell me about a time you were the end-to-end owner of a project.
  • Tell me about a time you used data to make a critical decision / measure impact.
  • Tell me about a time you improved a process at one of your previous workplaces
  • How will you go about doing this job for the first 90 days?
  • How would you handle competing visions on how to deliver a project?
  • How would you choose a methodology to manage a project?
  • How would you balance flexibility and process in an agile environment?
  • How do you sort your priorities when engaged in multitasking?

See our guide to behavioral interviews to get more example questions.

2.3 Most common Google behavioral questions per role↑

In this section, we list the most recently reported Google behavioral questions on Glassdoor for the following roles (click to go straight to the role you’re applying for):

2.3.1 Google product manager behavioral interview questions

  • Why product management?
  • What is one accomplishment you're most proud of, at work or outside of work?
  • Tell us about a time you faced conflict.
  • Describe a product you built.
  • Tell me about a time you resolved a problem as a Product Manager
  • Tell me about a time you led a team.
  • Tell us about a time you disagreed with the team
  • How do you collaborate with others?
  • Describe a time when you had a cross-functional challenge on a project. How did you manage it?
  • Describe how you would convince engineering to work on a business-requested feature that would interfere with their existing work, especially if the engineering team is working on meeting a deadline.

Click here to learn more about the Google product manager interview process.

2.3.2 Google software engineer behavioral interview questions

  • Tell me about a recent / interesting project you worked on
  • Tell me about a time you had to resolve a conflict in a team
  • Tell me about a time you demonstrated leadership even though you weren't the formal manager
  • How would you address a skill gap or personality conflict?
  • Tell me about a time you had to handle a project that was late
  • How would you convince a team to adopt new technologies?
  • Tell me about a time you used data to make a critical decision
  • How would you handle competing visions on how to deliver a project?
  • Tell me about a time you were the end-to-end owner of a project
  • Tell me about a time you had to handle trade-offs and ambiguity

Click here to learn more about the Google software engineer interview process.

2.3.3 Google engineering manager behavioral interview questions

  • Why are you an effective leader?
  • Give me an example of when you challenged the status quo.
  • Give me an example of when you navigated through a complex/ambiguous situation
  • How would you set up a geographically distributed team?
  • How do you deal with low/high performers?
  • Tell me about a time you handled a conflict
  • What's the hardest conversation you've had to have with one of your directs?
  • As a manager, how do you handle trade-offs?
  • Describe how you deal with change management
  • Describe in detail a project that failed

Click here to learn more about the Google engineering manager interview process.

2.3.4 Google data engineer behavioral interview questions

Click here to learn more about the Google data engineer interview process.

2.3.5 Google data scientist behavioral interview questions

  • How do you sort your priorities when engaged in multitasking?
  • Describe a past project you worked on.
  • In what direction do you see your career moving?
  • Do you prefer working in small or large teams?
  • How do you push back when disagreeing with a manager?
  • What are the top competencies that you are bringing to our company?
  • Why do you prefer Google over Apple?
  • How is this job aligned with your objectives? 

Click here to learn more about the Google data scientist interview process.

Curious to know what the general Google interview experience is like? Check out these real Google candidate reports and success stories.

3. How to answer Google behavioral interview questions↑

Now that you’ve seen some of Google’s top questions, let’s work on a technique for answering them.

3.1 Technique

When answering behavioral questions, you should focus on your most relevant achievements and communicate them in a clear way. An easy way to do this is to use a repeatable framework to structure your stories. 

The STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method is a popular approach because it’s easy to remember. However, we’ve found that candidates often find it difficult to distinguish between task and action. Some also forget to include lessons learned in the results step, which is crucial when discussing past failures.

So we’ve developed the IGotAnOffer SPSIL (Situation, Problem, Solution, Impact, Lesson) method to correct some of the STAR method's pitfalls.

The IGotAnOffer SPSIL (Situation, Problem, Solution, Impact, Lesson) method

IGAO SPSIL METHOD

Let’s step through our suggested five-step approach:

  1. Situation: Start by giving the necessary context of the situation you were in. Describe your role, the team, the organization, the market, etc. You should only give the minimum context needed to understand the problem and the solution in your story. Nothing more.
  2. Problem: Outline the problem you and your team were facing.
  3. Solution: Explain the solution you came up with to solve the problem. Step through how you went about implementing your solution, and focus on your contribution over what the team / larger organization did.
  4. Impact: Summarize the positive results you achieved for your team, department, and organization. As much as possible, quantify the impact.
  5. Lessons: Conclude with any lessons you might have learned in the process.

This method covers very similar themes to the STAR method. But, there's no overlap in the steps, so a lot of the candidates we work with find this framework easier to use.  

For a deep dive into this, see our article on why the STAR method isn’t always the best for behavioral interviews and how IGotAnOffer's SPSIL method may be a better option. It was written with PMs in mind, but applies to any role.

Ultimately, you should practice using whatever method you’re the most comfortable with. If you’d like to start practicing right away, jump back to the full list of questions here.

Otherwise, to get a better idea of how our method works, work through the example below.

3.2 Example answer: Tell me about a challenge or conflict you faced at a past job

Now that you know some approaches for answering behavioral questions, let's look at a full example using one of Google’s most frequently asked questions.

Try answering the question below following your preferred method. Play both the role of the interviewer and the candidate. Write down your answer, then practice saying it out loud. Once you’ve finished, go through our example answer and compare your response to fill in any gaps in your story.

Try this question:
Tell me about a challenge or conflict you faced at a past job

Answer:

We’ll use the IGotAnOffer method described above and answer as if interviewing for a product manager job at Google.

Notice that the question asks for a past challenge OR conflict, which lets you choose what you’d like to highlight. If you choose a past challenge, this would be a good way to show off your leadership and problem-solving skills. In this case, we’ve chosen to focus on a past conflict, which we’ll use to display conflict-resolution and collaboration skills.

Click here for a sample answer to the past challenge question instead.

1. Situation

"In my past job, I was on a product team composed of coworkers from various functional areas of our company. I had recently been hired, so this was my first interaction with the team. Eager to get to know everybody and to contribute to the project, I frequently jumped in with ideas and volunteered to lend a hand in many tasks."

Without giving too much detail, this opening gives a quick sense of the situation you were in. If relevant, you can add a sentence or two to define your team’s goal, the functional areas present, or the stakeholders. Either way, the scene is set to get into the conflict that will arise when you describe the problem.

After you outline the situation, you can now explain the problem.

2. Problem

"I began to notice in our team meetings that one of my coworkers began cutting me off when I presented ideas. Later, when I volunteered to help with a task that concerned his functional area, he neglected to give me the information and resources I needed in order to contribute. This behavior continued, causing a conflict that interfered with our team discussions and slowed down our progress on important tasks."

Here, you haven’t spent too long discussing the situation and problem, but your answer so far has given the interviewer a clear sense of the setting and conflict you faced.

3. Solution

"I knew any conflict was detrimental to the team’s goals, so I wanted to squash it right away. My first step was to examine my own behavior to understand how it may have sparked the conflict. I determined that my eagerness to contribute to the discussions and project may have overstepped some bounds. 

My next step was to meet with my coworker. I approached him and asked to set a meeting for just the two of us. I let him choose the time, so as not to unintentionally interrupt his workflow.

Next, we held our discussion. I politely expressed how his behavior was preventing me from speaking up in meetings and helping with important tasks, then asked if I had overstepped any boundaries in my first few weeks on the team. He agreed, explaining that my initial eagerness had taken up too much time in the meetings, giving him and others less of an opportunity to present their teams’ work. Also, when I volunteered to help in his functional area, it slowed him down to have to explain the processes to me.

First, I apologized for my initial behavior. After he accepted my apology, I then presented a plan for upcoming meetings to avoid further conflict: I would be more attentive to the time I spent speaking in meetings and would only volunteer for tasks when I was confident I was well equipped to contribute. In exchange, I requested that he approach me in case further issues arise, instead of closing me off from discussions or projects. He agreed."

When describing the solution you came up with to solve the problem, it’s important to step through your thinking. And it’s especially important to focus on YOUR contribution.

Let’s take a step back and look at what's highlighted in the answer above. It emphasizes your ability to admit your own mistakes and resolve them. It also shows your efforts toward clear communication and conflict resolution. 

A key aspect of Googleyness is a collaborative nature, so that cross-functional teams, such as the one in this example, can work together smoothly. A story like this highlights your ability to face issues head-on, before they turn into a larger problem for the team.

4. Impact

"After I met with that coworker, we each adjusted our behavior and avoided further conflict all the way through to the end of that project. We were able to catch up on the delays we were beginning to incur with our communication issues, finishing the project on time and meeting our initial goals."

After explaining the actions you took, it’s a good idea to quantify how much impact you had, like we've done in this step.

5. Lessons

"Thankfully, this all happened right at the beginning of my time with that company, and the rest of my time there went smoothly. It taught me to be much more receptive to coworkers’ feedback and work to keep my contributions quick and to the point in meetings. Also, it taught me to address issues as soon as they arise, as we were able to move on from that conflict very quickly instead of allowing it to grow into a larger problem.">

Never forget to wrap up your answer with what you've learned in the experience.

3.3 Example answers: Google behavioral mock interview video

Watch the video below for more best-in-class answers to common Google behavioral questions, like "Tell me about yourself?" and "Why Google?". These are important questions to practice for, as they don't follow a specific framework.

 

​​​If you're currently a Googler preparing for your internal transfer interview, check out our guide to Google internal transfers to learn more about the process.

4. Google behavioral interview tips↑

Here are a few helpful tips and interview best practices to keep in mind during your Google behavioral interview.

4.1 Get used to setting up the situation in 30 seconds or less

Use a timer while you practice to ensure you provide only necessary information. Spending too much time on setting up the situation is one of the most common mistakes candidates make.

4.2 Stay focused on essential details

Interviewers hear a lot of behavioral stories a day. If you go into unnecessary details, you are likely to lose their attention. Share your stories with a few different people before your interview and ask them what details they would suggest cutting.

4.3 Be proud and talk about YOU

This is not the time to be shy about your accomplishments. Highlight your impact, not what "the team" did. Not talking about YOU enough is another common mistake we see with a lot of candidates.

That being said, don’t overstate your impact. Your interviewers are trained to spot this and will surely probe you with multiple follow-up questions. Instead, be honest about your contribution, but don’t forget to go into the nuances of how you got to a particular result. 

4.4 Adapt to follow-up questions

Don’t be alarmed if your interviewer asks follow-up questions; this is perfectly normal. Listen carefully to the way your interviewer is asking these questions, as there will often be a subtle clue about the specific skills they’re looking to assess from the next part of your answer.

4.5 Explain how failure made you better

When talking about failure, don’t try to hide your mistakes or frame a weakness as a strength. Instead, show what you learned and how you grew from the failure. This helps you show intellectual humility and a growth mindset.

4.6 Don’t come in with a script

While it’s important to structure your answer so that you can communicate all the important details clearly, coming in with a script is a huge red flag. Google values authenticity, not perfection. 

What’s important is to prepare stories that best demonstrate your Googleyness. Once you have one, you can practice telling them in a way that feels true to you.

5. How to prepare for a Google behavioral interview↑

Right, now that we’ve been through all the questions and the techniques you can use to answer them, we’d like to offer some resources to help you prepare. After all, the right preparation will make the difference between failing your Google interviews and getting an offer.

Here are the steps you can take to prepare for your Google behavioral interview.

5.1 Learn about Google’s culture

Most candidates fail to do this. But before investing tens of hours preparing for an interview at Google, you should take some time to make sure it's actually the right company for you.

Google is prestigious, and it's therefore tempting to assume that you should apply, without considering things more carefully. However, it's important to remember that prestige alone won't make you happy in your day-to-day work. What will make you happy is what you’ll actually be doing as well as the people you'll be working with.

If you know people who work at Google or used to work there, talk to them to understand what the culture is like. In addition, we would recommend reading the following resources:

5.2 Familiarize yourself with the interview process for your role

Behavioral interview questions appear throughout the entire Google interview process. For more information on the process for a specific role, consult one of our comprehensive interview guides below: 

5.3 Practice by yourself

Acing a behavioral question is much harder than it looks. You’ll stand out if you put in the required work to craft concise and direct answers.

5.3.1 Write down your stories

First, work out which stories you’d like to tell. Make a list of key moments in your career (e.g. accomplishments, failures, team situations, leadership situations, etc.) that you can use to answer one or multiple questions.

Familiarize yourself with Googleyness and the company’s corporate philosophy and find at least one story from your past that shows alignment with each attribute.

After you’ve finished your list, write a story for each key moment in your career using the structure in section 3. 

Once you have a bank of stories, go through the questions in section 2 and make sure you can answer them either by using one of the stories you’ve written directly, or by adapting it on the fly. If you identify any gaps, add stories to your bank until you’re comfortable that you can cover all the questions listed in this article.

Watch this video with ex-Google hiring manager Christian to learn how to create a story bank.

5.3.2 Practice your stories out loud

After you've written everything down, a great way to practice your answers is to interview yourself out loud. This may sound strange, but it will significantly improve the way you communicate during an interview. 

You should be able to tell each story naturally, neither missing key details nor memorizing them word-for-word.

Play the role of both the candidate and the interviewer, asking questions and answering them, just like two people would in an interview. Trust us, it works.

5.4 Practice with peers

Practicing by yourself will only take you so far. By yourself, you can’t simulate thinking on your feet or the pressure of performing in front of a stranger. Plus, there are no unexpected follow-up questions and no feedback.

That’s why many candidates try to practice with friends or peers. If you have friends or peers who can do mock interviews with you, that's an option worth trying. It’s free, but be warned, you may come up against the following problems:

  • It’s hard to know if the feedback you get is accurate
  • They’re unlikely to have insider knowledge of interviews at your target company
  • On peer platforms, people often waste your time by not showing up

For those reasons, many candidates skip peer mock interviews and go straight to mock interviews with an expert. 

5.5 Practice with experienced Google interviewers

In our experience, practicing real interviews with experts who can give you company-specific feedback makes a huge difference.

Find a Google behavioral interview coach so you can:

  • Test yourself under real interview conditions
  • Get accurate feedback from a real expert
  • Build your confidence
  • Get company-specific insights
  • Learn how to tell the right stories, better.
  • Save time by focusing your preparation

Landing a job at a big tech company often results in a $50,000 per year or more increase in total compensation. In our experience, three or four coaching sessions worth ~$500 significantly impact your ability to land the job. That’s an ROI of 100x!