Are You Smart Enough to Work at Google?: Trick Questions, Zen-like Riddles, Insanely Difficult Puzzles, and Other Devious Interviewing Techniques You ... Know to Get a Job Anywhere in the New Economy

First of all, William Poundstone is a very good writer, and a bright guy to boot. This is a good book just to give you the answer to those crazy puzzles you often find not only in interviews, but in puzzle books. It's a pleasure to read and you really learn a lot. A book worth buying no matter what you are trying to find---a job--solutions to puzzles and more.

I found this to be an entertaining and informative read about the riddle-type questions that are now so popular in job interviews. Some of the advice offered could give you ideas on how to answer such questions if you are faced with them during an interview. Importantly, it could help you better structure your thought process and demeanor when tackling such interview questions. However, this book alone would probably not help you get a job at Google or anywhere else - riddles or not. The most interesting thing I found in this book is the admission that other companies have adopted riddle questions because they are trying to be more like Google. However, such interviewers usually don't understand the reasoning or objectives behind Google's riddle/mathematical problems and therefore a worthy response to a riddle asked at Google may get you different results at other companies. I had fun comparing my answers to the riddles to the answer key in the back of the book, but I believe that it has only made me marginally better as an interviewer. I still think that getting hit with a riddle during an interview at any company makes your success more of a crap shoot.

An interview question at Apple: What happened in 2001? Hint: 9-11 is not the answer they're looking for. They want to hear it's when the iPod was invented, or the date of the first Apple store. At Goldman Sachs, they want to see whether you know the firm's latest stock price. At Nordstrom, it's all about a basic black dress. The book is an often funny survey of the corporate world, and about the many good and bad attempts to identify the smartest employees in the shortest time. I saw an article in Bloomberg about this book and was curious because I did an interview at Google and did get a question similar to one there. It's not all about Google, it's something like a blend of a New Yorker piece on the trend of challenging questions and a Martin Gardner book. Bottom line: If you love problemsolving, as I do, this book is a natural. If you're looking for a job and aren't expecting a simple cheatsheet, it's valuable background.

Good read, but not sure how useful it really is in Google interviews. But if you want some exercise for brain muscles during your train rides or free time, you'll find it to be pretty amusing.

Very interesting book if you like to solve puzzles. Got new interesting quizzes and ideas. Although on interview nobody really asked me those types of questions. It seems like it's becoming less popular. Still I think this book is worth it. It makes you think wider.

I guess I am not smart enough to work at Google! But more importantly after reading this book I would not want to. Is Google an advertising company or a technology company? The questions Google asks on interviews (if this book is accurate) have very little to do with work and perhaps are designed to stroke the ego of the person asking the questions. Like all things it is far easier to ask a cleverly worded question than to answer it. Nevertheless the questions and the suggested answers are quite interesting and entertaining. In the end I guess the book leaves you with the thought that if Google is looking for creativity and the suggested interview questions are designed to hire creative people then it looks like it is not working out. Google remains a "one trick pony" and is a company with a search engine and no other real products to speak of. Perhaps it is time to go back to the drawing board!

This book showed me that I will probably never be considered "smart enough" to work at Google -- although I hold two bachelor's and two master's degrees, it is evident that I don't think outside the box enough to work there. While I don't necessarily believe that they actually use these questions for interviews, I'm sure it helps those who might be interested in working there to understand the type of thinking on your feet, as well as one's capacity for innovation, that is probably necessary to get a job there.

This book helped prepare me for the Google interview. Although I did not get an offer, I learned a lot, and did much better than I would have done without this book. After prepping for the Google interview, I feel I can ace any other interview out there. If you plan on applying to any TOP company, read this book.

Some really interesting questions (a lot mathematical/programming themed as you might expect), book is full of them, quite a lot which I had not come across before. I actually thought the "size of the fly in the blender" question at the start is not very representative of other questions, but is definitely a good way to hook you in.

Un libro muy interesante para los que quieren entender el funcionamiento de los procesos de selección de grades empresas IT.

This book is awesome. Not only do you get an insight into the hiring practices and general principles in Human Resources, you are invited to test yourself and your abilities to solve riddles of different form and difficulty. Generally speaking the book is an easy read and gives you the chance to proove your abilities, creativity and intelligence without the pressure of an interview. A must read for everyone who is on job search or likes logic, algebra and creative problem solution.

YES! You must read this book, it's great whether you want to sit down and power through, or just pick it up once in a while.

本書の著者の前作も読んだが、それは主として当時話題になっていたマイクロソフトでの採用面接で投げかけられる難解な論理クイズを前面に出して採用面接の有効性に様々な疑問を投げかけたものであったが、時節柄今回はGoogleを前面に出しているのだがどうやら随分前からこの種のクイズめいた質問をGoogleでは行っていない、もっと言うと禁止されているというのでGoogleを受けようという方の参考にはなりそうにありません。但し記述にある学歴・社歴重視というのは現在でも事実なようですので、この点はどうしようもありませんね。 実際、近年AmazonやSilicon Valleyの会社の面接を何回か受けましたが、EngineeringやSalesでないせいもあったとは思いますが、この手のクイズめいた質問に出会ったことはありませんでした。但し考え方、Logicを問う質問を仕事との絡みで聞かれることは多々ありましたので、頭の体操としてはPage数も多くないので通勤途中などに読むのには最適ではないでしょうか。半分くらいが回答編なので本文は130Pageくらいです。回答のほうが面白いとも言えますが。