How do I apply for a job in Google?

How can a person without a degree apply for an internship (or directly for a job) at Google, Facebook, etc.?

• How can you know that you have enough knowledge and skills to be valued by these companies? I dropped out from college and am self-educating myself. What do they expect from interns? I would appreciate some suggestions.

• Answer:

  Your situation is quite similar to one of a college freshman who doesn't have a degree but has a lot of CS experience (or at least a good deal). I wouldn't let not having a degree keep you from applying to a large company, or really any company in general. So my general advice is to go for it! As for some more specific advice... I'll address each of your questions individually. I hope this format is easy to understand - if not, please do let me know and I'll rearrange it! How can a person without a degree apply for an internship (or directly job) at Google, Facebook, etc? In my opinion, the biggest advantage that you miss out on when you're not a current college student or an alum is likely Career Expo. At least at my university, the Career Expo is one of the best ways for us to get jobs. You might check and see if a local university will allow you to attend the Expo - at UT, I believe you can if you pay an entrance fee. As for methods of applying, there are a couple different routes you can take. Apply online - This is the most standard way of applying for a position! Most companies will ask internship candidates from universities to apply through their website anyway. Additionally, most companies have a careers site that houses applications for their internship and full time opportunities as well descriptions and resources. Get referred - If you know someone well who works at a company, you could approach them for a referral  This route is a bit tricky - referrals work 2 ways. For the candidate being referred, it could be an "in" for them. For the employee doing the referring, if the candidate gets doesn't get hired or does not do well, it could reflect poorly on them (at least this is what I think, I'm not entirely sure how that's viewed at every/most companies). For me, I refer people that I have knowledge of their skills or that I believe would be a good fit for a company (if I've interned at the company). So, if there is someone who has seen your skills, you might ask them Get involved with a smaller company first - You never know! Maybe you'll like working at a start up or smaller company better than at a large company like Google or Microsoft or one with a big name like Facebook. In my opinion, one of the most important factors in taking an internship (and even a full time offer) is the project/product you'll be working on. If you find something that you're passionate about working on, you'll have a much better time at an internship or job than if you just go to some huge company to work on a project that you don't like. Even if you find something you like at a small company but still strive to work at a larger company, the experience you gain from the initial work experience will help your future applications. I do agree with something that has touched on too! If you're looking for ways to build your resume for applying to companies in general, do some really interesting projects! Anything that you'll be able to talk about on an interview or even just something you thought was cool and wanted to build. It will give you programming experience as well as experience working on projects, which most university students are fairly used to doing because of the way that programming classes typically work. How can you know that you have enough knowledge and skills to be valued by these companies? In a way, there's no way of knowing. That probably sounds like a cop out... but I honestly can't think of an objective way to say "You have enough knowledge" or "You don't have enough knowledge". In my opinion, doing an internship doesn't necessarily mean you need to know everything; I definitely know more now than I did when I took my first internship with Facebook. I think the willingness to learn, a quickness in terms of problem solving, and a determination to ship projects are really important when doing an internship or working full time. Obviously, there is a basic amount of knowledge you do need to know - a solid understanding of data structures and algorithms is essential for doing an internship. However, for example, you may have zero mobile computing experience. Your lack of experience working in the industry on mobile computing won't necessarily prevent you from getting a job in that area. I would say that if you are able to finish a couple of personal projects, you're for sure ready. Besides, you'll learn a lot of material and skills when you're on the job and directly exposed to the subject! Even if you're unsure, it never hurts to try to apply! If you don't have work experience, I would suggest starting with smaller companies or more familiar companies before moving on to company with a tough interview process, such as Google. What do they expect from interns? This varies per company, but in my experience, I feel like I've been expected to come in, work, and finish a project (at the basic level). I have known successful interns who have not finished projects or whose projects didn't end up getting shipped, so that's not necessarily a defining factor in the success of an intern or internship. I've written a couple of answers about what to expect from an internship and what you should look to get out of it, but it's all pretty subjective. I think the most important parts of internships are to learn something new, experience a company, and really explore the field. You're going to be expected to work really hard and to be dedicated to your project, but you're also expected to act like a student and a summer intern and just go out and have fun and explore the city that you're in. I love internships! Long answer! Comment if you'd like anything clarified. Good luck!