Intern Story - Sriyathavan Srisathanantham

Landing the Internship

For your internships at AWS and Google, how early did you start applying, and how many total applications did you send out across the season?

For AWS 2024 Summer I applied in October 2023. For Google 2025 Summer I applied in June 2024. I sent about 300+ applications each season, although most of them didn't hit.

For Google specifically — was it a cold apply, a referral, or did you do anything beforehand to get your name in front of the recruiter?

For Google I was scrolling reels and saw that they opened a listing. This was in June. In September I also got a referral, but I'm not sure if this affected anything. My recruiter actually said they saw no referral, and I asked this after I got the first OA (online assessment).

What about AWS — how did that opportunity come about and how did you initially get your foot in the door?

For AWS I had a referral from someone I met at a networking event organized by my school. Interestingly, it wasn't even a tech-focused event - it was just about getting to know people.

If you did any networking at all, can you break down exactly what that looked like (who you reached out to, what you said, how you followed up)?

During 2023, I worked in retail sales. I would try and cold approach customers, and if I noticed they worked in tech, I would ask for advice and knowledge, and ultimately a LinkedIn connection. Even after I left that job, I continued doing this with everyone I met, as I enjoyed the growth and engagement that came with it. I used to be very socially awkward and had social anxiety, so this really helped me develop my communication skills. I ended up having multiple connections at AWS once I got to applying, all from these random encounters.

For Google, my approach was a bit more focused. I joined GDG (Google Dev Groups) Burnaby as a volunteer/organizer and met many people there. I also went to various other networking events.

I believe the things I learned from the wonderful people I met significantly shaped my thinking and trajectory. It's not always about referrals. I also learned from everyone, regardless of how much they knew or who they were.

The idea behind networking isn't to talk to someone to get something out of them, but more to talk to people to get to know about them, and anything else that you gain from it is a byproduct of this. Everything starts with a conversation. Find random things to comment on and start conversations.

I also cold approached people on LinkedIn for advice. I would reach out to people who had done the roles I was looking at to give me tips on interviews and what to do to best prepare. You don't always need to get a referral out of someone - even small tips will help you greatly. For example, one of the things I learned is that when you're answering a question, it's not a bad thing to take a minute to think about it before giving any answers - it can even be good in some cases.

Resume + Application Strategy

How did you get feedback on your resume while applying to these top companies? Any mentors, tools, or strategies you used that helped?

In 2023 I was part of the SFU mentorship program. My mentor went over my resume and made corrections. Afterwards, I would tweak my resume here and there from things I picked up from various people. I also tried using resume scanning tools to see which keywords I could add to increase my resume's impact.

Did you tailor your resume for Google or AWS? If yes, what kinds of changes did you typically make per application?

I think for these internships it's a bit harder to "tailor" your resume as they don't look for a specific language/framework as a smaller company would. I took my best projects at the time that dealt with languages such as Java and C++.

For AWS, my cover letter also included a bit about customer obsession, although I'm not sure how much impact this had.

Google SWE Interview Process

Can you walk us through the entire interview process for the Google SWE internship — from the moment you applied to the offer?

Applied in June, did the OA in October, and then 2 back-to-back virtual interviews in November.

Other than that, you will be asked for forms here and there, go back and forth with recruiters for info and planning. Make sure to follow up and make a strong connection with your recruiter!

How many rounds were there, and what type of questions came up in each? Were they purely DSA-based, or were there system design/behavioral elements too?

The OA was very easy. They only look for "correctness" so your time complexity doesn't matter.

The interview was a bit more challenging. It is purely DSA based, but they will actually look for behavioral qualities ("googliness") as you do the interview. I think that strong communication skills and being a "curious learner" will help with this. Try to have fun and actually enjoy it. Other than that, you will need the leetcode skills: ideally can do mediums under 30 minutes and some of the basic hard questions.

For interns I believe they won't ask system design, but they might ask class design questions, and see how you think about tradeoffs and make decisions.

I found that interviews are very much a social thing. You can analyze their body language to pick up hints on whether you're in the right or wrong direction.

During an interview, you can ask yourself questions to get to the answer by verbalizing your thoughts - like what's the problem, what are the test cases, what is the brute force approach, etc. The idea is that you use questions to lead yourself to the final answer, without actually knowing how to get there. This is a high value skill and will make you stand out while also solving things faster.

I would also recommend asking others questions on how to prepare to get a feel of things.

What was your approach to LeetCode or tech prep for Google, and how long did you spend prepping?

I spent most of my time prepping, I tried to do around 6 mediums a day. I did some prep in the summer and then really grinded in the fall. The week or two prior to my interview and OA I was spending about 5 to 6 hours a day, usually more.

I tried to do mock interviews with others, or just explain questions in general. I also made sure to have social communication so that I could speak fluidly and energetically when the interview came. Also take care of your body and health, as it will improve performance. I also studied Google's culture and tried to embody it.

I also paid for two mock interviews. To be honest, I didn't significantly grow from these considering how much I paid, but that 5% performance boost can make a difference. I was short on time, and if I wasn't, I would consider getting these for free from a friend or mentor.

This might be more of a unique take, but I invested in myself when it came to preparing for interviews by eating out instead of cooking and paying for resources such as interview prep. I saw this as an investment rather than a waste of money.

Any questions or rounds at Google that caught you off guard or felt different from other tech interviews?

It will be slightly harder, but that's expected. Also, for those that don't know, Google will usually ask a question, and then ask a follow-up optimization. The optimization is the "real" question and will have most of the complexity.

Try matching the company's vibe - read blogs on the people, how they act, how they think, and pick up vibes from your interviewer. Try having fun with your interviewer too!

AWS Internship Interview Process

What was the interview process like at AWS for the Database Platform SWE role?

Just 1 virtual interview. Make sure to study the Amazon leadership principles, you will be marked on them. Have stories prepared that can loosely embody these principles.

Were there any specific technologies (like AWS Lambda, distributed systems, etc.) that you were expected to know ahead of time?

I had no knowledge of anything AWS or web related before my start date.

How was the focus split between technical questions and behavioral questions at AWS? Can you give an example of each?

The split is about 40% behavioral, 60% technical. For example, you may get asked "tell me about a time where your team disagreed with your decision," and they might target principles such as "Are Right, A Lot" and/or "Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit".

For technical, usually a leetcode medium with 50%+ acceptance rate (this also implies difficulty, for example a 30% would be harder than a 70%, even though both are medium).

To be honest, examples of these can easily be found online. I highly suggest watching videos of example interviews.

Standing Out

For both roles, what do you think made your application stand out — was it a specific project, a skill, or how you framed your experience?

For AWS, I did not stand out. For Google, having AWS made me stand out. I believe the main factor here was timing (early application) and luck (other than my AWS referral of course).

One other thing is that I had test driven development and group work on my resume. My second Google interviewer said they really liked seeing that there.

You've done retail jobs like Club Monaco and Tapestry before landing these roles — did you reference that experience in interviews, and if so, how?

For AWS I used these retail experiences to answer some of the behavioral questions.

Compensation Transparency

If you're comfortable sharing (no pressure), could you give a general idea of what the compensation range was like at AWS or Google? Even a rough ballpark is helpful for other students trying to set expectations.

AWS Vancouver you will make over $11,000 CAD if you total everything (note that the living stipend shows USD AFTER tax). For Google Sunnyvale you will make over $18,000 CAD depending on the exchange rate. Note that these are per month.

Although I really don't think you should be wanting to intern here because of the money, the skills learned are infinitely more valuable (if you do learn them).

Advice for Other Students

What's one piece of advice you'd give to students trying to land internships at companies like Google or AWS?

It really is a lot of luck. Keep trying and improving your skills, you will get your opportunity, and when you do don't mess it up. But also keep in mind failure is important to grow.

Try to aim really high and really put in the work. I aimed higher than Google but failed and then got Google (which I am extremely happy for).

Also lose the ego. Be humble and learn from everyone around you.

Are there any things you did differently this time around that you wish you had done earlier in your internship search?

I'd say I wish I started earlier. Referrals can really help you drastically jump in your early career. For these internships, after the resume screening it's mostly all just leetcode and behavioral.

Lastly — what's the most overlooked part of interview prep that actually makes a big difference?

Communication and sociability really makes a difference. For communication, being able to explain complex problems and vocalize your thinking is quite hard especially during an interview. On top of that, your interviewer will usually need to argue for your sake to get the internship to their higher-up. They also will be able to give hints and help you during the interview. So be a good person, your positive energy won't go unnoticed.