How to get a job at YouTube: Zhamal Zhanibek's experience

How to join the YouTube team, adapt to Silicon Valley, and overcome culture shock — Product Manager Jamal Zhanibek shares his personal experience of relocation and advice for those dreaming of a career in an international company.

Jamal Zhanibek, City — San Francisco, Product Manager at YouTube, Instagram

About Me

I am from Kyrgyzstan. Currently, I work as a Product Manager at YouTube and have been working in the company’s headquarters in Silicon Valley for nearly four years. I moved to America right after high school and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley. All my professional experience is related to international companies, but it was shaped within the American environment.

How to Join YouTube

I have extensive experience—about 10 years working with products, specifically in IT and high-tech industries. Before joining Google and YouTube, I had various experiences—startups, mid-sized companies, and large corporations. Four years ago, a recruiter from YouTube contacted me, invited me for an interview, I gave it a try, everything worked out, and I stayed.

The hiring process was multi-stage. First, there was an introductory interview with a recruiter to assess profile fit. Then, a conversation with a Product Manager from Google, focusing on analytical thinking, initiative, and the ability to approach tasks creatively. This was a kind of screening.

After that, there was the main round—a full day consisting of four to five 40-minute sessions. I was interviewed by specialists with similar profiles, each focusing on their specific area. One of the stages included a technical interview with a senior developer.

Once all interviews are completed, team matching begins—the selection of a suitable team. At Google, they believe that strong Product Managers are versatile and can solve problems in different teams. Therefore, general qualities are assessed first, and only then is a team selected.

Team matching is a two-way choice. I told the recruiter which directions and products at Google interested me. They checked if those teams were hiring new employees. If yes, meetings were organized. We communicated with potential colleagues, including the manager, and evaluated how well we fit each other. When a perfect match occurs, the candidate receives a specific offer, and the paperwork process begins.

Advice for Those Who Want to Work in an International Company

In an international company, work experience is important regardless. The main thing is to purposefully develop the skills needed for a specific position in a specific company. And one of the most important factors is knowledge of the English language.

Many underestimate this aspect, but it is critically important. For each position, there is its own professional jargon and terminology. You need to know English not just at a conversational level, but at a professional level—the ability to conduct presentations, clearly formulate thoughts, explain tasks, and justify decisions.

Also, the most important thing is practice. The more practice, the higher the chances of successfully passing the interview. Even at the first stage, when communicating with a recruiter, it is worth clarifying exactly how the interview process works and what questions are usually asked. Recruiters, especially in large companies, are open to such dialogue and often share useful materials.

At Google, for example, recruiters send out guides with detailed descriptions of all interview stages and sample questions. There are also many tips, videos analyzing questions and answers, and platforms for training available in the public domain—all to help you prepare thoroughly. The main thing is to allocate time for this and approach the process seriously.

If there is a dream position or company—you need to clearly see who they are looking for, which skills are prioritized, and what is important to them. And prepare purposefully for the application. Make sure all of this is reflected in your resume.

Work Features

At YouTube, I work in a team responsible for online payments. Everything related to payments on the platform—whether it’s renting movies, buying series, or subscribing to YouTube Premium—goes through our system. We build a platform that allows people to pay simply and securely, and we constantly strive to simplify, speed up, and make it more robust.

To ensure this, we work as a large, multidisciplinary team—developers, designers, marketers, specialists from adjacent departments. We jointly search for solutions to make the platform accessible, reliable, and user-friendly. It was our team that launched YouTube Premium. Launching in new countries is also our responsibility. One of such “waves” was the launch of Premium in Central Asia, including Kazakhstan—this was an important and exciting stage.

Since we are part of Google, we mainly use the company’s internal tools—Google Docs, Sheets, Drive, Google Suite. In addition, we have our own services developed by Googlers and used only within the company. However, there is freedom of choice—if someone prefers working in other services, it is possible. For example, I like Notion, and I keep all my notes there. Everything else is internal infrastructure, and it is indeed strong.

Our work is always different—every day is unlike the other. Sometimes everything goes according to plan, sometimes “fires” arise that need to be put out. I like this rhythm—it makes work lively and creative. At the same time, you need to set priorities, say “no,” and focus on the main things. 

Meetings take up most of the day—up to 80%. Projects are parallel, teams are different, questions cover all levels—from technical details with engineers to business results with management. In between, you need to concentrate and use time effectively on tasks. In such an environment, you need to be able to switch quickly and speak the language of your interlocutor. For a Product Manager, this is especially important—besides professional knowledge, soft skills are critical here. You are not just a specialist—you are a leader who sets the rhythm and direction for the team, explains why we are doing a particular feature. The team must clearly understand the goal, feel the meaning of the work. And emotional intelligence is important here—the ability to sense the atmosphere, understand what is happening within the team.

Communication is a key skill. You need to be able to convey your thoughts clearly and accurately to different people: from developers to lawyers. We work especially closely with the latter, because YouTube operates in a huge number of countries, and everything must comply with the legislation of each of them. Each professional group has its own language—therefore, it is important to be flexible in delivery and adapt to the context.

You also need to feel confident in different communication formats: oral presentations, reports, emails, documentation, slides—all of this must be clear, structured, and easy to perceive. In addition, research skills are necessary: analyzing trends, studying the market, understanding how competitors work. All this allows forming well-grounded ideas—from new features to product solutions and updates.

Working in Big Tech is a special environment. At Google, everything is created for comfort: free food, gym, massage, rooms for children and pets. These conditions help concentrate on tasks and eliminate household issues.

A healthy lifestyle is encouraged—yoga, aqua aerobics, discounts on services. The schedule is flexible: the main thing is to agree with the team. You need to come to the office at least three times a week to maintain live communication, which greatly affects work.

The culture in the company is friendly: people are open, polite, and always ready to support. We hold team offsites—we play mini-golf, mold clay, which helps us bond and move to the next level of trust. When the boundary between work and life softens, everything around becomes meaningful and inspires new tasks.

It is especially pleasant that team achievements are recognized. When YouTube Premium reached 100 million subscribers worldwide, we organized a large-scale celebration. There was a mini-conference, presentations, and an entertainment program. This is not just a checkbox in a report—it is the realization that you did something significant together with others, and it is valued.

And, of course, the most important thing is not to stand still. In technology, everything is constantly evolving; you need to follow trends, read, and exchange experience. In such an environment, you need to grow to stay on the wave. A good Product Manager is always engaged in their work, actively participates in the professional community, and develops not only in their career but also as a specialist and a person.

About Life Abroad

I moved after high school, studied here, and then got a job—all according to the classic scenario: internship, first offer, and career thereafter. A diploma from a top American university helps, but everything also depends on the context and the person’s experience. To get into a top company, for example, Google, you need to have considerable experience. Ideally, you should have prior work experience in a Tier B company—not a top one, but the next tier. Then it is easier to move to the next level and get on the radar of recruiters from top companies.

From my experience in the American environment, I can say that people are responsible. No one stands over you with a whip; everything is based on trust. Such companies hire self-starters—those who can take initiative, propose an idea, organize a meeting. People are ambitious, motivated, and proactive. These qualities are valued and supported here: the entire environment encourages making suggestions and boldly taking on tasks.

When I moved from Kyrgyzstan to America, I felt a strong difference in culture—everything seemed new and unfamiliar. At 17, I was young and flexible, but it was still tough. Over time, I realized: you need to be open, resourceful, and travel—it greatly affects inner resilience. When you can fit into a new environment, speak the same language with different people—it is a valuable skill, especially now, when the world is becoming more interconnected, and you need to be able to find common ground with anyone.