“Bring your whole self to work.” That’s the meaning behind having a job that you live and breathe for every day. Terry Talks with Google connected Terry students with alumni who have experienced successful careers in different areas of expertise as well as their time at Google. This talk focused on the understanding of identifying values for the companies you are applying for. Give yourself credit that things will work out. You need to have a comfortable work/life balance with a company that truly fits. Gain valuable experience for exactly what you are looking for and preparation should meet opportunity.
Jill Wolner had a diversity of experience in Capital, Biotech, Consulting, and the Red Cross. She focused more on the human capital side or the people side of the business. However, the consulting experience that you get at Google is very much more collaborative in the fact that your bosses will work with you. Jill said the career development team at Google is an internal mobility team that strives to mentor and coach as career gurus that better understand yourself through personality tests. This makes your career more fruitful and passionate. Sales skills, life skills, and people development form projects and initiatives to buying people into the idea of Google.
Carly Creighton was an International Business student that went to the Forbes Top 10 places to work, highlighted them and went after them. She interviewed for Google as one the only kids that weren’t at an IVY league school. She had 4 interviews in 2 days during a 5-month long interview process. It can be daunting because Google usually starts entry-level people out in Mountain View, Cambridge, or Ann Arbor, Michigan. She attributes her luck to her internship at Phillip Morris where she was surrounded by some of the smartest marketing professionals. Just think about marketing an illegal product. That’s a challenge.
Carly started out in Google AdWords as a salesperson learning the product and working her way up. She then went on to a call center in Buenos Aires, Argentina where she developed a $2 million dollar investment for processes, infrastructure, recruiting, hiring, and project management.
Google looks for people who are innovative, progressive, forward-thinking and are results-driven. It’s important for people such as myself to choose a mentor. Have an organic approach to foster that relationship. Maybe just try to have some coffee with them. Carly was able to overcome cultural barriers, worked in 6 offices, and had a high tolerance of adventure, but a low tolerance for risk. “It’s exciting to work with some of the smartest people at Google with different challenges,” says Carly.
Build a plan with people and have a robust skill-set. Selling for an industry leader like Google isn’t really selling. It is more like “chatting” but is usually the entry point for most people working with small businesses. You need to understand the business side of the story as a launching pad. They actually recently changed the Sales team description to Global Business Organization. What makes someone stand off the page of a resume though is someone that has started their own business and is forward thinking. You need to understand different cultures and be “open-minded.” Finally, it is important to have a curiosity for the desire to learn. Google is a diverse place full of great perks like food, wellness, and even massages, but that comes with the territory.
Final Thoughts:
- Pick a company that aligns with your values
- Be bold and take risks
- Always work on something comfortably exciting