On November 20th, we held a Q&A panel with Google where members gained insight on what it is like working at Google, tips on navigating a business career in the technology industry, and exploring the dynamic intersection of business and technology.
Meet our Panelists!
Current Position: Urban Mobility, Google Maps
Previously worked at Hike Messenger as Head, Business Strategy, Partnership & Alliances
Has diverse experience working with various start-ups
Current Position: Financial Analyst at Google (rotational program)
Graduated from Foster in 2022 with a degree in Finance and Information Systems
Previously was a Financial Planning and Analysis Intern at T-Mobile
Current Position: Financial Analyst at Google (rotational program)
Graduated from Foster in in 2022 with a degree in Finance and Supply Chain Management
Previously was a Procurement Agent Intern at Boeing
Q&A
What do you think was the most important experience that you gained in your undergrad that helped you with your career now?
Mrigank: Mrigank believes the most important experience was his first internship with a software company. For him, undergraduate was very theory-based, and through his internship was the first time he realized what doing work in the real world is and interacting with lots of different people was valuable and something not taught in class.
Kevin: He believes attending various RSO guest speaker events was important because you get to hear what real world experiences are like and learn how to act as a business professional. People usually have an abstract and ambiguous idea of what corporate life is like, and through these events you can hear other people’s personal real-world experiences.
Julie: Talk and speak confidently about what you want to do. During her internship as a procurement agent at Boeing, even though her position was focused on supply chain and business, she found that learning the technical aspect was valuable and quickly got her to speed on understanding what the product was.
What is the interview process like for Google?
Mrigank: His interview process lasted for 2 years since he worked at a different company and then returned. It was a full circle moment because he received the offer for the job he initially interviewed for at the beginning of those 2 years. Google interviews individuals for a particular role and skillset, and then there will be conversations with hiring managers about how an individual will fit in with the Google company culture.
Kevin: He applied directly to the finance rotational program and the process for him was an initial screening and then 3 back-to-back interviews (2 behavioral and 1 case interview). Within his cohort, half of the individuals had a case interview while half did not, and it is dependent on one’s financial background. He personally had a strong financial background.
Julie: Julie applied to this rotational program her senior year around this time and received her offer in December. She had a similar interview process as Kevin and a recruiter session where she had a face time call with the recruiter who helped walk through the hiring process and what the criteria were. Her case interview was general with some finance concepts. She believes that the company focuses on finding individuals who are curious and willing to learn.
What is the work environment like at Google?
Julie: It has been really great. Especially coming in as an early career analyst, people have been very receptive and open to helping and networking with her. Most teams she has worked with are not physically in Seattle, so meetings are virtual, but she still feels very supported. Something unique at Google is the senior leadership in the Finance sector is majority women which brings different attitude towards the organization.
Kevin: He believes Google has one of the best work life balances. He never feels too stressed, and Google offers lots of tools, benefits, and space to achieve that balance. Ultimately, it’s up to you to manage your work efficiently. There can be a lot of ambiguity in the role but if you really want to do it, you can.
Mrigank: The culture is about you doing you. He works with teams across 12 time zones, so he has meetings all the time, but he personally chose this path. The company culture is very accepting, and there is no notion of hierarchy so you can reach out to anyone and chat with them. The first day he joined Google, he ended having a conversation with the Google Maps Engineering Director without knowing.
How is the balance between non tech and tech sectors within Google?
Mrigank: Mrigank says it is pretty equal as most people are aware that non-tech work is essential for Google’s success. Non tech and tech aspects need to click together to move forward. He works heavily with engineers, but being a businessperson in his role has given him a leg up. A lot of leaders in the tech industry have non-tech backgrounds which shows that anyone can work their way up.
Kevin: At the end of the day, it is an engineering company so there is more emphasis on engineering but that is just the nature of the company. He currently is working as a data engineer with finance and has it valuable of learning the technical tools that help with the business.
Julie: She believes there is a level of respect between both groups. In previous teams she has exclusively worked with individuals on the business side and has less experience with interacting with tech people. In the office, there are mostly software engineers and they also do not meet lots of non-tech people.
Outside of tech, what other types of opportunities are there at Google (i.e. for business, engineers, public health, etc.)?
Mrigank: Partnership & business development team, People operations, Advertisements.
Kevin: There are various rotational programs (finance, marketing, product management). It is rare for Google to hire people directly from undergraduate for finance, but it is possible. There is also the BOLD (Build Opportunities for Leadership & Development) internship which focuses more on general business administraiton.
Julie: The biggest pipeline is the rotational programs. One thing she noticed is there is lots of specific opportunities within Google that one would not think about. For instance, she met an individual who had a speech-language pathologist background and works with the AI linguistics model. Overall, there is a diverse range of opportunities.
What has been the most important thing that you have learned in your time at Google?
Julie: The most important thing is how to be adaptable and navigate ambiguity. You would think that in a big company everything is established but it is not, and there are lots of small organizations with their own individualized standard practices. Especially in a rotational program and jumping into a new team, being able to adjust, and utilize resources effectively is important to understand the end goal and how to achieve it.
Kevin: Own your work and act as your own CEO. It was important because it put him in mindset of putting a product end to end and understand the scope of the project. Take that to heart and think about the entire process it takes to develop a product. Also think about how to expand or improve the product in the future.
Mrigank: The most important thing Mrigank learned is how to build a product that is the same universally but can be used by a group of diverse people. It is interesting and important to create something that works everywhere and is accommodating for everyone with diverse cultures and ways of living.
Thanks for reading!! Hope everyone has a great and restful Thanksgiving break! And GO DAWGS :)