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Celebrating Black History Month: A Q&A with Jana Landon
February 22, 2012
As we celebrate
Black History Month
, we bring you a series profiling black Googlers in various roles. Today we’re continuing our series with Jana Landon, a people operations rotation associate on the non-technical University Programs team. -- Ed.
Can you tell us about your background and your road to Google?
Jana Landon:
During my junior year of college at Dartmouth (where I studied psychology), I decided to get involved with the Dartmouth Black Business Association. Shortly after I got involved, Google held an info session about the
BOLD internship program
. I applied and was accepted as a member of the 2010 BOLD intern class and that’s how I got my first exposure to Google. During the 11-week internship I was a member of the Global Diversity and Inclusion team in People Operations. I really enjoyed the work I was doing and the Google culture. When I was extended a full-time offer from Google a few weeks after the internship it wasn’t a hard decision to make because I knew so much about the company and had a realistic idea of what it would be like to work there full-time.
What was the Google BOLD program like?
JL:
As an intern on the Global Diversity and Inclusion team, I supported internal employee resource groups (ERGs) like the Black Googlers Network, Hispanic Googlers Network, VetNet, Gayglers, Capability Council, Google Women Engineers and many more (there are about 17 ERGs). Working with these groups and also with teammates who sat in Asia and Europe really opened my eyes to the multi-faceted meaning of diversity. What I loved most about the internship were my projects. One of the most challenging but also rewarding projects I worked on was the
Diversity at Google video
. I went through a long process of proposal writing to get the adequate resources to produce a high quality video. I worked with Google’s internal production studio where I created, produced and edited the video which showcases all of the ways Google supports diversity for new employees. My “magic Google moment” was on my first day as a full-time Googler when I saw my diversity video played at Noogler (new Googler) orientation. It’s nice to know that even as an intern the work I did made a lasting impact.
The other great thing about BOLD was the people. That summer I lived with seven other interns in a big house in San Francisco (we called it the “Real World House”). I loved my intern class and a lot of us came back full-time. It’s nice moving across the country and already having a network of close friends.
As a very recent college graduate, how have you managed the transition from college to the workplace?
JL:
It really helps having been a BOLD intern, because I had a great sense of what the work was going to be like and how the company works. Still, no matter what, starting a new chapter of your life is going to be hectic. It’s kind of like being a freshman again. You learn as you go and you have to pace yourself. You can’t get involved with everything right away or you are going to burn out. The term work/life balance becomes very real because you aren’t just starting a new job, you’re starting a new life. My co-workers and managers have been very helpful since they have been at Google and in the Bay Area for a while. I like that Google helps with important things like relocation and also connects you with other “Nooglers.” I learned about a lot of things like apartment openings and furniture sales through the new grad email thread.
What do you know now that you wish you knew as a student? If you could give every college student one piece of advice, what would it be?
JL:
I’d say be open. I would never have guessed that I’d be working in HR or at a tech company at that. Be open to different types of experiences, internships, volunteer opportunities, etc. that can teach you about what you like and sometimes more importantly, what you don’t like. It would have been very easy to write Google off as a place I couldn’t work because I’m not a computer science or engineering person but after allowing myself to learn more about all aspects of Google I realized that I can make a valuable contribution to this company and this industry in other ways.
Your official title at Google is People Operations Rotation Associate. What does that mean?
JL:
I am fortunate to be in a rotational program in People Operations which seeks to expose participants to all aspects of human resources. There are about 15 participants in my cohort and we get the opportunity to have three different roles on three different teams for nine months each. Right now I am in a specialist role, but by the program’s end I will have completed an analytical role and a generalist role. We are actually in the process of interviewing with new teams now because we switch in April. It’s pretty exciting!
What team are you currently working on? What is your role?
JL:
My first rotation is with the University Programs team. I help recruit undergraduates for full-time and internship roles on the non-technical side of Google (i.e Sales, People Operations, and Marketing) by traveling to campus and putting on programs. This fall I covered outreach at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). I’ve also been able to work on aspects of the upcoming 2012 BOLD program which is very special to me as a former BOLDer.
When I’m not at Google...
JL:
I travel. Hanover, NH wasn’t the easiest place to fly in and out of while in school so it’s nice to be able to take weekend trips. I’m trying to get to know Northern California, especially Oakland, where I live. Lately I’ve been going to a lot of comedy shows and concerts in Oakland and Berkeley. There’s so much history here, especially with respect to activism and the Black Power movement, that I’d like to learn more about.
What does being part of an employee resource group at Google mean to you? What makes BGN special?
JL:
Being a part of an affinity group means having a support system. I can get everything from career advice to “where’s the party at” advice from my fellow BGNers and I’m able to meet so many people outside of People Operations that I might not have met otherwise. Something that makes BGN special is that it’s one of the first (if not the first) employee resource groups. Because of this, there is a lot of collaboration with ERGs that are establishing themselves to help them get their programs off the ground. This also means that there are all ages represented so when we have events there’s something for everyone.
What is your most memorable Black History Month event or moment at Google, or which event are you most looking forward to in 2012?
JL:
I’m really disappointed that I missed the debut of the “Stepplers”--Google’s steppers. There was a “Step Show” last week that I couldn’t attend but I’ve seen the video and they were amazing! Other than that I’m looking forward to the Black History Month finale which will be an awards ceremony to honor those whose work has had large impact on BGN.
Posted by Jessica Lulovics, University Programs Specialist
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