We've moved! Visit
The Keyword
for all the latest stories about
life at Google
and our
student programs
.
Student Blog
Brought to you from your @GoogleStudents friends. From pre-university to PhD (and beyond), we got you.
A Day in the Life of a Danish New Grad @ Google Dublin
April 30, 2013
As part of our ‘A Day in the Life of a New Grad @ Google Dublin’ series we’re highlighting the work of 8 Googlers in our
Google Dublin Office
who joined straight after graduating! Today we’re featuring one of our Danish Googlers, Anna, one of our newest sales rockstars who joined Google in 2012, to give you an inside look into the Associate Account Strategist, SMB Sales role. If you’re interested in applying for an SMB Sales position, check out our open opportunities at the bottom of this post.
Tell us about your path to Google?
I was born in Luxembourg, the country that my Danish mother and Swedish father called home back in 1983. Since then I have lived in Sweden, Denmark, Chile and now in Dublin. My “home” hasn’t got latitude and longitude coordinates, it’s more like a state of mind - I feel at home when I’m surrounded by cultural diversity and inspiring people. I guess I’ve always seen the world as a playground, and I’ve had a strong desire to live abroad. I studied Business, Language & Culture (English and Spanish) at Copenhagen Business School, and in 2011. I went on exchange for a semester at Trinity College Dublin, and I completed an internship at Google Ireland. I was thrilled when Google offered me a full-time job, and I returned to Dublin in July 2012.
Me in the office
What is your role at Google?
I’m a sales rockstar in the Nordic SMB Sales team, and I help Small and Medium sized businesses grow their business with AdWords. Most of the time it feels like I am consulting my clients rather than selling to them - I educate them and share my knowledge about online consumer behaviour and show them how they can use AdWords features and products to reach consumers at different stages in the buying process. I have targets I need to reach each quarter, but it’s really an enjoyable task to be selling Google AdWords! Google is a strong brand, and it’s easy for clients to measure the ROI they get from AdWords.
Photography is one of my passions
How would you describe the Nordic SMB Sales team?
We are small but mighty, and we work smarter, not harder! My colleagues are Danish, Swedish, Norwegian and Finnish, and each of us work on growing our respective markets - at the same time we are one Nordic team with a strong sense of unity.
Do you wanna walk a day in my shoes? Lace up! Here we go:
My beauty sleep ends at 07:30am
I cruise to work on my red grandma bike, which I brought with me from Denmark. It takes about 15 minutes to get to work - and all the way I am longing for my breakfast at Google!
Breakfast at 08:30am
Every morning I take a trip down memory lane as I eat my breakfast at Google - the delicious oatmeal porridge with almond flakes and fresh berries totally reminds me of my childhood in Sweden. My adult self craves a steaming hot and creamy cappuccino, and now I’m ready to start my day.
Sales pitching 09:00am - 12:00pm
I usually have 3 calls scheduled before lunch - talking to clients gives me energy, and that’s how I like to start my day. The clients I talk to work with diverse business models, and sometimes I speak to the owner of the company, and other times it’s a staff member. It varies a lot how savvy the clients are, and I adapt to their level to ensure that we are speaking the same “language”. The sales job is really about communicating with people and understanding how they conduct their business to be able to help them get the best possible ROI from AdWords. I believe my work has a real impact - I share my knowledge in online advertising and that helps my clients grow their businesses.
Culinary Delights 12:00pm - 13:00
My lunch time is often equal to networking time. I like scheduling lunch dates with inspiring Googlers from other teams and nationalities. When the weather is good, I take the chance to have lunch on the rooftop terrace, or I visit the local food market close to the office.
Optimizations 13:00 - 15:00
After lunch it’s time for some hands-on work. I’m not only talking to the clients on the phone, I also help them optimizing their AdWords accounts. This involves improving the basic structure of the account, analyzing the data in their account to optimize performance and increase ROI. By analyzing the account I can also identify new opportunities, such as Mobile campaigns, Display Network campaigns, and Remarketing campaigns.
Best practice sharing 15:00 - 15:30
I hang out with some teammates in the “microkitchen”. It’s a very casual meeting where we can snack and recharge energy while we share our best practices.
Constant development 15:30 - 18:00
In the afternoons I like to attend trainings that are arranged by the Google Learning & Development team. These are trainings that are designed to help me improve my sales skills and ensure personal development.
After work: “What’s the Craic?”
That’s Irish for “What’s happening?” - Well typically I go to Bikram Yoga, go out with friends, or dance salsa. I’m a passionate salsa dancer!
What's your favourite Google memory or ‘Magic Moment’?
During my internship in 2011, Eric Schmidt visited Google Ireland and I had the opportunity of attending a presentation where he shared insights about Google’s future business strategy. That is truly a memorable moment in my Google career!
It was a Magic Moment for me when Nikesh Arora announced that Google would bring all sales teams to Las Vegas for a Google sales conference in 2013 - I almost couldn’t believe it!
What career advice would you give to a new grad embarking into the world of work?
Nurture your curiosity, never stop learning, and remember that sky’s the limit!
Interested in working for Google Dublin? Check out our
new grad positions
today and apply!
EEA work authorization is required for roles supporting EEA markets.
Posted by Anna Nordkvist, Associate Account Strategist.
A Day in the Life of a German New Grad @ Google Dublin
April 25, 2013
As part of our ‘A Day in the Life of a New Grad @ Google Dublin’ series we’re highlighting the work of 8 Googlers in our multicultural
Google Dublin Office
who joined soon after graduating! Today we’re featuring one of our German Googlers, Mengühan, to give you an inside look into the Associate Account Strategist, SMB Sales role. Mengühan began his career with Google as a summer intern and returned to be a full time Googler after his studies!
If you’re interested in applying for an SMB Sales/Services position, check out our open opportunities at the bottom of this post.
Tell us about your path to Google?
I grew up in a small town near Stuttgart in Germany and majored in International Business and Finance at Reutlingen University. During my studies, I completed several internships in industry, consulting and eventually at Google as well. In retrospect, Google was the only place where I was actually looking forward to leaving home to go to work in the morning. For me, it was clear that I wanted to join Google for a full time position after graduating.
Mengühan at the Google Dublin Office
Why Google and not other companies?
That’s easy. At Google, you have the opportunity to work with some of the smartest people. If you are interested in technology, then Google is the place to be. Besides that, the perks are unbeatable with free gourmet food, on-site massages, gym and gaming corners on each floor.
What is your role at Google?
I’m an SMB Sales Associate for the German speaking market. I advise small and medium-sized businesses on their online marketing strategies. This can include finding tailor-made solutions for our clients, helping them navigate through their account or talking about how they can cope with upcoming trends. My role is very entrepreneurial. You can decide how and when you want to work. The flexibility is of course bound to high responsibility, but if you are able to manage and discipline yourself properly, you will do well.
Sales is in my opinion the best place to acquire the skills you need for a successful career in any corporation - communicating professionally on a high level (mostly with CEOs), working towards targets/objectives and, of course, building great relationships with your customers.
How does your role fit in with the larger team?
As a salesperson at Google, you have a lot of responsibility, towards both your customers and Google. Google’s revenue is generated from AdWords which means we in the sales teams play an important role as our work enables our colleagues from other teams to work on cool new products and innovation.
The most amazing part of my job is that I advise mainly small businesses. Most small businesses cannot afford to hire a marketing professional so they rely on me to be their Chief Marketing Officer. It’s just great to talk to young entrepreneurs about their goals and ambitions and their strategies to compete in the market.
Tell us about a typical day in your life at Google.
Here’s a typical day for me:
7:30: Start of the day
My smartphone’s alarm is ringing - let´s snooze for five more minutes, and then five more, and then again.. nope, I’m not a morning person. I love the snooze alarm function. Finally, I get up, and I’m already excited about my breakfast at work: Waffles with Nutella and freshly-squeezed orange juice. Epic!
8:45: Emails
After my delicious breakfast and espresso to kick-start the day, I go to my desk and check my emails. I have set several labels in Gmail, so I know what to look for.
9:00: Appointment scheduling
It’s time to schedule some appointments with my customers. German customers are very active in the morning so, with the support of a nice cup of Maroccan Mint tea, I am usually able to schedule around three client appointments.
10:00: Customer calls
Between 10 am and 12 pm, I usually have my first scheduled calls with customers. I take about 20 minutes to analyze the accounts to find optimization potentials. Early in the call, I try to understand the business model, the market, the competitors and so on. It’s always extremely interesting how people make money.
12:30: Lunch
I love sushi, so today I decide to meet with a friend at the Earth Cafe where they have a sushi bar. Salmon Mango Maki and Tuna Nigiri, I love it. The black forest cake for dessert of course, feels like home.
13:00: Customer calls
After around 1pm, I usually have some other calls. Customers tend to be more relaxed with a full belly after lunch. Of course, I do, too.
15:00: AdWords campaign creation
Sometimes the campaigns of customers have to be built from scratch. That’s when we have our creative time. While my music is cranked up in my headphones, I think about a proper structure for the customer’s account - i.e. which customer groups to target and which online marketing channels to utilise. For instance, I like creating banner ads with the AdWords ad builder. It makes you feel like a designer.
16:30
In the evening, I usually have some time for personal projects, such as writing this blog post.
18:00
The best way for me to finish a day is to power out myself in the Google gym.
What is the most interesting project/client that you have had to work with?
That’s difficult. I have talked to many clients that were very interesting. Once, I talked to a the CEO of a start-up that provides a car sharing service in Munich and it was one of the first of its kind in Germany. You can basically pick up a car anywhere with your member card and pay on a per minute basis. I’ve always thought that car sharing is the next big thing in public transport. Hearing the strategy and data behind the concept from the CEO was very exciting.
Have you done a rotation onto another team? If so, can you tell us about that?
I did my internship last year on the same team but for the Turkish market, as I am of Turkish heritage. It’s unbelievable how customers differ. Turkish customers have to build up a personal relationship before you can give them any suggestions on their work. German customers usually cut straight to the chase. Hard to say what I would prefer, sometimes I want to chat, sometimes just do my work.
What's your favourite Google memory or ‘Magic Moment’?
At Google, magic happens and is created on a daily basis. I know that sounds cheesy, but that’s actually what makes everything “Googley”. During an internal social engagement activity called Age Engage, I taught a senior citizen how to use a computer, the internet and a social media site in order to stay in contact with his grandchildren. He, in exchange, shared personal and very interesting aspects of his life with me. Personally, I found that magical.
What career advice would you give to a new grad embarking into the world of work?
Take a short break. I took one month off to travel after graduating. It really helped me to get a new and fresh view on everything and my life. After that, I would plan over some months for the application process. Don’t go for the first offer, get some options by applying to many companies and then decide for the place that suits you best. For me, it was Google. I love to work in a technology company with a young and dynamic working environment. Google facilitates the lives of so many people every day - that’s amazing. I would say, choose the job you really want, not the one you think will bring you the most money. Good luck!
Interested in working for Google Dublin? Check out our
new grad positions
today and apply!
EEA work authorization is required for roles supporting EEA markets.
Posted by Mengühan Ünver, Associate Account Strategist.
Google Student Ambassador Program in Latin America - 2013 Launch!
April 23, 2013
During the first week of March 2013, Google invited 49 students from 32 universities and campuses from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru to participate in our second annual Google Student Ambassador Program in Latin America. With only 19 students last year, the Google Student Ambassador program more than doubled in size and added a new country to the mix! Ambassadors are given the unique opportunity to serve as liaisons between Google and their campus for the academic year, holding workshops, trainings and events with their university community around Google’s core products, programs and initiatives.
In order to perform their role as Ambassadors most effectively, we invited our stellar new class of students to pack their bags and make their way to Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina and largest Google office in South America, to attend our annual summit.
The summit included a jam-packed two-day agenda full of workshops and trainings that provided a unique networking opportunity by bringing all of the students from the region on-site. Students were not only exposed to Google’s tools, products, programs and technologies by over 20 Googlers, but were given resources to enhance their professional development that they could take back to their peers as well. Additionally, many Ambassadors enjoyed their first visit to a Google office, where they were introduced to our unique, collaborative work environment and given an opportunity to meet our hard-working sales, marketing and Developer Relations teams and learn about their day-to-day.
Ethan Cohen delivers an interactive training on G+
Highlights included interactive, thought-provoking sessions where students would break out into groups to “hack” answers to potential challenges on campus, collaborating and networking with Argentine Googlers during office “
merienda
”, and lots of color as students sported cultural and school spirited clothing each day of the event. Whether Ambassadors were brainstorming use of Hangouts in the classroom or discussing
And the fun wasn’t confined to the office - Ambassadors got the chance to explore the city, were treated to a classical Argentine meal and tango show, and had to put their learnings to the test at Tango classes!
Ambassadors celebrating in the Buenos Aires office
By the time the Ambassadors danced their way to the stage during the graduation ceremony, it was evident how close they had become to one another and how much they had learned during the summit. Many of the newly appointed LatAm GSAs described this opportunity as one of the most rewarding, empowering experiences of their life, which we were thrilled to hear. We only anticipate great things on campus from our LatAm GSAs in 2013!
Posted by Sarah Henderson, Student Development Programs
A new kind of summer job: open source coding with Google Summer of Code
April 22, 2013
(cross-posted from the
Official Google blog
)
If you’re a university student with CS chops looking to earn real-world experience this summer, consider writing code for a cool open source project with the
Google Summer of Code
program.
Over the past eight years more than 6,000 students have “graduated” from this global program, working with almost 400 different open source projects. Students who are accepted into the program will put the skills they have learned in university to good use by working on an actual software project over the summer. Students are paired with mentors to help address technical questions and concerns throughout the course of the project. With the knowledge and hands-on experience students gain during the summer they strengthen their future employment opportunities in fields related to their academic pursuits. Best of all, more source code is created and released for the use and benefit of all.
Interested students can submit proposals on the
website
starting now through Friday, May 3 at 12:00pm PDT. Get started by reviewing the ideas pages of the
177 open source projects
in this year’s program, and decide which projects you’re interested in. Because Google Summer of Code has a limited number of spots for students, writing a great project proposal is essential to being selected to the program. Be sure to check out the
Student Manual
for advice.
For ongoing information throughout the application period and beyond, see the
Google Open Source blog
, join our Summer of Code
mailing lists
or join us on Internet relay chat at #gsoc on
Freenode
.
Good luck to all the open source coders out there, and remember to submit your proposals early—you only have until
May 3
to apply!
Posted by Stephanie Taylor, Open Source team
A Day in the Life of a Dutch New Grad @ Google Dublin
April 19, 2013
As part of our ‘A Day in the Life of a New Grad @ Google Dublin’ series we’re highlighting the work of 8 Googlers in our
Google Dublin Office
who joined soon after graduating! Today we’re featuring one of our Dutch Googlers, Janna, to give you an inside look into the Associate Account Strategist, Global Customer Services role. If you’re interested in applying for an SMB Sales/Services position, check out our open opportunities at the bottom of this post.
Tell us about your path to Google.
I grew up in Holland, where I did a Bachelors degree in Social Sciences. I then went to the London School of Economics (LSE) where I completed a masters in Organizational and Social Psychology. Upon graduation I spent a year working in sales and marketing in London. One day I received an email from a fellow LSE graduate who told me that Google was hiring. I applied - thinking that at the very least I’d get some good interview experience - and two months later I moved to Google’s EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) HQ in Dublin!
How do you explain to your grandmother what you do at Google?
I’ve tried that before! My core job is to support AdWords advertisers - well in my case, Dutch speaking advertisers. So I help them via email, phone and chat to develop good advertising strategies and to solve any problems they may run into.
In addition, I fulfill several roles on the team. For example, I’m responsible for the content on the Dutch AdWords Help Center. It is my job to make sure that all articles posted are up to date and correct. I also evaluate and monitor the customer-interactions of some of my colleagues to ensure they meet Google standards. Every few quarters we change roles within the team, so that everyone has the chance to learn new skills.
Lots to learn, it seems?
No day is the same! This quarter I have been selected for a 50% rotation which I am really excited about. This means that I will spend half of my time with a different team within the organization to gain new experiences. I joined the Staffing Team. This team falls under the People Operations Group and is responsible for hiring the next generation of Googlers into the organisation. During my rotation, I’ll be developing my project management skills and I’m looking into creating some impactful process improvements for them.
So you’re keeping busy?
Yes, believe it or not, in between our regular foosball competitions we do actually get some work done in the end! And now that we have a miniature golf course on our floor, there’s yet another opportunity for me to broaden my skills set!
Interested in working for Google Dublin? Check out our
new grad positions
today and apply!
EEA work authorization is required for roles supporting EEA markets.
Posted by Janna Walvoort, Global Customer Services.
MENA 2012 Google Student Ambassador Program: Do Cool Things That Matter!
April 17, 2013
Cross-posted from the
Google Arabia Blog
The
Google Student Ambassador Program
is an opportunity for university students to work closely with Google, develop their professional skills, and collaborate with people from around the region who are excited about technology, or eager to learn. The 2013 application for the Middle East and North Africa region is now open, and the deadline to
apply
has been extended to April 24.
Since the start of the 2012 academic year, the MENA Google Student Ambassadors held many successful events, spanning 11 countries and 80 universities in the Middle East and North Africa. The events, ranging from training workshops to casual meetups, served to educate their respective university communities about Google products and programs relevant for students.
Among the
successful events
were campaigns to enrich the Google Maps content of their countries using
Google Map Maker
. The Ambassadors collected thousands of edits through these ongoing campaigns, and it’s still growing.
The
Google Student Ambassadors (GSA) in MENA
have also succeeded in holding social media awareness events, introducing new features of Google+. One of these events hosted none other than G+ Ambassador,
Myriam Fares
at
AUL
in Lebanon, along with
Wael Fakharany
, Google’s Regional Manager for Egypt and North Africa. Hundreds of attendees watched as
Myriam Fares
introduced G+ features, including Hangouts, and talked about how it helped remove the barrier of distance between her and her fans around the world.
Myriam Fares hosts G+ awareness event
But GSA activities aren’t just limited to campus. During his recent visit to Palestine, President Obama asked to meet with active youth to understand the problems, challenges, as well as youth initiatives in the region. Local NGO’s nominated eight students to represent their country to the US delegation. Among the elite eight was
Akram Dweikat
, Google Student Ambassador and
Google Developer Group (GDG)
leader in Nablus. Akram was selected because of his numerous activities in the field of technology as a GSA, a GDG leader, and even before that as an NGO volunteer.
Akram meets with President Obama
During his meeting with President Obama, Akram spoke about the GSA and GDG programs and related events, including
StartUp Weekend Nablus
and
other events
he held on campus. He talked about how investment in entrepreneurship, new business ideas, and development would help build a better future for those in Palestine. Though support for these initiatives is still much needed, programs such as the GSA and GDG enable communities to learn from one another and share valuable experiences. They also help to highlight and enrich the skills of the talented youth in the region - creating a gateway for university students to discover their hidden potential, challenge themselves in the field and get recognized for their hard work and ultimately do cool things that matter!
If you want to join the fun - and are currently studying for your masters or bachelor degree in a university in the Middle East and North Africa with at least one more academic year ahead of you - this is your chance to be part of history and become a 2013-2014 Google Student Ambassador.
Deadline for registration has been extended to April 24, 2013, so
apply now
!
To learn more about the program, please watch this video for the
2011 Google Student Ambassador Training
, or check our our previous
blog post
.
Posted by Rana Ahmed, University Outreach Coordinator, MENA & Rania Hadi, Outreach Manager, MENA
A Day in the Life of a Norwegian New Grad @ Google Dublin
April 16, 2013
As part of our ‘A Day in the Life of a New Grad @ Google Dublin’ series we’re highlighting the work of 8 Googlers in our
Google Dublin Office
who joined straight after graduating!
Today we’re featuring one of our Norwegian Googlers, Håvard Nyberg, who joined Google in 2011, to give you an inside look into the Associate Account Strategist, SMB Sales role. If you’re interested in applying for an SMB Sales position, or any of our new grad roles in Google Dublin, check out our open opportunities at the bottom of this post.
Tell us about your path to Google?
I studied international marketing at university, and have always been interested in the role of the internet in growing businesses worldwide. Working for one of the worlds best known and most transformative companies seemed like a pretty good option.
Håvard at the Cliffs of Moher
What is your role at Google?
I work in SMB Sales where I help small and medium sized Norwegian advertisers develop and follow through on their online advertising strategy. The ability to work with small and medium companies to help them grow their business was something that really attracted me to Google in the first place.
How does your role fit in with the larger team?
The team I work in is called SMB Sales Nordics. As the name suggests, it is a cross-nordic team, made up of people from all the nordic countries. There are about 20 people on the team all handling different markets and responsibilities, but we work together and report as a truly Nordic team.
Tell us about a typical day in your life at Google
Wake up at 6:30am
I like to get up early in the morning. While walking to work, I listen to audio-books, especially historical biographies. Churchill, Napoleon, you name it, I like to walk to work with these guys.
8:00 - 8:30 Breakfast
Everything you have heard about food at Google is true and more! It all begins at 8am when a delicious breakfast is served. I like to have eggs in the morning, usually coupled with some bread and a glass of cold milk (nordic style!).
8:30 - 9:30 Emails
I take the elevator up to my desk (fastest elevator in Ireland, true story) to do some typing. The first thing I do every morning is clear my inbox.
9:30 - 11:00 Advertiser time
After sorting my emails I usually spend time reaching out to my clients. It can be everything from developing an email, to making phone calls and even having a live Hangout with advertisers where we go through the different opportunities open to them.
11:00 - 11:30 Team Huddle
We usually have a huddle around 11, where we spend some time updating each other on what we are working on.
11:30 - 12:30 Lunch
Lunch at 11:30...I know! We Nordic people like to eat early, so we usually go for lunch around this time. Usually I have lunch with Googlers from my team, but I also try to meet up with people on other teams.
12:30 - 15:00
After lunch I spend my time checking emails again and following up on whatever needs it. When that’s done, I tend to spend my time building advertising campaigns or attending meetings.
15:00 - 15:15 Break
I make sure to take a proper break around this time to go to the micro-kitchen to have a snack and a coffee with some coworkers.
15:15 - 18:00ish Meeting time
The rest of the day is usually a mix of meetings, and following up on projects that I have taken on.
What is the most interesting project/client that you have had to work with?
When we set up my current role for Norway. I was the first person to work on wide scale sales towards Google’s SMB clients in Norwegian media-agencies, and it has been a great ride to see what works and what doesn't work.
What's your favourite Google memory or ‘Magic Moment’?
My favourite Google memory was when I got to be an art-teacher for a day at an inner city children's school. Google is a very socially responsible company, and we set aside time every year to give back to the community. To teach art to 9 year olds was an experience I will never forget!
One fun fact about yourself?
Me and my brother once had this crazy idea of starting a country-and-western themed bar/restaurant in our home town back in Norway. We had an awesome time doing it!
What career advice would you give to a new grad embarking into the world of work?
Try to find a company that matches your values and what you find important. I don't think it’s possible to do great work unless you really believe in your employers core mission and values.
Interested in working for Google Dublin? Check out our
new grad positions
today and apply!
EEA work authorization is required for roles supporting EEA markets.
Posted by Håvard Nyberg, SMB Sales
A Day in the Life of a Danish New Grad @ Google Dublin
April 4, 2013
Today we’re launching ‘A Day in the Life of a New Grad @ Google Dublin’, a new blog series highlighting the work of 8 Googlers in our
Google Dublin Office
who joined straight after graduating!
The Googlers you’ll read about work in the tallest office block in Ireland, located on Barrow Street, the "Silicon Valley" of Europe. As Google’s Headquarters for sales in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Googlers in the Dublin Office work with a broad range of businesses and markets – small businesses, multinationals, AdWords, AdSense, Display, Mobile advertising and more. Google Dublin is our third largest office in the world, made up of thousands of Googlers from over 65 countries, speaking over 46 different languages on a daily basis. The work that our Googlers do in this office are as diverse as the number of nationalities represented there!
We will feature a different Googler in the office and talk to them about what their day to day life at Google encompasses, their background and what they love about working for Google. For our first post, we hear from Christopher, a Global Customer Services Associate.
Visit Google for a day with Christopher
Meet Christopher - who has packed his suitcase and moved to Dublin from his home in Denmark to work in Google's European headquarters. With a background from CBS (Copenhagen Business School) and an entrepreneur's interest in innovation and online. Is Google the right place to nurture such passions - even when it's your first full time job after university? Christopher describes his daily work and what it’s like to work with over 3000 other young people from around the world in an industry that is constantly changing.
Christopher working at Google Dublin Office
So Christopher, tell us a bit about your background?
My background is from CBS (Copenhagen Business School), where I took a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Economics and a master’s degree in Management of Innovation and Business Development, with a semester spent at Renmin University of China in Beijing. My fascination for online and e-commerce derived mainly from my entrepreneurial project Steel - a niche online store that sells everything from viking to samurai swords. My current job at Google is my first full-time job.
What does an average day at Google involve for you?
I work directly with Google AdWords everyday. I am a single piece of a carefully composed puzzle where I support small and medium sized businesses and their online advertising with AdWords. It can include everything from solving technical problems to advising our advertisers on their online marketing strategy and how they can launch the perfect AdWords campaign.
An average day consists mostly of troubleshooting and consultation via email and / or phone in my support role. In addition, I have specific specialist roles in my Nordic team, making the daily work even more fun and interesting. I am a Nordic Analytics Specialist, which is my favourite role.
Google Analytics
is a free program that analyses the behavior of users on a website. I firmly believe that the analysis of this data can make a business’s website much better and can be used to improve advertising campaigns to reach new heights. In this regard, I support the Nordic team solving difficult Analytics challenges and I organize Analytics trainings.
Furthermore, I am the Nordic contact for one of our charitable programs,
Google Grants
which is where charities can apply to get free advertising with Google. It was in this role that I got my first major assignment to schedule Denmark's first ever Google Grants event. My manager gave me complete autonomy to plan, coordinate and organize the event. There was no micro-management and in November 2011, representatives of 18 charities appeared for an exciting day of “Google AdWords” at Google's new Copenhagen office.
I am also the editor of the
Danish AdWords Blog
where my next little project will be to write an Analytics blog post to help users to get more out of their Analytics accounts. Finally, I have helped to build a Danish learning portal that will aid new and inexperienced AdWords advertisers and this will launch soon.
These different roles keep my daily work fresh and give me a feeling of making a difference.
Can you tell us about your team mates?
I work among a team of incredibly talented people. Google's absolute force (besides the amazing food and future swimming pool) - are the people they hire. Most of whom are in the same situation as myself: they have moved from friends and family to pursue a passion for innovation and entrepreneurship merged with the online world.
My colleagues are also my new friends. Since moving to Dublin, I have met some of the most interesting and talented personalities I've ever encountered. It sounds like a cliche, but I can honestly say that I look forward to going to work every day and being motivated and challenged by people with very strong qualities. Each one of my teammates are all similar in terms of mindset, ambition and motivation despite having come from very diverse backgrounds. Amongst my closest colleagues is a Finnish fashion blogger from Aalto School of Economics in Helsinki and a Swede with a qualification in evolutionary anthropology from the University of Oxford outside of London. Everybody is unique or "Googley" as we say, whether they come from Ireland, Israel or Italy. This sheer diversity has helped make Google Dublin a truly unique place to work (in addition to the on-site masseuse, PlayStation rooms and the minigolf course that is ten feet away from my desk!).
What does your future hold?
What the future holds is hard to say, but it looks very interesting. I think that “being online” is a concept that is gradually disappearing as we are constantly “connected”. Whether it's on the laptop at work, on your smartphone on the go or on the tablet at home. Whether you’re looking for information about the program you’re watching on one of YouTube's millions of channels, needing to find your way in your self-driving car or keeping in touch with your global network via video chat, you are constantly "plugged in". Google dares to think bigger than most companies, and does everything possible to motivate employees to do the same - even as a new grad! I feel very privileged to be part of this.
Interested in working for Google Dublin? Check out our
new grad positions
today and apply!
EEA work authorization is required for roles supporting EEA markets.
Posted by Christopher Brixen, Global Customer Services Associate
My Summer @ Google: Computer Science Summer Institute
April 1, 2013
Introduction: Earlier this month
we launched the application
for the Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI), a three-week summer program for graduating high school seniors who are interested in studying computer science. Today through the
My Summer @ Google
series, we're bringing you another story from former CSSI participant, Alice. Alice is a CSSI alum and freshman at the University of California at Berkeley studying computer science. If you'd like to learn more about CSSI, visit our
website
and apply by April 7th.
I have always been inspired by how computer scientists such as Larry Page and Sergey Brin have changed the world through technology, and I thought it would be cool to spend my summer at Google. Although I was quite interested in computer science, I was actually uncertain whether or not I could pursue it. I had never programmed before CSSI, and I had this misconception of computer scientists being expert hackers (which I wasn’t) who played video games for most of their time (which I didn’t). Therefore, attending CSSI seemed like the perfect way for me to not only experience what it is like at Google, but also learn more about computer science and find out if it is right for me.
On the very first day of CSSI, the instructors told us we would learn how to program in two weeks and build a web application by the end of the program. I could not believe my ears. For someone who had never even typed a single word in any programming language before, building a web application in one week was unimaginable. For the first two weeks we learned a new topic each day. First it was App Inventor, then it was HTML, Javascript, CSS, Python, and AppEngine—basically everything we needed to build a web application.
At the end of two very intense weeks of training, we were ready to take on the big challenge of creating our first web applications. We were divided into groups, and immediately began working together. What I really liked about the projects was that we could do anything we wanted. This made the process extremely enjoyable because everyone was so excited about what the group was creating that we all worked tirelessly together to make our web applications the best they could be. We also received lots of support from interns and other Googlers who not only helped us debug our programs but also showed us the master ways of doing things. Finally, after a week of frantic programming, we finished our web applications and presented them to Googlers around the world (thanks to
Hangouts
!). It was truly an amazing feeling to realize what everyone achieved in three weeks and to have our web applications tried out by other people.
CSSI was life changing for me because it helped me discover my love for computer science and convinced me to pursue the field. It really opened up the door to a whole world that I had never dared to enter, and showed me how beautiful computer science is. Learning how to make web applications has given me the power to create anything I want, and since the program ended I have built several web applications myself to solve some of my problems. The Googlers and fellow CSSIers I met have taught me how to tackle problems in different ways and have inspired me to be the programmer I am today.
Interested in CSSI?
Apply here
!
Posted by Alice Jia Qi Liu, CSSI Participant
Labels
A Day in the Life of a New Grad in Google Dublin
7
AdCamp
2
AdMob
11
Ambassador Program
14
APAC
7
Appy Trails
28
Back to School
4
Better Know a New Grad
1
Better Know an Intern
15
Better Know an Office
4
Black History Month
10
Caitlin Talks to an Engineer
9
Chrome Extensions
3
Chromebook
1
College Tips by Google
1
Community
14
Conferences
16
consortium
1
CSSI
5
Day in the Life
2
deSTEMber
1
Development Programs
1
Diary of a Business Associate Intern
1
Diary of a Summer Intern
41
Diary of a Summer Intern - Erika
9
Diary of a Summer Intern - Franklin
3
Diary of a Summer Intern - Jess
3
Diary of a Summer intern - Luke
3
Diary of a Summer Intern - Madelaine
4
Diary of a Summer Intern - Pablo
3
Diary of a Summer Intern - Rio
4
Diary of a Summer Intern 2012
18
Diary of an MBA Intern
2
Education
19
EMEA
47
Europe
8
Events
13
Exploring Design at Google
4
GHC15
6
Going Green
6
Gone Google
2
Google Code University
1
Google Code-in
1
Google Games
3
Google Japan
1
Google Lime Scholarship
1
Google on campus
2
Google Online Marketing Challenge
10
Google Science Fair
2
Google.org
1
Google+
6
Googlers
14
Googlers Beta
11
Grace Hopper
11
GradTips
9
Hangouts On Air
21
Inside ITRP
6
Intern Insights
31
Intern Program
72
Interns Making an Impact
7
Interviews
1
Jobs
5
just for fun
30
K-12 (Pre-university)
14
LATAM
3
Life at Google
17
Middle East
1
My Path to Google
45
My Summer at Google
15
My Summer at Google 2012
10
North America
4
Office Environment
4
Open Source
9
PhD
7
Products
94
Programs and Competitions
116
Recruiter Tips and Tricks
15
Rice Plus
4
Scholarships
56
Search
1
STEM
2
STEP
1
Student Tips
15
Students
13
Summer of Code
1
Teach Parents Tech
10
Tech Students
3
Tips and Tricks
27
Women in Engineering
21
Young Innovators
10
YouTube
3
Archive
2020
Jul
May
Mar
Feb
Jan
2019
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2018
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2017
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2016
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2015
Dec
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2014
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2013
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2012
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2011
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2010
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2009
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2008
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Feed
Follow @GoogleStudents
Interested in opportunities and programs for students? Visit
google.com/students
.