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A Day in the Life of a Belgian New Grad @ Google Dublin
May 3, 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 Belgian Googlers, Pieter, to give you an inside look into the Associate Account Strategist, SMB Sales role. If you’re interested in applying for an SMB Sales/Services position, check out our open opportunities at the bottom of this post.
How did you end up at Google Dublin?
I was finishing my masters in European Studies at Vrije Universiteit Brussels when I was contacted by a friend who was working for Google in Dublin. He told me Google was hiring and wondered if I was interested in applying. Since online media and free food are two of my passions I did not hesitate - I applied and was lucky enough to be hired!
Could you explain your role of an Associate Account Strategist a bit further?
I work with the BeNeLux (Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg) markets, so I help Dutch and Belgian customers. As an SMB Sales Associate we aim to provide AdWords customers with free strategic advice to optimize their AdWords accounts. The customers we help are mainly small and medium businesses that do not always have the resources to invest too much time in AdWords so that is why we lend them a hand.
What I love about my job is the fact that you can really make a difference with these companies. Often the tips you give a customer result in increasing sales on their websites; so you can really see what you have accomplished.
The variety of customers is also really amazing. You could be talking to a baker, a lawyer, a flagpole salesman and an insurance company all in the same day. It is super cool to get to know so many business models in such a short period of time.
So, what does a typical day at Google look like?
My alarm goes at 7.45, (I snooze till’ 8.00), take a shower and ride my bike to work with an empty stomach (I get dressed in between by the way!). Breakfast is waiting in one of our four on-site restaurants. I don’t consider myself a morning person, but the amazing breakfast makes starting the day a lot easier.
By 9.00 I’m at my desk, checking my emails and my agenda for the rest of the day. Before noon I have probably called a client or two to advise them on their AdWords account.
Around 12.30 is lunch time. Again, Google really knows how to spoil us with healthy and delicious food, so I really look forward to it.
After lunch I follow up on some emails and reach out to one or two customers. Around 4.30 I go and play my daily game of ping pong with a colleague. On good days I win, but most days I get my bottoms kicked. Nonetheless it is a great way to get ready for the last hour of the day, which I mostly reserve for some administrative chores. After work I go home and cook dinner or, when I’m lazy, I go and have dinner at, surprise surprise: Google.
What is the most interesting project/client that you have had to work with?
Currently I am working with agencies that manage AdWords professionally for their clients. To offer these guys added value requires a lot of preparation on my part since many of the people I talk to have been managing AdWords accounts twice as long as I have. To give these guys helpful advice is a challenge, but it does keep you sharp. I love that these agencies don’t take your advice if you can’t support it with data, so I try to find facts and figures before pitching a product to them. If they implement a feature I have recommended it gives a great sense of satisfaction.
What's your favorite Google memory or ‘Magic Moment’?
Before I came to Google I participated in a rally to Mongolia. During this trip I met two guys that were working for Google in Dublin; we travelled together for a week through the Gobi desert. They got the nickname ‘Dustboys’ because their air filter was broken and they were always completely covered in dust.
On my first week in Dublin someone touched me on the shoulder and asked ‘
Hi Pieter, what are you doing here?
’ I had no idea who this person was so I was kind of weirded out. Then he said ‘
I’m Ryan, from Mongolia, we shot a bazooka together
’. Only then did I recognize one of the Dustboys who was now cleanly washed and smelling a lot nicer than in the desert a year before. This was a pretty cool moment.
What career advice would you give to a new grad embarking into the world of work?
Go after the job you want and if you can’t find it immediately, make sure you do something cool with your time (internship, travel, …) so that you don’t get a gap on your CV.
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 Pieter Boon, Associate Account Strategist.
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