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Google Intern Insights 2014 一 Meet Kendra Ibsen an EMEA SMB Service Intern
October 24, 2014
Our interns have the opportunity to work on some of Google’s most cutting edge and innovative projects - not only in engineering, but across sales and other business functions, bringing a fresh perspective to the work done at Google. To show you just how much of an impact interns make and to highlight their unique experiences, we’re bringing you a special blog series: Google Intern Insights. Make sure to look out for the different interns being featured on the blog throughout the fall!
Where are you from?
I was born and raised in
Helsingborg
, a small town located in the beautiful southern part of Sweden, only 4 KM from Denmark. The geographical location enabled my mother and father to meet each other, and hence I am half Danish. For the last five years, I have lived in Stockholm. Feel welcome to visit!
Where and what do/did you study at University?
I hold a bachelor degree from Stockholm School of Economics in Business Administration and Economics and I'm currently enrolled in their Business and Management Masters Program. I’m also super excited to be going on an exchange semester at the Tsinghua University in Beijing, China in the fall of 2014.
What inspired you to apply for this internship, and what made Google appealing to you as a potential intern?
Google has always been a dream employer for me due to its innovative corporate culture, diverse employees and the fast-moving business. My infinite interest in Google developed when I read “Lean In” by Sheryl Sandberg, who held a high managerial position at Google. Sheryl Sandberg is my role model in business related manners, due to her interest in female empowerment. The fact that Google prioritizes diversity in its corporate climate made me even more interested in joining the organization. Furthermore, to be part of a successful tech company with corporate values that are aligned with my values played a significant factor in my motivation to apply. Since I had one year left at university, the best choice for me was to apply for an internship. Luckily for me, I got the fantastic opportunity to be part of Google team for three months.
What type of internship are you doing?
I was an intern at the SMB (small and medium size businesses) Services team for the Nordic countries. In my opinion, as an intern in the SMB Services department at Google you get the best possible internship. In services, half your time is spent working on a business development project and the other half with AdWords and customer support. As a result of this setup, I quickly learned the ins and outs of AdWords and how to troubleshoot and provide excellent solutions to our customers. I strongly developed my customer-oriented mindset, problem-solving skills and my ability to multitask.
For my business development project I was accountable for a revenue related project that required an extensive quantitative analysis. I structured, analyzed and created recommendations for how SMB Services can work more efficiently with revenue performance. I truly loved my project and all of the challenges I faced during the project path. I also got the opportunity to work closely with senior revenue Googlers on our team and across markets. From this project, I developed my quantitative analysis skills, learned how to break down a complex business issue to operational recommendations and how to structure and prioritize a project.
What does your workday look like?
I spend half of my day working on the core business giving AdWords customer support and the other half working on my project.
During my project time, I often chose to work elsewhere than at my desk, i.e. at the 13th floor which had the most beautiful view. This definitely gave me creative stimulation during working hours.
The team spirit was fantastic. We ate lunch together every single day and would regularly have fun playing ping-pong or pool.
What’s something you’ve accomplished during your internship (thus far) that you’re most proud of? Or something you’re looking forward to working on?
I am mainly proud of two accomplishments.
Firstly, I exceeded expectations when I passed the AdWords exam after only two training days. This resulted in a very fast ramp-up and enabled me to do customer face-time after only one week (normally this takes four weeks).
Secondly, I am very proud of my project analysis and recommendations. I was successful in communicating my key findings and recommendations to my team in a very concrete way and hence, grasped their attention and execution mode. The result of my project was appreciated and the recommendations are already being implemented as part of the core strategy in the SMB Services Nordics team and will soon be launched to the entire EMEA market.
At Google you have an opportunity to collaborate with people from many different backgrounds. What moment stood out to you, where diversity in the team made for better and more innovative work?
The diverse mindset is a fact at Google. You positively face it everyday. You meet people from all countries in the world - men, women, the LGBT community, different cultures and backgrounds, engineers, business people, etc. Before coming to Google, I had never experienced such a diverse environment and I am quite sure that nothing can compare with Google’s workplace diversity. This is totally fantastic and admirable!
The most outstanding moment was when I met one of my colleagues who is blind. Despite her impairment, she conducted her work with excellence ― talking with customers, guiding them through to find different features of the product. Google facilitated her work, by providing her with special resources so she can deliver without clear obstacles.
We all know Googlers and interns love the food and the other perks. Outside of some of the well-known perks, what’s your favorite part about working at Google?
It's definitely the people. A company can provide as many perks as possible, but the thing that impresses me the most are the people. The people you meet at Google are intelligent, helpful, humble, have a high level of social intelligence and have fantastic energy. This naturally affects the atmosphere in the office landscape in an extremely positive way.
At Google many different communities exist and as a feminist and as a person with a high interest in female empowerment, I attended different female events and talked to many successful women at Google. This provided me with insights into how I, as a woman, can potentially reach my goal to become an executive in the future. As a young woman, it was extremely interested in talking to women in senior-level positions and I appreciate and admire how much time these women invests in collaborating and chatting with us.
What does “being Googley” mean to you?
For me, it means being innovative, humble, open and to have positive energy.
What do you like most about your Google office and its locations?
That’s a difficult question since the
Google Dublin (EU HQ) office
in Ireland is totally amazing. If I am forced to choose, it would have to be the different relaxing/creative areas, where you can work or just have a coffee with your colleagues.
Being a Googler means being a part of a big and lovely family. I spent all my spare-time with other Googlers. We explored the beautiful nature of Ireland, the fun nightlife and partook in the delicious food.
What will you do after your internship?
I will complete my masters degree and try to handle all of the recruiters that are contacting me after joining Google :)
What are your top 2 tips to potential student applicants?
(1) Be personal but professional; and
(2) Keep it simple, with a very results-oriented mindset.
Interested in joining the Google team? Check out our
student positions
today and apply!
EEA work authorization is required for roles supporting EEA markets.
Posted by Nicole Zwaaneveld, University Programs Team
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