Google Student Blog: September 2017

My Path to Google: Jesse Melhuish, Software Engineer

September 20, 2017

Welcome to the eighth installment of our blog series “My Path to Google.” These are real stories from Googlers highlighting how they got to Google, what their roles are like, and even some tips on how to prepare for interviews.
Today’s post is all about Jesse Melhuish. Read on!

Can you tell us a bit about yourself? I grew up in a small town in Kentucky called Berea, which is known for its arts and crafts as well as Berea College. I then attended the University of Kentucky and earned a B.S. in Computer Science and a B.S. in Computer Engineering. Outside of work, I like to go hiking when I can, collect Lego sets, play racquetball, and read. I’m also deeply interested in Computer Science education and try to encourage high school students from my hometown to pursue computing.
What’s your role at Google? I'm a Software Engineer (SWE) on the Newsstand Web team, which delivers the Newsstand WebApp found at newsstand.google.com. I'm just getting started on this team, but I’m excited about all of the improvements planned for the news experience.
What inspires you to come in every day? Lower income areas, such as my hometown, can be greatly benefited by Google's products and I enjoy knowing that indirectly I can help with that. I’m really excited about the spread of Chromebooks that should help to improve access to technology, and I recently found out (while working on Docs Offline) that the high school I went to switched to Google Apps for Education!
Can you tell us about your decision to enter the process? Google has been where I've wanted to work since almost middle school. I was pretty sure I wasn't going to make it through and would need to work locally for a few years and apply again, so I didn't apply until I was contacted.
How did the recruitment process go for you? I was contacted by a recruiter that got my name from a friend that had applied my senior year of college. I went through the hiring process during November/Christmas/New Years and had a lot of anxiety — decisions were delayed due to people on vacation and end of year hecticness.
What do you wish you’d known when you started the process? I wish I would have had more examples of my work to be able to show on my resume.
Can you tell us more about the resources you used to prep? I did practice coding problems for about three days leading up to my phone interview.
To finish, do you have any tips you’d like to share with aspiring Googlers? Don't assume you're not good enough, or you'll panic or not try in the interviews. On the opposite side, don't assume you don't need to prepare. Most likely you're good enough to make it, but you should also refresh yourself beforehand.
Want to learn more about the Engineering Residency? Watch our video, or head over to g.co/EngResidency. Ready to apply to the residency? We're currently accepting applications at https://goo.gl/rhBmj1.

Asia-Pacific Google Intern Insights: Engineering and MBA interns share their stories

September 14, 2017

From Google Home to Maps, AdWords to Docs, our interns have the opportunity to work on some of Google’s most cutting edge and innovative projects. Interns work across sales, engineering, and other business functions, bringing a fresh perspective to Google. To show just how much of an impact interns make, we’re bringing you our Asia-Pacific Google Intern Insights. Today we’re catching up with FOUR interns: Mercy Fang, Software Engineering Intern, Beijing, China; Jim Chen, Software Engineering Intern, Beijing, China; Nagea Astiarini Delaya, MBA Intern, Indonesia; and Snigdha Singhania, Software Engineering Intern, Singapore. Read on!

Mercy Fang, Software Engineering Intern, Beijing, China

Jim Chen, Software Engineering Intern, Beijing, China

Nagea Astiarini Delaya, MBA Intern, Indonesia

Snigdha Singhania, Software Engineering Intern, Singapore

Tell us one fun, outlandish fact about you! Mercy: I don’t have just one! I love travelling and have already been to 20 countries. I’ve also tried extreme sports like bungee jumping, paragliding, and parasailing. My favorite music is rock, and I was the lead singer and guitarist in my band back in high school. Two years ago I found out about drumming ,and now I’m also a drummer. Jim: I could solve Rubik’s cubes from Pocket Cube (2x2x2) to V-Cube 9 (9x9x9) when I was in high school. Nagea: I am a trained classical chorister — I sing classical songs (i.e. Bach, Beethoven, and Whitacre) with a choir. In July 2009, my choir and I sang (and won) in choir competitions and festivals in 15 cities across five countries in Europe. Snigdha: My intern host and I have a routine alarm, twice a day, to do push-ups together. We're pretty serious about it — so much so that it's even marked on our calendars!

What inspired you to apply for this internship, and what made Google appealing to you? Mercy: I started learning Computer Science two years ago and I thought I would learn more if I interned at a large-scale company with many different projects, like small startups. Google is exactly this kind of company. I interned at Google Mountain View last summer (my sophomore year) as an Engineering Practicum intern and then this summer returned as a Software Engineering intern in the Beijing office. Jim: There are a considerable number of talented computer science students at school, and many of them shared their previous experiences at Google, so I set a goal for myself and aimed to be able to catch up with them. Google is a leading company in computer science and engineering, so I really appreciated an opportunity to work with smart people and awesome tech groups. Then, about one year ago, I registered for a few online courses that introduced specific programming languages and advanced topics, like machine learning and computer vision. I then completed several projects applying those new techniques, which also enhanced my strength in coding and program design. Nagea: I have been a true believer of Solow Growth Model — a Nobel Prize winner for economics — since I learned it last semester at the Darden School. For the past 15 years, I have witnessed Google move tech progression forward, which makes living life and doing business much easier, and I wanna be part of that. Snigdha: My colleagues from a previous internship inspired me to apply! Being part of a community that is striving to make a positive impact in everyone's life (and succeeding) is extremely gratifying. Also, isn't it just so cool to say you work for Google :)?

What team are you working on at Google? Can you provide us with a high-level description of your summer project? Mercy: I worked on a new Face Detection feature for the Street View iOS app. When users upload 360 photos, they could click a button and it will automatically detect faces, and users could blur them. The work is on a large scale diffing testing platform that’s used to detect code outputs in order to verify that code changes result in intended output changes and work as expected. It helps ensure the reliability and correctness of code. Jim: I’m currently working on the Search Developers Services team, which mainly focuses on easy tools for web and app developers. My project essentially contains two parts — to build a web tool for Podcast developers, and a tool for Android developers. This project is not only an independent one, but will also benefit developers. I feel quite lucky to work on this project from scratch. Nagea: I worked with Google's Large Customer Sales team in Indonesia, and over my summer internship I worked on projects involving some of Google's most exciting challenges in building sustainable, high-growth businesses in Indonesia. Snigdha: I'm working with Team Allo in Singapore. This summer, the goal of my project was to enhance the user experience provided by this chat platform, particularly for the Next Billion Users.

What’s the best part about working at Google? Mercy: Working at Google and with my team is not all about programming. It feels like a lifestyle instead of just a job. In the beginning of my internship, our Beijing team hosted a summit and invited people from other offices. We had a couple of days of intensive discussion on various topics about the diffing testing platform, and as a result, I had a more comprehensive understanding of the platform. We had a team-building event on the last day and went to HouHai and Hutong. These were a lot of fun, and it felt like the team was a family. I also had access to search on the Google code base, which allowed me to see other people’s code and learn about other projects. Google also has many online courses and tech talks every week that introduce you to various coding skills. So coming in means making progress and learning new things. Jim: Googlers at my office have established many fun clubs, including a bunch of very interesting topics like latte art, board games, and various sports activities. Folks around me are not just working and coding all day — they have exuberant daily lives other than working. For me, since I’m a beginner at piano, I like to spend one hour a day practicing at my office. We all know that Google embraces and advocates for diversity, but I’d like to add that Google roots for and help Googlers build their own distinctions as well. Nagea: First, my manager is an extremely funny person, I can't remember any meetings without her humor. It really helped me loosen up, especially before presenting to higher-level people at the company. Second, but probably best of all, she wanted me to succeed. Despite her packed schedule, she ensured that I am working on a meaningful project that the team could use after my internship, and provided me with all of the resources and network she has. My team shares this trait — they would sit with me and share all the knowledge I needed for my project and for my professional aspirations. Snigdha: Working with host has been such a delight! Not only is she open to every Allo idea that I have (no matter how bizarre they are), she also helps me pitch them to the team. She is always willing to answer my questions about my project, the team, or even which course I should take in uni next term. Speaking of my team, in general, they are some of the smartest people I have come across, never shying away from helping me in any way they can. Keeping work aside, having asinine but extraordinary lunch conversations is something that I will surely miss about this group.

What does “being Googley” mean to you? Jim: Google’s policies have been very flexible for Googlers. As an engineer, I think “being Googley” could be interpreted as “being self-driven.” We need to be active to push forward our progress, be willing to collaborate with people with a variety of backgrounds, and be passionate to derive any innovative ideas which could possibly make a huge difference. Seizing every tiny moment to contribute to the entire community is also crucial. Nagea: Being Googley means being able to navigate through uncertainty and chaos. Google is all about uncharted territory — creating new products, building new businesses, telling new stories, inventing new ways of life. Observing my team here, “being Googley” is their ability to find structure in such uncertain situations that help guarantee them success. Snigdha: Embracing the open culture and transparency at Google is what defines Googleyness for me. This sharing culture teaches you something new every day — be it from a senior software engineer, your manager, or an intern. Everyday breakfast/lunch conversations range from the latest machine learning tools and Firebase issues to "why can't emus walk backwards?”

If you could give one piece of advice to potential student applicants, what would it be? Mercy: Practice programming as much as possible. Complete software engineering projects. Practice data structure and algorithm questions for programming interviews. But not just that! Some interview questions test your problem-solving skills, which takes practice and experience. I think Cracking the Coding Interview is a good book to read for interview preparation. It gives tips and also some sample practice problems. Jim: - Polish your coding ability as much as you can. Tech companies are mostly asking their applicants to complete a couple of coding challenges in the interview, so it’s a fundamental and crucial requirement to move forward your application. There are many online resources, so make good use of them as soon as possible. If you don’t have a lot of experience solving coding challenges, you may find it a bit difficult even when working on some questions that seem easy. Don’t get scared, and be patient. Read other people’s solutions step-by-step and you’ll gradually (but definitely) improve. - Be active in the interview. Don’t hesitate to demonstrate your idea. If the interview question is not something you are familiar with, it’s really hard to instantly come up with a perfect or optimal solution at the very beginning. Don’t worry about that; interviewers are actually expecting that. What you should do is take a short while to think on you own, and if you get stuck at some phase, just speak out loud, show that you’ve been thinking, and ask for a potential hint or feedback. The interviewer wants to see how you respond, so don’t be silent for too long. Consider the interview a collaboration with your teammate. Snigdha: My colleagues from a previous internship helped me prepare for the interview process — my friend and I would spend hours discussing several algorithms and data structure questions everyday. This boosted my confidence and encouraged me to apply for this summer internship.

My Path to Google: Maegan Clawges, User Experience (UX) Engineer

September 1, 2017

Welcome to the seventh installment of our blog series “My Path to Google.” These are real stories from Googlers highlighting how they got to Google, what their roles are like, and even some tips on how to prepare for interviews.
Today’s post is all about Maegan Clawges. Read on! Maegan Clawges 1 JPEG.JPG

Can you tell us a bit about yourself? I grew up in Asheville, North Carolina, in the Appalachian mountains. I was exposed to a lot of local art there which inspired me to study design in college. Once in college, I realized that being able to code would increase the impact of my design work so I added a second degree in computer science.
What’s your role at Google? I’m a UX Engineer at YouTube in the art department. We are an interdisciplinary team that works on brand and design language for all YouTube products. As a UX Engineer I work on tools for the design team, in addition to writing full-stack production code to build infrastructure for our design goals.
What inspires you to come in every day? I am inspired every day by the people on my team — they have a wide array of skills and experience that I learn from. Working with them pushes me to do my best creative work.
Can you tell us about your decision to enter the process? I was drawn to Google because of its dedication to innovation and helping the world. The Google Doodles inspired me creatively and influenced me to start learning to code.
How did the recruitment process go for you? I first joined Google as a software engineering intern. During college I got to know my university's Google recruiter through an event I organized for women in tech. She was super supportive throughout my internship and full-time application process. I applied to four different roles at Google because I wasn't sure where I fit as a hybrid engineer and designer, and I was impressed by how they managed my parallel application paths and how they offered me advice along the way.
What do you wish you’d known when you started the process? I wish I had learned more in school about how to collaborate within a large company. Even at YouTube, which is smaller, I work with designers and engineers throughout the company and it’s awesome, but communicating at that scale is a skill in itself.
Can you tell us more about the resources you used to prep? For the technical interviews, I mainly focused on practicing algorithm-based questions. I remember spending an entire weekend in front of a whiteboard before my intern interview. I also read as much as I could about Google, since I decided early on that it was the company I wanted to work for. Having that background information helped me integrate when I joined and ask better questions.
To finish, do you have any tips you’d like to share with aspiring Googlers? First, focus on developing skills in the areas that interest you, even if they’re interdisciplinary. Then, figure out how that skill set fits into Google's products and goals. A good mentor can help with that. Finally, get really good at telling your story, about your skill set and where you want to be in the future.

Interested in the Engineering Residency, of which Maegan is an alumna? Watch our video, or head over to g.co/EngResidency. Ready to apply to the residency? We're currently accepting applications at https://goo.gl/rhBmj1.

Student Blog

My Path to Google: Jesse Melhuish, Software Engineer

Asia-Pacific Google Intern Insights: Engineering and MBA interns share their stories

My Path to Google: Maegan Clawges, User Experience (UX) Engineer

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