Welcome to the 45th installment of our blog series “My Path to Google.” These are real stories from Googlers, interns, and alumni 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 Ana Lucero Esqueda Rocha. Read on!
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| Ana at the Mexico City office. |
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I am from Aguascalientes, a small town in the heart of Mexico. My parents are my role models! My dad is an engineer and I have always been inspired by his work. I fell in love with programming during my computer science coursework in high school. I immediately knew that I wanted to become a Software Engineer. I received my Bachelor’s degree in Information and Communication Technologies Engineering from Tecnológico de Monterrey campus Aguascalientes.
Even though I have been focused in different stacks of the development process during my career, I developed a passion for frontend development. I am always trying to learn new technologies and stay up to date with frontend frameworks.
When I am not working, I really enjoy doing sports. I love to read, especially historical novels, and I enjoy watching science fiction and suspense series with my husband.
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| Hanging around the office. |
What’s your role at Google?
I’m a Customer Solutions Engineer (CSE) on the gTech team. I am based in the Mexico City office and I work with LCS on the prototyping and development of solutions to solve the unique needs of our largest advertisers. CSE’s are open-ended problem-solvers.
My team along with the teamwork and partnership in gTech are some of the things I like most about my job! You get to work everyday with very talented people, who are also full of new and interesting ideas. The opportunities to grow, learn, and have fun are huge here. The most interesting part of this role is that you are able to work on both parts of the solution, technical and human, which gives you a wider view of how things work from all perspectives.
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| Team dinner! |
What inspires you at work every day?
Working at Google has been one of my biggest dreams! So coming to work is like living that dream everyday, and I am really excited about it. The culture is inspiring and I admire the way Google cares about employees by providing paths to grow, learn, be challenged, and have fun at the same time. Our concern for our users and improving people’s lives also inspires me to come to work everyday and do an exceptional job.
My teammates are like friends, so working together is really satisfying and engaging — I enjoy sharing ideas and solving problems with them.
Can you tell us about your decision to enter the process?
The idea of applying to Google was scary at the beginning. Even though I had prior experience at other companies and I had prepared for other interviews, I was still nervous. I’m so glad I got over that nervousness and took the chance to apply.
When I got the job, I experienced so many emotions — pride, excitement, a little more nervousness, but the feeling of knowing that I was accepted was so satisfying! Accepting the job at Google required me to move further away from my home and family, but I’m excited to live in a new city and for all the opportunities ahead.
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| Ana’s first day at Google. |
How did the recruitment process go for you?
A recruiter contacted me, we had the first call where we talked about the role and the position based in Mexico City. After the call, I was convinced I wanted to apply. There was only one little problem, I was heading to the airport the next day for my honeymoon and I would be away for three weeks!
I was excited to move forward, but nervous that the position would be filled by the time I returned. I explained the situation to the recruiter and she said that she would be happy to wait for me to continue the process. After three weeks, I received an email from her asking if I was back in Mexico — she actually remembered me! (Nashla is amazing by the way!) She helped me start the process, and I was finally selected.
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| Time for a spin on a gbike. |
What do you wish you’d known when you started the process?
I wish I had known that interviewing at Google is not as scary as we might think. Everyone is super friendly and they definitely want you to succeed. Most of the time interviewers do not expect you to create the most optimal solution from the beginning, they know that everything is a process of iteration, improvement, and optimization.
I liked thinking about interviewing as a collaborative process between two or more professionals and not as an exam where interviewers want you to fail. It really helps to be successful. It's helpful to remember that engaging with the interviewers and expressing a clear thought process on how to approach problems can increase the chance to move to the next steps.
Can you tell us about the resources you used to prepare for your interview or role?
To prepare, I used online programming learning platforms like TopCoder, Coderbyte, GeekforGeeks, etc, to practice coding challenges. I also watched Youtube videos and read programming blogs like KhanAcademy, Quora, Pluralsight, etc, to refresh data structures and algorithms, as well as computer science fundamentals. Of course I couldn’t miss the ‘Life at Google’ and ‘How to ace the Google interview’ videos on Youtube! Practicing coding definitely helped me to be prepared for the interviews.
I also had some interviews with my friends. This helped me understand how a real interview could be and how I could improve my work under pressure since interviewing can be stressful! I’m grateful that there are tons of online resources to prepare for interviews!
Do you have any tips you’d like to share with aspiring Googlers?
Never give up! If you want it, it will happen. Prepare before the interviews — practice, practice, practice! It is also very important to learn from rejections and not to be afraid of them. Focus on what you are best at and do it!
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| Ana with an Android statue at the Mexico City office |
