“How do you get a job at Google?”
There is a question that I get asked every so often, that I would have never dreamed to answer just over 5 years ago:
“How do you get a job at Google?”
Whenever I’m asked that question, I feel like someone at the supermarket that gets mistaken as an employee and gets asked which aisle the pasta is at (the answer is always going to be aisle 8). I never pictured myself as “The Google type” or believed that I could ever join a company I respected so much.
Yet, I have been at Google nearly 6 years now. Like every job, its had elements I enjoyed, as well as elements I didn’t. And I’ve seen enough during my time at Google to answer this question. So let me tell you without further ado in which aisle you can find the pasta—I mean, get a job at Google.
Start with why
This is the first question I’ll ask someone when they tell me they want to work at Google. Why?
What makes Google special to you? Too often, I see people’s motivation to work at Google/BigTech driven by a need to feel cool or credential themselves by being part of a globally known organization. This is a short-sighted approach. Sure, your friends and family may be impressed, as well as people in your social network that hear the news. Yet, whenever you get this public praise, ask yourself “does this make my life better?”. If you are truly honest with yourself, you’ll realize that the answer is no.
You must have a pretty clear “why”. It could be because of the financial opportunity, the impact, the perks, etc. All of those are fair game. However, think about the trade-offs as well. When looking at your career, your job should have three components: 1) A sense of purpose 2) A sense of community and 3) A compensation you feel is fair. If you get all three of them in your job, consider yourself lucky. If you only have one, it might be time for you to look elsewhere. This “rule of three” may guide you in forming your why. Where do you see Google filling this from the information you have available?
Think broader, optionality is generally going to be more helpful
The next thing I ask someone is “what do you think you can get at Google that you can’t get anywhere else?”. Often, people struggle verbalizing this. That’s because they typically have not thought about whether what they consider unique about Google is actually unique. Depending on your geography, industry, and experience you are likely to find elements of what makes a place like Google special in these other places as well. So unless you have an idea as to why you want to work at Google, what value you think you can bring to the table, and how Google culture aligns to your values, it may be a good idea to build yourself some options.
One word of caution, when you think about the value you can bring to the table: Don’t sell yourself short! Go through the exercise of listing out your accomplishments, both professional and personal. If you are feeling stuck and don’t know how to do so, I recommend this course on self-promotion. As the saying goes “it’s not bragging if it’s based on facts”.
Another helpful exercise is the following. Take out the name “Google” from the analysis of where you want to work. Then, grab a piece of paper—yes, you will have to write it out—and answer the following questions:
If you had to choose one of the following three: a sense of purpose, a sense of community, fair compensation; which one would you choose and why?
Did you make that choice previously in your career? How did that work out?
What do you value in an employer?
What are the key skills/areas of expertise that you have developed in your career?
What would you like to learn that would contribute to your professional life?
This will help you identify what you care about in the company you work for, what you can contribute to it, and what you would like them to contribute in your life.
What do you bring to the table?
Take advantage that you are not at Google yet and ask yourself: “What’s an opportunity they are missing?”. Alternatively, another useful question could be “What problem are they tackling that I would love to help solve?”. This will help you narrow down the areas within Google that you are interested in. Then, think about how your current skills can be applied to solve that problem.
Don’t think you have the skills? That could either mean that 1) you are selling yourself short or 2) you truly don’t have the skills. If the latter is true, but you are still interested in a specific area of Google, identify what the minimal requirements are, and intermediary steps you could take outside of Google to start building those skills or learning more about that specific project space. Perhaps it’s through watching hours of YouTube videos and treating it like a virtual class. At Google, aptitude for learning is one of the best predictors of high performance, so if you get to the interview showing how you are upskilling already, it will increase your chances of getting hired.
To reap what you sow, you must sow first
The next step then is to seek out people in those teams and have a conversation with them. You may find them in online communities you participate in, networks like Linkedin or Twitter, or perhaps through 2nd/3rd degree connections. Set the expectation that you are looking to learn, and that you are exploring a company like Google for future career moves. That will lessen the expectations of reciprocity and make people more likely to accept.
In those conversations, treat it like establishing any other relationship: Demonstrate curiosity (good questions), a willingness to understand first (listen), and bring a point of view that nourishes the conversation and leaves them wanting to engage with you more. Offer areas where you can help them, even if it’s not immediately tied to Google. Look back at the times where you’ve interacted with someone that did any of these: Did you not want to work with them after?
No straight path
As you can see, the answer to “how to get a job at Google?” is not necessarily A, B, then C. I’ve found that the people that have had the most success/fun at Google are those that are constantly questioning the status quo, and they are curious about the how of things.
Therefore, start with the why, think about what you want in your professional career, the values you want to find where you work, and the value you can bring to them. Lastly, start nurturing professional relationships with a genuine desire to learn, share, and help.
