My Google internship: 5 practical things I learned
Everyone wants to be a Google intern, and it’s not hard to see why. The company has 100,000+ employees, it’s ranked among the top 5 most valuable brands in the world, and the employee perks are, quite frankly, amazing. But what does an intern at Google actually learn, during their time there?
“You’ve got the position,” the voice said, on the telephone.
I nearly choked on my coffee. “Wait… what?”
“You’re in.” Julien, my recruiter, started talking about salaries and onboarding, but my mind was already far away. I couldn’t believe it.
Me? A Google intern?
It felt like something out of that film, with Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn. Visions of flashy campuses, free meals and high-tech offices flashed through my brain. It was a business student’s dream.
Fast-forward four months, I am now approaching my mid-term evaluation at Google, and being in self-isolation due to the Covid-19 situation has made me pause and reflect on the things that I have learned so far.
Whether you want to work at Google in the future, or whether you are looking for advice for the beginning of your career, I hope that you will find these points helpful. Read on, to find out the five things that my internship at Google has taught me.
Trust me — free meals don’t even cover a fraction of it.
1. Be daring
Just applying for the Google internship was a bold move.
Everyone around me said that it was impossible to get a role at Google. They said it wasn’t even worth bothering; that there was too much competition, and that my application would get lost in the slush pile. They forgot one crucial thing — if you don’t try, you will never get anywhere.
Too many people shrink back from applying to Google, because they assume that the company is too big, that their chances are too small, that they have no hope of success. But that simply isn’t true. I bit the bullet and fired off an application, with no guarantee of success. But the difference was that I tried.
And guess what?
I got the position.
This would never have happened if I had been put off by the number of candidates. I had to take the risk. When I spoke with the other interns and apprentices at Google, we realised that we all had one thing in common. We all dared to believe that we could work at Google.
You see this mindset everywhere in Google. No one judges you according to your background, your degree, or your school grades. Instead, they build you up, encouraging you to dream big and push hard. They teach you that nothing is too big, and that you are never too small to step up and take responsibility.
I would never have become a Google intern, if I had not dared to apply.
2. Don’t be afraid to step forward
At Google, my colleagues saw me as a fellow employee, and they expected me to act like one. No excuses. My boss, Jean-David, explained that he had the same expectations of me, as he did of the rest of the team who had 5–10 years’ worth of experience. I was expected to make decisions, take initiative, and contribute to every meeting. They never believed that I had less value, simply because I had less experience.
This was challenging at first, but in the long run, it encouraged me to do things that I would never have done before. After a month at Google, I had already organised 10 different meetings with senior staff members, based in 4 different countries. The first time I launched the video conference, I was terrified. By the tenth call, it felt like the most natural thing in the world.
I am so grateful to my team, for treating me as an equal. Thanks to them, I went further than I could have ever imagined.
3. Don’t be embarrassed about asking for help
Google is a huge — and I mean HUGE — company. There are so many different products, services, teams and processes within it. And to make it even more complex, all of those processes are constantly evolving and changing. As a Google intern, it was impossible for me to understand everything all at once. They say it takes months.
Sometimes, I was afraid that I would somehow ‘lose face’, if I had to ask for help.
But the truth is, I would never have made it through the internship, without my team’s support. Once I realised that my colleagues considered me as an equal, I also realised that I had to stop trying to find all the answers on my own. If anything, they appreciated the fact that I was honest about my limitations, and ready and willing to learn, to improve on them.
For instance, I asked Manon, a fellow Googler, for advice, regarding a presentation that I had been assigned. Her feedback was amazing, and it completely transformed my approach to the presentation. If I had not plucked up the courage to ask, I would never have had the opportunity to improve.
It takes humility and honesty to acknowledge our weaknesses, but it is only when we do so, that we begin to truly grow.
4. Meet as many people as you can
This is not the time to lurk in the shadows!
When I started my first day at Google, I was given one task: to grab a coffee with as many people as possible. The company has invested in state-of-the-art cafes, micro kitchens and cafeterias. But it isn’t about the free refreshments (although that is an awesome perk)! It’s more about encouraging Googlers to mingle, share ideas and build connections. Studies have shown that communal spaces like these will bridge the ‘structural gaps’ between teams, drawing people together, and encouraging them to connect.
Being able to personally meet each team member helped me to feel included, and it quickly gave me an idea of everyone’s roles and responsibilities. Thanks to these early connections, I knew exactly who to liaise with, when working on different projects. At Google, there is a strong focus on creativity and innovation, so the more contacts you have, the better.
Connecting with people from different teams, nationalities and backgrounds was fascinating; as was being able to better understand Google’s activities, and how I could adapt to work within the company. These meetings helped me to develop amazing professional relationships, which I know will continue long after my internship ends.
5. Be Googley
What does that even mean?!
I wondered the same thing, when I first arrived. But it turns out that being ‘Googley’ is a term used to describe the character traits that are valued in a Google employee. Different employees assign different meanings to the term, but the general consensus is that everyone should be kind, proactive, honest, fair and show integrity at all times.
These particular values really stood out to me, during my time at Google:
- Help others
- Be humble
- Be flexible
As a newcomer and an intern, I first needed help and support from my colleagues. They taught me how to work the Google way, and they gave me the confidence to lead my own projects. Once I had the tools that I needed to make the most of my internship, I wanted to give back.
Helping others is the first step towards being Googley. When new interns arrived at Google, I reached out to them, and offered to meet with them for a coffee. I wanted to be a good representative of what Google stood for, and pass on the knowledge that I had gained. I also took the initiative to share information and ideas with my managers in advance, helping them to make strategic decisions.
Working at Google has also been a humbling experience. It has shown me that there is always something new to be learned, and that there is no shame in asking for help. Everyone is equal at Google. No one looked at me differently for my lack of experience, and we always treated each other with respect and dignity. I love the fact that everyone is valued at Google, and that anyone can speak up, and be listened to.
I have especially noticed these values during the Covid-19 global outbreak. From the beginning, I saw Google putting the wellbeing of its employees and users first. For example, in Google France, the YouTube team collaborated with 80 influencers and public figures, creating a video that encouraged people to stay at home. Being Googley is so important, because it drives us to improve the lives of as many people as possible.
Some final thoughts…
Doing an internship at Google has been the steepest learning curve of my life, and I am aware that I still have a lot to learn. But I will carry these five lessons with me, through the rest of my internship at Google. I will be daring, I will step up, I will ask for support when required, I will never stop making connections, and I will carry the Googley mindset with me, wherever I go. Thanks to this internship, I know that I will be ready to face whatever challenges my future career holds.
About me:
Hi! My name is Nathan Bouton, and I am a 23-year-old business student from Paris. I am enrolled on the GETT programme, a triple degree programme with UC Berkeley (United States), EDHEC Business School (France) and Sungkyunkwan University (South Korea). Currently at my Google internship, I am working with the Brand Marketing team for the Pixel phone and the Google store. You can connect with me on LinkedIn here.
