Halfway through your college years, you may begin to notice that you’re somewhat used to a certain routine. Whether it’s the study habits you’ve acquired, the friends you’ve made, or the familiarity you’ve developed with your environment, it starts to feel normal to return to your routine after every break or vacation. And then…you graduate.
The day I finished my last class, I was in tears. I was happy, sad, confused, and overwhelmed. I had successfully completed 17 years of schooling, something I had grown to accept (and do I dare to say it…love) as a huge part of my life. And then, there I was, with no more classes, no more exams, no more essays to write…and no job. I'd chosen a Psychology major because I loved working with people, and I loved learning about the 'what, why, and how' of human thought, behavior, and interaction...but it was hard to make a decision in regards to what field I would be the happiest working in. I'd thought about advertising, but I didn't know where to start, and I didn't take many business classes while at UM. I'd thought about therapy or counseling, which overwhelmed me. Honestly, I think I thought of everything and seemed to come up with nothing.
For a good couple of months, I tried to figure out what it was that I wanted to do with my life--where I wanted to go, what I wanted to be. My heart sank a little deeper in my chest each time that I thought about each of my friends who were still living life as undergrads, already employed, or working away as a grad school/future grad school student. I went home to visit my family and friends in Seattle for a while and took on a couple of small jobs. It was wonderful to be able to spend time with the people that I loved, but I had never felt more lost. I knew that I wanted to work with people to solve problems and make their lives easier. I knew that I wanted to be part of a hard working team, and the whole ‘office job’ intrigued me since I’ve been known to be connected at the hip/USB drive with my computer.
When my mom told me that she’d heard Google would be setting up shop in Ann Arbor, I went a little crazy. I hightailed it to the computer, submitted my resume, and proceeded to learn everything that I could about Google AdWords (the product team Google was hiring for in Ann Arbor). To my surprise, shortly after I submitted my resume, I got a voicemail from a recruiter in California. This call was the beginning of a lengthy application process.
My interview days began with a series of phone screens, intermingled with worksheets and writing samples. Over the next month, I completed one step and was forced to patiently wait to see if I had made it to the next. Finally, almost two months after I had initially sent in my resume, I had an actual face-to-face interview. Well, face to face times five. Essentially how the process went for me was that for a period of a couple hours, you have an interview room designated as your own. The Googlers then rotate every 30 minutes, with new questions, new personalities, new atmospheres. It's exhausting and challenging, but also insightful and entertaining. I walked out of the building feeling as though somehow, the last four hours had given me a great lesson in dealing with any future professional situations that I was faced with.
Some time later, I got a conclusion to the longest five months of my life--a job offer from Google to be an AdWords Coordinator. I was thrilled--I was going to be able to work in advertising, on a hard working team, in communication with people from all over the world through email, chat, and telephone. Somehow, even though I couldn't even describe the position that would fit me perfectly, I'd found it. I could barely believe that a company that I admired and respected (and used to search everything, 24/7) was giving me the opportunity to become a part of their team. I took a breath and was reassured that my hard work at Michigan paid off.
I’m still in that adjustment phase--relatively new to the full-time job world and trying to find my niche--but I’m getting there. More than ever, I love my computer, and I love my coffee. (Black, no sugar.) Above all else, I love my job. I feel so thankful to have gotten a job here at all, especially right out of college. There is never a dull moment, and the days are flying by…especially yesterday, which was 'wear your school colors' day. As if I will EVER object to wearing a sweatshirt to work? I don't think so. Yes, I was that girl who wore sweatpants to class everyday. One of my favorite of Google's philosophies is, naturally, "you can be serious without a suit."
I'm really excited to start blogging and about the opportunity to give a little bit of an inside view on the daily life of a 'Googler.'
More to come...
