Welcome to the latest edition of “My Path to Google,” where we talk to Googlers, interns and alumni about how they got to Google, what their roles are like and even some tips on how to prepare for interviews.

As Black History Month continues across Europe, we spoke with Aurane Dibeu and Camille Addo, two Googlers who have led local Black Googler Network (BGN) chapters in their offices. BGN is a global employee resource group (ERG) working to cultivate Black leaders at Google and beyond, empower the communities where we operate and ensure the technology industry reflects the diversity of its users. Aurane and Camille shared more about this important work and their own journeys to Google.

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

Aurane: I grew up in France and received a master’s degree in finance and economics. However, after five years of studying and working in finance, I realized I didn't like the industry’s culture. I still wanted to work in a field where I could use my analytical skills, so I decided to study data science and get into tech. Outside of work, I'm an astrophysics fan and aspiring pilot. I moved to Ireland three months ago after working remotely from Paris for a year.

Camille: I'm a born and bred Londoner, having grown up in South East London with my parents and two younger brothers. I studied Hispanic studies at Manchester University, during which I spent an incredible year abroad in Brazil and Cuba. I love languages, traveling and trying new food. When I'm not working, I try to absorb as much culture as I can and spend quality time with my friends and family.

What’s your role at Google?

Aurane: I’m a solutions consultant on the gCare team. In this role, I help our advertising clients solve any technical issues with our Google Marketing Platform tools, submit new feature proposals to our product teams and monitor for any bugs before launching those features.

Camille: I’m a program manager on the ads side of the business, which means I work with a team of specialists to help our biggest advertising clients meet their marketing objectives. I’m also a co-chair for BGN UK.

What does the BGN community mean to you?

Aurane: To me, BGN represents three things: inclusivity, solidarity and inspiration. Before joining Google, I interned mostly in finance. In those jobs, I was usually the only Black woman — and sometimes, the only Black person — on the team. So when I joined Google and discovered BGN, I felt welcomed. In the years since, BGN has been a safe space and career accelerator for me. Thanks to this community, I’ve received mentoring and coaching to help me thrive in my role. I decided to become the Paris chapter lead to give back to this community.

Camille: BGN is a space where Black Googlers and allies can come together and celebrate the Black community in all its forms. This is in part because BGN fosters the feeling of psychological safety, creating a space for us to truly discuss pressing issues. BGN and all ERGs also have the support of senior management at Google, which helps create a sense of belonging across the company.

Any tips for aspiring Googlers?

Aurane: Go to outreach events hosted by Google. These will help you get a better understanding of the company, roles and, most importantly, the application and interview process. Learn more about these opportunities.

Camille: Read as much as possible and do as many Google Digital Garage courses as you can. And if you don't succeed the first time, don't get disheartened. Try again, especially after you’ve had a chance to absorb any feedback you got. There are so many fantastic teams here at Google, so even if one role isn't for you, the perfect one could be right around the corner.

Welcome to the latest edition of “My Path to Google,” where we talk to Googlers, interns and alumni about 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 Lara Suzuki, a technical director in Google Cloud’s Office of the CTO, who’s based in London.

What’s your role at Google?

I work at the forefront of many technologies, including machine learning, responsible AI, cloud robotics and AI applied to medicine. I collaborate with Googlers across product, engineering and sales.

Tell us a little about yourself and how you got interested in technology.

I grew up in Sao Paulo in a Brazilian-Italian-Japanese family. I’m autistic and have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Since I was a child, I’ve been fascinated with things that move or change state, like machines, cars and electronic equipment. I always wanted to understand how things worked — what made them behave the way they did, and how I could make them do something else.

I started a music degree when I was 15, but a year later, I decided to follow my passion for engineering. I went on to pursue a master’s degree in electrical engineering and a PhD in computer science.

Why did you decide to apply to Google?

Besides its technological impact, I was drawn to Google’s commitment to inclusion and belonging — including the programs they invest in to help people of all walks of life join the technology sector. The best thing about Google is the people and the value the organization puts on Googlers.

I will never be able to express my appreciation for the way Google has impacted my own life and helped me grow in this field. Even before I joined, Google awarded me an academic scholarship to pursue my PhD and provided mentorship, leadership and technical training.

What was your interview experience like?

Even though I was nervous, all my interview experiences at Google were fantastic (I applied for one role and received referrals for two). Every interviewer was enthusiastic about the technologies they were developing, and my potential role in them. Even in the early stages of the interview process, I could grasp the company’s culture of belonging and belief in everyone’s capabilities.

What resources did you use to prepare?

I used a lot of online resources to polish my coding skills, read books and took coding challenges. I also did mock interviews with my friends and husband. That helped me prepare for questions and keep my anxiety at bay. At the actual interview, it felt like I was having a chat with a friend.

What advice do you have for aspiring Googlers?

Applying to Google can sometimes feel like you’re taking a long shot. I was very motivated to make it to Google, but also a bit afraid I wouldn’t be good enough. Don’t hesitate to apply because of a fear of failure. In the end, you’ll find the right opportunity at the right time in your career.

Welcome to the latest edition of “My Path to Google,” where we talk to Googlers, interns, apprentices and alumni about 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 Paula Martinez, a Google Cloud Marketing Manager based in Argentina.

How would you describe your role?

As a Partner Marketing Manager, my main responsibility is to design marketing campaigns for Google Cloud products and solutions with our regional technological and reseller partners.

What does your typical workday look like?

I try to start my day without any meetings so I can get organized, create my to-do list and tackle the most pressing tasks. I work a lot with our sales teams and partners to plan and execute marketing initiatives that fit market strategies. Part of my day is focused on measuring and analyzing those campaigns and, with the help of my team, creating action plans based on the results. I'm the only one on my team based in Argentina, so I spend a lot of time connecting with my teammates virtually.

Can you tell us a bit more about yourself?

My dad is from a traditional Venezuelan family, and my mom’s side of the family is Indigenous. Specifically, they’re from the Wayuu people, a community located in the Guajira Peninsula between Venezuela and Colombia. My parents wanted to give me an Indigenous name so I always remember my roots. Kai'tu is my middle name and means “Bright Sun” in Wayuunaiki, the language of our people.

For a long time, I struggled with my dual identity. But I’ve finally understood that it makes me unique and that I’m privileged to belong to both cultures.

Why did you decide to apply to Google?

Something in me knew I would make it here, so I prepared myself. I applied to different roles over time, but without much success. When this job opened up on the Partner Marketing team, I felt like I had a good chance. I knew a lot about this field — I specialized in team management and strategy development — and had worked with partners in the region before.

What was your application experience like?

I actually have a funny story about my application. I put together my resume trying to highlight the skills from the job description. But I accidentally attached an old version of my resume that wasn’t very applicable to this role.

After a few days, I received an email similar to others I’d gotten in the past, saying, “Thank you for applying, but…” I stared at the screen bewildered, because I felt really good about my application. Later that day, I received another email. It was from a Google recruiter saying they felt something was off with my application. They asked me to complete a few questions and send my current resume. They gave me a second chance. I was always a fan of second chances, but now I’m a devout believer in them.

How did you prepare for your interview?

I’m a pretty methodical person, so I created scripts for each interview round. I thought about different scenarios and possible questions and answers, and prepared examples of my successes, failures and projects. This helped me a lot because almost all the interviews were in English, which is not my first language. So it allowed me to structure and better facilitate my line of thought.

What inspires you to come in (or log on) to work every day?

I feel a responsibility to represent every Indigenous girl with big dreams. I also really enjoy my work and the team I’m on. I feel super lucky to have the opportunity to learn and work with people I appreciate and respect. With them, I learn something every day.

Any tips for aspiring Googlers?

Preparation is key. Use the methods you know will work for you. Don't be overwhelmed by the excess of online information about interviews. Follow your recruiter’s recommendations — they know what you’ll be evaluated on.

Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing (GHC) is the world’s largest annual gathering of women technologists, bringing together thousands of students and industry professionals to build their careers and communities. This year’s conference is taking place in person — in Orlando, Florida — for the first time since 2019.

Ahead of #GHC22, I spoke with three Googlers attending the conference — Elena Escalas, Faith Carter and Sabrina Hong — about their paths to engineering and the importance of community.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Elena: I grew up in Nashville, Tennessee and studied computer science (CS) at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) as a Division 1 swimmer. I’m a software engineer on the Google TV team, where I work on smart home capabilities. My typical work day includes fixing bugs, prototyping new features, reviewing code and writing design documents.

Faith: I grew up in Houston and studied petroleum engineering, which is the study of extracting and producing oil and natural gas, at the University of Texas at Austin. I’m currently a product manager on the Payments Platform team at Google, where I build payments and identity management systems to help merchants grow their businesses. My typical day begins with an espresso macchiato from the amazing baristas working in my office building. After that, every day is different — but most of my time is spent working with engineers and designers across the company.

Sabrina: I was born in Seoul, South Korea and immigrated to the Los Angeles area when I was two years old, eventually studying astrophysics at UCLA. While a lot of my peers went off to graduate school, I needed to find a job right away. So I became an instructor at a year-round outdoor science education camp. A year later, I joined the quantum computing industry. Now, I’m a hardware engineer on Google Research’s Quantum AI team, where I conduct research and development toward building a useful quantum computer and improving the quality of our quantum processors.

How did you get into engineering?

Elena: I wanted to challenge myself to do something difficult. And even though I had no coding experience, I loved the technology and software I used in my day-to-day life and wanted to help create these products. It was difficult to catch up to my classmates who had been coding since they were much younger, but my experience at my first-ever Grace Hopper Celebration — where I met so many women in tech and landed my first internship — helped me stay motivated.

Faith: I was fortunate enough to grow up in an amazing community of Black women engineers who helped me understand the different career paths available in the industry. Watching them create technology that fundamentally improved people’s lives gave me the confidence to know I could do the same. I pivoted into tech, and specifically commerce technology, after traveling throughout Latin America and West Africa. I saw how heavily reliant those economies were on informal commerce, like street vendors and home-run businesses, and the challenges merchants faced as a result. Those experiences piqued my interest in improving and making commerce technology more accessible.

Sabrina: My affinity for the sciences started when I was a kid. I always had a lot of questions that were grounded in science: How do clouds form? How do instruments make their sound? On top of that, I was enamored with all things NASA and the space race, and I dreamed of either becoming an astronaut, or a scientist or engineer at the forefront of a technology. All of that led me to study astrophysics, which introduced me to quantum computing.

Do you participate in any employee resource groups (ERGs) at Google? If so, what does that community mean to you?

Elena: Although it’s not an official ERG, I created a community group for newly graduated Nooglers (“Nooglers” are what we call new hires). “Noograds” hosts social events for recent graduates, and it’s helped me discover a passion for event planning, introduced me to lifelong friends and built a community of over 7,000 Googlers around the world. I’m excited to meet some of our newest members who are attending the Grace Hopper Celebration this year.

Faith: I’m part of the Black Googler Network (BGN), a community for Black Googlers around the world, which has played an important role in helping me feel welcome at Google. BGN has also given me access to incredible learning and mentorship opportunities.

Sabrina: I’m an active member of the Women@Google ERG, a global community for women at Google. Some of my colleagues in Quantum AI and I even started an informal community for women in our organization. I’m grateful to have a community I can lean on for career development advice and support as I navigate this field.

Welcome to the latest edition of “My Path to Google,” where we talk to Googlers, interns, apprentices and alumni about 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 Sumin Chung, an intern in our Student Training in Engineering Program (STEP), which helps first and second-year undergraduate students develop computer science (CS) skills. This summer, Sumin is working on the Android engineering team in Seoul, South Korea.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m currently studying biotechnology in Seoul. I first became interested in computer science while studying data science, and I recently started focusing on my programming skills. Outside of school and work, I enjoy baking sweet desserts, going to exhibitions (especially ones about history and civilization) and traveling to museums around the world.

What do you work on at Google?
This summer, I’m working on the Android engineering team. My main project is to improve the user interface for a platform that lets people manage their Android device through a web browser.

Why did you apply to Google?

After informally studying computer science for a few months, I worried that I wouldn’t be able to learn more without officially majoring in it. So I started looking for internships that would help me build my CS skills in the professional world. Luckily, I heard that Google was hosting an intern recruiting event, and that’s where I learned about the STEP internship program. It was exactly what I was looking for, so I took a chance and applied.

How did your interview process go?

The entire process — from the first conversation with my recruiter to meetings with my potential managers — made me feel special because of how personalized it was. I felt encouraged to express my opinions, and my interviewers welcomed my curiosities. It was a good environment for me because I was full of questions, not only about Google but about the interviewers themselves. My mom, who was in the next room while I did my virtual interview from home, even said it seemed like I was the interviewer, not the interviewee!

How did you prepare for your interviews?

I mainly focused on studying algorithms. And because English isn’t my first language, I practiced expressing my thoughts in English. Once the interview schedule was confirmed, I tried hard to relax and be confident. I knew everyone applying to Google was good at algorithms, so my biggest hurdle was believing in myself.

Any advice for aspiring Google interns?

No matter what other people think (or even what you think of yourself), challenge those assumptions. It’s important not to be afraid of failure, and if you’re eager to learn and grow, you need the courage to take an opportunity when it comes along. In my case, I’m quite self-critical and tend to limit myself, especially when it comes to my abilities. To overcome this bad habit, I took on the challenge of the STEP internship program. Throughout the application and interview process, I kept repeating to myself that I have nothing to lose, and that I can even learn from the process itself.