Tag Archives: Life at Google

Un vistazo a los recursos de Google para la comunidad militar

Como comandante de la California Army National Guard (Guardia Nacional del Ejército de California), generalmente sé de antemano cuándo estaré activo para el servicio militar. Pero este año todo cambió: Entre la respuesta a la COVID-19 y los incendios forestales en California, me tomé una licencia militar de mi trabajo en Google como gerente de programas de integración de hardware varias veces. Estuve en servicio por tres meses para ayudar con la respuesta a la COVID-19, seguido de una activación de incendios forestales durante una semana.

Ayudar a mi comunidad durante estos tiempos difíciles ha sido agotador y satisfactorio a la vez. Cuando entro en servicio con poca anticipación, mi equipo de Google interviene de inmediato para cubrir mi trabajo en mi ausencia. Me siento muy acompañado por mis colegas y el gerente, y reconozco lo afortunado que soy de trabajar en una compañía que respeta y acepta a las personas con cargos militares en servicio activo de medio tiempo como yo, así como a otros veteranos y sus familias. 

No solo siento el apoyo de mis compañeros de Google, sino que también estoy muy orgulloso de que Google apoye financieramente a las personas activas e inactivas en servicio militar con una política de licencia militar generosa. Google les paga a los soldados de la Guardia Nacional y a los reservistas la totalidad de su salario de Google los primeros 30 días calendario de servicio. Luego, Google pagará la diferencia entre el salario de un Googler en licencia por servicio militar y el salario militar para que el reservista o soldado de la Guardia Nacional reciba casi la totalidad de su salario de Google durante el servicio por hasta cinco años.

Mientras honramos a los veteranos el Día de los Veteranos, Google realmente se compromete a apoyar a la comunidad todo el año con programas, capacitaciones y herramientas.

Solo en las últimas semanas, Google anunció losleave benefits for military spouses (beneficios de licencia para cónyuges de militares) yServing Veterans, un nuevo centro de recursos de bienestar de salud mental para los veteranos y sus familias. Además, Google lanzó recientemente unavirtual career series for veterans (serie de carreras virtuales para veteranos) para aquellos interesados en explorar carreras en Google. Si busca un nuevo empleo, escriba “jobs for veterans” (trabajos para veteranos) en la Búsqueda de Google y, luego, ingrese su código de especialidad ocupacional militar o el equivalente para ver qué trabajos pueden requerir las habilidades que aprendió durante su experiencia militar. En la página de inicio de EE. UU. de hoy, verá un doodle especial creado por Jenn Hassin, artista invitada y veterana de la Fuerza Aérea de Texas. El doodle escultural se creó con miles de rollos de papel hechos a mano con los uniformes que cada rama militar donó.   

Google también acompaña desde hace mucho tiempo a las familias de los veteranos y militares que tienen su propia empresa. Las empresas manejadas por veteranos pueden agregar la característica de “Veteran-Led” (Liderada por veteranos) en su Google Business Listing (Ficha de empresa de Google) en la Búsqueda de Google y en Maps en unos pocos pasos sencillos. Como en noviembre no solo se celebra el Día de los Veteranos, sino también la National Veterans Small Business Week (Semana nacional de pequeñas empresas de veteranos), me gustaría mencionar los recursos deGrow with Google for Veterans and Military Families (Crecimiento con Google para veteranos y familiares de militares) desarrollados para veteranos y cónyuges de militares que deseen mejorar sus habilidades profesionales o formar sus empresas.

Grow with Google presentó recientemente un taller virtual para ayudar a las empresas lideradas por veteranos a prosperar y un panel de discusión con Jen Pilcher dePatriot Boot Camp y Charles Cathlin deTruGenomix sobre cómo han desarrollado sus empresas en línea. VisiteGrow with Google On Air para disfrutar la grabación gratuita de este evento. 

Uno de ellos es la lección de la aplicación Primer de Grow with Google llamada “Build Digital Skills to Adapt And Grow Your Veteran-led Business” (Desarrolle habilidades digitales para adaptar y desarrollar su empresa liderada por veteranos). Este tutorial rápido presenta sugerencias sobre cómo gestionar las ventas, las operaciones, las finanzas y otros aspectos de su empresa mediante herramientas fáciles en línea. Puede descargarla aplicación Primer en Google Play Store o Apple App Store para acceder a este contenido en su dispositivo móvil. Simplemente busque “veteranled” (liderada por veteranos) en la aplicación para encontrar esta lección. 

Google no solo centra su apoyo en los miembros militares: Los familiares de militares son igualmente importantes. Muchos de estos esfuerzos están dirigidos porMary Spence, una Directora de Programas de Google y esposa de militar. 

Un recurso que Grow with Google ayudó a crear es laMilSpouse Career Roadmap (hoja de ruta de carreras para cónyuges de militares). En asociación con Hiring our Heroes, esteestudio de investigación financiado por subvenciones encuestó a más de 1,500 cónyuges de militares para crear un centro interactivo. Ofrece una variedad de herramientas y recursos que ayudan a los cónyuges de militares a encontrar y desarrollar carreras compatibles, incluida laGoogle’s remote work search feature (función de búsqueda de trabajo remoto de Google) y recursos de educación y empleo delSpouse Education and Career Opportunities Program (Programa de oportunidades laborales y educativas para cónyuges) del Departamento de Defensa de los Estados Unidos.

Estas son solo algunas de las formas en que los miembros militares como yo y los veteranos y nuestras familias recibimos apoyo como parte de la comunidad de Google. Para conocer mi historia y la de otros empleados de Google en la comunidad militar, visite el canal de YouTube Life at Google que muestra a veteranos de Google.  

Un vistazo a los recursos de Google para la comunidad militar

Como comandante de la California Army National Guard (Guardia Nacional del Ejército de California), generalmente sé de antemano cuándo estaré activo para el servicio militar. Pero este año todo cambió: Entre la respuesta a la COVID-19 y los incendios forestales en California, me tomé una licencia militar de mi trabajo en Google como gerente de programas de integración de hardware varias veces. Estuve en servicio por tres meses para ayudar con la respuesta a la COVID-19, seguido de una activación de incendios forestales durante una semana.

Ayudar a mi comunidad durante estos tiempos difíciles ha sido agotador y satisfactorio a la vez. Cuando entro en servicio con poca anticipación, mi equipo de Google interviene de inmediato para cubrir mi trabajo en mi ausencia. Me siento muy acompañado por mis colegas y el gerente, y reconozco lo afortunado que soy de trabajar en una compañía que respeta y acepta a las personas con cargos militares en servicio activo de medio tiempo como yo, así como a otros veteranos y sus familias. 

No solo siento el apoyo de mis compañeros de Google, sino que también estoy muy orgulloso de que Google apoye financieramente a las personas activas e inactivas en servicio militar con una política de licencia militar generosa. Google les paga a los soldados de la Guardia Nacional y a los reservistas la totalidad de su salario de Google los primeros 30 días calendario de servicio. Luego, Google pagará la diferencia entre el salario de un Googler en licencia por servicio militar y el salario militar para que el reservista o soldado de la Guardia Nacional reciba casi la totalidad de su salario de Google durante el servicio por hasta cinco años.

Mientras honramos a los veteranos el Día de los Veteranos, Google realmente se compromete a apoyar a la comunidad todo el año con programas, capacitaciones y herramientas.

Solo en las últimas semanas, Google anunció losleave benefits for military spouses (beneficios de licencia para cónyuges de militares) yServing Veterans, un nuevo centro de recursos de bienestar de salud mental para los veteranos y sus familias. Además, Google lanzó recientemente unavirtual career series for veterans (serie de carreras virtuales para veteranos) para aquellos interesados en explorar carreras en Google. Si busca un nuevo empleo, escriba “jobs for veterans” (trabajos para veteranos) en la Búsqueda de Google y, luego, ingrese su código de especialidad ocupacional militar o el equivalente para ver qué trabajos pueden requerir las habilidades que aprendió durante su experiencia militar. En la página de inicio de EE. UU. de hoy, verá un doodle especial creado por Jenn Hassin, artista invitada y veterana de la Fuerza Aérea de Texas. El doodle escultural se creó con miles de rollos de papel hechos a mano con los uniformes que cada rama militar donó.   

Google también acompaña desde hace mucho tiempo a las familias de los veteranos y militares que tienen su propia empresa. Las empresas manejadas por veteranos pueden agregar la característica de “Veteran-Led” (Liderada por veteranos) en su Google Business Listing (Ficha de empresa de Google) en la Búsqueda de Google y en Maps en unos pocos pasos sencillos. Como en noviembre no solo se celebra el Día de los Veteranos, sino también la National Veterans Small Business Week (Semana nacional de pequeñas empresas de veteranos), me gustaría mencionar los recursos deGrow with Google for Veterans and Military Families (Crecimiento con Google para veteranos y familiares de militares) desarrollados para veteranos y cónyuges de militares que deseen mejorar sus habilidades profesionales o formar sus empresas.

Grow with Google presentó recientemente un taller virtual para ayudar a las empresas lideradas por veteranos a prosperar y un panel de discusión con Jen Pilcher dePatriot Boot Camp y Charles Cathlin deTruGenomix sobre cómo han desarrollado sus empresas en línea. VisiteGrow with Google On Air para disfrutar la grabación gratuita de este evento. 

Uno de ellos es la lección de la aplicación Primer de Grow with Google llamada “Build Digital Skills to Adapt And Grow Your Veteran-led Business” (Desarrolle habilidades digitales para adaptar y desarrollar su empresa liderada por veteranos). Este tutorial rápido presenta sugerencias sobre cómo gestionar las ventas, las operaciones, las finanzas y otros aspectos de su empresa mediante herramientas fáciles en línea. Puede descargarla aplicación Primer en Google Play Store o Apple App Store para acceder a este contenido en su dispositivo móvil. Simplemente busque “veteranled” (liderada por veteranos) en la aplicación para encontrar esta lección. 

Google no solo centra su apoyo en los miembros militares: Los familiares de militares son igualmente importantes. Muchos de estos esfuerzos están dirigidos porMary Spence, una Directora de Programas de Google y esposa de militar. 

Un recurso que Grow with Google ayudó a crear es laMilSpouse Career Roadmap (hoja de ruta de carreras para cónyuges de militares). En asociación con Hiring our Heroes, esteestudio de investigación financiado por subvenciones encuestó a más de 1,500 cónyuges de militares para crear un centro interactivo. Ofrece una variedad de herramientas y recursos que ayudan a los cónyuges de militares a encontrar y desarrollar carreras compatibles, incluida laGoogle’s remote work search feature (función de búsqueda de trabajo remoto de Google) y recursos de educación y empleo delSpouse Education and Career Opportunities Program (Programa de oportunidades laborales y educativas para cónyuges) del Departamento de Defensa de los Estados Unidos.

Estas son solo algunas de las formas en que los miembros militares como yo y los veteranos y nuestras familias recibimos apoyo como parte de la comunidad de Google. Para conocer mi historia y la de otros empleados de Google en la comunidad militar, visite el canal de YouTube Life at Google que muestra a veteranos de Google.  

How Google supports military communities

As a major in the California Army National Guard, I generally know in advance when I'll be activated for military service. But this year, everything was different: Between the COVID-19 response and the California wildfires, I've taken military leave from my job at Google as a strategy and operations lead more than a few times. I was gone for three months to help with the COVID-19 response, followed by another week-long activation.

Helping my community during these difficult times has been both draining and fulfilling. When I’m activated on short notice, my team at Google immediately steps in to cover my work while I’m gone. I feel remarkably supported by my peers and manager and recognize how fortunate I am to work at a company that respects and welcomes people with part-time active duty military roles like me, as well as other veterans and their families. 

Not only do I feel supported by my colleagues at Google, I am incredibly proud that Google financially supports those of us on active and inactive military duty through a generous military leave policy. Google pays 100 percent of their Google salary for the first 30 calendar days of their duty. After that, Google will pay the difference military pay so the reservist, guardsman or guardswoman continues to receive close to 100 percent of their Google salary for the duration of their service for up to five years.

While we honor veterans on Veterans Day, Google is deeply committed to supporting the community through programs, training and tools all year round. Just in the past few weeks, Google announcedleave benefits for military spousesand Serving Veterans, a new mental wellness resource hub for veterans and their families. Google also recently launched a virtual career series for veterans who might be interested in exploring Google careers. If you are looking for a new job, you can type “jobs for veterans” into Google Search and then enter your military occupation specialty code or equivalent to  see jobs that match the skills you’ve learned in your military experience. On today’s U.S. homepage, you’ll see a very special Doodle created by Texas-based Air Force veteran and guest artist, Jenn Hassin. The sculptural Doodle is created with thousands of handmade paper rolls made from donated uniforms of each branch of the military.     

Google has also long-supported veterans and military families who run their own businesses. Businesses run by veterans can add the “Veteran-Led” attribute to their Google Business Listing on Google Search and Mapsin a few easy steps. Since November includes not only Veterans Day, but is also National Veterans Small Business Week, I also want to mention the Grow with Google for Veterans and Military Families resources developed for veterans and military spouses who want to boost their career skills or build their businesses.

Grow with Google recently hosted a virtual workshop to help veteran-led businesses thrive and a panel discussion with Jen Pilcher of Patriot Boot Camp and Charles Cathlin of TruGenomix about how they’ve grown their businesses online. Visit Grow with Google On Air to watch the free recording of this event. 

One of these is Grow with Google’s Primer app lesson called “Build Digital Skills to Adapt And Grow Your Veteran-led Business.” The quick tutorial features tips for how to manage your business’ sales, operations, finances and more—all with easy online tools. You can download the Primer app in the Google Play Store or Apple App Store to access this content on your mobile device. Just search for “veteranled” in the app to find this lesson.

Google doesn’t only focus its support on military members; military families are just as important. Many of these efforts are led by Mary Spence, a Google program manager and  an Army spouse. 

One resource Grow with Google helped create is the MilSpouse Career Roadmap. In partnership with Hiring our Heroes, this Google.org grant-funded research study surveyed more than 1,500 military spouses to create an interactive hub. It provides a variety of tools and resources that help military spouses find and build portable careers—including Google’s remote work search feature—plus education and employment resources from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Spouse Education and Career Opportunities Program.  

These are just some of the ways military members like myself, veterans, and our families are supported as part of the Google community. To hear my story and those of other Googlers in the military community, visit the Life at Google YouTube channel featuring Veterans at Google.  

How Google supports military communities

As a major in the California Army National Guard, I generally know in advance when I'll be activated for military service. But this year, everything was different: Between the COVID-19 response and the California wildfires, I've taken military leave from my job at Google as a strategy and operations lead more than a few times. I was gone for three months to help with the COVID-19 response, followed by another week-long activation.

Helping my community during these difficult times has been both draining and fulfilling. When I’m activated on short notice, my team at Google immediately steps in to cover my work while I’m gone. I feel remarkably supported by my peers and manager and recognize how fortunate I am to work at a company that respects and welcomes people with part-time active duty military roles like me, as well as other veterans and their families. 

Not only do I feel supported by my colleagues at Google, I am incredibly proud that Google financially supports those of us on active and inactive military duty through a generous military leave policy. Google pays 100 percent of their Google salary for the first 30 calendar days of their duty. After that, Google will pay the difference military pay so the reservist, guardsman or guardswoman continues to receive close to 100 percent of their Google salary for the duration of their service for up to five years.

While we honor veterans on Veterans Day, Google is deeply committed to supporting the community through programs, training and tools all year round. Just in the past few weeks, Google announcedleave benefits for military spousesand Serving Veterans, a new mental wellness resource hub for veterans and their families. Google also recently launched a virtual career series for veterans who might be interested in exploring Google careers. If you are looking for a new job, you can type “jobs for veterans” into Google Search and then enter your military occupation specialty code or equivalent to  see jobs that match the skills you’ve learned in your military experience. On today’s U.S. homepage, you’ll see a very special Doodle created by Texas-based Air Force veteran and guest artist, Jenn Hassin. The sculptural Doodle is created with thousands of handmade paper rolls made from donated uniforms of each branch of the military.     

Google has also long-supported veterans and military families who run their own businesses. Businesses run by veterans can add the “Veteran-Led” attribute to their Google Business Listing on Google Search and Mapsin a few easy steps. Since November includes not only Veterans Day, but is also National Veterans Small Business Week, I also want to mention the Grow with Google for Veterans and Military Families resources developed for veterans and military spouses who want to boost their career skills or build their businesses.

Grow with Google recently hosted a virtual workshop to help veteran-led businesses thrive and a panel discussion with Jen Pilcher of Patriot Boot Camp and Charles Cathlin of TruGenomix about how they’ve grown their businesses online. Visit Grow with Google On Air to watch the free recording of this event. 

One of these is Grow with Google’s Primer app lesson called “Build Digital Skills to Adapt And Grow Your Veteran-led Business.” The quick tutorial features tips for how to manage your business’ sales, operations, finances and more—all with easy online tools. You can download the Primer app in the Google Play Store or Apple App Store to access this content on your mobile device. Just search for “veteranled” in the app to find this lesson.

Google doesn’t only focus its support on military members; military families are just as important. Many of these efforts are led by Mary Spence, a Google program manager and  an Army spouse. 

One resource Grow with Google helped create is the MilSpouse Career Roadmap. In partnership with Hiring our Heroes, this Google.org grant-funded research study surveyed more than 1,500 military spouses to create an interactive hub. It provides a variety of tools and resources that help military spouses find and build portable careers—including Google’s remote work search feature—plus education and employment resources from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Spouse Education and Career Opportunities Program.  

These are just some of the ways military members like myself, veterans, and our families are supported as part of the Google community. To hear my story and those of other Googlers in the military community, visit the Life at Google YouTube channel featuring Veterans at Google.  

Holly Slonaker finds career growth and accessibility at Google

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 installment is a little different because we’ll be talking to two Googlers: Holly Slonaker, a Program Manager and member of the Deafglers community at Google, and Tricia Martines, the recruiter who worked with Holly throughout the interview process. They’ll share how Google is striving to support candidates with the accommodations they need during interviews.

Holly, what prompted you to apply for a job at Google?

Holly:This was my first time applying to Google. I had been at my previous company for nine years and was looking for new career growth opportunities. I applied on Google’s career website and didn’t know anyone at the company. I never really expected to hear back, as Google was such a pie-in-the-sky company to work for. I was surprised and delighted when Tricia reached out to me about the role! 

What was that first conversation with Tricia, your recruiter, like?

Holly: I remember my heart beating out of my chest when I saw the first email from Tricia. I couldn’t believe Google was interested in me! I was initially worried about needing accommodations for the phone interviews, but Tricia quickly put me at ease and assured me that she’d make sure I had what I needed, which made me feel incredibly valued as a candidate. I could then focus on preparing for my interview answers rather than worrying about whether I would be able to hear the questions. 

What accommodations were especially helpful during your interview process?

Holly: Being deaf, the job search process can present some unique barriers. From my first interaction with Tricia, I knew this experience was going to be different. She went above and beyond to make sure I had everything I needed to be as successful as a hearing candidate. We typed questions and responses live in a shared Google doc for the initial screening, and remote captioning was provided for all of my phone and in-person interviews. She even communicated the offer to me over the Google Hangouts chat app, so I was sure to capture all the details correctly and was still able to experience the excitement of a live offer.

Tricia, what resources did you use to help Holly prepare for her interview?

Tricia: We initially had conversations over a shared Google Doc to discuss the role and what to expect through the interview process. For the first interview, our Candidate Accomodations team was able to provide captioning services for Holly over a Google Hangout. The team was able to coordinate details for the onsite interview as well. Holly and I stayed in touch at each stage so I could answer questions and share with Holly what to expect along the way. We were so excited that Holly ultimately accepted the offer!

Holly, now that you’re a full-time Googler, how has Google continued to create an inclusive workplace for you?

Holly: The positive hiring experience has carried over for me as a Googler, with continued support from my managers, the Accommodations team and our employee-run Deafglers and Disability Alliance groups. A captioner joins all of my meetings, which is especially crucial in this new working-from-home normal we’re working in. All of our company-wide events are captioned; I don’t even have to request it, which is huge for me. I’ve even been asked to advise some of our research and engineering teams as they explore new accessible products for our Deaf and hard-of-hearing users. 

Feeling so inspired by Google’s work in this space, I recently changed roles and am now Google’s Accessibility Education Program Manager on the Central Accessibility team. I'm helping to educate Googlers on how to design accessible products for our users. 

A question for both of you: Do you have any tips you’d like to share with aspiring Googlers with disabilities?

Holly: My advice for others is to ask for what you need to be successful. Don’t be afraid to share your disability accommodation needs with recruiters. Companies like Google that value diversity will focus on what you bring to the table and will gladly provide disability accommodations to help remove barriers that prevent you from getting to that table in the first place.

Tricia: Google is a place that values diverse perspectives, and we want to hear from you. We have a Candidate Accommodations team in place to support you during the interview process and will facilitate the initial call with your recruiter to match your needs. If you need an accommodation, don't hesitate to let your recruiter or sourcer know. Your recruiter can engage the Candidate Accommodations team to support the initial phone call all the way through the onsite interviews.

Holly Slonaker finds career growth and accessibility at Google

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 installment is a little different because we’ll be talking to two Googlers: Holly Slonaker, a Program Manager and member of the Deafglers community at Google, and Tricia Martines, the recruiter who worked with Holly throughout the interview process. They’ll share how Google is striving to support candidates with the accommodations they need during interviews.

Holly, what prompted you to apply for a job at Google?

Holly:This was my first time applying to Google. I had been at my previous company for nine years and was looking for new career growth opportunities. I applied on Google’s career website and didn’t know anyone at the company. I never really expected to hear back, as Google was such a pie-in-the-sky company to work for. I was surprised and delighted when Tricia reached out to me about the role! 

What was that first conversation with Tricia, your recruiter, like?

Holly: I remember my heart beating out of my chest when I saw the first email from Tricia. I couldn’t believe Google was interested in me! I was initially worried about needing accommodations for the phone interviews, but Tricia quickly put me at ease and assured me that she’d make sure I had what I needed, which made me feel incredibly valued as a candidate. I could then focus on preparing for my interview answers rather than worrying about whether I would be able to hear the questions. 

What accommodations were especially helpful during your interview process?

Holly: Being deaf, the job search process can present some unique barriers. From my first interaction with Tricia, I knew this experience was going to be different. She went above and beyond to make sure I had everything I needed to be as successful as a hearing candidate. We typed questions and responses live in a shared Google doc for the initial screening, and remote captioning was provided for all of my phone and in-person interviews. She even communicated the offer to me over the Google Hangouts chat app, so I was sure to capture all the details correctly and was still able to experience the excitement of a live offer.

Tricia, what resources did you use to help Holly prepare for her interview?

Tricia: We initially had conversations over a shared Google Doc to discuss the role and what to expect through the interview process. For the first interview, our Candidate Accomodations team was able to provide captioning services for Holly over a Google Hangout. The team was able to coordinate details for the onsite interview as well. Holly and I stayed in touch at each stage so I could answer questions and share with Holly what to expect along the way. We were so excited that Holly ultimately accepted the offer!

Holly, now that you’re a full-time Googler, how has Google continued to create an inclusive workplace for you?

Holly: The positive hiring experience has carried over for me as a Googler, with continued support from my managers, the Accommodations team and our employee-run Deafglers and Disability Alliance groups. A captioner joins all of my meetings, which is especially crucial in this new working-from-home normal we’re working in. All of our company-wide events are captioned; I don’t even have to request it, which is huge for me. I’ve even been asked to advise some of our research and engineering teams as they explore new accessible products for our Deaf and hard-of-hearing users. 

Feeling so inspired by Google’s work in this space, I recently changed roles and am now Google’s Accessibility Education Program Manager on the Central Accessibility team. I'm helping to educate Googlers on how to design accessible products for our users. 

A question for both of you: Do you have any tips you’d like to share with aspiring Googlers with disabilities?

Holly: My advice for others is to ask for what you need to be successful. Don’t be afraid to share your disability accommodation needs with recruiters. Companies like Google that value diversity will focus on what you bring to the table and will gladly provide disability accommodations to help remove barriers that prevent you from getting to that table in the first place.

Tricia: Google is a place that values diverse perspectives, and we want to hear from you. We have a Candidate Accommodations team in place to support you during the interview process and will facilitate the initial call with your recruiter to match your needs. If you need an accommodation, don't hesitate to let your recruiter or sourcer know. Your recruiter can engage the Candidate Accommodations team to support the initial phone call all the way through the onsite interviews.

Holly Slonaker finds career growth and accessibility at Google

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 installment is a little different because we’ll be talking to two Googlers: Holly Slonaker, a Program Manager and member of the Deafglers community at Google, and Tricia Martines, the recruiter who worked with Holly throughout the interview process. They’ll share how Google is striving to support candidates with the accommodations they need during interviews.

Holly, what prompted you to apply for a job at Google?

Holly:This was my first time applying to Google. I had been at my previous company for nine years and was looking for new career growth opportunities. I applied on Google’s career website and didn’t know anyone at the company. I never really expected to hear back, as Google was such a pie-in-the-sky company to work for. I was surprised and delighted when Tricia reached out to me about the role! 

What was that first conversation with Tricia, your recruiter, like?

Holly: I remember my heart beating out of my chest when I saw the first email from Tricia. I couldn’t believe Google was interested in me! I was initially worried about needing accommodations for the phone interviews, but Tricia quickly put me at ease and assured me that she’d make sure I had what I needed, which made me feel incredibly valued as a candidate. I could then focus on preparing for my interview answers rather than worrying about whether I would be able to hear the questions. 

What accommodations were especially helpful during your interview process?

Holly: Being deaf, the job search process can present some unique barriers. From my first interaction with Tricia, I knew this experience was going to be different. She went above and beyond to make sure I had everything I needed to be as successful as a hearing candidate. We typed questions and responses live in a shared Google doc for the initial screening, and remote captioning was provided for all of my phone and in-person interviews. She even communicated the offer to me over the Google Hangouts chat app, so I was sure to capture all the details correctly and was still able to experience the excitement of a live offer.

Tricia, what resources did you use to help Holly prepare for her interview?

Tricia: We initially had conversations over a shared Google Doc to discuss the role and what to expect through the interview process. For the first interview, our Candidate Accomodations team was able to provide captioning services for Holly over a Google Hangout. The team was able to coordinate details for the onsite interview as well. Holly and I stayed in touch at each stage so I could answer questions and share with Holly what to expect along the way. We were so excited that Holly ultimately accepted the offer!

Holly, now that you’re a full-time Googler, how has Google continued to create an inclusive workplace for you?

Holly: The positive hiring experience has carried over for me as a Googler, with continued support from my managers, the Accommodations team and our employee-run Deafglers and Disability Alliance groups. A captioner joins all of my meetings, which is especially crucial in this new working-from-home normal we’re working in. All of our company-wide events are captioned; I don’t even have to request it, which is huge for me. I’ve even been asked to advise some of our research and engineering teams as they explore new accessible products for our Deaf and hard-of-hearing users. 

Feeling so inspired by Google’s work in this space, I recently changed roles and am now Google’s Accessibility Education Program Manager on the Central Accessibility team. I'm helping to educate Googlers on how to design accessible products for our users. 

A question for both of you: Do you have any tips you’d like to share with aspiring Googlers with disabilities?

Holly: My advice for others is to ask for what you need to be successful. Don’t be afraid to share your disability accommodation needs with recruiters. Companies like Google that value diversity will focus on what you bring to the table and will gladly provide disability accommodations to help remove barriers that prevent you from getting to that table in the first place.

Tricia: Google is a place that values diverse perspectives, and we want to hear from you. We have a Candidate Accommodations team in place to support you during the interview process and will facilitate the initial call with your recruiter to match your needs. If you need an accommodation, don't hesitate to let your recruiter or sourcer know. Your recruiter can engage the Candidate Accommodations team to support the initial phone call all the way through the onsite interviews.

How Eurovision inspired a research intern’s project

Research happens at Google everyday, on many different embedded teams throughout the company. For example, Amit Moryossef developed a machine learning model for sign language detection while interning this year with our Language team in Zurich. Since our 2021 Research Internship applications opened this month, Amit chatted with us to discuss what his experience has been like.

How did you end up pursuing research around sign language processing?

After finishing college, I started a master’s degree in computer science at Bar-Ilan University. While I was there, I was introduced to deep learning, and to doing research. I worked on natural language processing, specifically looking at text generation and gender bias in machine translation. I planned for those years to be my final years in an academic setting, and then I’d go into the workforce.

Everything changed, surprisingly, after I watched the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest. They had sign-language interpretations of the songs. I realized how much of the world is not built to be accessible to the Deaf and hard of hearing communities, and this led to a bit of a shift in my plans.

Today I’m doing a PhD in computer science, working on sign language processing with the hope of making the world more accessible. This is also the topic of research I worked on at Google during my internship.

Why did you apply for an internship at Google? 

Google always seemed to me like a great place to work — a place that would have all of the resources I could ever need, both computationally and personally. I applied to Google with the honest belief that this is the best place for me to do research on what I am passionate about, and make that research available to everyone.

How did the ongoing pandemic affect your internship?

In March, I was still in denial that this would affect me, and I was hoping the internship would go as planned. In April, I received the message saying the internship would move to a virtual model which was initially disappointing on a personal level, but made sense as the world was going deeper into lockdown.

The remote nature of the internship introduced new challenges. Having a supportive manager and caring recruiter were some of the key factors for me in dealing with some of these challenges successfully—helping me get assistance with unfamiliar tools, fostering relationships with new colleagues and helping me to create and maintain a work-life balance.

What project was your internship focused on? 

My internship project was about sign language detection for video conferencing applications.  This task is simply defined as to detect when someone uses sign language on a video call, and set them as the current “speaker” of that call, just like a person using their voice would be. This work goes hand in hand with my PhD research—making the world more accessible to people who use sign language.

Maayan Gazuli, an Israeli Sign Language interpreter, sits in a chair and demonstrates the sign language detection system.

Maayan Gazuli, an Israeli Sign Language interpreter, demonstrates the sign language detection system.

What was the outcome of your internship? 

We designed the sign-language detection model and built an application that runs this on-device, and works with all video-conferencing applications. This means we empower signers to use whichever video conferencing applications they would like, and our system should work just as well.

We published and presented a long paper in the SLRTP workshop, as well as an academic demo and a Google AI blog post. You can try our experimental demo right now! By default, the demo acts as a sign language detector. The training code and models as well as the web demo source code is available on GitHub.

What impact has this internship experience had on your research?

I learned how to better communicate and work with folks who were previously unaware of my research and how to operate within a large organization (compared to academia).

My experience showed me the practical application of my research, and that it is possible to change the world for the better.

Google internships are staying virtual in 2021

Every day during her Google internship, Lauren Snyder would start her morning by grabbing a cup of coffee and getting ready for work. She’d even put on a pair of shoes to feel more office-ready. She logged on from her apartment in New York and focused on her project around security systems for Google’s Data Center team.

At the same time across the world, Ishani Srivastava, an intern working on the software engineering side ofGoogle Workspace in Bokaro Steel City, India, would end each day by crossing off the items on her to-do list and revisiting an old hobby: sketching and painting. With the stresses of a pandemic going on outside her door, she spent each evening unwinding with her art supplies, which helped her embrace a passion that didn’t involve school or work.

teo images next to each other. Image one is Lauren sitting at her desk in her apartment. Image two is Ishani holding up paintings of a dog and a landscape.e

Lauren and Ishai in their intern-from-home spaces.

For the first time in Google history, thousands of students from 43 countries started their summer internships virtually. We hosted more than 200 orientation sessions across the globe and held more than 300 events throughout the summer to help interns connect with their peers, hear from Google leaders, and engage with various teams.  

As we continue to prioritize health and safety during the ongoing pandemic, we’re confirming that Google internships will be virtual again in 2021. By making this call now, we hope to give interns ample time to prepare for working in a virtual environment. 

New opportunities in a virtual environment

Shifting to a virtual format this past summer was a big challenge, but it presented us with opportunities to be more inventive with our programming and how we stay connected to one another.

To help make activities more accessible to our global community of both interns and employees, every intern had the option to be paired with a mentor or join a coffee chat with one of the 2,600 Googlers who volunteered to host one of these sessions to answer questions about work, life or whatever was on their mind. To help our interns focus on their well-being while working from home, we created a “development hub” filled with tools and resources specifically created for thriving during remote work. We also kicked off more virtual social events to make sure interns were meeting just as many Googlers and fellow interns as they would have in the office — if not more. We launched an intern-only version ofHash Code, our team-based coding competition, which gives students the opportunity to solve big, real-world engineering challenges.

At its core, what it means to be an intern at Google has not changed, and we were excited to find 97 percent of interns were satisfied with their experience — the same as the previous year, when we were all in the office.

We look forward to applying much of what we learned earlier this year to our 2021 program. As we get closer to next summer, we'll continue to share more details with interns about what they can expect from their virtual internship. 

Applications are now open. If you’d like to join us, apply on our careers page.

Navy veteran Meghan Wilkens finds camaraderie at Google

Welcome to the latest installment of “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 Meghan Wilkens, a Navy veteran who’s now a Program Manager on the Google Technical Services team (known as gTech). Meghan started her journey to Google by attending what has become Google’s Veteran Career Series, an annual career development event for the U.S. veteran community. (If you're interested in learning more about Google culture, job opportunities, and more to help your job search like Meghan did, you can register for the series here.)

You grew up in a Navy family. What was that like?

I grew up all over the world. I spent a lot of my childhood moving from country to country and experiencing different cultures. It was an amazing way to grow up, because it really opened my eyes to the world.

After graduating from Marquette University with a degree in advertising, I decided to follow my father's footsteps and enter the Navy. I commissioned as a Supply Officer and served in the Navy for nearly 10 years. It was an incredible experience and I attribute much of the person I am today to the experiences I had in the service.  

As I began looking at shifting out of the military, I completed my MBA from UNC Chapel Hill and, for the first time, looked at opportunities outside of the service.

What was it like to attend the Google Student Veteran Summit? 

When I attended the Google Student Veteran Summit back in 2018, the group of vets that came in to speak to us shared their stories on how they arrived at Google. The truly surprising part was how many different paths and various walks of life people came from. Being in the military full time, I knew that getting an internship at Google would be a stretch for me. But the shared experiences from the veteran panelists and the conversations I had with current vet employees inspired me. I decided I had nothing to lose and I applied anyway. Looking back, I am so very glad I did!

During my internship, I made a point to volunteer at the 2019 Google Student Veteran Summit. Being on the other side of the panel was a very different experience but no less rewarding. I am so glad to be back at Google full time and I intend to make veteran engagement a big part of my life at Google.

What’s your role at Google now?

I am currently a Program Manager on the gTech Central Functions team. I work on business planning and cost management within my team. Things have been very different in this new COVID-19 environment and, as a mother to two young children, it has been challenging at times.  My team has been nothing but supportive as I manage my work and my children during their remote learning.  

What inspires you at work every day?

I truly appreciate how we work to make information accessible and practical for everyone, everywhere. Coming from a mission-centric and service-driven role in the military, it is awesome to be at a company where I feel like my work is still in service to others. Being part of such a great team of people who are all working towards that same mission is really wonderful, and it creates an aspect of camaraderie that I felt during my time in the Navy.  

How did the recruitment process go for you?

Once I entered the interview process, I was so nervous about not answering in the best way or not making a good impression, but I was also thrilled to be interviewing with such a cool company and with some really unique teams. My recruiters were incredibly helpful and were dedicated to finding a team that matched my skill set.  

Following the MBA internship, I entered the conversion process to convert from an intern into a full time employee. That process was also exceptionally smooth and I felt the conversion team I worked with was really looking out for my best interests.

Anything you wish you’d known when you started the process?

I wish I had more knowledge about some of the departments and teams within Google prior to starting here. Google has so many different product offerings and the roles people have within the company vary so vastly. It is incredible to see the different projects people work on within Google.

Finally, do you have any tips you’d like to share with aspiring Googlers?

I think my biggest takeaway during this process is to not doubt myself. I didn't think I would get past the application process and, after getting interviews, I still thought I wouldn't get into the internship program.  I'm so glad I had enough gusto to at least try.

I hope aspiring Googlers apply for the positions they want without doubting themselves. You have nothing to lose by applying. Go for it!