I joined Google in 2015 from a completely different field. Over the past 10 years, I have worked across different teams and regions and worked with tech partners all over the world. It has been a transformative journey for me, but it wasn't always rainbows and sunshine. I've had moments of doubt, extreme stress, and disappointment. After coaching many tech workers and startups, here's the advice that I would give to anyone in the industry or wanting to join.
1. Be as dumb as possible in the first month
Especially if you come from a different background like me. Use the new person card. When I first joined Google, I was a Noogler (new Googler) and had months of orientation where I could meet with different teams and leaders, shadow my teammates' work, get a buddy for support, and I don't need to be on a commission plan for those months. Now most teams do not do this anymore, but I think the idea of just reaching out to people as much as possible, asking both smart and stupid questions is equally important. New joiners that ask a lot of questions are seen as proactive and curious, and people tend to give new joiners a lot of leniency. 1 year tenure and asking the same question? High chance that you will be seen as dumb or sluggish.
2. Prioritise external connections
I was in sales and partnerships, where I had many opportunities to work with external partners. As you may know, being a tech worker there's also a lot of internal work that drives up your time, such as writing snippets, managing internal dashboards, trainings and social etc. I was very intentional about spending more time with external partners and customers, because i) these are amazing opportunities for me to learn about other companies & industries, which is made available to me because of my role at work; ii) these people could be valuable connections for me in the long term, professionally (referred me to career opportunities) and personally (invited to my wedding); iii) helping these people made my job meaningful; iv) ultimately, I hit my metrics because of these relationships as well.
My partners have told me how my other colleagues have been ignorant and unprofessional to them, and how this has formed a bad impression - what goes around comes around.
3. Don't work for promotion
We have a way to tell if somebody is up for promotion - those people tend to be loud and hardworking during specific months, and ironically going onto weeks of vacations right after promotion. There are a few problems with this approach: i) work-life balance at risk, ii) you lose your motivation after getting the promotion; iii) you may not get the promotion.
There was a period when I was really burnt out. I was told by my manager that I could be recommended for promotion the upcoming cycle but I need to build a case. So I worked hard to hit my metrics, built case studies, take on leadership opportunities, host events—whatever was available that can help me check all the boxes. The promotion didn't come, my manager was always thinking to promote another teammate instead. I was devastated. I felt betrayed, and I stopped working extra just for the sake of the promotion. I was promoted the next cycle.
4. Maximise growth
By that, I mean taking on new projects, change roles, move across countries, etc. The most valuable thing that you can gain from a career is the exposure and experience. I was learning so much when I first joined Google, but the learning curve got stagnant eventually after 3 years, as I had become a leader on the team. I then decided to challenge myself by moving across countries to join a new team in cloud computing. This was a drastic change from my role in digital marketing, the learning curve was exponential. Always reflect on your career and identify areas of growth and improvement, those are the opportunities that you should look for.
5. You don't need to be a manager
A lot of my colleagues set goals to be a people manager. Not because they love managing people, but that it seems to be the only path for career development. Now I am not against the idea of being a people manager, it's truly difficult to be a good one indeed, and there's a lot of growth going that path. However, being a people manager is only one of the many paths for career progression, alongside growing as an individual contributor, lateral movements, joining startups or even running one. Unless you feel deeply about being a people manager, don't aim for it just because it looks cool. During COVID we had an influx of hiring at Google which led to many job openings for middle managers. The reality is that as people become a middle manager, they move further away from the market and their core responsibilities are to deal with team performance, monitor metrics, and writing up stories to maintain their relevance, and AIs are increasingly used to automating these functions. Now during the widespread tech layoffs and restructure, these exact middle manager roles are being hard hit.
6. Find your purpose
This is something I've discovered in common among most of my colleagues, especially during the early stage of Google. My colleagues are very passionate about work and they are exceptionally good at it, but at the same time their lives are not just confined by their work at Google. Some of them are working on their coaching accreditations, some are creators, some are musicians, some of them are even Olympians. Having these passions and purposes in life helps you live out your best self, be conscious of how you want to spend your time, and be more intentional at work. In today's world with so much volatility, having your identity depend on a job title could be really dangerous. Take time to discover your hobby, passion and purpose, and let that keep you going.
7. Never stop learning
I'll be honest. As Google was growing exponentially, the hiring bar has dropped. People joined Google because of the amazing perks and benefits (I would argue that the problem comes from HR), and longtime Googlers benefit from stability that breeds comfort, and resistance to learn. I've met people who have stopped keeping up with tech developments, pushing away projects, declining collaborations and opportunities. I think the tech industry is at a pivotal moment now that drastic changes are coming. At times like this I would argue that agility and a growth mindset are more important than ever if you want to stay relevant over the coming 1-2 years.
At my decade anniversary at Google, I have chosen to leave the company in search of new possibilities in life. I am still planning to stay in tech and digital marketing, but I've found that a role in big tech no longer fits me after all these changes in recent years. In my next newsletter I am going to share with you my journey and learnings.