GradAustralia recently caught up with Shannon Goodchap, a manager in Google’s people operations team, for a bit of insight on their graduate recruiting process.
What’s the best way to get into your graduate recruitment program?
By taking part in our student internship program. We have three different levels of internships open to uni students; our three-month-long program gives 70-80 interns a year the chance to work on a project.
How does the program work?
We hire around a dozen grads a year to work in a specific project area. It is up the individual to determine how long they want to work on that project or to move on to a different one.
What type of grads are you looking for?
People who are interested in building the next great product. We hire generalists who can demonstrate skills across a number of areas, such as problem solving, and can also offer a fresh set of ideas. We build products for people around the world and are looking for people from diverse backgrounds to reflect the diversity of our users.
How can I stand out?
We want people with passion. Show us where you have applied your passion, skill or initiative toward building something. It could be anything – so, if it is music, tell us how you started a band.
We need to know that you will thrive in a collaborative work environment and want to see examples of teamwork and how you can work in a fast paced environment.
What are some key attributes of successful candidates?
We are looking for people who can fit into the Google environment. They need to demonstrate that they can:
adapt quickly
show true leadership – which means knowing when to step up and when to take a back seat
take initiative.
The male to female balance across the IT industry is notably skewed towards men. Is Google making any special efforts to attract and retain women?
We want our workforce to reflect the diversity of our users, which includes women. Our focus to adjusting the balance is to create a better pipeline for diversity, for now and the future – not only at Google but also across the whole industry.
Originally published in the 2015 edition the Australia's Top 100 Graduate Employers. Click below for the original content.
