Verfasst vom EchoCV-Team
Very few could predict the growth scale of Google twenty years ago. Let alone the tech giant’s popularity as one of the world’s top employers.
But how does one become a Googler?
For many, Google’s recruitment process is shrouded in mystery. Actually, the tech giant’s approach to onboarding new people reflects their motto:
"Our mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful."
As such, although the hiring process is rigorous, many steps are taken along the way to make sure you’re heard. That you have a chance at the role you’ve applied for.
All you have to do is:
Yes, interviews. There will be several, and often on the same day.
Sounds scary, doesn’t it?
Worry not, we’re here to help!
Keep on reading to find out how to build your resume and set yourself up for success.
"The No. 1 thing you want to be thinking about is to tell your story — not just your work experience, but also what you’ve learned and the accomplishments you’re most proud of."
—Brendan Castle, former Global Head of Recruiting at Google
Everyone has a story to tell. But what makes it set itself apart is how you frame it.
Why?
Because merely listing your achievements and awards won’t do.
Recruiters want to see what motivates you. What drives you to move forward. Your passions.
A story that sums up how you’ve overcome professional, and life challenges is far more compelling.
Google is committed to being an equal opportunity workplace. So, don’t hold yourself back because of who you are or past criminal mistakes.
Nobody’s life is picture-perfect. And you shouldn't strive for it to be. As long as you have the drive and prepare well, the opportunity is there for you to take.
Now, how does one even begin preparing for a job at Google?
Well, we suggest you start with the company’s career search tool. From there, you can filter through the jobs by:
No matter how you choose to do your search, remember to opt for positions you’re passionate about.
Also, while you can create a big list of your desired roles, you can only apply for 3 jobs every 30 days.
When it comes to the resume format, most common layouts are valid. Make sure it plays to your strengths.
Google recruiters prefer the reverse-chronological format. Don’t worry if you’re a college grad or don’t have much experience, the company gives some leeway.
What does this mean?
It means you can keep the traditional format, but you can switch up the resume sections. Apart from the header, that is.
This allows you to keep it professional. And impress recruiters with your best achievements.
If you’re more experienced, begin your resume as usual. Start with your most recent and relevant experience first.
Don’t go back more than a decade, unless it’s absolutely necessary. After all, you're not writing a novel.
But how long can your resume be?
Well, Google suggests that it shouldn't be longer than a page, if you're applying for a business role.
How about technical and engineering specialists? You can stretch your resume to two pages.
Just remember, Google hiring managers want brevity and impact. Don't overdo it!
And if you’re applying for several positions, tailor each resume to the specific role. One cookie-cutter resume won’t do.
If you’re a recent grad, or you expect to graduate soon, begin with your academic accomplishments.
Keep the fonts and sizing consistent throughout the resume. In terms of color scheme, black or dark readable ink is preferable.
You’ll find more information on Google’s formatting preferences throughout this article.
With all this in mind, which sections should feature on your resume?
What about the resume summary? It’s optional. Some resumes would be as strong without a summary. It all depends on your circumstances.
We’ll get to that later on in this guide.
For now, let’s focus on what to take into account before you start your journey.
Google places an emphasis on doing thorough research. This also includes doing some introspective thinking.
Why?
Remember, brevity and impact.
To do that, you have to be able to concisely convey your story.
But how do you do it?
Consider the questions in the table below:
Think of this as an exercise in finding your calling in life.
Then, once you’ve checked everything is correct and there are no typos, save your resume as a PDF file.
A good rule of thumb is to follow up with the hiring manager on LinkedIn. Thank them for their consideration and share why this job is important to you.
Afterwards, get ready for the interview process. This includes:
This part of the resume isn’t difficult to fill out. But it’s the first one hiring managers see when they look at your resume.
What’s so special about it?
Nobody likes typos and missing information. Especially recruiters.
That’s why you need to ensure that all your contact information is in the resume header. And your portfolio links are working.
List your:
Take a look at the samples below:
The layout of a resume can differ by region – Canadian resumes may use a distinct format.
This one looks okay. But it could be much better.
How?
The details here are incomplete. For starters, Travone’s job title isn’t very descriptive. There are various types of engineers. He needs to be more specific.
Naturally, when speaking about Google, it’s safe to assume he means software engineer. But merely listing ‘engineer’ looks sloppy.
Secondly, no phone number is included, nor the address is full.
Don’t forget to add your location, even if you’re applying for a remote position. Or your current job is one.
Think of the legal or technical repercussions, if something goes wrong. All because of non-disclosure.
But, suppose Travone is gunning for an engineering position. His LinkedIn profile, while professional, isn’t very appropriate.
Instead, reference your GitHub or Kaggle. Google technical recruiters want to see your portfolio. As well as your thinking process while you build software.
Google values contributions to the open source community.
Another thing to keep in mind is your programming languages. List them in the header and opposite to your contact details.
You don’t need to go into detail about them yet. But you need to be comfortable interviewing them later.
Here is what a better version of Travone’s header box would look like:
Actually, you can do without it in most cases. If you’re a seasoned specialist in your field, you can skip the summary part.
What is this?
Depending on your circumstances, your resume will have either an objective or a summary.
Summaries are used by professionals with extensive experience in their respective field.
By contrast, resume objectives are reserved for college grads and individuals changing their careers.
The main difference is that summaries focus on experiences. While objectives emphasize motivation and relevant skills.
So, if you still wish to include one, keep the summary relevant to the job.
This can become one of your resume’s greatest assets. So, don’t recount facts and details you’ve already highlighted in other sections.
The summary allows you to show that bit of enthusiasm the company expects from a future Googler.
Here is what it may look like:
Notice how both the candidate and the company have been addressed.
The applicant highlights how she can be beneficial to her future employer. Yet, she also indicates where her interests and passions lie.
Need more tips on summaries and objectives? Check out our thoughts on how to compose a stellar resume summary.
You may have heard this advice before, but even Google says: look at the job ad.
The role duties described in it will give good hints at the type of person recruiters want.
Check whether the position resonates with you. Ask yourself:
If you’re applying for a technical position, show how you’re involved with your community. Any participation in the following will make you stand out:
What about recent grads?
Former Global Head of Recruiting at Google had this to say:
"For recent college graduates, Castle suggests that job applicants highlight recent academic research, tutoring, student group or class project experiences. More seasoned candidates, he adds, should use metrics and concise examples to show the impact of their work."
—Brendan Castle, former Global Head of Recruiting at Google
With this in mind, Google says data is all you need to provide context for your work. Avoid explaining your duties and responsibilities. Instead, share achievements.
Why?
"Here at Google, we’re always looking at data. So when you tell us about something you’ve accomplished, try to include data that shows the impact you made and how it ties to the role you want."
—Google Careers Resume Tips and Advice Video
The company suggests using their XYZ method.
What is it?
This is a way to measure the impact of your work. XYZ stands for the following sentence template:
** “Accomplished [X] as measured by [Y], by doing [Z].”**
For example:
“Boosted employee satisfaction rates by 45% by introducing a 3-day mental health leave program at the office.
Always begin your sentence with an action word. These make your accomplishments pop even more.
They bring the impact of your actions to the forefront and keep things short.
Yet, take into account the amount of space the experience section takes. Since this part should take the bulk of your resume, there are few rules you need to follow:
It may sound like too many rules are in play. But they make Google resumes readable and easily scannable.
Let’s see what this looks like in action.
Going back to Travone’s resume. His first draft isn’t very spectacular.
Why?
Because it looks more like a list of short notes for a resume rather than the resume itself. There are a few key mistakes here:
What would make this experience entry stand out more? Apply all the rules we talked about.
Have a look at the example below:
Infinitely better, wouldn’t you agree?
It sounds good and all, we hear you say, but what about the techies?
We’ve got you!
Check out our experience samples for the Software Engineer and Business Analyst roles.
Google recruiters prefer to combine the following in one section:
They call it the Leadership and Awards section.
What does it include?
It incorporates anything from:
And many more!
Why are they merged this way?
The company’s hiring managers want to see a well-rounded story.
You are the sum of your interests, goals, skills, experiences and failure. Each part plays an important role in how your professional life has shaped up so far.
There are many people with a relatively similar skill set. Yet, none of them will be completely alike because of different life experiences.
So, how do you go about making the skills part eye-catching?
Keep on reading to find out!
This part can either be extremely easy to do or a complete nightmare. It all depends on the position you’ve chosen to apply for.
If you’re a techie, the hard skills section should be a no-brainer. If you have skills which you haven’t mentioned as part of your work experience, add them here.
This is your chance to reference side projects and other interests you have. Remember, you’re telling both your professional and life story.
Of course, you must keep them relevant to the job. Don’t forget to link them to particular outcomes and lead with numbers. Just like in the experience section.
So, which abilities are trending for technical specialists and engineers?
Don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten about non-techie experts!
Here are some of the crucial skills for marketing specialists at Google:
Many consider this task to be even harder than talking about one’s technical prowess. But, if you follow Google’s XYZ formula, you can’t go wrong.
What would this look like?
Have a look at the table below:
Notice how each ability is tied to a specific outcome. This is why introspective thinking and research are important.
If you keep track of all your projects, as well as their impact, you’ll be ready in no time.
Before you list any skills on your resume:
Bear in mind to balance out your soft and hard skills. Regardless of the job position you’re aiming for.
Although Google has many ML and AI specialists, none of them are robots. And you shouldn’t favor one side of your professional life more than the other.
That’s why soft skills are important to include on your resume.
Here are some of our suggestions on trending social skills for Googlers:
All post-secondary institutions you’ve been enrolled at
All degrees and majors you’ve studied
Cover letter
Association memberships (especially if you’ve held leadership positions)
Publications, patents, papers, conference presentations, etc.
Outstanding or popular side projects
Involvement in student groups or societies
Carefully read the job ad before you begin writing
Use the reverse-chronological resume format, but feel free to switch the sections up
If you’re a techie, include the programming languages you know in the header
If you’re a recent grad, build a strong resume objective to pitch your talents
When describing your work experience, used the XYZ method to make an impact
Once you have your first draft, proofread for typos and formatting errors
Don’t forget to follow up with the hiring manager after you’ve submitted your resume
Entdecken Sie weitere Google-Lebenslauf-Beispiele und Leitfäden und sehen Sie, was für Ihr Erfahrungsniveau oder Ihre Rolle am besten funktioniert.
Entdecken Sie weitere Google-Lebenslauf-Beispiele und Leitfäden und sehen Sie, was für Ihr Erfahrungsniveau oder Ihre Rolle am besten funktioniert.