CSC295.02 2013S, Class 06: Megan Goering '08 Overview: * Megan talks * We ask question Admin: * I will be recording this class (as well as every class), but it will only be available on campus. * Next week is Davis Hart. Mani and Austin are the hosts. * The following week is Peter Likarish. Mani and Emircan are the hosts. Megan Goering '08 * TC, SGA, First-year council, etc. * Econ and Polisci major "I was told that there are no rules for these talks." * Hopes that it's more of a conversation than anything. * There's a limit to what you can get out of papers and problem sets. Story at Grinnell * Didn't really plan to come here (or any small town) * Was lucky to find SGA * "Be indispensible" * Came from a town in which government was the natural work, did internship in NY where she learned much more about wealth and the privatet sector. * Worked way too many hours per week at Grinnell (on extra curricular stuff) Story beyond Grinnell * Works in San Fransicso, manages people in El Salvador and Montreal (manages 250 or so people), colleagues in Dublin, family in Topkea and Litle Rock, friends in Chciago, etc. * One company in he day job * Google Apps for Business and Education * Operations and Sales * "Strategic Vendor Manager" * Google is really happy to say no to qualified people if it helps them ensure that they don't get any unqualified poeple. * So lots of outsourcing * Global charter * Global teams internal and external (ensuring 24x7 coverage) * Better to have people in their normal daytime for better problem solving. * Her first job at Google was the phone support to IT organizations and SHE was solving the problem. (Rather than sending them out to tech support.) * They are now better at routing the easier questions elsewhere. * "Once you get past a period of needing particular technical skills, the more general skills you've learned at Grinnell are helpful - working in groups, talking to people who are different than you, etc." * But immediately after Grinnell: She'd applied in November 2007 for a job starting after she graduated in 2008. She signed her contract in December/January. Given the finanical meltdown, people who waited longer than she did were screwed - couldn't get jobs then, couldn't find jobs for awhile, and then were behind on experience once they had jobs. * Found job through SLAC (Liberal Arts Consortium) * Her job was at a consulting firm that planned to provide tech to lawyers, but lawyers were being laid off and didn't want to hire them. So they moved in new directions. What did Megan do? * One year keeping herself busy while they figured things out. * One year as fraud investigator. Data mining on seven terrabytes of data, mostly with in-house systems. * Had hoped to make policy, but was really doing what was effectively an autopsy. * Worked with mentors (e.g., Clint Corver) * Clint asked her What do you WANT to do (not what do you NEED to do)? * She said "I want to work at a startup." But I have loans and work in Chicago where it's relatively cheap to live, so not yet. * He said to be careful about the "not yet" syndrome. * Apply for the job you want, not just the job that you can get. *** GO FIND A JOB THAT YOU ACTUALLY WANT TO DO, APPLY, AND, IF THEY TELL YOU NO, GET TOLD WHY NOT What she did right? * Built some technical skills (e.g., Excel, Web building) * Devleoped strong communication skills * Worked hard - at real work (commidified herself) * Led teams and organizations - she cared more than many people * She cared deeply about things - not just jobs, but also economic development * Found mentors * Folks here don't seem to have them * A mentor is a person to whom you are not accountable to and who can help you think about your future. * "An adult you trust." It can even be a peer. * Get internships *** IT'S OKAY TO CHOOSE WEIRD THINGS - REMEMBER THAT YOU MAY BUMP INTO THINGS YOU LOVE EVEN WHEN YOU APPROACH THEM DIFFERENTLY *** DON'T OVERSELL YOURSELF * First intenrship story - CDO told he that she wasn't quantitative enough. So she rewrote her resume to focus on being quantitative, and, in the end, they hired he because she was the most quantitative of the candidates. Things she did wrong (and you should do better): * Applying for jobs: Just did what CDO offered. Look beyond CDO. * Find people with really cool jobs and ask them how they got them. * Applying for jobs: Only applied for jobs that existed - things that had job descriptions. * But *the best jobs are never posted* - things that are a pain for employers to write; it's better to know people and to hire them directly. * MORAL: Talk to and know people! * Working with people: Tried doing everything on her own * It's better to ask for help - network * Working with people: Didn't get enough feedback * Get as much feedback as you possibly can. * For example, after you talk to an alum, ask "What feedback do you have for me?" (And also ask about your resume.) * Resume: Assumed that there's only one you can have. * Need to have resumes customized for individual kinds of jobs * What highlights do you facet? Different things are valuable to different people. * You can even A/B test them * Resume: Assumed that this is how you get a job * She had lots of good stuff on her resume after two years on the first job, but got no real hits from sending it out. * Employers now realize that resumes are a weird way to filter people * Getting no hits on your resume * Cover letters: Stressed about it. (Don't stress about it; the cover letter is dead.) The best one she ever saw was from Ian Young * Cover letters: Let them introduce her - she does better face-to-face What she learned * Your resume tells a story - take command of yours. (Brand yourself.) * People who read your resume will tell themselves a story about you. * Read your resume assuming your name wasn't on it: "If I weren't me, who would I think I am?" Or have someone look at it "What job would you hire me for?" Then change some things and ask a different set. * Be ready to task people what you want - you won't get what you don't ask for. Say something confidently. * The best jobs are never posted. (Employers hate to post jobs.) *** The role of an entry-level job is to make you the very best person for your next job. (At least from your perspective.) Think about how you become the person who keeps moving into the correct direction. * She's looking to build the skills that venture capitalists like to hear. * Three related concepts * Scarcity sells * Employers are lemmings * When it rains, it pours, so make it rain (get one job offer) * When you have a job in hand, it's easier to get another job. * The position in which multiple employers * The magic ration 50-10-5-3-1 * In order to get one really job, * You need to start with 50 good (high-quality) conversations (e.g., taking alumni for lunch) * You'll probably get ten that are interesting * Of those, five will currently be looking for someone (1/10 of 50) * You might find three of those compelling * So then you can choose the one that's best for you. *** And you get to put yourself in the interviewer role when you're down to the three. Doing better than she did, again * Do the 50 conversations - and it can be lots of people * Get a Board of Directors immediately - people you can ask questions of * Get a CV and at least 3 resumes * Remember that the resume is an artifact Questions for Megan * How do you get on the radar for the not-posted jobs * Think about the first job - what experience does it give you * Remember that you're likely to have six CAREERS and many more jobs * Your first job is a date, not a marriage * Be in contact with tech people * Who should you talk to? * A broad smattering of people * People with jobs (or at least people who know people with jobs) * People you admire (parents, faculty, administrators, IT, etc.) * Some alums (e.g., some of the speakers from your classes) * End your conversation with "Can you give me three more names of people who I'll have a meaningful conversation with?" * And then you'll start getting people outside of the Grinnell network * What should you say? * Something as vague as "Hello, I'm a *** major. I'm interested in ...." * Tell me about your job and what you see the challenges of your area * Ask for advice: What are three things you don't like about working with new graduates? What are three skills that your company wishes it has more of? What three languages do you see as most valuable? * Informational interviews are good. * Have you thought about using your Google support to go to grad school? * "I don't like school that much." I don't like to do other people's assignments. * Note about cool design program at Stanford * How do you get ready for interviews? * Practice! * Do a mock interview with CDO and have them videotape you and then watch the videotape. * Try at least ten sample interviews. * Back of the envelope questions - how do you approach them? (How many hypodermic needles are there in Brooklyn, how many lawyers in California, ...?) * ALWAYS ASK FOR FEEDBACK * How did you move so quickly through Google? (There are entrepreneus and there are intrepreneurs.) Went through dark time at Google when not much happened (other than answering phones), so she thought about what to ask for. "Skate where the peck is going, not where it is." Analysis of why she wasn't getting what she wanted. Hmmm ... here's where we're likely to be going, and here's a part of it that I'm good at, so .... (Sought out data.) [Long story that's on the videotape.] * Note: She's a big fan of Google Apps - they'll make a big difference for nonprofits around the world * "Don't fight for a piece of a fixed pie, work on making the pie bigger." * Resume exercise (do offline) * Read each others and describe the job you'd hire them for * Compare bio and resume * What should you do as a third year? * Get an internship * Use that to build a network * Use the internship to find out what technical skills you'll need * Get to know your fellow interns, find out what they're better at than you, and then use peer mentoring to find out how they got so good * Read everything you can possible find * Try to improve something where you are - build some value there * "Leave things better than you found it." * Go find projects * Can I invent an internship and play the 50 person game? * A piece of advice: Never ask anyone for a job directly, let them ask you * So write a description and then field test it with an alum at the kind of institution that might support that internship. * Do you think I could find this kind of thing at your company? * Who might I talk to about those kind of things? * Remember that you can be free labor using Grinnell's internship programs * Will potential employers really give you feedback? * It doesn't hurt to ask the question. * But it's as important with the conversations with alums. What's one piece of feedback you can give to me? * Does Google still have the flexible 20% and, if so, how do you use yours? * More something for engineers than others * And she has three jobs * That said, she works hard to do things well for their outsourcers - she makes really awesome jobs for lots of people * And working on technology education in El Salvador * And making connections within Google to help with that Books * Do What You Are - Another Myers-Briggs book * What Color is Your Parachute?