How I Landed a UX Design internship at Google
…after being rejected the previous year.
Interning at Google has been a longtime dream for many students, including myself. With less than two months before the application window opens for the Google UX internship, now is the perfect time to start preparing your application materials.
A brief background on my journey to Google
In 2017, I finished my three year long masters of architecture program at UPENN and decided to embark on a new journey. Recently turning 26, I packed my bags, moved to San Francisco, and enrolled in another graduate program at California College of the Arts. This time, I had my aim set on Interaction Design, a new field I discovered in my last year of architecture school. With two upcoming summers to intern and build my UX career, I had my goal set on Silicon Valley, specifically: I was going to work at Google.
During my first year of graduate school at CCA, I worked diligently to build a portfolio that showcased my design skills to land my first UX Design internship in the summer of 2018. On a whim, I applied to the Google UX Design 2018 summer internship, and, to my surprise, I heard back from a recruiter a couple of weeks after applying. Considering I only had completed one semester worth of UX work, I was exhilarated and shocked. After passing the screening phase and the design exercise challenge, the recruiter scheduled me for the technical interview. Unfortunately, I did not make it past the phone interview for two reasons:
- I was not prepared to go into detail about my projects. While I was confident I knew my projects inside out, the interviewer dug into precise aspects about my design decisions that, at the moment, I was not able to explain.
- I came off as inexperienced. With only one semester of school completed before my interview, I had yet to develop my UX vocabulary enough to explain my product thinking and design decisions clearly.
While I was certainly disappointed, I had some clear action items to work on moving forward. First, I needed to hone my craft by further practicing on more academic case studies. Two, I need to get practical experience. After a long and arduous process, I landed my first UX internship at Adobe. The project I developed during my time at Adobe played a critical role in landing my Google UX internship the following year.
I began preparing for the application process in the fall of 2018. Using my learnings from the previous year, I honed in my process to ensure the best chances of landing the Google internship this time around. It all began with refining and polishing my portfolio.
Treating The Portfolio like a Design Exercise
Part 1: Know your audience
This time around, I tackled my portfolio from a research perspective. Knowing that I wanted to work at Google, I spent a considerable amount of time sifting through portfolio websites of previous Google interns on LinkedIn. A clear pattern started to emerge in the overall portfolio designs of past interns, which favored a minimal approach with a clean, minimalistic aesthetic. The projects were front and center, often in a grid layout, with a small blurb about the designer. The projects themselves were very organized, explaining the design process from beginning to end, with a thoughtful balance of text and visuals.
While individuality is encouraged at Google, as a designer, one must realize that recruiters will most likely be the users looking through these portfolios. Considering that most recruiters don’t have a design background and are short on time, it is critical to make the website as user-friendly as possible to ensure the recruiter can get a sense of your work effortlessly and expeditiously. (To learn more designing effortless and intuitive user experiences check out the book “Don’t make me think” by Steve Krug). Therefore, I applied these findings to my portfolio design and made sure that it followed a similar formula.
Part 2: Curate your content
As an eager young designer, it is easy to want to showcase all the hard work you’ve made in school on your portfolio. However, in this case, less is more, or even better, best is more. At this stage, you want to choose only your best work to include in your portfolio. Here are the reasons why:
- Put your professional work front and center. One of the main reasons I succeeded in the technical interview is that I was very confident in my Adobe project. Not only did I know that project inside out, it also dealt with real life scenarios that the designer was able to ask me about. If you have an internship, freelance, or sponsored studio project, put in front of the line and emphasize the real-world challenges it presented and how it helped you grow professionally.
- You don’t want less developed projects to detract from your better ones. You can’t control what project the recruiter will choose to click on in your page. You can definitely try to lead them to certain projects by leveraging placement and hierarchy on your page. However, there is no guarantee that the recruiter will look at the project you are most proud of. Therefore, curate your projects to only show your most impressive work.
- You don’t want to have to remember six projects inside out. Picking back up on the last point, you don’t know what projects you will be asked to talk about during the interview. Therefore, if you have six projects, you have to prepare to be drilled on all of those, so you better know all of them inside out. Why do that to yourself? Include three projects that you know like the back of your hand and save yourself some work.
Part 3: User test the portfolio
There is not a better way to validate your portfolio than by sharing it with other designers. Before applying for the internship, I was able to have my portfolio reviewed by a Google recruiter who gave me invaluable feedback. I coded my original website from scratch and got carried away, adding some fun, but not user-friendly, features that the recruiter felt distracted from my work. She encouraged me to keep it clean and prioritize a clear visual execution. Needless to say, I cleaned up my page right away and applied a similar format to the portfolio designs from past interns.
If you have the opportunity to get in touch with someone from Google to review your portfolio, take advantage of it. If not, share it with your professors or other UX professionals to make sure you’re putting your best foot forward.
With the portfolio complete, I tackled the resume. The resume in itself is a design exercise. Personally, I approach my application documents as a cohesive package and strive to have consistent typography and color across all of my files. Alike the portfolio, the resumes usually follow a similar formula that gets them past the resume screening. Typically, most candidates have a two-column layout with a clean design, thoughtful hierarchy, and descriptive content that speaks to the specific job posting. Look at the internship job description in detail and make sure that your job/project descriptions cater to what Google is describing in the job posting.
The Application Process
Once you have completed your resume and portfolio website, it is time to apply for the internship position. The short application window starts in January, so make sure to apply as early as possible. In my experience, the earlier I applied, the sooner I heard back. Here is a general breakdown of the process.
{Step 1} The Phone Screening
The phone screening is a straightforward part of the process where the recruiter learns about your interests and your background. However, this is an excellent opportunity for you to ask questions and get a better sense of the recruiting process. Be ready to talk about why you want to work at Google and prepare a list of questions to show off your excitement and engagement about the position.
{Step 2} The Design Challenge (1 week)
While I successfully passed the design challenge phase both times I applied to Google; I had a couple of takeaways I wanted to improve on the second time around.
- Don’t overdo it! The first time I applied to Google, I went overboard in the research part. I spent so much time researching the problem that by the time I had to start designing, I had accumulated so many issues I did not know which one to prioritize. The indecisiveness slowed me down as I tried to solve too many problems in one exercise. This indecisiveness made my solution too complicated, which ended up taking away from the time I had to put together the presentation. The second time applying, I chose one problem and focused on it, leaving plenty of time to develop the user flow and the visual design.
- Don’t overlook the pitch deck. One of the most challenging aspects of the design exercise is the fact that you cannot present it. Therefore, the pitch deck is a crucial component in making sure that your design comes across. Spend a generous amount of time crafting a story that explains your solution from a user perspective. Identify a pain point that the reader can identify with and carry that over throughout the deck, describing how your solution solves that pain point. During my internship at Google, I made a lot of presentations to communicate my designs and, the design exercise deck is a great way to showcase your communication, visual, and storytelling skills.
- Learn from the past. One approach that most helped me was studying past Google candidates’ design exercises. Leveraging past works as precedents can be a great strategy to ensure you’re not overworking your design exercise and that your approach is as comprehensive as possible. In addition, I read about Google’s design approach to product thinking and tried to frame my solution around the same process. Here are some resources that I found helpful: Google Double Diamond Model & Previous Design Exercise. Note: Make sure that the designer whose exercise you’re referencing landed a job at Google 😉
{Step 3} The Technical Interview (1 hour)
The best way to prepare for the technical interview is knowing the projects in your portfolio inside out. While some candidates are asked to go through more than one project in their interview, in the case of my second time applying, I focused on my Adobe project. Discussing this project took up most of the interview time and led to other parts of the conversation. The questions in the interview can get very specific, not only about your projects but also about your interests in the UX field. Overall, be ready to:
- Talk in-depth about the challenges you faced in your projects. Be prepared to have your project carefully inspected and discuss your decision making on visual design all the way to research. Always give a reason for your decision making and do not dwell on whether the interviewer will agree with you or not. The most important part is not getting your interviewer’s approval but conveying that you design with intentionality.
- Talk about how you work with others. Collaboration is an integral part of the UX design process, and you will be expected to talk about how you work with others. Be ready to speak of working with different stakeholders and cross-functional team members, especially how you incorporate their knowledge into your workflow and who do you go to for specific insights.
- Talk about yourself as a designer. Seems pretty straightforward, but it is critical to convey what drives you as a UX designer and explain your preferred working methods and approaches to your interviewer. While background information can be relevant if you have a unique story that has impacted your design career, make sure to always bring it back to yourself as a designer. Consider how you approach your problem solving and how you incorporate other domains, such as UX research, into your workflow. It is also essential to give some thought to how you handle challenges and ambiguous working circumstances. Above all, let your interviewer know what makes you an asset to the company. Leverage your unique insights and talents. For example, I have lived, worked, and visited some of Google’s emerging markets, so I made sure to mention that as a team member, I would leverage those insights to further Google’s business goals through my design approach.
Once you pass the technical interview, you will receive a questionnaire to input your summer project and office location preferences. This part was tricky for me because I was unsure whether I should be specific in the project/team I wanted to work for or keep it open-ended. I ended up vaguely mentioning that I was interested in the maps and search products. It turns out, the Travel team reached out to me, specifically Hotels, because their product deals with both maps and search components. Keep this in mind when you are filling out your questionnaire, but remember that there is no right or wrong way to fill it out. Be honest about your interests, but keep yourself open to teams and opportunities that may surprise you.
{Step 4} Team Matching Interviews (30 minutes)
At this point, you’ve entered the waiting game that is the team matching process. There is no way to predict how long this phase will take. In my case, in less than two weeks, I heard from the Hotels team. The idea behind the team matching interview is to meet your potential manager and ensure that the project matches your interests. Here are some general tips:
Don’t be picky. If you only have one manager reach out to you, really consider whether you want to decline them and risk not hearing back from anyone else and losing the internship. In my case, I was not particularly picky about what team I wanted to work for because I knew that no matter who I worked for, the internship experience in itself would be invaluable. Luckily, the product team that reached out happened to be related to my background experience in the hospitality industry, making a serendipitous match. More than likely, this will also happen to you. Keep in mind that I did not know about the Travel team before applying, so there wasn’t a way for me to predict or seek out this team. Remember, every team at Google will have challenging UX problems that will inevitably help you grow as a budding designer.
Don’t focus on the projects. During the call, your potential manager will go over the project you could work on during the summer. I use “could” intentionally because there is a chance that by June, the needs of the team changed, and the project you were super excited about might be deprioritized. There is no guarantee that the project you go over in the interview will indeed be what you work on so focus more on the team, the product they are working, and how well you get along with the manager in the short 30 – 45 minutes you have on the phone with them.
Show your interest in the product. Before the call, your recruiter will send you an email with the team information, a blurb about the team mission, and your manager’s name. With this information in hand, be ready to talk about what draws you to the product and why you would be an asset to the team. For example, I was asked what I could potentially teach my fellow team members during my internship. Be ready to sell yourself and spend some time researching the product before the interview. It is not a bad idea to also stalk your manager on LinkedIn and find things in common that could potentially help you connect better during the call.
{Step 5} Relax and Wait
At this point, you have reached the end of the process. Pat yourself on the back for making it here and for all the hard work it took. Ideally, your interview with the manager went well, and you convinced them that you were the perfect person to intern in their team. I remember being so excited at this point, especially after failing the technical interview the previous year.
Once your recruiter gets an okay from yourself and the manager, your application will go to the hiring committee. For internships, the hiring committee phase is bound to turn out well. I’m not quite sure what could bring up a red flag to the hiring committee at this point, so don’t stress about it.
Once the hiring committee has made a decision (not usually longer than two weeks), your recruiter will call you and share the fantastic news! You are officially a Google intern! I remember when my recruiter called me, she said I was the second intern she had called to give them the news. I was so emotional, especially when she told me how much I would get paid. 😭 😆 Rejoice this moment; you’ve earned it!
The entire process took about two months to complete; however, if you want to look at it holistically, I spent two years preparing for this. My first failed attempt, my Adobe internship, the countless portfolio redesigns, the mock interviews, the school projects, all of these steps count towards finally landing the UX internship. With that said, I have some final tips:
Don’t wait to get started! So many of my classmates waited until winter break to work on their portfolios and resumes. Some were unaware of the short application window and were unable to get all of the materials polished enough to stand out. Don’t do this. Start working on your portfolio in the fall semester, especially since some internships start hiring for the summer in the fall. Wish, where I am currently interning, is already considering candidates for summer 2020. Start early, give yourself time to make revisions, and beat out the crowd that is waiting until the last minute. Starting the process early is your advantage.
Don’t give up if you fail. I was bummed out when I did not succeed my first time applying to Google. However, the experience left me better prepared for the second time applying. I was familiar with the technical interview, the design challenge, and the process in general, which was an advantage going through the process the second time. Learn from your mistakes, be honest with yourself, and make sure to improve on everything so you can blow them away when you reapply.
Be ready to make sacrifices. Applying to internships on top of being a full-time student can be very challenging, especially when it comes to tackling multiple design challenges for various internships. When you are in this situation, be honest with yourself and put your energy into what’s important to you. For me, schoolwork took a backseat when I was preparing for internships, and I focused all of my energy on the application process. I sacrificed some of my school projects to have extra time working on my portfolio and design exercise. However, don’t fail any classes because Google does ask for your school transcript in the application. 😉
With all of that said, I wish you the best of luck. I’m guessing that if you’re taking the time to read this lengthy article, you’re very serious about achieving this milestone. You’re already ahead of the curve, so trust yourself and trust your work, and everything should go as you intend. If not, if things don’t work out with Google, don’t take it as a personal valuation of your worth as a designer. Failure is life’s way of pointing you in a different direction, so keep your chin up and do amazing things wherever your path leads!
P.S. If you’re interested in learning more about my journey from Architecture to landing the internship at Google, check out my YouTube video below:
👉🏼 If you want to learn more about my UX Designer salary at Google and how to land a similar compensation package, check my YT video below.
👉🏼 If you’re reading this in the fall semester, watch this video to help you prepare before applications open in the spring:
Checkout my latest article to learn more about how to turn your internship into a full-time job!
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Other links and resources
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Google UX internship application 2020
Design intern portfolio examples
How to turn your internship into a full-time gig
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