EMEA SMB Sales Employee Spotlight: Julia Arndt
February 19th, 2015 | Published in Google Student Blog
Internal mobility is one of the great ways that Googlers can develop and grow their careers. Meet Julia Arndt a German university graduate, who started her Google career learning and working in the SMB Sales team and has now gone on to work with the world’s top advertisers. Take your first step towards a Google career, by checking out our Associate Account Strategist positions in the SMB Sales and Global Customer Experience teams, here: google.com/students/emea
Tell us about your path to Google?
I’m from Naumburg, a very small town situated two hours South of Berlin near Leipzig. I studied International Management in Bremen and Marseille; followed by a Masters degree in Management and Marketing. Before graduating, I had already signed my contract with Google and joined the SMB team at the end of 2011.
Give us a brief overview of your career at Google, so far?
I started at Google as an Associate Account Strategist on the Sales team, working with small and medium sized businesses (SMB). This was a strategic, consultative sales role where I liaised directly with advertisers regarding their online marketing strategy. I advised clients on how to optimize their Adwords accounts and how they can further develop their online marketing activities with Google’s cost-effective, targeted and attractive products and solutions — in order to grow their business and increase their profit. I see sales as a consulting job, with a better work-life balance.
After one year, I moved roles within SMB, to join the Agency Program; where I worked for 1.5 years. In this role, I managed a portfolio of agencies where I helped grow their clients' accounts by discussing online strategies and advising them on new products and features. Generally, each account strategist manages a portfolio of 5-10 agencies, who in turn can have up to 90 clients.
I’ve recently started a new position as an Incubator Account Strategist on the SMB Solutions team, for which I’ve had to relocate to Google’s Global Headquarters, in the United States. I work with clients to test and get feedback on products before they are fully launched.
How did your two and a half years experience on the SMB team help you being successful in your current job?
It was very helpful to start on the SMB Sales team. This experience helped me get to know Google’s products inside and out and become confident to talk about them to all of our different clients. If I had not had the SMB experience, I would have missed out on a lot of key learnings, such as how to react in different situations and how to handle customer inquiries.
Time management, efficiency and organization are also key learnings of the job, as these are vital skills needed in order to achieve the three-months target, which is set for all Account Strategists. Furthermore, I gained incredible online marketing knowledge, as well as knowledge about the competitive landscape.
What skills are helpful when aiming to enter Google?
Languages — At the Dublin office, Google’s European headquarters, we have Googlers from almost 70 different countries. Speaking English is therefore essential and having knowledge of other languages is always helpful. I personally speak French, English and German fluently.
Leadership — The ability to manage projects is very important. Googlers are expected to learn very quickly how to organize their own workload and other projects that they might support on the side.
Communication — People that would like to apply for this position should be communicative and able to express themselves well when talking to clients on a daily basis. This does not mean that everyone at Google is super outgoing and talkative, but it is crucial to be self-confident and sharp.
What did you like about living in Dublin, Ireland?
I really like Dublin. As it’s the capital of Ireland, it has a lot of cultural activities to offer, such as concerts, theatres and shopping. Dublin airport with its low budget airlines is also only a 20 min cab ride from the office.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
One of the big advantages of working for Google is all the facilities we have. In my free time and sometimes during the work day, I go to the gym, which happens 4 - 5 times per week. I do a lot of weight training, I visit classes such as Tai Bo and Pilates or do cardio training like running at the beach.
What do you like most about your job?
I think everyone at Google would give the same answer: the people. Googlers are very smart people with great ideas. Not only do they have different backgrounds and can tell incredible stories, but they are super open and helpful, which is unique in a work environment.
Whether it’s developing new business strategies, providing online marketing consultancy, selling a great advertising solution to our clients or bringing products to market, there are plenty of graduate opportunities at Google that don’t involve algorithms. Take your first step towards a Google career, by checking out our opportunities here: google.com/students/emea
Posted by Nicole Zwaaneveld, University Programs
Tell us about your path to Google?
I’m from Naumburg, a very small town situated two hours South of Berlin near Leipzig. I studied International Management in Bremen and Marseille; followed by a Masters degree in Management and Marketing. Before graduating, I had already signed my contract with Google and joined the SMB team at the end of 2011.
Give us a brief overview of your career at Google, so far?
I started at Google as an Associate Account Strategist on the Sales team, working with small and medium sized businesses (SMB). This was a strategic, consultative sales role where I liaised directly with advertisers regarding their online marketing strategy. I advised clients on how to optimize their Adwords accounts and how they can further develop their online marketing activities with Google’s cost-effective, targeted and attractive products and solutions — in order to grow their business and increase their profit. I see sales as a consulting job, with a better work-life balance.
After one year, I moved roles within SMB, to join the Agency Program; where I worked for 1.5 years. In this role, I managed a portfolio of agencies where I helped grow their clients' accounts by discussing online strategies and advising them on new products and features. Generally, each account strategist manages a portfolio of 5-10 agencies, who in turn can have up to 90 clients.
I’ve recently started a new position as an Incubator Account Strategist on the SMB Solutions team, for which I’ve had to relocate to Google’s Global Headquarters, in the United States. I work with clients to test and get feedback on products before they are fully launched.
How did your two and a half years experience on the SMB team help you being successful in your current job?
It was very helpful to start on the SMB Sales team. This experience helped me get to know Google’s products inside and out and become confident to talk about them to all of our different clients. If I had not had the SMB experience, I would have missed out on a lot of key learnings, such as how to react in different situations and how to handle customer inquiries.
Time management, efficiency and organization are also key learnings of the job, as these are vital skills needed in order to achieve the three-months target, which is set for all Account Strategists. Furthermore, I gained incredible online marketing knowledge, as well as knowledge about the competitive landscape.
What skills are helpful when aiming to enter Google?
Languages — At the Dublin office, Google’s European headquarters, we have Googlers from almost 70 different countries. Speaking English is therefore essential and having knowledge of other languages is always helpful. I personally speak French, English and German fluently.
Leadership — The ability to manage projects is very important. Googlers are expected to learn very quickly how to organize their own workload and other projects that they might support on the side.
Communication — People that would like to apply for this position should be communicative and able to express themselves well when talking to clients on a daily basis. This does not mean that everyone at Google is super outgoing and talkative, but it is crucial to be self-confident and sharp.
What did you like about living in Dublin, Ireland?
I really like Dublin. As it’s the capital of Ireland, it has a lot of cultural activities to offer, such as concerts, theatres and shopping. Dublin airport with its low budget airlines is also only a 20 min cab ride from the office.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
One of the big advantages of working for Google is all the facilities we have. In my free time and sometimes during the work day, I go to the gym, which happens 4 - 5 times per week. I do a lot of weight training, I visit classes such as Tai Bo and Pilates or do cardio training like running at the beach.
What do you like most about your job?
I think everyone at Google would give the same answer: the people. Googlers are very smart people with great ideas. Not only do they have different backgrounds and can tell incredible stories, but they are super open and helpful, which is unique in a work environment.
Whether it’s developing new business strategies, providing online marketing consultancy, selling a great advertising solution to our clients or bringing products to market, there are plenty of graduate opportunities at Google that don’t involve algorithms. Take your first step towards a Google career, by checking out our opportunities here: google.com/students/emea
Posted by Nicole Zwaaneveld, University Programs