Google Intern Insights 2014 – Meet Gaelen LeMelle-Brown
August 25th, 2014 | Published in Google Student Blog
Our interns have the opportunity to work on some of Google’s most cutting edge and innovative projects - not only in engineering, but across sales and other business functions, bringing a fresh perspective to the work done at Google. To show you just how much of an impact interns make and to highlight their unique experiences, we’re bringing you a special blog series: Google Intern Insights. Make sure to look out for the different interns being featured on the blog throughout the summer!
Tell us one fun, outlandish fact about you!
My eyes change color with the weather! They’re usually sea green, but I’ve seen them turn blue, gray, and hazel.
What inspired you to apply for this internship, and what made Google appealing to you as a potential intern?
I heard about the cool things Google does to help small/medium businesses maintain a marketing edge during an information session on my college’s campus and I wanted to see how I could get involved.
What team are you working on at Google? Can you provide us with a high-level description of your summer project?
As a BOLD intern on the SMB Sales team, I help small/medium business owners’ in their online marketing efforts. During my internship, I have contacted around 200 clients by phone or e-mail to discuss their marketing goals and develop a stronger grasp on how to help them. These goals are usually related to promoting brand awareness or finding a way to convert clicks on an ad to an actual valuable transaction.
What’s the best part about working with your manager? What about your team?
The SMB Sales team is full of hilarious characters who keep the workplace fun and upbeat. While we know there is work to be done, we definitely keep it as Googley as possible. My manager, in particular, is definitely one of the most animated. She rallies the interns by performing song parodies about Google Adwords at our weekly team meetings.
We all know Googlers and interns love the food and the other benefits. Outside of some of the well-known perks, what’s your favorite part about working at Google?
Every other week, interns from every office have a chance to video conference with top Google executives. They talk about their career paths, experiences with Google, and the future of the organization. I’ve never heard of any other internship program with this kind of opportunity and I think it’s definitely beneficial to interns’ professional development.
What’s something you’ve accomplished during your internship (thus far) that you’re most proud of? Or something you’re looking forward to working on?
I worked with one client who told me that before I called him, he was considering closing his business due to low foot traffic. I was able to create a marketing strategy to increase the amount of people interested in his services and I am happy to report it looks like his business is doing better than ever! It definitely was rewarding to see our hard work pay off.
What does “being Googley” mean to you?
Being Googley means taking a unique approach to solving problems each and every time you are presented with a new one. It’s refusing to accept limitations and always asking, “Why not?”
If you could give one piece of advice to potential student applicants, what would it be?
While professional experience is definitely important, make sure to let your personality shine through in your resumé and in your interview. Google is full of extraordinary people who do fun and amazing things. Recruiters want to hear about the amazing things that you are interested in as well!
Best meal at Google so far?
The Battle Creek Cafe did “Thanksgiving in July” a couple weeks ago. We had turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and a bunch of other Thanksgiving foods. It’s my favorite holiday so you could say I was a little excited.
Dream Google office to visit?
I really want to visit Sao Paolo or Dublin. Those offices also have a strong SMB presence and I would love to hear about what they do differently in terms of Adwords.
Best intern event you’ve attended?
The interns all got together to play whirlyball the other weekend. It’s a favorite pastime in the Midwest that basically mixes basketball and lacrosse while driving a go-kart. We all looked ridiculous and it was a ton of fun.
Want to learn more about internships at Google? Check out our Student Careers Site. Additionally, follow Google Students on Google+ and use the hashtag #googleinterns to keep up with Intern Insights this summer.
Posted by Shawn Dye, University Programs
Tell us one fun, outlandish fact about you!
My eyes change color with the weather! They’re usually sea green, but I’ve seen them turn blue, gray, and hazel.
What inspired you to apply for this internship, and what made Google appealing to you as a potential intern?
I heard about the cool things Google does to help small/medium businesses maintain a marketing edge during an information session on my college’s campus and I wanted to see how I could get involved.
What team are you working on at Google? Can you provide us with a high-level description of your summer project?
As a BOLD intern on the SMB Sales team, I help small/medium business owners’ in their online marketing efforts. During my internship, I have contacted around 200 clients by phone or e-mail to discuss their marketing goals and develop a stronger grasp on how to help them. These goals are usually related to promoting brand awareness or finding a way to convert clicks on an ad to an actual valuable transaction.
What’s the best part about working with your manager? What about your team?
The SMB Sales team is full of hilarious characters who keep the workplace fun and upbeat. While we know there is work to be done, we definitely keep it as Googley as possible. My manager, in particular, is definitely one of the most animated. She rallies the interns by performing song parodies about Google Adwords at our weekly team meetings.
We all know Googlers and interns love the food and the other benefits. Outside of some of the well-known perks, what’s your favorite part about working at Google?
Every other week, interns from every office have a chance to video conference with top Google executives. They talk about their career paths, experiences with Google, and the future of the organization. I’ve never heard of any other internship program with this kind of opportunity and I think it’s definitely beneficial to interns’ professional development.
What’s something you’ve accomplished during your internship (thus far) that you’re most proud of? Or something you’re looking forward to working on?
I worked with one client who told me that before I called him, he was considering closing his business due to low foot traffic. I was able to create a marketing strategy to increase the amount of people interested in his services and I am happy to report it looks like his business is doing better than ever! It definitely was rewarding to see our hard work pay off.
What does “being Googley” mean to you?
Being Googley means taking a unique approach to solving problems each and every time you are presented with a new one. It’s refusing to accept limitations and always asking, “Why not?”
If you could give one piece of advice to potential student applicants, what would it be?
While professional experience is definitely important, make sure to let your personality shine through in your resumé and in your interview. Google is full of extraordinary people who do fun and amazing things. Recruiters want to hear about the amazing things that you are interested in as well!
Best meal at Google so far?
The Battle Creek Cafe did “Thanksgiving in July” a couple weeks ago. We had turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and a bunch of other Thanksgiving foods. It’s my favorite holiday so you could say I was a little excited.
Dream Google office to visit?
I really want to visit Sao Paolo or Dublin. Those offices also have a strong SMB presence and I would love to hear about what they do differently in terms of Adwords.
Best intern event you’ve attended?
The interns all got together to play whirlyball the other weekend. It’s a favorite pastime in the Midwest that basically mixes basketball and lacrosse while driving a go-kart. We all looked ridiculous and it was a ton of fun.
Want to learn more about internships at Google? Check out our Student Careers Site. Additionally, follow Google Students on Google+ and use the hashtag #googleinterns to keep up with Intern Insights this summer.
Posted by Shawn Dye, University Programs