Millennials Entering the Workforce: 6 Tips from Millennials at Google

Millennials entering the workforce are always seeking mentorship and advice from professionals who have much more industry knowledge and experience.

Though, at times, that same advice can start to sound something like a broken record. We begin to feel lost in this regurgitated rhetoric, making it more and more difficult for us to connect with the advice. Therefore, I believe that sometimes it takes an entirely different perspective and approach to open our minds and accept the things we’ve heard so many times.

What I mean is sometimes the most valuable perspectives come from our peers. So, to connect on a more lateral level, the National Millennial Community sat down with a panel of Millennial Googlers and picked their brains about what it was like transitioning into the workforce.

Not only did they offer great insight but they shared stories about their time at Google. The panel ranged from Google Engineers to Project Managers, so the perspectives were very diverse and refreshing. Although I learned many things, I hope that these six points will be of help to you, as they were for me.

1. Don’t worry about what your peers are doing and begin focusing on yourself.

This is something I stress to my mentees. It’s good to keep up with your friends, but it’s not a good idea to compare your progress because everyone has a different path. Yours may take five years and mine may take ten, but in the end, we may learn the same thing. I’ve studied some great leaders and one thing I have noticed about them is that they create tunnel vision, meaning they have immense focus. Every part of there being somehow related to their goal.

2. If you really want to do something and you don’t see a clear path, reach out!

We miss out on a lot of opportunities to learn and grow because we don’t ask. It’s better to receive a “no” than to wonder if you would have gotten a “yes”. Life and your career is a marathon, not a sprint! Although both are challenging and require a whole lot of training, they are totally different. A sprint focuses on getting to a final point in the fastest time possible whereas a marathon is a paced race that lasts a much longer time. We spend a lot of time trying to rush to accomplish things in life instead of pacing ourselves and “experiencing the experience”.  The journey is much more important than the destination because the journey is the learning process.

3. Figure out what problem you want to solve!

This resonated with me because I know the problems I want to solve, but I struggle with the steps I needed to take to solve them. After listening to the personal stories of the panelists, I felt inspired to take a leap of faith and start solving more problems that I am passionate about. After you figure out the problem you want to solve in the world or in your community, do your research, and then begin making small steps toward the solution.

4.  Meet as many people as you can and learn from them. Talk to people in your industry!

This is key. Effective networking and building relationships with key professionals are very important. The panelists made it clear that networking with industry leaders was beneficial to their success in the workforce. Find a good core group of people, mentors that understand your interest.

Be very specific about the people you choose as your core. Make sure they understand your values, interest, and goals. Not just that but be sure that they have your best interest in mind.

5. Do what you enjoy, you have time!

This is one I struggled with. I was busy doing a lot of things that I ‘kind of liked’ and not focusing in on what I enjoyed doing the most. It takes time to find that thing that you like the most or those things you enjoy doing the most. Not only do you have time to do it but you have time to figure it out. Don’t rush the process.

6. Making an impact is the success!

This one speaks for itself. Figure out how you can use what you’ve learned in life and tie it in with what you’re passionate about, then begin making an impact in the world and in your community.