Focus On Users, Not (Just) Technology

How to empathize with users to build better products

As engineers, we are trained to focus on the best tech we can possibly build to make people's lives better. Yet sometimes, the best user experience (UX) doesn’t require the most complex or cutting-edge solution. We need to understand our user’s pain points, their context of use & delights to deliver satisfying solutions. In this session, Lacey will share basic human-centered principles & concrete steps that you can take to be a better ally of your users.

Speaker Bio

Solace “Lacey” Sabado is a UX Program Manager at Google and is part of the Research Operations team responsible for UX programs such as Empathy Builder which allows Google product teams (i.e engineers, product managers and UX-ers) to interact with users first-hand to increase user empathy in the pursuit of product excellence. She holds a Masters degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) from the University of Maryland (UMD) and was the commencement speaker for the UMD School of Information in 2019. Before settling into a UX Program Manager role at Google, Lacey handled UX research and design roles at The New York Times, Procter & Gamble and Women In Tech Operations (WITOps). Prior to her career pivot to UX, Lacey had 10 years of experience working in Engineering orgs and did her undergraduate in Computer Science.

Allyship: The Endless Marathon

What is Allyship? What’s your role in creating Allyship? How do we foster Allyship in the workplace? Join this session if you want to start your Allyship marathon and explore how to practice Professional Allyship.

Speaker Bio

Barbara Falcon has been with Google for nearly 3 years and is a graduate of the People Operations Rotational Program. She is currently a Global Community Engagement Specialist and Allyship Program Manager on the Inclusion Team within Employee Engagement. Her work centers on Employee Resource Groups and fostering Allyship across Google. Barbara has held roles within the Performance Management as well as the Reporting & Insights team as a Perf Cross Program Specialist and People Analyst. She has experience in various industries such as consulting, law, government, education and tech. Barbara’s personal goal is to empower untapped populations by creating and amplifying educational and socioeconomic growth opportunities.

Leading Impactful Meetings

Tips for in-person | hybrid | virtual work

Over the past year, Tobias has learned, practiced and applied the skills to lead meetings where connections are made, communication is clear, and collaboration is effective. He looks forward to sharing these insights with you.

Speaker Bio

Tobias believes a growth mindset and deliberate practice are key to making the most out of any challenge he commits himself to. Every day, he gets to work on the training program for Agency Partners we work with in his region. This is a complex project that requires many different meetings. For the last eighteen months, another challenge has been to create virtual spaces where his colleagues and himself can be creative and productive. After several bad experiences, he realised there were some simple concepts he could apply to make his meetings better, to engage the participants, and to keep the energy up over extended periods of time. 

Elevate Your Career With Data

Why and how to develop a data-driven mindset

Data analysis has become more essential in business than ever before. But why do you need data to make smart decisions? How to leverage data to grow your career? Join this session to kick off your journey to a data expert.

Speaker Bio

Xinyu Zhang is a Data Analyst at Google and focuses on helping Ad Manager online publishers to grow their advertising business, in scaled and data-driven approaches such as emails and webinars. He has vast hands-on experience in working with data and is familiar with advanced analytical tools. Xinyu holds a Bachelor degree in Engineering and Economics from Peking University, and a Master degree in Business Analytics from UC Davis. He is passionate about big data analytics and keen on extracting impactful insights from vast datasets.

Handling Difficult Conversations

Practices to Manage Destructive and Constructive Conflict

A customized conversation about conflict management to share experiences, tips and approaches to better understand and better manage conflict. 

Speaker Bio

Terrence is an Organizational Development Practitioner who partners with leaders of organizations and product areas in Google to help them improve their performance, their team's performance and their organization's performance. He has held senior leadership roles in Human Resources over the last 20 years after starting his career in finance on Wall Street. He has an MBA from Harvard Business School. 

Navigating Team Dynamics Through the Lens of Theatre

This session will help you to understand how to navigate and be successful at team dynamics through the following framework: understand oneself, understand others, and adapt and connect. Learn more about specific insights and tools you can use to be a valuable team contributor and to thrive in team interactions.

Speaker Bio

Elana is an organizational psychologist, executive coach, diversity and inclusion practitioner, and care specialist in People Operations at Google. Elana works with business leaders on multiple focus areas including authentic leadership, team dynamics, change management, and strategic vision. She is also a facilitator, mentor, and change agent with exceptional time management, presentation, and communication skills. Elana has significant experience in the education, nonprofit and corporate sectors. After an early career in the magazine industry working for The New Yorker and New Woman magazines, Elana moved into teaching and education, serving as a diversity and inclusion professional for the Anti-Defamation League and Girl Scouts of the USA. She then joined Goldman Sachs where she worked as a Vice President in the Learning & Development and Global Leadership and Diversity functions. At Bloomberg LP, Elana worked on the design, development and delivery of the company’s leadership curriculum, and she founded the global Diversity & Inclusion function. Elana is a native New Yorker and lives in Manhattan with her husband and two children. In addition to coaching, she is passionate about theatre, music, photography, skiing, running, crossword puzzles, and she is an amateur lyricist!  

Update Your LinkedIn, Resume, and Network for Your Career Change 

In this session, Elizabeth will help you further develop your LinkedIn so you can be seen by recruiters for the right opportunities, navigate "career change" verbiage on your resume in a strategic way to afford you unique opportunities, and utilize your network to support you as you transition into your next opportunity.

Speaker Bio

Elizabeth Morgan reviews thousands of technical applicant's resumes when they apply on Google's career page. She's extremely involved on LinkedIn when she isn't working and shares helpful tips and career insight with her 42 thousand followers who tune into her weekly posts. She's started an "Ask Elizabeth" form for LinkedIn users to anonymously submit questions that she provides weekly insight on. Elizabeth hasn't submitted an application to any company she's worked at, all her job opportunities have come to her through her networking abilities and her 'All Star" LinkedIn profile. When she isn't helping people develop their professional profiles online, Elizabeth is in her home studio making earrings that she sells on Etsy, watering her plants, or making gluten free goodies!! 

Networking. From An Undercover Introvert 

Networking comes in many flavors, it doesn't have to feel like work, and it is not just for extroverts! In this session, you will learn how to get more value out of networking and how to make it work for you. 

Speaker Bio

Jason Scott is the Head of Googler’s Startup Developer Ecosystem in the United States. In this role, he serves as Google's cross-functional ecosystem lead - managing Google's U.S.-based Accelerator programs and startup developer engagement strategy. Finishing an undergraduate degree at MIT, Jason got his professional start in management consulting at Arthur D. Little. After ADL, Jason moved from Boston to San Francisco to join the YC-backed startup - Homejoy - and subsequently went on to pursue an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business. During and after GSB, Jason worked independently with a number of startups, eventually joining the investment team at Highland Capital Partners. In addition, he also remains an active seed investor, startup advisor, and the founder of FactionSF - a community for creatives, entrepreneurs, and early-stage investors. 

Personal Branding

The journey towards uncovering your personal brand and communicating it to the world! 

Speaker Bio

Caitlin Morrissey is a program manager on the Women Techmakers global team at Google, where she's worked for the past 8 years. She focuses her energy around building innovative learning initiatives and producing events that help empower women in tech to join, lead and thrive in the industry - including leading IWD globally!

Transitioning to Technical Writing: F=ma

Do you have an interest in technical writing or would just like to know more? In this session Shawnique talks about the characteristics of successful technical writers and how you might consider making the move into this career path.

Speaker Bio

Shawnique joined Google a little over two years ago as a Technical Writer for the Google Cloud Platform. Prior to joining Google, Shawnique spent 3 years as an Information developer at IBM and interned at both IBM and BlackBerry. Shawnique has a BSc. in Molecular Biology and Botany from University of the West Indies, a diploma in Computer Programming, and a postgraduate certificate in Technical Communications from Seneca College.

Compensation Negotiation 

During this interactive session, Stephanie will be walking you through the information you need to know to feel confident and prepared going into compensation negotiations. She will be peeling back the curtain on what to expect when negotiating and together you'll review preparation tactics, best practices, and additional resources to negotiate your compensation package with confidence and poise.

Speaker Bio

Stephanie is a Technical Recruiter who has been hiring at Google for almost 3 years and has hired for several other major tech companies such as Facebook and Uber. She is currently building out the Developer Relations Org and has hired over 100 employees, including Software Engineers, Technical Program Managers and everything in between. During her down time she enjoys traveling around the world with her husband and of course cuddles with her cat during a good Netflix binge! 

Preparing To Be Interviewed

A friendly guide on how to approach any interview as a candidate. In this session, James will share his perspective on what he thinks is an important approach to interviewing anywhere. 

Speaker Bio

James has been recruiting at Google for 3 years, finding candidates to join Google anywhere from SoCal to Germany and everywhere between. Nowadays, his main focus is recruiting Technical Program Managers for Cloud Networking. He began his career in recruiting at a startup prior to joining Google, focusing on hiring Software Engineers in the Bay. Before recruiting he worked full time at grocery stores, restaurants, call centers, and at community college, as a janitor. In his free time he likes to hike, bike, and hang out with his dog, Albert.

Discovering Your Inner Passion

We keep hearing things like “find your inner passion” or “pursue your life’s purpose,” but what does this all mean and where do we even begin? This past year has taught many of us the significance of what’s most important and meaningful in life. How can we build off of these lessons and steer our careers and personal lives in a direction that aligns with our innermost values and dreams? Join this session for some tips and tricks on discovering and navigating your inner passion during these particularly challenging times. 

Speaker Bio

Kate Hertzler manages Information Security and Privacy programs at Google. Furthermore, she recently became a Certified Integrative Health Coach specializing in Women’s Health and enjoys bringing this coaching and skill set into her day-to-day work as a manager and mentor at Google. In an effort to chase and discover her own inner passion and life’s purpose, Kate has worked across various industries, teams and geographic locations throughout the course of her career and is excited to share her lessons learned.

Resume / Cover Letter Workshop

Is your resume too sparse or too cluttered? Are you not sure what skills are relevant and worth highlighting? Join us in this informational workshop to learn how to write a detailed and attractive resume and cover letter! 

Speaker Bio

Winnie has been at Google for about 2 years and is a seasoned technical sourcer who has reviewed thousands of resumes for skills across the board: engineering, operations and management. She knows the difference between a good and a bad resume and is passionate to share her knowledge with you!