Two former New Mexico State students who are currently employed by Google outlined important skills needed to be hired by Google and to develop students’ professional careers in workshops held on campus Feb. 20 and 21.  

Francisco Natividad is a software engineer and a former computer science major from NMSU. He got his master’s degree in computer science as well.  

“Our goal is to reach out to our students in the CS [computer science] department and raise awareness that they can succeed at not only Google but other companies they want to apply to also,” Natividad said.  

Though Google is very public about job requirements and qualifications, they historically have a very low hiring rate.  

“Google’s hiring process and percentage of success is very very low. It is extremely hard to get a job.” Natividad said. “It doesn’t mean we’re not hiring people, it just means that we are very very picky.” 

The workshops focused on how to write a resume that will stand out not only to Google but also to other companies, as well. It is very rare for a company the size of Google to basically lay out what they look for when they hire someone. No other corporation does that.    

“Google found me through LinkedIn, and I prepared for the interview with the stuff they gave me,” Natividad said. “They gave me a book that I needed to review in order to be ready for those interviews.”  

One big point that was brought up at the workshop is feeling confident enough to apply for these jobs along with being qualified to apply as well.  

“A lot of people don’t feel like they’re qualified when they get hired. It takes the stars to align for someone to get hired,” Natividad said.  

Natasha Nesiba also graduated from NMSU with a master’s degree in computer science.  

“I think the education that I got from the university was very valuable,” Nesiba said. “It gave me an opportunity to like do well as well as prepare me for jobs.”   

The workshop also pushed the importance of diversity in the workplace. 

“Google cares a lot about diversity, equity and inclusion,” Nesiba said.  

 The workshops also offered information about internships and how to apply for them. 

“Working at Google is very empowering. It is a cool opportunity to work with the products that impact billions of people every day,” Nesiba said. “Google cares about their users and at the end of the day that is what makes our products so great.”