The BostonHacks Intern Life COVID-19 Edition: Melissa Lin, Google STEP Intern

Hello there! Please introduce yourself, your role at BostonHacks, and where you interned this summer.

Hello there! I’m Melissa and I am a junior majoring in computer science at Boston University. I have been part of BostonHacks since I was a freshman and I am part of the marketing team.

This summer, I remotely interned at Google as a STEP intern.

What was the application process like and how did you prepare for the interview?

Since the STEP internship was a rolling application, I applied as soon as it opened online. However, in my rush to submit my application, I didn’t know that I needed to submit several essay questions for the application, so I thought I had blown my chance. Luckily, Google was still interested, and a recruiter sent me an email to submit my essay responses from there. Once I submitted the essays, I got a response a few hours later inviting me to interview with them. The next step was two back to back 45 minute technical interviews with two Google engineers . After that, I received my offer about two weeks later.

But the process is not done yet! The next step is host-matching. Host matching is a process where you informally speak to managers that could potentially “host” you for the summer. They tell you about themselves, their teams, and the project, and you have a great opportunity to ask them all your questions about the project they have in mind and their team.

I mostly prepared for the interview and recruiting season using leetcode. I started doing mostly the easy problems, then once I got comfortable with those problems I moved on to the medium problems and sometimes the hard problems. I also did a bunch of mock interviews with acquaintances in the industry.

What are some tips you have for those who would like to intern for Google STEP in regards to the application or interview process?

1. Review your resume. Your resume is basically what sells you to recruiters, so get it reviewed by as many people as possible to catch any possible mistakes or suggestions to make it better.
2. MOCK. INTERVIEWS. This was very helpful to me. Do a bunch of practice interviews with friends, family, or anybody in the industry. It gives you a sense of what the interview could be like and what you should improve or capitalize on during the interview.

What is it like to work remotely for Google STEP?

Although it was a remote experience, the internship was still a really great experience! During the internship, I had tremendous support from my podmates, host, and mentors. They were really great in answering any questions I had, giving me suggestions on how to improve my work, and overall being awesome people to work with. There were also many chances to meet and interact with other interns, such as through networking events and game nights. I got to meet interns from around the world and from different internship roles as well. In addition, there were opportunities where you could personally chat with different directors across the company. Every director I talked to was friendly and intelligent, and I am extremely grateful for all the advice they gave me.

What does an average day look like for you and what are some of your responsibilities?

I am not sure how much I can divulge due to confidentiality agreements, but this summer I worked with a group of two other interns on a web application that allowed users to interact with Google’s OAuth2l tool GUI. The primary motivation for the project was to provide an intuitive and functional interface that will interactively experiment with all the authentication flows supported by OAUth2l without being restricted to a CLI. It was a cool project to work on since me and my podmates had the freedom to design the application and code it from scratch. I also got to learn a new programming language, Golang, which was interesting as well. Additionally, the OAuth2l CLI added a new command that would locally deploy and launch the application in the browser, so it was rewarding to know that my application was integrated with one of Google’s projects.

If you are interested in learning more about it, check out the repo here: https://github.com/googleinterns/oauth2l-web

What are some of the perks of interning for Google STEP?

1. TGiF — This is company wide town hall that is conducted every month (I think) where a presentation is given about a new product or feature, with a Q&A session after. It was really cool to see what new things Google was working on and have the chance to ask questions to the executives.
2. Speakers — Google got a variety of people to speak with the interns this year, and these speakers were interesting to hear from. I got to hear from people such as Bretman Rock and Karlie Kloss as well as executives such as Susan Wojcicki (CEO of Youtube).
3. Mentorships — Google has a great mentorship program for interns, and I had a great experience through it. I placed with a wonderful mentor who was great at filling me in on the Google culture that I missed in the remote internship and connecting me with other Googlers to talk to.

How did interning for Google STEP help you grow personally and/or professionally?

This internship was the first internship where I had to work at home, so it posed a lot of challenges at first, but I got to learn how to be productive and communicative while adapting to a new environment. I learned how to create a suitable work schedule that would allow me to be productive but also leave sufficient time for myself to take breaks. I also learned how to best communicate with my hosts and podmates to coordinate tasks and to ask questions about career and life goals.

Do you have any advice for those who would like to intern for Google STEP or any advice about interning remotely?

1. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. At this internship (or in any internship), you are not assumed to know everything about everything, so it is natural that you have questions or are confused about something. So don’t be afraid to ask for help! Your host and podmates are there to help you improve and clear up any confusions. At Google, they have a question asking culture, so they are eager for you to ask any questions that you have. Do not just let your confusion and questions about something build and derail your progress.
2. Meet people. Although it is a remote relationship, you should always make an effort to meet new people. It is a great opportunity to build your network and create meaningful relationships. Plus, it is a good way to take your mind away from work a bit and just relax. Google put on a lot of intern events where I got to meet and befriend interns of a diversity of roles and backgrounds.
3. Take breaks. Yes, it is important to work hard and be productive, it is also important to let yourself relax and take your mind off of the work. Step away from your computer screen and take a walk. Get a snack. Watch YouTube for a bit. Or go down a Reddit hole.

Any final thoughts?

The recruiting season can be very stressful and demoralizing, but don’t lose hope! Keep your head up and keep working hard! Something good will happen at the end.

Lastly, I LOVE YOU BOSTONHACKS! You guys have been a great community to be a part of, and I am so glad I made the decision to join my freshman year. #betahetaomega4ever.