• Name: Christian
• Title: Account Associate
• Office: Wroclaw, Poland
• Hometown: Paris, France
• Education: ESCP-EAP European School of Management

Why did you decide to come to Google?

After studying in a very international environment (students and professors of different nationalities, as well as campuses in different countries), I was looking for a company with such an international atmosphere. The Wroclaw office, which covers a wide range of markets, was able to provide such a team atmosphere. Additionally, being a rather young Google office, it combines the Google long-term vision of the evolving online world with the interesting challenges of a young office.

Why do you like working at Google?

The working atmosphere is so unique! We obviously get the job done, but most of us feel great desire to get involved in 20% roles which are easy to become passionate about! As a recent graduate, I feel fulfilled that I can, at the same time, learn a lot from all the smart employees at Google and contribute to the success of the company at my own level.

What cool projects have you worked on at Google?

I took part in the local organization of green events like the Clean Up the World Weekend, Bike to Work Day, and even some more crazy green events! It's always great to see the Googlers' concern for the environment and also to communicate on this topic to people who are not so familiar with it.

What is unique about your role?

My role only makes sense in the context of my team, and my team is very unique! It's dynamic! It's international! It's young, but solid in terms of varied past experiences and ambition for the future of the team and the company!

What is your favorite perk/benefit about working at Google?

I love the comfort of the office. I wasn't really aware, before I actually joined Google, to what extent this can impact the work atmosphere in a positive way. Google was also very helpful in helping me to relocate to a country where I didn't speak the language.

What's been the biggest surprise about working at Google?

I have been most impressed by the ambition of my peers. It's great to work and share projects with people with such a vision. Whatever their role, it seems like everyone in this company wants to improve how things work, usually with a strong focus on improving the quality of the service we provide to our users and clients.

• Name: Diana
• Title: Account Associate, AdWords
• Office: Wroclaw, Poland
• Hometown: Moscow, Russia
• Education: State University - Higher School of Economics

Why did you decide to come to Google?

After a couple of years of working for a traditional offline advertising agency in Moscow, I wanted to work closely with more innovative online advertising. Google has one of the most effective online advertising platforms, so working with Google AdWords was my dream job.

Actually my story shows that it is important to believe in yourself and it is worth trying to achieve your dream: I dreamt of working at Google, but always felt insecure about applying due to high expectations towards employees and the mere fact that for years in a row Google was one of the dream employers. One day I was approached by a Google recruiter via a professional network, after the series of interviews, I was offered a role. Voila!

Why do you like working at Google?

First and the most important reason is people. To me it seems that Google is hiring very creative and smart people as a result of an intensive selection process. I've been with Google for almost 2 years, and every day I marvel at how excellent people are at their work. The second reason is the company's culture which is shown in numerous areas. I appreciate that there is a little hierarchy in the company and you can quite easily reach out to senior colleagues. I can come to work dressed casually (it helps as I love cycling to work), after lunch I can get an on-site massage, and on Friday afternoons, network with other Googlers in the office by having a drink during our traditional TGIF party. I love the way the company appreciates its employees, which helps them to relax and focus on their work.

What is unique about your role?

I work in one-to-many support and my role gives me a unique opportunity to impact thousands of our clients via Help Forum and online classroom. We develop new ways to offer better support for our clients, and I love the opportunity to be entrepreneurial in a corporate environment, which gives me the chance to drive innovative projects with little bureaucracy.

What is your favorite perk/benefit about working at Google?

My favorite perk is the number of sports benefits: Googlers in our office can get an entrance card to over 80 sport clubs in Wroclaw, we have our own tennis and football leagues and even on-site yoga classes. Everything to balance out results of another perk - free food and snacks! Even though it is not on the list of official perks, I love this one: pending business needs and manager's approval Googlers can work from any of Google offices around the world. This opens many opportunities for exploring the world.

What's been the biggest surprise about working at Google?

My biggest surprise was to learn that even Google’s top-managers do not wear suits at work and in their spare time are quite involved in various cool hobbies like breakdancing, surfing or playing rugby!

• Name: Janett
• Title: Account Associate, DACH
• Office: Wroclaw, Poland
• Hometown: Wernigerode, Germany
• Education: Double B.A. International Business Studies, Southern Oregon University, Ashland, USA

Why did you decide to come to Google?

I wanted to put my effort and energy into something that benefits people all around the world. I found Google to be a company with an appealing mission, with which I could really identify and contribute to what it does.

Why do you like working at Google?

I really enjoy the international atmosphere. I always had a great appreciation for other cultures. Due to my studies and internships abroad I have worked and lived with people from different cultures. The Wroclaw office consists of people from different countries with varied experiences and I am excited to be able to work with them.

I also love the dynamic atmosphere. There is a constant lookout for new ideas and further improvements. It is a fast paced environment, where things change quickly and you learn every day. Work remains challenging and even the repetitive tasks do not become boring.

What is unique about your role?

As an account associate for the German speaking markets I enjoy helping our clients to manage and optimize their AdWords campaigns effectively at scale. I work closely with cross-functional teams on new product feature developments, product trainings and channel communication. This makes my work very interesting and helps me to gain a deeper understanding of online marketing.

What has been your most interesting project?

I have recently started to work on user-to-user forums. I love the challenge of communicating complex matters in an easy to understand way to hundreds of users at once and helping to manage power users and top contributors. I can apply great empathy and dive into the fascinating world of social media.

What is your favorite perk/benefit about working at Google?

Pleasant and dynamic environment and the fact that it is possible to work from any of the Google offices around the world at times.

What's been the biggest surprise about working at Google?

Open minded and creative people. No matter what age are the people who work at Google, everyone is very open to new ideas, agile and always interested in new things.

• Name: Marek
• Title: Account Strategist
• Office: Wroclaw, Poland
• Hometown: Kosice, Slovakia
• Education: Master of Science, Technical University of Kosice, Slovakia

Why did you decide to come to Google?

After being in various companies and the HR field for certain time, I wanted a change and to try something new. Google gave me this chance and I was pleased to start work here.

Why do you like working at Google?

Google as a work place is a very dynamic environment, and online advertising is an interesting business that is still developing. And since Google organizes quite a lot of information on the internet, it is also great to have real-time tracking on what's going on in business, in the world, in the space...

What cool projects have you worked on at Google?

I am on the team working on the launch of some new activities in our newer markets. This is very interesting, as you get opportunity to see all parts of business for entrance to a particular market. It is a great experience and challenge at the same time.

What is unique about your role?

My role has an extension to many activities beyond my core job, so I don't just work on one particular product, service, or activity. This diversification and variety bring a great motivation and create deeper interest in the things you do here.

What has been the most amazing experience or day you've had at Google thus far?

It is absolutely the company culture and transparency where almost all doors are open. This helps the business a lot as well the people, and really keeps the office relaxed but also very innovative.

What are your goals at Google – what are you working to achieve?

My goals are on several fields and several levels. But overall, I am trying to contribute significantly on the growth and development of Google in the new markets in various areas.

• Name: Menno
• Title: Team Strategist
• Office: Wroclaw, Poland
• Hometown: Franeker, the Netherlands
• Education: Master in Business Administration, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, the Netherlands

Why did you decide to come to Google?

I was looking for a place where I could build a career in online marketing and e-commerce. Ideally this had to be a dynamic company with a lot of expertise in the online world, and with an international profile. Google combined all this, and was for me the logical next step in my career.

Why do you like working at Google?

There’s so much that makes Google a great and unique place to work: the chance to work on innovative projects that make an impact, the international environment and numerous great perks (e.g. free food). But most of all it’s the culture and people that work at Google, that make Google a unique place to work.

What cool projects have you worked on at Google?

The coolest project I was involved in, was helping to set up a team in Wroclaw that supports customers in getting the most of their AdWords account by highlighting opportunities and areas of improvement. Training the team, seeing the team and services grow and make an impact in the business is really cool.

What is unique about your role?

After a couple of years, Google gave me the opportunity to step into a managerial role. Currently I am managing three team members, in the team that I helped set up in Wroclaw. It’s great to have the opportunity within Google to take on more responsibilities as you progress within the company.

What is your favorite perk/benefit about working at Google?

Being a Dutch soccer fan, I love the foosball tables that you can find all around the company.

What has been the most amazing experience or day you've had at Google thus far?

The opportunity that Google gave me to participate in a Google ambassador programme and work one quarter from another Google office in the world was unique. Attending a Google sales conference in California with Al Gore and MC Hammer was pretty cool as well.

Process optimization

• Name: Maciej
• Title: Process Excellence Specialist
• Office: Wroclaw, Poland
• Hometown: Wroclaw, Poland
• Education: Master's in Economics, University of Economics, Wroclaw, Poland

Why did you decide to come to Google?

Having spent couple of years working abroad, I felt both like moving back to Wroclaw but still being able to travel and explore different cultures. Google, with its office in Wroclaw, dozens of offices around the globe, and multinational working environment seemed to be a perfect fit for me.

Why do you like working at Google?

Google is a very unique organization with exceptional people who make this place the best place to work. I've been learning something new every single day since I joined, but the best part is to be able to use what I have learned to affect millions of users. I don't mind free food, either...

What cool projects have you worked on at Google?

Just recently, I successfully closed a project which aimed at improving and then streamlining globally one of the very important processes at Google that in fact impacts hundreds of thousands of users. Even though the pressure was high, it was an amazing feeling being aware that what I do can help so many AdWords customers. The other project, I am particularity proud to have been a part of aimed at raising money for one of the local schools. To do that, we set up a Mexican restaurant in the office with proper menu, music, decorations, and of course waiters (I was one of them). Googlers paid for a meal in a lovely restaurant and we were happy to pass it on to the school.

What is unique about your role?

As a Process Excellence Team member, I have a chance to cooperate with various departments within the organization, meet new Googlers, and challenge interesting issues we are facing and help to make Google to be better tomorrow than today.

What has been the most amazing experience or day you've had at Google thus far?

There have been many remarkable moments, but being able to briefly dance with MC Hammer during one of the conferences that Google took me to is one of my favorites.

What are your goals at Google – what are you working to achieve?

I would like to further develop my expertise in the area of operations excellence, which is huge in scope and it looks like I am going to have goals to work on for awhile. The key milestones would be to become a 6 sigma certified black belt.