ABP interview

How would you block out moving plan for 200-300 people? (You are facilitating an office move and 2 of 3 teams you support need to move to a new building. What factors to you consider to determine what teams move.)

1) Ask questions. When do we need to be moved out? Can I see the space plans of new building? Is someone else helping me with this or just myself? 2) Talk with my ABP network. Have you done a similar move like this? What did you see as a success? What would you recommend? 3) Understand each team's needs and preferences. Map out what each team needs, talk to their execs and members of the team and map out their needs, preferences, working styles. Ask what important projects are going on, if there are any days they're offsite or really busy. Notate needs vs. preferences, ex. A preference is sitting by windows, a need is a team sitting by a large monitor with sales goals. 4) Then match up the space you have with the working styles of the teams.. For example, if for example if one team often talks to each other and converses throughout the day- match them up with a communal desk situation or shared space. This frees up the more standard, blocked off, cubicle space for a team that doesn't have as much dialogue and thinking out loud throughout the day. 5) Create a schedule for moving that works with each team's availability and moving preferences. 6) Send out clear communications outlining who will go where, emphasize that feedback and questions are welcome. If its a very large move with lots of teams, maybe even create a day of office hours with appointment slots in case a few people from different teams have concerns they'd like to address. 7) Look at plans one more time if there was lots of feedback and concern from team members. Make adjustments if needed, if not execute the move. Acess how well it went by sending out a survey. Recap plan and results in doc so you can use for next move.

"What strengths will you bring to this team?

1) Experience working with different communication styles. Give examples. 2) Proactiveness. When I see a problem, I like to solve it. I don't just bring the problem to my manager. Ex. Rubric and welcome calls. 3) Resourcesful: Not afraid to ask for help and learn about best practices. I think this is the most effective and productive way to work, never recreate the weel.

You are planning an environmental awareness summit for 400 people across many tech companies and platforms. You have a budget of $2000 for post-summit gift bags/party favors. How do you go about choosing your swag?

1) Talk to other ABPS and see if they've planned a similar event with a similar swag budget. What did they use for swag? Did ask people if they liked it through a part of a post event survey?If they did where can I order more of the same if there's no leftovers? 2) If they give me some suggestions use those. Otherwise, if I need to do more research, I'd look use an inventory dashboard if the team has one to look at products and price them out. If there isn't one, I'd ask another team if I could use their's. This would be the easiest way. Last resort would be to check a vendor list and see what work they've done for teams in the past. Pick something that's easy to transport, and fits into the budget (stickers, pens) 3) since this is environmental awareness, in an effort to crate less waste, we could give discount coupons or codes for Google products or a giftcard for the google play store.

Describe your communication style

1) very adaptive. I have the ability to adapt to communication styles since I've worked with such a different range: I can communicate through email, chat, phone calls, face to face webinars, in person presentations. I have lots of experience with each medium- and I'm comfortable and effective matching others' communication styles. 2) clear and concise. I think its important to always keep things simple and not to ramble- whether you're discussing a problem/solution with someone, or you're presenting. 3) I love it! I love communicating throughout the day. Talking with others gives me energy- I have not only partner calls and meetings throughout the day- but also meet with internal members as well. It really does keep me going and is an energy source for me.

Example of problem solving:

As our program has grown, we have received more and more requests to sponsor and participate in small, local conferences. I realized it was taking up lots of time and discussion to decide which ones we were going to participate in, and the decision process wasn't clear so it was hard to communicate this to partners. I asked around other teams who sponsor conferences, and someone mentioned that they use a rubric, which designates a score based off of conference characteristics, and then based off that score, they decide if they want to sponsor it or not and at what price. I customized our own rubric, using the same method the other team's rubric used. But I had to customize it to match our program goals and the type of conferences we're presented with. This rubric has allowed us to decide quickly and easily which conferences we sponsor and participate at. It also allowed us to discern which conferences will help us most meet our program goals- our small local conferences that we participated at resulted in 5% of our total partner recruitment, using only about .1 percent of our partner recruitment budget.

Theoretically: how would you plan an event for a large amount of people?

Ask questions: Is this an event similar to something a team has done before? Am I doing it all myself or do I have someone helping me plan? What's the budget? Can I use outside vendors? Create an event planning trix: Have a budget tab, action item tab with an area to assign if anyone is helping me, tab with vendors and contact information, tab with timeline of when action items should be done, and agenda tab of actual event. Set reminders on my gcal for when certain things should be done. Follow up with the action plan and make sure all goes according to schedule leading up to the event When it gets close to the event, double check everything has been done and follow up with all vendors During the event itself, make sure you're taking a temperature check and asking everyone how the event is going, if they're enjoying themselves Send out a post event survey after the event to gage how well it went. Create an event recap doc and make sure you include what went well and what you would do different next time.

Example of a project that I've done that has helped streamlined a process

Early on in this role, I wanted to think of a way we could activate partners more, meaning creating partners that not just join our program but train using our resources. I analyzed reports and realized that the most successful partners were ones that had had some sort of conversation or human contact with a Google rep. Either at an event, conference, or over the phone. I implemented welcome calls at the end of last year, this allowed us give partners the chance to sign up for a call with a member from our team and have a real conversation about the program, best practices, google products, and any questions they may have. I executed from start to finish, from writing the script, working with our Salesforce team to implement call status and notes, to working with an outside eng. Team that helped us to create a custom Google welcome call scheduler. The result was great, we found that 8 months into the welcome calls, 9% of individual contacts who joined the program completed a welcome call. Out of these 9%, 51% went on to host a workshop. This is compared to the 80% of individual partners who joined the program and did not schedule a call and did not host a workshop. I've recently began to think of a way to make the welcome calls more efficient, we are implementing a welcome onboarding webinar that will kick off at the end of the month. This will allow us to have high touch with partners, but will also freed up more space on our calendar and allow partners who join at the same time to get to know each other.

Tell me about your event coordinating and budget management experience

Event coordinating- national and local conferences Budget management- sponsorship budgets, rubric

Tell me about a time you had to explain a complex idea to a group of people

Everytime I have to explain the Partner Community or a Google product like Applied Digital Skills to attendees (especially if they're not tech savvy) 1) I never re use content. Ask if someone else has explained on the topic using simple content for a similar audience. 3) Make sure there's AMPLE time for Q&A. 2) Anticipate questions. Ask what common questions were, or present to a colleague and ask them to ask you questions you didn't cover. 4) Is there a chance for people to come up to you 1:1? Either in an office hours type deal or at a conference I always mention free time we'll have at the booth to explain specific things about the concept 1:1. 5) Don't get frustrated! If people seem to not understand and are asking a lot of questions about one specific slide or idea, try explaining it in a different way or using more examples that they can understand.

Tell me about a time you've worked with a difficult person.

I have a partner who I work with on a regular basis who gets frustrated with our program because they are used to immediate results and planning way far out in ahead. The nature of our program doesn't allow us to plan 1-2 years out in advance, so we can't provide things like livestream dates or times when he needs them. When dealing with this person, I first put myself in their shoes and understand that it's frustrating to not be able to plan as far in ahead as he would like. I always schedule a call with them, a conversation, rather than emailing back and forth. Then its important to focus on a solution in the phone call, even if I can't give him the livestream descriptions a year in advance, I can set a reminder to personally send it to him the moment its available. If you focus on a solution throughout the conversation, I've found that the person will start to calm down and will start to focus on a solution with you as well. Not only does a real conversation relax the tension, it's also much more time efficient because you're figuring it out on the phone rather than going back and forth through email, where words and messages can become misconstrued.

Your exec is traveling is traveling somewhere both of you have never been, how would you plan for this?

First ask other ABPs if their exec has been there before. If so, ask them to weigh in and use hotel and restaurant recommendations, if not: Research the area! Find out things like: Are there ubers? Is there public transpo? Where are the best places to stay? To eat? Talk with your exec! Ask them if they want it all to be work or if they want time for fun too. Ask them questions like would they prefer a rental car or using public transpo? If they're not sure offer reccoos based off of research you do on area. Book travel and stay first according to resources at your disposal. See if there's a best practices for travel resource. Think about your exec's time and make sure they have cushion time to arrive and depart since they're traveling to a new place. Block off your exec's time on your calendar so that no one can schedule time when they're traveling Create an organized doc for them with their travel and stay info, itinerary, recommendations of where to eat if they prefer no reservation. Make sure you include any important information in this doc like places to avoid or time zone changes. Make sure you're on call to assist if anything goes wrong. After the trip, ask how it went and see if anything could've gone better for next time.

Recall a time during your work experience where you were asked to do something that was not part of your job description.

I don't really believe in the phrase not in your job description if your manager needs you to do it. My role especially touches our overall goal, so basically everything falls underneath my job description. If I genuinely don't have the time to do it, or I believe there's someone with better knowledge who I can make suggest or work on it together, of course I would suggest that. But I'd never straight out decline anything its just not in my nature. If someone other than my manager asks me to do something that's definitely not in my role, its something someone else does, I kindly just introduce them of that person so that they can work with the best person for that job.

How would you get people to attend a training session and ensure they don't cancel? // How would you convince an instructor to host a training session?

I have lots of experience with offering partners RSVP follow through tips for their audience groups and also getting partners to show up for my own webinars! 1) Offer some sort of incentive. If the meetings in person, offer a treat. Or maybe they have to attend to offer their t shirt size to get the trainer t shirt. 2) Some people just forget to attend sessions or they have a busy schedule- so make sure you're giving plenty of notice and you're sending out a day of reminder. 3) Make your training sessions fun, quick and easy, and intractive. If you have a history of successful trainings, more people will actually show up at the trainings you hold in the future. For instructor- offer an incentive for them, allow them an opportunity to ask for feedback to the attendees that they can use for their own goals/projects, make it easy for them to host- take care of all logistics for them and pick a time that works for them

Why do you want this role? Why do you think you're a good fit?

I heard about this role through Mara, a google ABP who is on a bungee currently on Grow with Google. I started working with her on a project end of last year and she pointed out I have some qualities and characteristics that would be great for an ABP. She then intro'd me to the other ABPs and I researched more about the role. From what I've learned, this position always keeps you on your toes and allows you to problem solve on a daily basis. It also allows you to fit a lot of moving parts together, like a schedule or travel itinerary, which I love doing. I love the event planning aspect of my job, and I wish I could do it even more. Its great to see an event evolve from nothing to something. I think this role will give me the opportunity to take ownership of events and see them through, and will let me pursue something that's very exciting to me. I like the mix of administrative work and project/event management work and I don't see myself ever getting bored with this position.

Tell me about a time when you were faced with a difficult decision. What were the steps taken and what was the outcome

I recently had to decide whether or not we would sponsor a conference we sponsored last year. The contact was a joy to work with, and we got on great at the actual event, but it didn't yield the best results for our program goals. This year we were asked to sponsor again, and my boss told me I had to decide what would be best. I went through the recap, and compared it to other recaps and numbers from similar conference we went to, and it just didn't measure up so I had to decline. I decided to give her a call instead of email, because she always answers her phone and is easy to talk to and I thought it would be more professional to deliver the news that way. I did some practice with a colleague and my boss about how I would phrase it over the phone since I've never declined a sponsorship via a phone call before, and I want to make sure we gave a clear answer without providing any private program info. She ended up being very nice and understanding, and actually asked me to write up some feedback about why I think the conference wasn't so successful so that they could focus on that for 2021.

How have you worked with difficult personalities.

I work with difficult personalities on a regular basis since I work with partners with all different backgrounds and communication styles. It's important to keep in mind that no matter what happens, it's your job to keep a level head and focus on a solution to the problem, rather than get wrapped up with what the person is saying. If I get a sense that a situation is escalating over email, I will always give the partner a call so that we can have a conversation and work things out. If you focus on a solution throughout the conversation, I've found that the person will start to calm down and will start to focus on a solution with you as well. Not only does a real conversation relax the tension, it's also much more time efficient because you're figuring it out on the phone rather than going back and forth through email, where words and messages can become misconstrued.

What are the first 3 things you would do if you got this position? 3 clear, simple things

I'd first speak with my execs and get to know their communication, organization, and meeting style. This would give me an opportunity to immediately look at their calendar and workload and see where I could offer more efficiency. For example: If an exec's calendar looks like its jam backed, see if you can block off time with DNS which would allow them to debrief and take notes after each meeting instead of going back to back to back. I'd immediately connect with my ABP network and learn about current tactics, trends, resources that ABPs are using to make their team run more efficiently. Find out this year's OKRs. I'd look at the previous years' past events and projects, see if there's a recap doc or overview, and look at them with fresh eyes to see if there's something we could do different to make events more impactful and meet OKRs more efficiently in the new year or in the future.

Dealing with different communication styles:

I'm very used to dealing with different communication styles because I work with hundreds of partners from all different backgrounds. I also work internally with not only members of the Grow with Google team, but other team members as well like from the GMB product team, apski team, IT Cert team. I don't have a one communciation style fits all mentality. I'm used to discerning that people have all different types of communication styles, some prefer meeting face to face and hashing things out, some prefer email, some prefer large creative conceptual project docs, some prefer very short project docs with bullet points. Its important to acknowledge this and not get frustrated, and I've learned I have to adapt to communication styles because it makes working relationships easier, and it is far more productive.

Why do you want to leave your current role?

I've definitely learned a lot through my current role when it comes to communication styles and project management, and I'm looking to try these skills out in a different capacity. I'm also looking to find something that allows me to do more event planning. I think this role will allow me to do that.

Imagine a time when you had to plan an event for 300 people for 30 days- set it up and outline steps

In my current role, I'm responsible for managing Google's event presence at large national conferences with (1,000-20,000) attendees. While planning event presence, its important to first ask another team if they've participated in that conference and ask what their presence looked like. If their presence works for what your conference goals are, I just follow that process. If not, I create an event trix which has a budget tab, action item tab with dates, and who to assign them to. I check back in the trix leading up to the conference and make sure the action items are being completed and I'm passing on any necessary information to exhibit vendors or conference contacts. During the conference, I take photos and ask conference attendees what they think of our presence. Then I provide a full recap doc for upper management of how the event was executed, but more importantly what the results were, and also include what I'd do different next time so that I can use this as a resource when I plan a similar presence. Our conference presence last year successfully recruited over 300 new partners, just from conference efforts (10% of our overall partners recruited from last year)

What's a mistake you made and how did you handle it?

Just recently I provided my boss with 2018 EOM numbers instead of 2019. After I realized my mistake, I dropped everything I was doing and quickly told her the situation with the correct numbers already pulled so that I could easily provide them. I think that everyone makes mistakes, but it's important to immediately own up to them with a solution already at the ready. Then definitely learn form your mistakes as well.

What's my favorite google tool- how would I improve it? What I like what I don't like? What work arounds you've created?

My favorite Google tool in general is GMB. I started off in Google My Business troubleshooting business profiles for large chained agencies, and I love how easy and intuitive it is to use. I think it's such an important product for small business owners because it allows them to get in front of such a large audience and free of cost as well. I've showed my uncle who does my braces how to crate and maintain his listing and he's seen direct results without any spend.I do wish that business owners could more easily remove their reviews- especially medical professions- because I see their points about private info- its hard for them to get reviews taken down. I also wish that they could choose their own profile photo, right now they can influence it but can't exactly cohose it. My favorite organizational product is definitely gcal. I've always loved it even when I was in college- I have one both personally in addition to my work calendar. I love that you can so quickly and easily see other's calendars, and you can customize your own which keeps your schedule efficient and working for you. I also love how quick and easy it is to set up webinars through your calendar and hangouts especially for partners. I love the appointment slots- I think they're great for office hours and internal open meetings like that. My one complaint is- when we tried to use the appointment slots for partners to sign up for- our internal schedule changes at such a high pace- meetings are always going on. If you keep the slots open most days, all day long, to optimize the availability for partners, if someone internally were to schedule a meeting with me, it wouldn't automatically take away that option as an appointment slot for partners. This is why we had to work with an eng that someone from our team found who made us a customized calendar.

Have a good example that describes my organization strategy

My organization strategy is simple: plan in advance, utilize planning docs and trixes to their fullest potential and organize them in drive folders, and use Google cal or schedule reminders using Gmail. I use trix's since it allows me to categorize with tabs and keep track of each detail. Often the trix's link out to docs if it starts to get too cluttered. The folders make everything easy to find not only for myself, but for my team and exec as well. I use Gcal to set reminders for large things like (last day to submit PO) and scheduling emails for small one off things like "remember to email this vendor by end of day." I use and love Google keep as well. I create to do lists based off of projects (for ex. Right now its partner onboarding, national conferences, local conferences, and livestreams) and I have small tasks underneath that I click on as they get done. I always have my google keep up on a monitor so I can look at it throughout the day.

Tell me about a time when a project didn't go your way

One time at a conference we had a change of content very last minute. About an hour before a trainer was about to present a piece of content, a product team let us know they preferred for us not to use a new product demo because it wasn't quite ready (small business pros). I had to decide if we would cut the slides and be short on time, ask the product team if we could use a different version of the slides, or replace the slides with other slides. I looked at the pressos the trainer had done recently at other events, and realized we could replace it with a new GMB engagement feature for vet. Owned small business, so I knew that they already had those slides rehearsed and it fit with the main content of the presso. I quickly let the trainer know and we switched the slides right on time so that the trainer could still present the promised 60 minute session and the product team didn't feel uncomfortable with their product being unveiled too early.

Examples of driving multiple projects forward at the same time

Right now currently, I'm working on converting our individual welcome call scheduler to a welcome webinar for partners, a library webinar in a few weeks where I'll facilitate a webinar for over 200 libraries, and attending a conference and managing conference followup at WACE later this week. I'm very much used to working on multiple projects at any given time, and I enjoy it because it keeps me on my toes and allows me to use different parts of my brain daily. When you manage multiple projects, its important to check in on each project each day, access what's most urgent, complete those tasks, and understand exactly where you're at with each project. If you forget to check in with all your projects daily, you'll loose a sense of timing and you may drop the ball on a detail or task.

Why do you want to work for Google?

Through my past couple years as a TVC, I've had the opportunity to truly see the economic impact Google creates, not only through our Grow with Google program, but through all of our other programs and products as well. I've read so many incredible stories about how our partners taught a GMB class, and their attendees put into practice what they learned and were able to generate more economic impact in their local communities. I've also seen at a small level how Google products can benefit a small business- since I've helped my uncle set up and maintain his GMB page. Every time I go to an expo or conference people come up and have SUCH positive things to say about Google "We love Google!" or "Google is our favorite, I'm a Google nut!" This program has allowed me to travel to states around the country and even counsel businesses 1:1 on Google products. So I've not just read or learned about the widespread impact google has had, I've seen it and heard it individually with my own eyes and I know it something I want to be a part of long term. I've also seen how employees and teams treat each other, always with a level of respect, and everyone is always happy to work with you and help out. Its a culture I definitely want to be a part of and hopefully add to in the long run.