AUT graduate shining at Google NZ

When Amanda Jordan decided to apply for an accounts manager job with Google, it took three months of interviews before she landed the role. That was over seven years ago and over that time she has gone from strength to strength within one of the world’s most well known companies.

“If you get good at what you do, the opportunities will come,” says Amanda. “If you are following your heart, doing something you like, working hard and getting really solid experience in areas that people want, then you will make yourself highly experienced and desirable.”

Now strategic partnership development manager for Google NZ, Amanda worked up through six different jobs within Google to get to her current role.

“Strategic partnership development involves looking for new technology based businesses and trying to get them to integrate Google into their businesses.”

Amanda says you have to accept that you will fail sometimes but without failure, you’ll never be successful.
It is also important to remember, adds Amanda, that New Zealand is a small market so it doesn’t take long to build a reputation – good or bad!

“Be a good person and very good at what you do. Become known as someone who is honest, keen to have a crack at something and able to pick yourself up.”

From AUT to Google

After graduating from AUT in 2004 with a conjoint business and applied science degree, Amanda got a media assistant role with ad agency OMD NZ buying space for TV ads, movies, bill boards and magazines for clients. She moved up to media planner before taking a job at NZME in 2010 where she sold rather than bought advertising space. From there she focused her ambitions on Google.

Google is a great company to work for, says Amanda, with an interesting physical environment. In Sydney there are pods to disappear into for quiet time, there’s free food, free massages and more. The idea is that if you’re well fed and happy you’re freed up to be productive, she explains, adding that working for Google is an amazing experience but also an exhausting one.

“You have to be comfortable with change and ambiguity.”

Globally, Google employs over 80,000 ‘Googlers’ and receives approximately three million CVs each year.  In Australia and New Zealand Google focuses on Android, Maps, Chrome, Blogger, Photos, Adsense, Adwords, Analytics and Cloud, with Cloud one of the biggest areas of growth.

Amanda’s tips on career management in the workplace

• Go with the flow and work hard.
• Work out where you’d like to work next – look closely at the skills needed in that area and prepare by developing those skills.
• Concentrate on Plan A, but don’t be rigid about it. Prepare for Plan B and don’t be surprised when Plan C pops up.
• Know what you’re looking for. Don’t want to wear a suit? Do you want flexible hours? Do you want lots of change
• Figure out what companies will fit for you.