October 13, 2022

Columbus State University’s Center for Experiential Learning and Career Designhosted a Campus Outreach Program Manager from Googleearlier this week in the Synovus Center of Commerce and Technology on CSU’s Main Campus. Students and faculty from CSU’s TSYS School of Computer Science in the D. Abbott Turner College of Business were provided with many career development opportunities and hands-on learning experiences.

Mariko Izumi, executive director of the Center for Experiential Learning and Career Design, is grateful for the unique and rare opportunity.

“Not every university in Georgia or in the U.S. has the opportunity to be on the radar of Google to recruit the next generation of engineers,” Izumi explained. “We are grateful to have had the recruiter from Google on our campus for three days to provide hands-on learning experiences that prepare students in the TSYS School of Computer Science for internships and full-time jobs at Google.”

The Google recruiter led a series of resume workshops for undergraduate students, graduate students and faculty members. These workshops gave students detailed insight on how to build a resume, what it should look like and what key information should be included on it for those specific technical-related jobs. 

Roydon D’souza, a senior computer science major, believed that the resume workshop was very informative and gave students like him the information and tools they need to get a job or internship at Google—or with any company in the tech sector.

“She’s giving us the key to get into Google,” D’souza said. “She explained what the sections should be in your resume and that it should be one page. I already have mine at one page but the leadership and activities section she mentioned I don’t have, so I need to go over my resume again and figure out how I can fit that section into my one page and still have my resume be impactful.”

Outside of the actual resume writing part of the workshop, D’souza liked how the Google recruiter emphasized explaining the impact of the qualifications on a resume.

“For the technical side, I need to know coding,” D’souza said. “In order to be proficient in it, she mentioned two websites where students can learn more about it to be at that certain level that Google interviewers are looking for.”

The resume workshops were also beneficial to CSU’s faculty members in their efforts to advise students on creating resumes, assisting them with their job searches and helping them prepare for interviews. Armando Fernandez, a Cybersecurity nexus program lecturer, believed it was a great opportunity to learn what is expected from students when applying for positions with Google. 

“What I was able to learn I will take to my students in the classroom by helping them understand the expectations of a well-drafted Google resume, the impact statements, and most importantly that classroom experiences and special projects add great value to the application process for our students with limited work experience,” Fernandez stated. “The Google recruiter reinforced the importance of ‘sweat equity,’ which are those outside-the-classroom experiences such as extracurricular clubs. These depict the student's passion for learning and maximizing their skills.”

The three-day event concluded with students participating in a mock interview simulation via Google Meet with Google engineers, which provided insight into what a day in the life looks like working for the tech giant. The staff members from Google discussed the steps they took in pursuing jobs at Google and the hiring process.

Columbus State’s Center for Experiential Learning and Career Design assists students and alumni with devising career goals and job-search strategies both during their studies and in their post-graduate life. This includes partnering with local, regional and national employers to connect them with a wide range of experience-building opportunities like internships, co-ops and practicum placements as they ready for their professional job search.

Programs in Columbus State’s TSYS School of Computer Science range in disciplines including artificial intelligence and machine learning; specialized tracks in computer science, applied computer science and cybersecurity; and information technology. These lead to bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and include multiple certificate opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students alike.