Vice President of People Operations at Google, Laszlo Bock PO ‘94, talked to students at Pomona about life, careers, and how to differentiate themselves in the job market on Feb. 17. The event was part of the month-long Sagehens Beyond the Gates initiative, organized by Pomona’s Career Development Office (CDO).

Bock shared with students what he’s learned about career success, both from his own life and from managing human resources at Google.

Bock majored in International Relations at Pomona College, received his MBA from the Yale School of Management, and worked at Hewitt, McKinsey and Company and GE before ending up at Google. Under Bock’s leadership in human resources, Google, rated the best company to work for in America by Fortune Magazine, has grown from 3,000 to over 23,000 employees in the last five years.

Bock began the talk by dispelling the notion that he had a clear path from day one.

“I had no idea [what I wanted to do] when I was in your shoes,” Bock said. “I graduated, didn’t have a job, stumbled into acting, and ended up on Baywatch and Diagnosis Murder.”

He advised students to relax and try lots of different things.

“Don’t put so much pressure on yourself,” he said. “Jobs are a lot like enzymes.” Enzymes, Bock clarified, were originally thought to fit only onto one specific molecule until scientists discovered enzymes will actually interact with a large range of molecules.

“People often think, ‘I gotta find the perfect job,’” Bock said. “That’s not how the world works. It’s possible to find meaning and pleasure in just about anything you do. It’s induced-fit anyway.”

Bock then explained what he considers to be the three most important things when choosing a career: content, lifestyle, and money.

“You can get two of the three, but not all,” he said. “Know what’s important to you. Know the trade-offs. If you have a crappy job, hopefully it’s part of a plan and it’s getting you somewhere.”

For students looking to get their first job, Bock had one simple word of advice: practice.

“Practice like heck. Practice how you interview, practice how you put your résumé together, and practice how you interact with people in these kinds of settings, because that’s going to be all the difference. You can anticipate 95 percent of interview questions you’re going to get.”

Bock explained that when he was looking for a summer job, he wrote out the top thirty questions he could think of and then came up with three answers for each question. Afterwards, he practiced these answers until, when he interviewed, he had his answers ready.

“All my mental energy could concentrate on how they were reacting to my answer,” he said. “The only way to get good at it is practice, and most people don’t do that.”

Bock also advised students to create opportunities for their futures.

“Don’t just go to your classes,” he said. “Every activity is creating a possible path in your life. Try to find a project to get on, or go have lunch with people outside of what you do. They give you stories you can tell and connections you can rely on.”

Bock noted that his liberal arts education at Pomona gave him a strong foundation for his career.

“The interdisciplinary nature of the education is huge,” he said. “In mid- and later- career, that ability to think holistically and integrate disciplines is everything. It completely makes a difference between being a mid-level bureaucrat and being a leader.”

And the Pomona brand, according to Bock, “will open doors.”

“It’s also a great place to meet people for the rest of your life,” Bock added.

Students from all 5Cs attended the event, and seemed to respond well to Bock’s advice.

“There’s a lot of good information to be had,” Grant Stafford PO ’13 said. “It’s definitely useful stuff.”

CDO Director Carl Martellino said he enjoyed the talk. He added that he would like students to attend more of the presentations.

“One of the best ways for students to learn about other careers is to hear about it from people that are actually in those careers,” he said. “People who sat in the same seats, had some of the same faculty, lived in the same residence halls—they can share those opportunities. They have great stories to tell.”

Throughout the month of February, the CDO will host over 25 programs on life after college. Attending at least one of these presentations, or events like them across the 5Cs, is mandatory for students who want to participate in the Pomona College Internship Program (PCIP).

These presentations can focus on specific careers, like finance or consulting, or more general career advice.

“It’s a menu for students to sample different things,” Martellino said.