1. Be familiar with the company. (3 days before the call) Knowing something about the company can help boost your confidence because it takes away some of the uncertainty regarding the situation.  If you know the company’s culture, their mission, and how they’ve made news, you can get an idea of what a company or startup values and how you can help.
2. Figure out how you can make a difference. (2 days before) Good companies hire people to come make a difference and introduce new ideas.  If you’re interviewing for a user interface/experience position, find something the company’s made and figure out what you would change in the interface to make it better or a feature you would add/take away to make the product better.  It’s important to have a few solid examples thought out ahead of time so that you can relay your ideas clearly and effectively over the phone.  I always list out my ideas on paper that I have handy during the interview which I can refer to in case I forget for whatever reason.
3. Get to know your interviewer. (1 day before) Companies often let you know who will be conducting the interview ahead of time.  Take advantage of this information and do a little research on the person who’s going to be calling you.  It can help ease your nerves if you know a little bit about the person calling you.  It takes away another element of uncertainty and gives you an idea of what to expect of the person.  Interviewers often take a few minutes at the beginning of the call to introduce themselves and familiarize you with the type of work they do at the company.
4. Do push-ups (or anything active). (20 minutes before) It’s important to keep blood flowing and have a little adrenaline  flowing to keep you alert.  You’re going to need to think quickly during the interview, and before you can do that, you need to warm-up and get the juices flowing.  I typically do 35 push-ups about 15 minutes before the interview and 10 more 15 minutes before the interview.  Remember, don’t exhaust yourself, you just need to kick your body (and brain) into full gear.
5. Listen to whatever music pumps you up. (15 minutes before) After your exercise, you want to keep your active so that you don’t lose energy you gained by doing push-ups.  It really helps if you can sing along (however terribly) to your pump up music (I like Girl Talk).  Singing works your speech center, warms up your vocal chords and mouth, and helps alleviate whatever anxiety you’re having.
6. Don’t wait for the call. (5 minutes before) While still listening to music do something else.  Sitting there waiting for the call can get extremely nerve-racking and might throw you off balance.  Just do something else and let the call interrupt you.  It doesn’t matter what you’re doing, checking Facebook, reading something, or working on a problem, they’re all good; you just need something to distract you.  As long as you’re not too distracted that you miss the call, you should be good.

I also like to have a few things easily available for me during the call:

• A glass of lukewarm water (so my mouth doesn’t get dry doing all that talking)
• A copy of the resume I sent in (as reference in case they ask)
• My pre-interview notes with my list of things I would change
• A notebook or something else to take notes with during the interview

Keep in mind, what’s worked for me might not necessarily work for you, too.  If something above doesn’t work for you, find out what does.  It’s important that you be at your best during these calls so you can get the job or internship you really want.  If you have any questions or want some help preparing for your interview, feel free to talk to me about it.

Vince, my roommmate, at night.

Since my grandma bought me my first point shoot camera upon my graduation from 8th grade in 2003, I’ve had an interested in photography.  Even though I was only 14, the notion of being able to capture a moment with the click of button struck me as special.

I took a bunch of photos (most of which I can’t find), but my family vacation to Hawaii in 2006 was when I started approaching photography with a new approach.  Being able to capture a moment was still special, but my new approach caused me to start capturing an interesting perspective on a moment.

Flower in Waipi'o Valley

This past summer in California, my roommate Calvin, a seasoned photographer, pushed me to the next level.  He introduced me to the world of DSLRs.  Seeing what he could do with his 40D, and eventually 5D, made me want to do the same.  By summer’s end, he had sold me his old 40D and I bought myself a nice 17-55mm f/2.8 lens from Amazon.

During the past few weeks that I’ve had the 40D, I’ve been out taking photos nearly every day and night.  The flexibility and control that my camera and lens give me is incredible, and the pictures I take look very sharp (for the most part).  It’s exciting, and I still have a lot to learn, especially in the post-processing area to give my pictures a polished look.

Control Panel, House Lights Off

Anyway, check out my Picasa Web Gallery to see some of my most recent shots.  Most of the photos I take don’t make it online, but those that do are pretty good, or interesting at least.

The Googleplex

When I first arrived in California, I was greeted by nicer weather and friendlier strangers than I was accustomed to, coming from New York.  It felt like I was on vacation.  Moving into my Mountain View apartment and meeting up with Calvin Young, my roommate, was simple enough, and by Sunday evening, I was all ready to get started at Google.

My first day was filled with orientation, exploring Google, and meeting other interns and my host, Stefan Kuhne.  It was a fun day, and by the end of it, I was absolutely psyched that I was actually at Google.

1950 Charleston Road, My Office

The rest of my first week was filled with learning the ropes and getting started on my project.  It was kind of like the first week of classes during freshman year at RPI.  You get a good amount of work done, but you end up spending a lot of time acquainting yourself with the campus, Google culture, and your fellow Googlers.  It’s a great way to be introduced to a company as phenomenal as Google, and the Intern Team did a great job of making it happen.

My project, which helps broadcasters (CNN, NBC, ESPN) use Google Earth on their TV programs, was really cool and interesting.  I learned a lot and got to work with Google Web Toolkit (GWT), AppEngine, and the Google Earth Plugin for the the fist time.  However, I learned more than just how to work with new tools and models.  I gained a lot of valuable experience in working with a team at a company like Google, where there are many different projects going on at the same time.

One of my favorite things at Google are the Tech Talks, where someone knowledgeable in a certain topic gives a presentation on the subject.  The talks are a great way to learn more and meet people with similar interests.  With so many Googlers, it was hard not to find a Tech Talk that piqued my interest, and it seemed like that at any given time, someone was giving a Tech Talk somewhere.

A stuffed pepper, veal, sausage-stuffed quail, and seared ahi tuna with a side of salad.

The food was true to its reputation of being amazing.  With so many different meals being offered at the different cafes around campus, it was difficult to find something you didn’t like.  I was lucky enough to get to try all the cafes on the Mountain View campus (it’s tougher than it sounds), and only a few were less than stellar (but still really good).  If you’re ever invited to grab a meal at Google, I say accept and enjoy it.

On the weekends, when I wasn’t working for GoSportn, I got to travel around and see a bunch of California.  I went into San Francisco plenty of times, saw the Warped Tour, went down to Monterrey, went up to Point Reyes, biked and hiked in the Santa Cruz mountains, and a had a great time.  There are a few things I didn’t get around to doing, like Yosemite and paintball with the interns, but will definitely be on my list for next summer.

Near Pebble Beach on the 17 Mile Drive

Possibly the best part of the summer was when Larry Page signed my shirt on my last day, which was really cool of him.  It was awesome things like that which made Google a great place to work at.  Google is a very open company internally, something which is ingrained in the culture at Google.  It is this openness which keeps the company innovative, and it is the reason why Google is as renowned as it is.

The people I met out there were great.  I got to know a lot of cool people at Google, and got to hang out with interns from Facebook, Twitter, and TechCrunch.  I even got around to meeting a few Y Combinator startups (go check out Graffiti Geo).  It was a lot of fun, and another thing that was great about California and the Bay Area.

I miss Google.  I miss California.  Hopefully, I’ll be back next summer, but for now I have other things to focus on.  Classes start in less than 3 weeks, and in that time, I have a ton of work to do for GoSportn.  I’m looking forward to a great school year and another successful season with the RPI Ski & Snowboard Club.

I'm on a Boat!

PS- The complete set of my picture-a-day from California album is now available.  Go check it out.