Morgan Depenbusch

Tell me about yourself and your journey into big tech.

I ended up in big tech because I was really tired of being cold. 

After college I pursued a PhD in I/O psychology - partly because I loved psychology, partly because I loved learning and didn’t want to enter the real world yet.

During grad school, I realized that I loved research and analytics, but didn’t want to pursue the academic route. I was also in Pennsylvania, and very cold, so I decided that after grad school I would move to California.

As I looked for internships during the last year of my program, I couldn’t find any in California that matched my skillset. I started reaching out to connections of connections (via LinkedIn!) seeing if their companies had any opportunities. It just so happened that my resume ended up in front of the Director of Qualcomm’s People Analytics team, who wasn’t planning to have an intern that summer, but decided “why not?” once the opportunity presented itself.

I packed up and moved to San Diego a few months later to start at Qualcomm.

As my internship was coming to an end, a friend at Google reached out about a role on his team. I applied, got an offer, and have now been at Google for nine years.

In your current role, what does a typical day look like and what are your main job responsibilities?

My job is to design and advise on research initiatives conducted within Google’s HR organization - what we call “People Operations.” I help ensure that our people-related research is thoughtfully designed, relevant to company priorities, and shared with the right leaders at the right time.

For example, Google has a “People Strategy” that outlines People Operations’ top priorities for the upcoming years. Once we design the strategy, we need to figure out: how do we determine whether we’re successful? What metrics should be in place? How will we measure them? I help advise on this measurement strategy and coordinate the analysts responsible for the data.

Another key part of my job is sharing the insights from our People Analytics research with the rest of the company. I really enjoy translating data into compelling stories and visuals to help people understand the findings. (In fact, I post about this often on my LinkedIn if you'd like to follow along.)

It can be ambiguous at times - and requires partnering with many different teams - but it’s a lot of fun to work with smart and creative colleagues all across People Operations.

What advice do you have for others who want to break into big tech or do what you do?

Ooo interesting question.

In my opinion, the most important skill is being able to translate research into clear language and practical next steps.

Here’s an example: a few years ago, I was leading intern hiring for People Analytics (an analyst team within People Operations). Our application process required candidates to submit 1-2 presentation slides summarizing their research. I remember two applications vividly:

1. One discussed research directly relevant to our team’s work, but they didn’t make an effort to demonstrate how their findings could be practically applied at a company like Google.

2. Another discussed research seemingly unrelated to our team’s work - I think it was about mother-daughter relationships in developing countries or something of that sort - but they had the most interesting ideas on how themes from that research might apply to employees in the tech industry.

Guess who we put through to the next round?

There are many, many analysts who can crunch numbers with the best of them. But it is much harder to find analysts who can translate that research into something tangible and useful.

If you can master that - in your applications and interviews - you’ll stand out. (And then excel on the job as well.)

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“How should we align our conversation with recruiters?” - AK

First things first, I think it’s important to understand the purpose of a recruiter screen and what recruiters are looking for when speaking to candidates.

A recruiter screen is an initial interview or assessment conducted by a recruiter to evaluate a candidate’s qualifications, experience, and fit for a job position. The primary purpose of the recruiter screen is to determine if a candidate meets the basic criteria of the role and to assess their overall suitability before proceeding to more in-depth interviews with hiring managers or other team members. Recruiters typically look for:

1. Relevant experience and skills: Ensuring the candidate’s background aligns with the job requirements.

2. Motivation and interest: Understanding why the candidate is interested in the position and the company.

3. Clarification of details: Verifying resume information and discussing salary expectations, availability, etc.

4. Screening out unqualified candidates: Narrowing down the pool of applicants to those who are most likely to succeed in the next stages of the hiring process.

The recruiter screen serves as an efficient way to manage and filter candidates before a deeper, more technical or team-oriented interview process.

Based off of this information, for an initial recruiter screen, I’d always be prepared to answer:

• Tell me about yourself

• Why are you interested in this position/company

• Why are you looking for a new role

• What are your salary expectations

In addition, you’re going to want to frame your experience in a way that aligns with the role you’re going for. It’s important to connect the dots on why you’re a good fit for the role at hand and how your past experience is related to what you would be doing in this new position. Here are some strategies you can use:

1. Understand the job description

• Before the recruiter screen, thoroughly read the job description and identify the main skills, responsibilities, and qualifications.

• Focus on the skills and experiences you have that directly match those listed in the job description. Even if the terminology differs slightly, aim to use your own words to relate your past experiences.

2. Tailor your responses

• Choose examples from your past work that closely reflect what the role demands. For instance, if the job requires project management skills, share specific examples where you managed projects.

• Describe how your actions led to successful outcomes. Use numbers or results if possible (For example: "Increased sales by 20%" or "Reduced turnaround time by 15%").

3. Focus on the job’s core competencies

• If the recruiter mentions that the position requires problem-solving skills, provide an example where you encountered a challenge at work and describe how you tackled it.

• If the role requires someone who can handle change, share an example of how you adapted to a shift in priorities or workflow in your previous positions.

4. Frame past roles in terms of future contribution

• Explain how your previous roles have prepared you to excel in this new role. For instance, if you’ve developed leadership skills in a prior job, discuss how that prepares you for a team-leading role you're applying for.

5. Be concise and focused

• The recruiter screen is often brief, so prioritize the most relevant parts of your experience. Don't dive too deeply into less relevant aspects of your background.

• Even if you lack some direct experience, focus on transferable skills or your willingness and ability to learn quickly.

6. Show enthusiasm for the role

• Express genuine interest in the company and role. Recruiters want to know that you're motivated and excited about the opportunity, not just looking for any job.

By effectively matching your experience to the needs of the role, you'll help the recruiter see you as a strong fit and make it easier for them to move you forward in the hiring process.

For more strategies, check out these insights from one of our former Coffee Chats Newsletter guests, Lauryn Kardatzke - Senior Business Sourcer at Pinterest, Ex-Salesforce and Meta Recruiting.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read today’s newsletter! If you have any feedback, please let me know down below. Have a great rest of the week and see you in the next one! Cheers, Brenna

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