Forty-five Albanians working at Google worldwide. That was the figure shared at Leading Albanians @ Google on 5 November 2026, offering a striking starting point for an evening about careers, artificial intelligence and what a connected community can achieve.
Held at Google’s offices in London, the event brought together Albanian professionals and aspiring talent for a discussion that moved beyond impressive job titles. The panel featured Fationa Bejko, Anica Xhafa and Enkeleda Mata, whose experiences opened a window onto life inside a global technology company and the persistence it can take to get there.
Their message was encouraging without making success sound easy: stay curious, take ownership of your work, and keep going when the answer is no.
A career does not have to follow a straight line
One of the evening’s most useful lessons concerned the shape of a career. The panellists described progression as a series of choices, experiments and occasional sideways moves, rather than a steady climb through increasingly senior titles.
A lateral move can build the experience needed for a later promotion. Joining Google may even mean accepting a lower level of seniority, with the wider opportunity and compensation forming part of that decision. The advice was to look carefully at what a role makes possible, alongside the title it carries.
Inside the company, the panel described a culture built around curiosity, experimentation and “10x thinking”: asking how an idea might deliver a much bigger improvement. Spotting an unmet need and making a convincing case to management can create opportunities to shape a role. Experiments that fail can still produce valuable learning.
The conversation also highlighted the importance of partnerships in Google Cloud’s business, including work with consultancies and software providers. For people considering a technology career, it was a reminder of the range of commercial, relationship and leadership skills involved.
What candidates need to show
For anyone hoping to apply, the panel offered an account of the interview process they knew: four core interviews covering role-related knowledge, leadership, “Googliness” and cognitive ability, with coding exercises for engineering roles.
They described a demanding process in which interviewers make independent assessments, including an interviewer from another part of the company. Candidates should treat this as insight into the panellists’ experiences, with the requirements for each vacancy providing the relevant guidance for an application.
A recurring point was that a prestigious university or impressive title cannot replace evidence of contribution. What did you take responsibility for? How did you work with others? What changed because of your decisions? Concrete examples of ownership and impact give an interviewer something meaningful to assess.
“Googliness”, as discussed on the evening, was a serious consideration when choosing between talented candidates. How someone approaches unfamiliar problems, collaborates and responds to uncertainty matters alongside their specialist knowledge.
AI skills matter. So does your own judgement.
The discussion of skills quickly turned to artificial intelligence. The panellists presented confidence with AI as increasingly important, encouraging attendees to experiment with prompting and tools that make it easier to turn an idea into a working prototype.
Leadership and influence remained central to their advice. These skills travel across industries: bringing people with you, explaining a decision clearly and helping a team move forward retain their value as technologies change.
Critical thinking was another strong theme. When AI can produce a polished presentation in minutes, polish alone tells us less about the quality of the thinking behind it. Checking assumptions, recognising missing context and explaining an idea with empathy become more valuable.
The panel encouraged people to adapt AI to their own communication style. A useful draft still needs a person who knows the audience, understands the purpose and can decide what deserves to stay.
Less administration, more room for meaningful work
The evening explored how AI assistants can help people find information, work across documents and reduce routine administration. NotebookLM was recommended during the discussion as a tool for exploring a collection of source materials.
The potential benefit was clear: less time spent assembling information and producing first drafts can leave more time for decisions, relationships and creative work. There was also concern about the effect of relying too heavily on generated answers.
The conversation acknowledged risks for roles built largely around repeatable tasks. The practical response was to keep learning while strengthening the judgement and communication skills that help people decide whether an AI output is useful, accurate and appropriate.
Persistence behind the professional success
Some of the most memorable insights were personal. The panellists spoke about resilience, discipline, ambition and humility, alongside the extra hurdles that can accompany an international career: visas, overseas examinations and adapting to a different culture.
Imposter syndrome was recognised as a shared experience. Their advice was to keep that feeling from setting the limits of an ambition. One panellist’s account of applying to Google around 15 times made the point especially clearly: rejection can be part of a longer journey.
For younger Albanians considering their next step, these experiences offered a useful form of encouragement. The people sharing advice had also faced uncertainty, setbacks and decisions without an obvious right answer.
Turning individual success into a stronger network
The call to action extended beyond getting a job. Attendees were encouraged to connect on LinkedIn, follow up after the event and be persistent when seeking advice or a referral, while respecting the demands on other people’s time.
The discussion pointed to an opportunity to build a clearer picture of Albanian talent across the technology sector. An internal Albanian group at Google was mentioned, along with the need for more active participation.
The figure of 45 Albanians at Google, as shared during the event, gave the room a tangible sense of that network. Its wider value depends on what people do with those connections: sharing experience, offering guidance and helping someone else see a possible route forward.
Leading Albanians @ Google left attendees with practical steps to take: develop a skill, make a connection, try an idea and send the next application. A professional community grows through those small acts of persistence and generosity.
Based on notes from Leading Albanians @ Google, London, 5 November 2026. The employee figure and accounts of working and recruitment practices are attributed to the event discussion.