A manager at Google breaks down what makes a great fit — and most of it is difficult to learn

Vimeo/Anderson Evenings

As managing director for Google’s global customer acquisitions group, Darren Pleasance has teams in 20 countries around the world.

So you could say he knows what to look for in a prospective hire.

On the Wall Street Oasis podcast,  Pleasance told Alex Grodnik that a few personality traits stand out.

"What does someone need to do to prepare themselves to get a job at Google?" Grodnik asked.

"If you work with people around Google, they're almost all fun, low-ego, super smart, thrive in ambiguity, love the fact that it's unclear exactly how the world's going to look even in six months here at Google," Pleasance said.

"You're likely to be a good fit for Google" if you possess those characteristics, he continued.

Other oft-mentioned qualities — like leadership and problem-solving skills — also attract the eyes of hiring managers. "What have you done in your past and also through the interview process that can demonstrate that you are someone who makes things happen?" he asked.

"We look for we call it GCA, general cognitive ability," Pleasance told Grodnik. "We want people who are good at taking ambiguous situations" and making complicated things simple, he continued.

Google wants "people that thrive in an ambiguous environment that enjoy that kind of uncertainty that goes with life here at Google, that do like working as members of the team, and don't feel the need to be the person on top or the person that shines," he said.

Listen to the full interview at Wall Street Oasis »

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