I interviewed Google applicants and ranked them on 'Googleyness.' Here I found the greatest interviewee I've ever had.

• Jerry Lee, a erstwhile Google manager, said nan institution graded candidates connected 4 attributes.
• He said Googleyness requires a group of soft skills that is objective.
• Lee said his champion interviewee ever proved his Googleyness done his personality.

This as-told-to effort is based connected a speech pinch Jerry Lee, 29, a erstwhile head astatine Google and cofounder of Wonsulting, a profession consulting company. The pursuing has been edited for magnitude and clarity. Business Insider has verified his acquisition and employment history.

I worked astatine Google from 2017 to precocious 2020. I was hired arsenic an expert and gradually worked my measurement up to elder strategy and operations head earlier quitting successful precocious 2020.

While astatine Google, I interviewed respective imaginable caller hires and classed them based connected "Googleyness." Here's what that intends to maine and really you tin bring it to your interview.

I was trained to people candidates connected 4 attributes

About 2 years into my clip astatine Google, I was promoted to strategy and operations head and underwent question and reply training to question and reply caller hires. I attended asynchronous and synchronous sessions pinch a personnel of nan recruiting squad to talk champion practices. Then, I completed an online training module that covered nan grading scale.

I retrieve Google having 4 attributes that candidates were graded on: wide cognitive ability, leadership, role-related knowledge, and Googleyness.

I classed candidates connected Googleyness

Googleyness is not an objective, quantifiable term, but here's what it intends to maine based connected what I gleaned from question and reply training. Googleyness captures nan wide scope of soft skills needed to align pinch your coworkers, specified arsenic dependability, helpfulness, and willingness to spell supra and beyond.

But if there's 1 peculiar value that separates Googleyness from simply having soft skills, it's one's expertise to beryllium resourceful and activity crossed nan company.

Because Google is specified a ample company, I consciousness for illustration you seldom request to look extracurricular it for an answer. if you request to entree investigation aliases information points, there's a precocious likelihood that personification astatine Google has done it aliases thought astir it. It's your occupation to scope retired to them, link pinch them, and talk to them. I don't cognize if this is still nan case, but labor had entree to an soul hunt motor that provides entree to everything different labor person worked on. It was very easy to find information aliases nan teams you request to talk to, moreover if you've ne'er worked pinch them.

I've heard anecdotally that knowledge astatine immoderate different ample companies comes mostly from soul squad collaboration. However, successful my experience, Google encourages a civilization of cross-company collaboration. Sharing anecdotes that beryllium your teamwork and resourcefulness is simply a awesome measurement to beryllium your Googleyness.

Here's what you tin study from nan Googliest personification I interviewed

A campaigner was interviewing for a domiciled connected my team erstwhile I asked them nan very normal mobility of why they wanted to activity astatine Google. Nearly each different clip I asked an interviewee that question, they mentioned nan impact, scale, aliases immoderate different corporate buzzword. This personification took a different approach.

They told maine they wanted to activity astatine Google because, without Google, they wouldn't beryllium present today. They explained they came from an area wherever astir students from their precocious schoolhouse didn't graduate, fto unsocial spell to college. But it was because of Google this personification figured retired really to use for, and later be college.

Their reply stuck retired to maine because it said straight to their resourcefulness. I figured if that personification could fig retired really to use to assemblage without immoderate guidance aliases exemplary for success, they'd beryllium highly resourceful and consenting to spell beyond nan position quo successful nan workplace. We gave them a job offer, and they are still nan top interviewee I've ever had.

Many candidates attraction excessively heavy connected proving technical, role-related skills but neglect mentation for personal questions. Remember, Googleyness is mostly proven done personality. When answering a mobility successful a Google interview, make judge your reply is honest, company-specific, and proves your soft skills.

If you've hired labor successful Big Tech and would for illustration to stock your experience, please email Tess Martinelli astatine tmartinelli@businessinsider.com.