I Asked an Executive Who Hires at One of the Largest Companies in the World — Who Gets the Job? Does an Ivy League Education Make a Difference?

Written by Nina, UCLA MA; Former Teaching Fellow, Harvard University; and author of 20 textbooks and a novel

Wouldn't you love to ask someone extremely high up at one of the most desirable companies in the world if an Ivy League education is worth the money, the time, and the stress? Well, I did just that.

We all know that technology changes the world, and I think we would all agree that the pace of that change has never been faster. But what does a company that has pivoted from its early twentieth century innovation into being a leader in almost every field imaginable value the most in its employees?

I'm not using my interviewee's name and company name because he's one of my clients, and I always protect the anonymity of my clients. This also freed him to honestly answer my interview questions without censoring his thoughts. 

The following questions and answers include some of the highlights of the interview.  

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Question:  If you had two job candidates, and one had gone to an Ivy League school like Harvard or UPenn, and the other had the same degree, but had gone to a good college, but not an Ivy League, and they were equal candidates otherwise, which one would you choose and why?

Answer:  I would prefer a candidate who went to an Ivy League school. The reason behind it is that (team) members who went to an Ivy League school perform better in my experience. If the skill set and character of the candidates are similar, then I would hire a member who went to an Ivy League.

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Question:  Do high level degrees make a job candidate more desirable?

Answer:  Yes.

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Question:  For any job?

Answer: For jobs that I'm interviewing for, yes.

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Question:  How high up does it have to go? If they have a Master's degree, is that enough, or would a PhD give them even more of an edge?

Answer:  For my team, I would prefer candidates who have a Master's degree, but a PhD is not required.

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Question:  What's the most important trait you look for in an employee?

Answer:  I would say, a fit with the team, but I do get at least 50 applicants (after initial screening), so when I go through screening my candidates, I won't meet with 50 candidates. I prefer five minimum; maybe ten. I would look at the skill sets -- their backgrounds as well as degrees and from where.

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Question:  What makes a job seeker the most memorable?

Answer:  I think -- passion -- is what I prefer to hear; especially why you're looking for this specific position and how you're planning to tackle it. If you have that prepared, I'd love to hear it.

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Question:  With technology and knowledge bases moving so fast, what's the best way to prepare yourself for your dream job?  Are there any specific classes to take, or is there another way to make sure you have the knowledge employers like you want for their employees?

Answer: Following the industry. Reading articles is important. I value if you're actually using our products or have tried competitors' products and share your opinion rather than just sharing the industries' trends or evaluations.

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Question:  With the ability of AI to help with language skills, how important is a high level of communication ability in today's corporate world?

Answer:  Very important. Usually, the executive or important meetings happen in person. Q and A is organic, and we can't predict what kind of questions we would like to ask and answer, so your communication skills on top of language skills are very important in our company.

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Question:  Please finish this sentence:  I'd like more employees who can ________________.

Answer:  Passionately discover new businesses.

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Question:  For the company?

Answer:  For the company. Yes.