Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Sheryl Sandberg reveals what she’s looking for in Facebook employees on Quora

The chief operating officer of Facebook said in the post that she is looking for “builders"

Hazel Sheffield
Thursday 17 December 2015 10:48 GMT
Comments
Sandberg said that Facebook looks to hire people with general skills over those who are highly specialised
Sandberg said that Facebook looks to hire people with general skills over those who are highly specialised (EPA)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Sheryl Sandberg has revealed what she looks for in Facebook employees in a post on Quora, a question and answer website.

The chief operating officer of Facebook said in the post that she is looking for “builders” - but not the bricks and mortar kind.

“We believe our journey at Facebook is only 1 per cent done so we want people who can help us build technology, products and our business into the future,” she said.

Sandberg made the comments in a question and answer session in which she also told participants what she would have told her younger self and fielded questions about gender.

Sandberg said that Facebook looks to hire people with general skills over those who are highly specialised.

“We don't look for a specific background or skill-set when we make hiring decisions. As my friend and Instagram COO Marne Levine says, we hire athletes and cross train them,” she said.

Sandberg added that it was more important to find people with great skills and abilities who share Facebook’s mission of “making the world more open and connected” and who share its core values: “be open, focus on impact, and move fast”.

Sandberg is the author of the best-selling book ‘Lean In’. She lost her husband in May and told the world about his death in a heart-wrenching Facebook post that she said she is glad she wrote.

“Recovering from loss is a huge part of the human condition and by connecting with people on Facebook I was reminded that I was part of that global community,” she said.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in