A PayPal recruiting exec reveals the soft skills that can get you hired at the payments giant and the common mistake that could get your resume tossed out
- Not all tech jobs are for coders, and landing a job at a tech giant like PayPal takes more than technical skills.
- In 2019, PayPal ranked #5 on Forbes' list of the world's 250 best-regarded companies. This, combined with PayPal's long history in Silicon Valley, makes it one of tech's most sought-after places to work.
- We spoke with PayPal's head of technical talent acquisition to understand the soft skills they're looking for in all their new hires.
- Whether for internships or full-time roles, candidates need to ask the right questions, show a history of challenging the status quo, and be active and engaged in their communities.
- Click here for more BI Prime stories.
PayPal has hundreds of job openings, from software engineers to product managers to communications to sales. And it's not just hiring at its San Jose headquarters. PayPal is recruiting in several regions including North and South America, Europe and the UK, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific.
In 2019, PayPal ranked #5 on Forbes' list of the world's 250 best-regarded companies, which measures how well firms do as employers, as well as their trustworthiness, quality of products, and social conduct.
This, plus PayPal's long history in Silicon Valley, makes it one of tech's most sought after places to work.
While the payments giant doesn't disclose the acceptance rate for its job applicants, a spokesperson said it's competitive.
The tech and payments giant was founded in 1998 by a team including Max Levchin, founder and CEO of Affirm, and billionaire venture capitalist Peter Thiel. In 2002, the company went public, then got bought by eBay, who in turn spun off the company in 2015.
PayPal has since grown to 23,200 employees and has 50 global offices.
Business Insider spoke with Michael Kascsak, global head of technical talent acquisition at PayPal, to understand what it takes to land a job at the tech giant.
Resume dos and don'ts
PayPal, like most companies, lists its open roles online, and interested candidates can apply by submitting a resume and cover letter. At this stage, PayPal looks for candidates who can clearly articulate what they're doing, what their goals are, and why they're interested in the company.
And while candidates often worry that their resumes won't be seen unless they plug in the right keywords in their resume, Kascsak cautioned against that notion.
"Sometimes a recruiter will look at a resume, and all it has is a bunch of keywords on there because they think that there's an algorithm that's going to pull their resume to the top, and that's all that they do," Kascsak said.
That's not to say that candidates shouldn't use keywords in their resumes, but that they need to be deliberate in their use.
"You've got to be able to share what you're doing with those with the keywords," Kascsak said.
How to ace the phone interview
If your resume and cover letter stand out, the interview process kicks off with a phone conversation with a PayPal recruiter. During this interview, candidates typically discuss their past experiences, but also what they're looking for in future experiences, Kascsak said.
"It's really an opportunity for you to give the recruiter your story, and where you see your career going," Kascsak said.
If the recruiter thinks the candidate is a good fit for PayPal, they offer a recommendation to a hiring manager.
The hiring manager, or a member of their team, will also conduct a phone interview, which is typically more focused on the candidate's expertise.
"That's dedicated to really talking through the tangible examples of what you've accomplished, what you know, and what your expertise is," Kascsak said.
If the hiring manager thinks the candidate is a good fit for the role, that's when PayPal invites them on campus for in-person interviews. At this point, PayPal is really looking for a culture fit.
On-campus interviews
If you get invited to PayPal's campus for a day of in-person interviews, the company starts looking at more than just your technical qualifications.
"We've gotten you to the point where we know that from an expertise perspective, you are somebody we're interested in," said Kascsak. "So now we really want to get to know you as a person."
On that day, PayPal tries to keep it to four or five interviews per candidate, Kascsak said.
"We feel that if you come to our campus, you should come and meet all the people you need to meet," Kascsak said. PayPal focuses on a candidate-friendly approach, he said, aiming to make the process as streamlined as possible.
"For those that come onto our campus, we want to make sure that it is an inviting experience for you," Kascsak said.
Not only is it an opportunity for candidates to sell themselves to PayPal, but PayPal is also pitching itself to candidates.
"We want to make sure you understand all of the value props that we have to offer as an employer," said Kascsak.
The day often includes a tour of the office, and gives candidates opportunities to ask more questions about what it's like working at PayPal.
PayPal also has policies around diversity for its hiring process, Kascsak said.
"We want to make sure that we're creating a diverse set of candidates to give to our hiring managers," Kascsak said. "In return, we also want our candidates to be able to interview with a diverse set of hiring managers as well."
Kascsak said that PayPal talks about diversity as "a mirror and a window."
"We'd like to make sure that you're able to see, inside of PayPal, all of the diversity and people from all different walks of life," he said.
"But also you want to be able to see the mirror," said Kascsak. "You want to be able to see and talk to people from your background, and share your thoughts and ideas with them."
The on-campus day should mark the end of the interview process, Kascsak said.
Whether it be in your application, over the phone, or in person, there are a few things that PayPal looks for every step of the way, no matter the type of role you're applying for. Here are some of the soft skills that will land you the job.
Demonstrate an innovative mindset
"Getting the attention of PayPal, it's showing true examples of your work," said Kascsak. Both recruiters and future teammates want candidates to showcase innovative or disruptive projects they've worked on, which demonstrate the ability to challenge and change the status quo, Kascsak said.
And PayPal pays attention to candidates who are eager to showcase these skills.
"We try to create as many opportunities for you to showcase your expertise and your abilities as possible," said Kascsak. Whether it be through LinkedIn or at meet-ups that PayPal organizes, candidates should take advantage of these opportunities to ground their skill sets in experiences.
"Make sure you're presenting examples, and make sure you're showing tangible results, whether it's through your resume, through your cover letter, when you're at a meet-up," said Kascsak.
For students and graduates, this could be a school project. And for professionals, it's important to demonstrate the ways you've innovated in previous roles. Doing so is a key way to stand out in a competitive job market, Kascsak said.
Leverage your network
Aside from LinkedIn and meet-up networking, having an employee referral at PayPal is helpful.
"The employee referral program is one of the most utilized sources of employment for any company really, when you're doing it right," said Kascsak.
And that goes both ways, Kascsak said, in that his team occasionally asks current PayPal employees for recommendations of candidates they should reach out to.
"Great talented people know great talented people," he said.
Don't be afraid to ask about what matters to you
Before extending an offer, PayPal wants to make sure that both the company and the candidate think it's the right fit. And that's why Kascsak stressed the importance of asking questions.
"Every candidate has their own priorities and passions that they want with their career. So you should ask us how those fit into your goals," said Kascsak. "Any hire should always be a mutual fit and we aim for that to happen."
Whether that be around company culture, diversity and inclusion, or even the day-to-day experience of working at PayPal, candidates should be inquisitive about the things that are important to them.
"We never want to hire someone without them having the opportunity to interview us as well," said Kascsak.
Be engaged in your community
Demonstrating a sense of community engagement is important, Kascsak said.
"We look for people that take care of themselves and take care of other people," said Kascsak.
Whether through philanthropic initiatives at the company or the various affinity groups, PayPal is looking for employees who want to be involved. PayPal has several affinity networks including black employees, Latinx, LGBTQ+, specially abled, and women. Each network is open to all employees.
"We are very much vested in our community, and so we like people that care about their community," said Kascsak. "We always say we don't want to be guests in our own community. We want to be active participants."
Look for internships, recent graduate programs, and other targeted hiring opportunities
For PayPal's most junior positions, internships and recent college graduate programs are the two major points of entry.
The 12-week internship program is for current students, and Kascsak said that on average, PayPal extends full time job offers to between 70% and 80% of participants.
The recent college graduate (RCG) program is targeted toward those looking for full-time work. In addition to their daily responsibilities, RGC employees are given career development resources like mentors and buddies and networking opportunities to get them situated within the company.
PayPal also has a veteran hiring program, and a 16-week paid technology bootcamp for women returning to the workforce after a career break.