POWER BROKERS OF TECH: HR chiefs at Microsoft, Facebook, Netflix, and other top companies share how to get hired and succeed there

Lori Goler, head of HR at Facebook

The question you'll have to answer if you interview with her

At Facebook, we believe in the power of playing to your strengths, which means doing work that you're both good at and that you enjoy. We know that when someone is playing to their strengths, they are both doing their best work and that it drives a sense of fulfillment in their work.

To help be sure that we are hiring people in a role that plays to their strengths, I always ask a strengths-based question in my interviews to help identify the right role for someone. The question I ask is: "On your very best day at work — the day you come home and think you have the best job in the world — what did you do that day?"

How to succeed at Facebook, beyond just working hard

The vast majority of work we do at Facebook is team-based and often cross-functional. It isn't about a single person working by themselves to get something done. For that reason, we really value people who work to make the team, people and community around them better and stronger.

These are people who make decisions based on what's best for the team rather than optimizing for their own goals or projects — the people who are able to step outside their own role to see the larger organization and help the people around them tend to have the biggest impact.

Jessica Neal, chief talent officer at Netflix

The one trait you need to succeed at Netflix

If you're not a curious person, then you might have a hard time working here. We are constantly seeking to learn more about our business, more about ourselves, more about others, and more about the world. If someone has that appetite, they'll likely fit in really well.

The most impressive thing any job candidate has done

In one interview, a candidate respectfully walked me through how an aspect of our product could be better. I appreciated the courage to be candid and truthful, and ultimately the candidate was right and we ended up giving them an offer.

Emily Nishi, chief people officer at Lyft

The traits you need to get hired at Lyft

There's an energy and fast-paced nature about Lyft that's really exciting. People truly care about authenticity, and want to work together towards a shared mission. If I had to pick one trait or skill, it would be that you have a "make it happen" outlook — but also strongly align with our other values of "be yourself" and "uplift others."

The most impressive thing any job candidate has done

This may not work for everyone, but there was a candidate recently who asked me at the end of our conversation, "What could I have done better in this interview?" It was unexpected and refreshing since they said it with such authenticity, self-awareness, and humility — and it showed they were eager to learn and grow. "Be yourself" is one of Lyft's core values, so I loved it!

I think it's helpful as a candidate to be sincerely excited for the role you're interviewing for, and to develop a growth mindset — these are great skills that will help keep you motivated months and years after getting the job.

Read more: Lyft's COO interviews tons of people who want to work for the company. Here's one of his favorite questions, and the answer he's looking for.

Kathleen Hogan, chief people officer at Microsoft

The one trait you need to get hired at Microsoft

Our culture is grounded in the growth mindset, so one of the most important things we look for in a candidate is their curiosity and their desire to learn and grow. Beyond skills and talent, having a passion for our mission — to empower people to achieve more — is also a critical attribute for landing a job at Microsoft, regardless of the position and team you are pursuing.

The most important piece of advice she gives aspiring people managers

If someone wants to be a manager, I always recommend they start by making sure they're doing it because they want to empower others. We know that managers are essential to the experience of an employee, and they can make a huge difference in job satisfaction and career opportunity.

My advice to our managers is to role model our culture and values, coach the team to be inclusive and high-performing, and care about each person on the team — helping them learn, develop and achieve their career aspirations.

Read more: A Facebook VP shares one of the worst mistakes managers make when promoting employees

Her pro tip for employees who are feeling unfulfilled

Finding fulfillment is a deeply personal journey. What fulfills one person may not fulfill another, and no two people have the same life or career goals. I recently wrote about the 5 Ps of Employee Fulfillment, and the fifth — and very important — P is for "purpose."

If someone is feeling unfulfilled, I suggest they zoom out and think about their purpose. Maybe they've just wandered off their path a bit and it can be redirected in the same role with some adjustments. Maybe they need to work on a stretch goal or take on a special project. There is no single answer for everyone — and it takes a bit of self-reflection and contemplation.

Gerard Ohen, vice president of talent acquisition at Oscar

The prompt you'll have to tackle if you interview with him

Short of conducting a scientific study to prove the validity of this question, I'm confident that the best question to ask any job candidate is pretty simple: "Think about something you are most proud of and tell me about it."

A person's response to this question reveals a lot. First, their response will give me a sense of the scope of a project that brings them pride. Are they discussing something that's genuinely worthy of pride — such as revamping a company process — or something less significant?

Second, their rationale for why they are proud of something helps me understand what they value. In general, you would hope to hear a response that focuses not only on being recognized or rewarded for something, but also on their ability to contribute to the whole team and make an impact.

The most impressive question a job candidate has asked him

One question that really impresses me is this one, which forces me to put myself in the candidate's shoes and draw on what I've learned during my time at Oscar: "If you had another chance to interview for a role at Oscar, what questions would you ask given what you know now?"

His best advice for new managers

Hiring is one of the most important responsibilities for a leader at Oscar — or at any company. The one piece of advice I would offer a new manager is to take time to understand exactly what capabilities or attributes they are hiring for. This means understanding which capabilities one would need to be successful now and in the future in a role.

This is the difference between a hiring manager saying they're looking for someone "smart" instead of defining specific attributes such as "high learning agility" or "analysis and problem-solving ability." Being specific in this way puts a finer point on the skills and attributes that we need in an ideal candidate, and also helps to eliminate bias in our evaluation process.

Christine Morehead, chief people officer at One Medical

The questions you'll have to answer if you interview with her

I ask them if they are familiar with our company's mission. The first test here is to make sure they have done their homework. Then, I ask them how they would contribute to fulfilling the One Medical mission if they were to join the team. Answers to this question always help showcase what skills and passions a candidate could contribute to our company.

The best question she was ever asked as a job candidate

"Tell me about the most recent constructive feedback your boss has given you and how have you effectively used that advice to improve your work?" When I was first asked this question as a job candidate, I was taken aback, as it requires you to be transparent, providing visibility into your less developed skills. But now, I ask this question to candidates and find it incredibly helpful at gaining insights into their humility, adaptability and willingness to grow and learn.

Shannon Sullivan, senior vice president of talent and organization at Hulu

The one trait you need to succeed at Hulu

I believe the people that are most successful at Hulu are those who are able to effectively navigate change. That might be a change to a process or way of doing things or a sudden, right turn in how we are approaching a key part of our business. We are operating in an industry that is rapidly evolving and we will only be successful if we embrace that change.

Read more: Experts say 'learnability' is the most important skill you'll need to stay relevant at your job. Here's what it is, and how to tell if you have it

The most impressive question a job candidate has asked her

I'm generally impressed by questions where you can tell the candidate truly cares about the answer and it will make the difference in their desire to take the job, if offered. So, with that frame, the most recent example of this was a candidate that asked me to share my strategy for the Talent and Organization team and an aspect of it that we hadn't yet accomplished and why.

I could tell the candidate was evaluating whether I was the kind of HR leader she would want to work for and whether she could bring something to the table that would help me accomplish the so far unaccomplished.

How she handled a period of unfulfillment at work

About mid-way through my time at Hulu, I went through a time of feeling unfulfilled and found myself in a vicious and unproductive cycle of looking outward for others to fix my sense of unfulfillment.

After much inward reflection, I became present to the cause of my disengagement — my value of efficiency was being comprised. Every time I had to engage in a process that felt manual, cumbersome, inefficient or not scalable, I would be triggered. Once I was able to pinpoint what was going on, I could take action and personal responsibility to change it.

In this instance, it literally meant keeping a running log of those triggers and next to each one, defining the next action I would take to make it better. By doing this, I started to feel more present to what was going on and could take meaningful steps toward making my job one that is empowering and fulfilling.

Jennifer Christie, chief HR officer at Twitter

The three traits you'll need to get hired at Twitter

At Twitter, there are some core qualities people need in order to have the biggest impact. Being able to really listen versus "waiting to talk" is critical.

Being curious, proactively seeking answers to questions and trying to solve problems is a trait I see in people who are driving progress here.

The ability to adapt to change and pivot when presented with new data or having the resiliency/flexibility to reprioritize is also a must. The world is changing rapidly and presenting us with new challenges daily, and the ability to read signs and anticipate these changes makes all the difference.

The biggest red flag in a job candidate

A red flag for me is if the person has done the same exact job before. While it ensures that they check all the boxes, I question their desire to develop and challenge themselves to try new things. Someone who is willing to go outside their comfort zone and take risks is more appealing to me.

Over the course of my career, I have found these people have more impact, even when they don't already have experience or expertise in all parts of the role.

Christina Hall, senior vice president and chief people officer at LinkedIn

The one trait you need to get hired at LinkedIn

At LinkedIn, as at any high-performing company, the most successful people are adept at reinventing themselves. As dynamic companies evolve, so do their best people. That's why I say that flexibility is an essential trait for our new hires.

By flexibility, I mean the willingness to learn new things, and being open to giving and receiving feedback from colleagues. Even in my own career journey from public relations to law to HR, my ability to adapt my skills and style to new opportunities has been indispensable.

Read more: A former Googler and Facebook exec says your parents' career path is just about dead, and there's a better way to move up in the world

Her best advice for new managers

The most important thing to do as a new manager is to listen. Unlike in your role as an individual contributor, where your job is to perform at your highest potential, your responsibility as a manager is to help your team members perform at their highest potential. You cannot do this unless you're 100% aware of what motivates them, what concerns them, and what their hopes and dreams are.

Most of all, you need to get to know them as human beings. So put away your phone and your screens during your 1:1s, and give them a chance to talk and be heard. It will be the best use of time for both of you.

Nikki Krishnamurthy, chief people officer at Uber

The biggest red flag in a job interview

Over-reliance on playbooks, historical answers, and cookie-cutter policies. Far better to find a candidate with the passion to create the playbook, apply expert judgment, and find even better ways to solve hard problems.

Her best advice for new managers

Have the hard conversations. Resist the temptation to delay it and/or avoid it. It will never be easy, because we care about our fellow employees, want them to do well etc.; yet it will get easier the more hard conversations you have. Also, by never shying away from it, you can be a course corrector, talking to your team before problems become too big.

Her top tip for employees feeling unfulfilled at work

I ask people what they most like about their job or a previous job. What was the work that you found yourself looking forward to doing? That's a great signal of something that people are strong at doing and enjoy doing. Then help them identify roles that have more of "that" in it.