I'd blindly invest in this candidate: What an ex-Google recruiter looks for in a resume

Former Google recruiter Prasad Rao explained in a podcast how he reads tech resumes and what earns interview calls.(Image: Scaler School of Technology)How can you convince a recruiter to "blindly invest" in you? A former Google recruiter explained exactly that in a recent podcast.Prasad Rao, who spent over 18 years in Google's recruitment team, shared what catches his attention first when reviewing a resume. According to him, a resume does not need to include everything, but it must highlight the right things.Rao said a college degree alone is no longer enough to secure a top tech job. Recruiters across the industry, he noted, are now paying more attention to what candidates have built, the problems they have solved, and the achievements they have earned outside the classroom.That was one of the key takeaways from a conversation between Scaler School of Technology Program Director Manmeet Singh Akali and Prasad Rao. FROM INTERNSHIPS TO HACKATHONS: WHAT CATCHES A RECRUITER'S EYEDuring the discussion, Rao explained how tech hiring has changed and what recruiters notice first when reviewing a resume.To demonstrate his approach, Rao reviewed anonymised resumes during the podcast. One resume caught his attention within moments. Before reading it completely, he said he had already seen enough to recommend the candidate for an interview. The reason was not the candidate's degree or college. Instead, Rao pointed to signals such as experience as a co-founder, participation in ACM ICPC, performance in Meta hackathons and a separate achievements section that clearly showed what the candidate had accomplished."This is what is relevant for me. This is good enough for me to push it for an interview," Rao said.He went a step further, saying that if he had the authority to make the hiring decision, he would be willing to take the risk on the candidate."If I was given the authority to hire and be responsible for the outcome, I would blindly invest and take the risk," he said.According to Rao, recruiters look for proof of work rather than broad claims. Internships, competitive programming contests, hackathons, open-source contributions and entrepreneurial experience often carry more weight than routine academic projects.He also advised candidates to clearly mention their individual contribution in team projects instead of only listing the project itself. Recruiters, he said, want to know what the applicant actually built or owned.On internships, Rao said they offer evidence that a candidate has worked in a real-world environment. He added that an internship at a strong company can become an important hiring signal, even if the candidate's academic scores are not the highest.Rao also challenged the belief that a BTech degree or an IIT tag is enough to secure interviews."It's not. It won't get you an interview," he said while discussing the role of degrees in hiring.He explained that recruiters first look for relevant experience, achievements and practical skills.As professionals gain experience, the importance of their college reduces further, with employers focusing instead on whether their skills match the role.The discussion also touched on artificial intelligence and its impact on software jobs. Rao said AI has changed the kind of talent companies look for, but it has not reduced hiring demand. Instead, organisations are creating roles that require AI-related skills while continuing to hire software engineers.His advice to students entering the tech industry was straightforward: keep learning new technologies without neglecting core computer science fundamentals. In a hiring market shaped by AI, Rao suggested that practical experience, ownership and continuous learning are becoming stronger indicators of potential than degrees alone.- EndsPublished By: Rishab ChauhanPublished On: Jul 28, 2026 17:42 IST