Pinterest exec spills the defining quality she looks for in potential hires

""I'm sure they've prepped in a way to not look too bad, but I actually appreciate it when someone says, 'Actually, this was a failure,'" she said. "When they say, 'This was when I messed up,' instead of blaming others." "Those are some of the soft signals that I look for, when the person can accept when things are not working, or can accept that there was a mistake, and evolve and learn from that," Nakajima said."

"She said the tech landscape is changing rapidly, so while there are certain skills she needs in a candidate, she values adaptability and receptiveness to criticism over all else. "When I interview candidates, I always look for people who are more flexible and versatile rather than having specific experiences and ticking off a box," she said. "I'd prefer to have someone who's really dynamic and has a growth mindset, because six months down the line, the scope might change.""

Ayumi Nakajima leads Pinterest's Asia-Pacific content partnerships from Singapore, managing about 20 people and interviewing hundreds of candidates. She evaluates how candidates describe failures, preferring clear admissions of responsibility over stories that preserve personal image. Admissions of mistakes serve as soft signals of an ability to accept when things go wrong, learn, and evolve. Nakajima prioritizes adaptability and receptiveness to criticism above rigid checklist qualifications. She seeks flexible, versatile hires with a growth mindset who can handle shifting scopes within months rather than candidates who only match specific past experiences.

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