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National Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia featured Pilar Alfonso, founder of Gogotechy and former leader at Google, Meta and TikTok, to discuss how hiring in Big Tech is evolving and what truly makes candidates stand out during a hiring process.
In the interview, Pilar challenges one of the most common misconceptions among students and young professionals: top tech companies are not primarily focused on your university grades.
“They will never ask for your academic transcripts. What matters much more is what you’ve built, the challenges you’ve taken on, and who you are as a person.”
You can read the full feature in La Vanguardia here:
According to Pilar, companies like Google, Meta or TikTok prioritize:
Real-world projects
Initiative and ownership
Entrepreneurial mindset
Community involvement and leadership
Personal values and cultural alignment
In a highly competitive ecosystem, academic excellence alone is no longer a differentiator. Tangible experience, whether through startups, marketing initiatives, side projects, or social impact work, carries significantly more weight.
This reflects a broader shift in hiring trends. With AI tools accelerating candidate screening and reducing hiring time, the human differentiator becomes even more critical. Adaptability, storytelling, leadership, and emotional intelligence increasingly define who moves forward in the process.
While automation can filter thousands of CVs, it cannot replace authenticity.
Pilar emphasizes that values such as courage, meritocracy, freedom, and loyalty are essential not only to get hired but to grow inside competitive tech environments. Visibility, positioning, and the ability to communicate impact often influence career progression just as much as measurable results.
In today’s saturated talent market, technical skills are expected but personal clarity and strategic positioning are what truly unlock opportunities.
At Gogotechy, this philosophy is embedded into every program. Breaking into tech, whether in technical or non-technical roles, requires:
A strong narrative
Clear positioning
Interview mastery
And the ability to demonstrate impact beyond credentials
As Pilar’s own career journey shows, unconventional paths can become powerful differentiators when strategically communicated.
You can read the full feature in La Vanguardia here:
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