Searching for a Job in AI? Industry Leaders Are Looking for 1 Specific Trait

Demand for professionals to work on AI-related projects is massive. It’s so significant, in fact, that it’s playing a pivotal role in shaping the entire U.S. labor market. That’s according to a recent analysis by enterprise AI company Vertitone, which found that 81,298 openings for AI-related jobs were posted in 2024, a 24.5 percent increase over 2023. That demand isn’t just limited to the engineers who develop AI models. Thousands of companies are hiring salespeople, marketers, and subject matter experts of all kinds to improve their AI offerings, inform the public about them, and sell their new AI products. If you’re a professional looking to break into the red-hot AI industry, you probably have a few questions: What exactly are managers looking for when hiring for AI-specific projects? How much knowledge should you have about the inner workings of AI? We asked founders and executives from across the tech world to share their AI hiring secrets, and one word kept surfacing: curiosity. Nearly everyone we talked to, whether from behemoths like Google or startups like AI legal assistant developer Harvey, said they are actively hiring employees who exhibit an open mind and a willingness to try new things. That’s because, as managers and executives build AI tools, they’re also adopting AI-enhanced workflows, and candidates who have already shown a willingness to experiment with new technologies and concepts are more likely to adapt to the rapid pace of AI development. Here’s what they had to say. Will Grannis, CTO, Google Cloud Google Cloud is responsible for the search giant’s cloud computing business, popular workplace apps, and Gemini, the company’s brand of AI services. In Q4 2024, Google Cloud brought in revenues of nearly $12 billion, a 30-percent increase over Q4 2023. By the time I’m speaking with a candidate, we already know that they have the fundamentals in place. So at that point I’m trying to uncover their curiosity and passion. Two questions I almost always ask are: 1) Teach me about something you’re currently learning about, at a third-grade level, and 2) If you could wave a magic wand and make any technology instantly appear, what would you conjure and why? By the end of these discussions, I have a pretty good idea if they enjoy and prioritize learning, and I get a bit of a window into where they think technology can have the greatest impact. When hiring junior AI engineers who may not have large-scale platform and systems backgrounds, I am particularly interested in those who are curious, highly collaborative, and willing to challenge the status quo. This is especially important in a field like AI, where frameworks, tools, methods, and technology are all changing so fast. For more senior engineers, I’m looking for humility, systems understanding that combines customer empathy and platform realities at scale, excitement in coaching and mentoring, and curiosity that drives them to stay hands-on with the latest technologies. Smita Hashim, Chief Product Officer, Zoom Zoom is the public video conferencing platform that took the world by storm during the Covid-19 pandemic. It’s now enhancing its services with AI. In Q3 2024, the company reported revenue of $1.17 billion, up 3.6 percent year-over-year. We’ve found that the most successful hires are those who bring a combination of relevant expertise and a growth mindset. While we expect certain baseline knowledge depending on the role, we invest significantly in ongoing learning and development. We’re particularly interested in candidates who have a strong sense of curiosity and enjoy tracking the fast-moving AI innovations, as well as experience working with various platforms that can help strengthen our interoperability with different systems and services that our customers use. For engineering roles, we prioritize candidates with strong technical foundations in machine learning and software development, but equally important is their ability to collaborate across teams and understand how AI fits into our broader product strategy. For go-to-market and marketing specialists, we seek individuals who can effectively communicate AI’s value proposition while maintaining a realistic understanding of its capabilities and limitations. We look for candidates who understand AI’s fundamental concepts and implications for business, but we don’t expect everyone to be an AI expert. What’s crucial is their willingness to learn and adapt as the technology evolves. Ryan Kelly, Chief Communications Officer, Recursion Recursion is a public biotech company that uses artificial intelligence to advance drug discovery, design, and development. The company generated $26 million in Q3 2024. BY BEN SHERRY @BENLUCASSHERRY