SINGAPORE – Singaporean Edwin Toh, 36, has an interesting story to tell about how he ended up working for one of the world’s leading technology companies.

Mr Toh works as a user experience engineer for Google in New York. And no, he does not have a first-class honours degree from a top university. In fact, he does not have a degree at all.

Instead, realising that he learns best through work, he decided not to head to university after completing his diploma studies at Nanyang Polytechnic. He joined an advertising agency in Singapore and, after a few years, applied for a job in New York City.

Even though the firm would hire him only as an intern, he took up the position as it enabled him to get his foot in the door and notch up valuable experience building websites for big brand names. Within five months, he was offered a permanent job.

In 2019, after having gained several years of experience, he applied for a job at Google and landed a position as a user experience engineer. He takes pains to explain that it is a hybrid role combining what a user experience designer and a front-end engineer does, and it involves translating concepts into prototypes to deliver a good experience for Google product users.

He is thriving in his work and has been rotated among four different teams at Google – Search, Research, X: the Moonshot Factory, where audacious breakthrough ideas are worked on, and Labs, where he is currently.

He says one of the things he loves about his job at Google is that he gets to work on new projects and is constantly learning. Another big plus: He is surrounded by peers who are smart, curious and passionate about their work.

“Sure, everyone is impressed by the perks we have at Google – the amazing cafes and restaurants, the haircuts, the laundry service. It is nice to have these perks – it makes my life a lot easier. But for me, one of the best things about working in Google is that you get to work with some really smart and creative people.”

Mr Tom Dewaele, Google’s global head of people experience, says Mr Toh is exactly the kind of person the tech firm is on the lookout for.

“He has what I call the growth mindset, and that is one of the most valuable qualities that we look for in our employees,” he said in the exclusive interview with The Straits Times in December 2022.

He goes on to explain why the tech titan prizes “growth mindset” and other attributes such as teamwork skills in its hires for diverse roles, including sustainability jobs.

Q: Google receives millions of applicants a year. What do you look for to pick the right people for Google?

A: Google continues to win many best employer awards around the world, including the one by The Straits Times and global data firm Statista, which we won for the second year running in 2022. It means a lot to us.

We are always asking ourselves: What would make Google an amazing place to work in? Because if we are able to provide that, then we will get the best work from our employees.

We get millions of applications every year, so, we look for a mix of skill sets, values and attributes to find the right fit.