""You have to be smart enough, but the smartest person in the world without a whole package of other things [is] not going to navigate Goldman Sachs well, not going to be successful in Goldman Sachs over the long run," Solomon revealed recently on Sequoia Capital's Long Strange Trip podcast."
"Experience, Solomon said, is "hugely underrated" and "a big differentiator for the firm." It's not impossible to do very well without it, he added, but relying on book smarts over real-life expertise won't get one hired at the bank."
""You can't teach experience," Solomon explained. "Experience matters in these big organizations and when it matters it doesn't matter when things are going well. It matters when the bumps come. You've got to make difficult judgments.""
Goldman Sachs seeks candidates who are 'smart enough' combined with human qualities such as connection, resilience, determination, and a demonstrated track record rather than the absolute smartest credentials. Practical experience is highly valued and considered a major differentiator because it prepares employees to make difficult judgments when challenges arise. Reliance on book smarts without real-life expertise reduces hiring prospects. Broader hiring trends are moving away from prioritizing elite degrees toward life skills, technical adaptability, and AI-savvy talent, emphasizing mindset, continuous excellence, and practical capability for the future of work.
#goldman-sachs-hiring #experience-over-pedigree #resilience-and-interpersonal-skills #ai-and-hiring-trends
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