Millennial Success Stories: An Interview with Mohamad Saleh (Moe) and his insights on how to get into Business Tech companies [Delivery Hero & Google]

Q1: Tell us about yourself & what did you study & most importantly where are you from:

Hey ! My name is Mohamad. I am Lebanese & Brazilian national. I grew up in Beirut but I am originally from West Bekaa. I graduated in 2015 with a Bachelors in Business Administration from the American University of Beirut. I then went on to complete a masters in management at London Business School.

Q2: How did you start your career at Google?

My first application to Google was during my time at AUB. I went through most of the rounds but did not make it through in the end. I reapplied one year later during my first two months at London Business School. This time around, my application was successful. Here is an article I wrote on my journey to Google. I started my career in sales and I slowly switched to a more technical field. Currently, I am working in marketing analytics at Delivery Hero. It’s been an amazing experience so far.

Q3: What was your secret sauce to getting your CV through & overcoming the interview successfully to any technical company?

For the CV, I would say remove all the fluff. You don’t need a photo, you don’t need all the vibrant colours & designs. Be concise. Quantify your experience as much as possible. Highlight the most important skills first. Edit your CV according to the role requirements. Highlight the most relevant experiences first. Stick to one page.

For the interview, as cheesy as it sounds, I would recommend for you to be yourself. Be present in the interview. Don’t rely on prepared material instead listen to what the interviewer is asking.  Be structured. Try following the STAR method in answering questions about your experience. 

For other questions, structure your answer as much as possible and try recapping your points if you feel you were not clear enough. If you need a few seconds to think about it, then take that time to prepare your answer. Don’t feel the need to start replying directly.

Q4: What would you advise people that want to be part of a tech company as big as Google?

I would advise people to go for the role 1st , the team second, and the company third. Google was amazing but there are so many great companies out there. The company should be the last thing you think about. Instead, think about what type of role would make you happy. What sort of people you want to work with. Once you do your research, prepare your CV. I would recommend you reach out to alumni from your school for referrals (if possible) or just apply online. The key point here is to actually apply. Don’t let self doubt bring you down. Companies like Google or actually any company out there that values diversity is full of people from different educational backgrounds, nationalities…and by the way nobody cares about your GPA.

Q5: Who is your biggest inspiration?

I always have long term goals in my mind. That’s what drives me. When I finally retire, I want to look back at my life and see that I have achieved what I wanted to achieve. We have so little time on this earth and I want to make the best of it. 

Q6: Could you tell us what skills people need to have to take part in Business Tech Roles?

For business roles in tech, depending on the role, I would say the main “in-demand” skills : Sales, Account Management, Language Skills, Data Analysis, Problem Solving, SQL, Python, R, Digital Advertising, Data Visualization Tools, Social Media, Leadership, Team Work, Public Speaking, Event Management. Each role is different but these are the skills that come to mind.

Q7: If you would go back at high school & college today what would you do different that would help you in your career right now?

I would definitely do a dual degree business and computer science or at least a minor in computer science (taking the most relevant courses for me). I feel like I am currently playing catch-up learning skills online like SQL, Python, and other programming languages. These skills are definitely not a must to have to get a role in tech. However, I aim to work as a product manager someday and I think having that mix of business and tech skills will be very useful for me to achieve my goal. Generally, I think everyone should learn coding. It truly changes the way you approach problems at work and outside of work.