The best SEO professionals are creative, curious, and analytical, capable of developing hypotheses based on best practices and past performance.

When interviewing candidates, we assess their problem-solving skills and how they think about trade-offs, rather than just their ability to write code.

Google's difficult interview questions attract candidates who enjoy solving tough problems, which is a strategy worth emulating.

When hiring for your startup, look for candidates who demonstrate flexibility in their ideas and are willing to consider different paths, treating the startup as a problem-solving mission rather than just a job.

When hiring for a role outside your expertise, ask candidates to explain their answers to gauge their understanding and communication skills.

When hiring, the most important question is not just whether a candidate can do the job, but how they will improve the performance of other team members through their questioning and thinking.

The skill that interviews can most easily measure is the ability to think through small problems quickly, but the ability to solve large, complex problems well over time is what you need in an employee.

The quality of a candidate's thinking should be evaluated through the questions they ask during the interview process.

The hiring process should focus on a candidate's ability to contribute to the business strategy, not just technical skills.