Ask a Mentor – What Hiring Managers Look For?

What Hiring Managers Look For?

At Women Go Tech, we often hear the same concern from women navigating tech careers: “I’m doing the work — but I still don’t know what hiring managers actually care about.”

To get real answers, our Community and Acceleration Program manager Anna Dąbrowska sat down for a conversation with our mentors – Judyta Wereda, (Digital Transformation Leader) and Vitalija Bartuseviciute (Senior Consultant).

Below are the most valuable takeaways, directly from the hiring side.

“Why does one CV get noticed – and another doesn’t?”

When Anna asked what makes a CV stand out, both mentors were aligned:
it’s rarely about having the longest tech stack.

Judyta:
“The biggest issue I see is lack of clarity. I’m reading a CV and I still don’t understand what the person actually did or what they’re aiming for.”

According to the mentors, CVs that get attention:

• Clearly explain impact, not just responsibilities
• Show decision-making, not only execution
• Make it obvious what kind of role the person is moving toward

What gets skipped fast?

Vitalija:
“If I have to guess how your experience connects to this role, I probably won’t spend more time figuring it out.”

What hiring managers notice that’s NOT written in job descriptions

Anna pushed the mentors on what they look for beyond formal requirements.

The answer was immediate: how candidates think and communicate.

Vitalija:
“I pay a lot of attention to how someone explains their thinking. You can teach tools. You can’t easily teach structured thinking or curiosity.”

Mentors shared they actively look for:

• How candidates reason through problems;
• Whether they ask clarifying questions;
• How they handle uncertainty or incomplete information.

Judyta:
“Sometimes the strongest signal is not the answer itself, but how the person got there.”

Interview red flags

When asked about red flags, mentors were very direct:

• Very polished, memorized answers with no real examples;
• Avoiding responsibility when talking about failures;
• Blaming past teams, managers, or companies.

Judyta:
“If someone can’t reflect on what didn’t work and what they learned, that’s a big warning sign.”

Green flags mentors appreciate:

• Being honest about gaps – without apologizing for them;
• Owning mistakes and explaining growth;
• Asking thoughtful questions about the team or product.

Vitalija:
“I don’t expect perfection. I expect awareness.”

“Can someone really get hired with no tech background?”

Anna raised one of the most common fears in the Women Go Tech community – career switching. The mentors confirmed: yes, it happens – but not by accident.

Judyta:
“People who succeed in career changes don’t try to erase their past. They translate it.”

Successful career-changers usually:

• Apply even when they don’t feel 100% ready;
• Connect previous experience to real business or user value;
• Show consistent learning, not just motivation.

Vitalija:
“Readiness is often something you build after you start, not before.”

What mentors wish candidates understood about mentoring

Both mentors emphasized that mentoring isn’t about getting step-by-step instructions.

Judyta:
“Mentoring is about understanding how decisions are made – especially the ones you don’t see.”

From the hiring side, mentoring helps candidates:

• Build confidence that actually shows up in conversations;
• See their experience more clearly;
• Test assumptions before real interviews.

Vitalija:
“Many people are more ready than they think. They just haven’t had someone reflect that back to them.”

Why these insights matter right now

Hiring in tech is changing – and mentors on the hiring side feel it first. What makes a difference today:

• Clear positioning over perfect experience;
• Understanding how hiring decisions actually happen;
• Feedback from people who sit on the other side of the table.

That’s why mentor-led programs remain at the heart of Women Go Tech.

Want to learn directly from mentors who hire?

Women Go Tech mentoring programs connect participants with mentors like Judyta and Vitalija – professionals who:

• Review CVs through a hiring lens;
• Share real interview expectations;
• Help translate experience into clear career direction.

Because guessing what hiring managers want is exhausting – and unnecessary.