Elon Musk’s hiring secret: Tesla CEO reveals why he doesn’t care about resumes, and what actually gets you hired |

Ever walked into a job interview clutching a resume thicker than a novel, only to wonder if anyone’s actually reading it? Elon Musk, one of the richest persons in the world and the man behind Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI, just dropped a refreshingly honest truth bomb: He barely glances at resumes. For him, that polished sheet of paper is just noise. What really matters to him while hiring someone is the raw spark you bring to the conversation -and proof you’ve done something extraordinary. In a candid new podcast chat with Stripe’s John Collison and Dwarkesh Patel, Musk revealed his hiring secrets, and it’s a wake-up call for anyone chasing a spot at his high-stakes empire.Picture this: Musk admits he once fell for the “pixie dust” trap of a perfect resume. You know, that shiny illusion when someone rolls in from Google or Apple, and you think, “Jackpot – they must be a genius!” Spoiler: They’re not always. Musk’s been burned by it. Now, his rule is simple and brutal: If the first 20 minutes of chatting don’t blow you away, trust the vibe, not the resume. Fancy titles? Big-name employers? A slick career story? Well, that may sound impressive but might not be too good in reality. Instead, Musk wants to hear how you think on your feet, right there in the moment. It’s like sizing up a friend over coffee – do they light up the room, or fizzle out?But Musk doesn’t stop at charisma. He hunts for “evidence of exceptional ability” – those jaw-dropping stories that make you go, “Whoa!” He asks candidates for just one to three bullet points of pure gold: Maybe you built a rocket simulator in your garage, cracked an impossible algorithm, or turned a failing project into a blockbuster. “Off-the-wall” is fine, as long as it’s undeniably impressive. “If somebody can cite even one thing – better yet, three – where you go, ‘Wow, wow, wow,’ that’s a green light,” he shared, is honest opinion in the podcast, his voice carrying that trademark intensity.It’s not just about brains, though. Musk craves heart, too. He confesses he used to undervalue “goodness of heart,” but life’s taught him better. Alongside trustworthiness and relentless drive, he wants genuinely decent people – those who’ll stick by the mission when rockets explode (literally) and deadlines loom. Domain smarts? You can learn that later. Get the core right, and the rest falls into place.In the trenches of Tesla’s cutthroat world – where Apple once tried poaching his stars – Musk boils it down to one obsession: “People who get things done.” He rewards them handsomely, too – AI chip engineers at Tesla can snag $318,000 a year (roughly INR 2.8 Crore), xAI doles out up to $240,000 (roughly INR 2. 2 Crore) for top recruiters. His philosophy? “If somebody gets things done, I love them. If they don’t, I hate them.“Musk’s approach feels like a rebellion against corporate drudgery. In a sea of job applicants, he’s betting on the misfits who give results, not just slide decks. It’s inspiring – and a little intimidating. Job hunters, take note: Dust off those “wow” stories. Your next big break might depend on a 20-minute interview that reveals the real you.