ST-SMU Education Forum: In the third of a four-part series on the future of work, Google’s vice-president for staffing and operations Sunil Chandra shared his views on what employers look for when scouting for the best talents from around the world. He also noted that top grades and a degree from a top university would not help one stand out from the two million to three million who apply for a job at Google every year. He said Google has used data analytics for years to figure out how to hire people with the right fit. "There is no correlation between our good hires and the universities that they come from or their GPAs," said Mr Chandra, quickly adding that he is not encouraging anyone aiming for a job at Google to drop out of college.

SMU School of Information Systems graduate Muhammad Mohsin, who works for Google, said that what drew him to Google, and still excites him, goes beyond perks. "You get to work with really smart, driven people. And despite being so smart, they are always ready to help - what we call 'Googleyness'.” He is a member of the team working on G Board, the keyboard that lets users search and send information, GIFs, emojis and more, as they type.

The office culture and impressive staff perks helped Google nab the top spot in Fortune's annual list of the 100 best companies to work for - again - just two weeks ago. The company, which employs 72,000 people worldwide, including 1,000 in Singapore, has been named the top workplace for the sixth straight year. It's the eighth time in 11 years that Google has topped the list.