Ayumi Nakajima currently serves as a senior director at Pinterest, leading the Asia-Pacific content partnerships division from Singapore. Her career trajectory includes foundational experience at Nielsen, followed by a leadership position at Meta (formerly Facebook) starting in 2013. Since joining Pinterest in 2015, Nakajima has managed a team of approximately 20 professionals across the APAC region and has participated in hundreds of candidate interviews through her career.
Central to Nakajima's hiring philosophy is how applicants discuss their past failures. During interviews, she focuses specifically on the question: "What are some failures you have experienced?" She observes that while many candidates often present failure narratives in ways that ultimately highlight their strengths or minimize the negatives, she prefers frankness.
"It is clear some candidates prepare responses intended to maintain a positive image," said Nakajima. "However, I appreciate it when someone honestly states, 'This was a failure,' and owns up to the moment they made a mistake instead of shifting blame onto others." This approach signals to her that the individual possesses important soft skills — namely ownership, self-awareness, and the capacity to learn.
She elaborates that these traits demonstrate a candidate's ability to recognize when efforts do not yield successful results, accept accountability for those instances, and importantly, evolve from such experiences. According to Nakajima, these qualities are crucial within the rapidly evolving technology landscape.
While specific expertise and technical skills remain necessary, Nakajima emphasizes that adaptability and the ability to receive and incorporate feedback outweigh fixed experience qualifications. "My preference leans toward recruiting candidates who are flexible and versatile instead of checking off specific experience boxes," she stated. "A dynamic individual with a growth mindset is more valuable because the role's scope may shift drastically within six months."
In addition to qualities sought in candidates, Nakajima offers insight into her own hiring process methodology. She advises fellow hiring managers to avoid rushing recruitment decisions, advocating a long-term perspective.
"I approach hiring with the mindset that the employee will remain in the position for four to five years, not just one or two," Nakajima explained. This outlook allows for a more deliberate evaluation process, where even a month-long delay is deemed acceptable if it leads to making the correct choice.
She warns that hiring under pressure to quickly fill roles can lead to selecting candidates who are not optimal fits. Nakajima recalls occasions where she reconsidered her selections after further reflection, even if candidates were close to formal offers. She acknowledged that although this approach sometimes displeased recruiting teams, it represented a necessary trade-off to secure suitable talent.
Through her experience and practical insights, Nakajima outlines a hiring framework where honesty about failure, flexibility, and patience in the decision-making process form the foundation of building effective teams in the technology sector.