You could say Ruta S. has a big role. As a mom of two young children and a seasoned tech recruiting professional, she is inspired by Facebook's mission of bringing the world closer together, building communities, and giving a voice to those who wouldn't have an opportunity to be heard otherwise. Now in charge of the recruiters responsible for building Facebook's engineering and product teams, she knows a thing or two about what it takes to be impactful at Facebook. She articulates herself with passion and purpose, yet maintains a level-headed “keep it real” attitude. Here's what she has to say.

On her role as VP of Global Engineering & Product Recruiting: “It's incredibly inspiring and humbling to lead the people tasked with building Facebook's engineering and product teams -- the teams responsible for the products that serve our global community.”

On what Facebook looks for when hiring tech talent: “We look for builders - people who want to work on some of the most complex and challenging problems facing the tech industry and people across the globe. We want to bring in people who are passionate about our mission of bringing the world closer together to help build communities and create equal opportunity for communication within society.”

On how to prepare for a Facebook engineering interview: “Understand that it's not all about the coding. Well, ok, it's a lot about the coding, so take the advice our recruiters share and invest in your preparation (study!). But we also want to know what motivates you. What gets you excited? How does working at Facebook fit with your strengths? What do you want to work on here? We want people who want to be here because their goals and interests align with Facebook's mission. We want you to come in at the beginning of the day energized and ready to do your best work, and to leave at the end of the day feeling like you accomplished something meaningful. So when you're getting ready to interview, understand that we really want to get to know you. Come ready to talk about what you know, but also who you are.”

On how recruiting at Facebook has evolved over time: “The diversity of skills and technical roles we hire for has grown tremendously over the years. We've made a conscious decision to take a holistic view toward finding talent and tying it directly back to how we build our products. From engineering and product management, to analytics, product design, research, and marketing - these are just a few of the roles that my team is responsible for at our company. Many of these disciplines were in their infancy at Facebook when I first started. They are now at the core of what we need to build great products.”

On why she stays at Facebook after more than 7 years: “Our company's mission and our people are why I'm here. I'm inspired every day by the people who work here. I've been in tech for a very long time, and I've never experienced the concentration of talent, passion, and innovation that exists here. This combination coupled with a singular focus on our mission of bringing people together is very energizing. On any given day, I'm working alongside people who are experts in their fields -- there isn't a day that goes by where I'm not learning something new.”

On her biggest challenge in her job so far: “We have quite a few big challenges that we are trying to solve. Identifying and hiring the most talented and diverse engineering and product workforce in tech is at the top of the list. We then strive to create a meaningful experience and community for this talent that allows us to build a lasting and thriving connection. Ultimately, we want to lead them to engage with our Facebook community in an impactful way that helps us tackle the very real and pressing challenges we are currently facing.”

On her proudest moment at Facebook: “I'm a recruiter at heart, so my proudest moments are ones where an individual we've hired goes on to apply their unique skills and passion to building something that is critical to our mission. The right person in the right role/team at the right time can completely change the trajectory of a team, a product, and even the company. When that happens, it's magical. Luckily, because of the level of talent we are able to bring in, I've had many magical moments at Facebook.”

On how she manages life at work and life at home: “I'm a mom of two preschoolers. My take on work/life is that it's very personal for every individual and there is no magic formula. For me, I know I'm not going to manage it all perfectly all the time. It's really important that you're real with yourself about what you can and cannot do. I have to be very intentional about where I spend my time and energy. On any given day/week there are trade-offs, but some things are non-negotiable. For me, that means leaving the office in time to pick up my kids from school most days of the week. I'm grateful that Facebook has a culture that lets me manage my time on my own terms.”

On her biggest role model in her life: “My father is my biggest role model. We immigrated to the US when I was 7 years old. He and my mom gave up everything they knew to build a better life for our family. I've learned the importance of family, hard work and sacrifice from him. He taught me how to take risks and how to seize an opportunity when it presents itself.”

On what she would do if she wasn't in recruiting: “I would have my own business. I'm a builder at heart and would love to create something from the ground up.”