The Syntel way of tackling the hiring challenge in IT sector

In the IT industry, a major human resource challenge is recruitment. Faced with the growing number of IT colleges, campus recruitments at top B-schools, and the large number of engineers churned out each year, it continues to be a struggle to select the creme-de-la creme .

Rajesh Save, Global Head, Human Resources, Syntel Inc, is of the opinion that the industry needs to shift from traditional hiring policies to a proactive recruitment channel to acquire better talent, skilled recruits and trendsetting entrepreneurs.

“In the past years, corporate entities have visited up to 30 per cent of all colleges for recruitment, but 70 per cent have been untouched. Syntel developed a novel approach, called Syntellect, to recruit the country’s finest candidates by reaching out to all AICTE approved colleges,” he said.

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) functions under the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development. Syntellect allows students to apply, get evaluated and subsequently get selected online.

“This has opened a window of opportunity, giving every engineer a fair chance to succeed irrespective of his institute ratings,” Save told BusinessLine .

Nasdaq-listed Syntel is a global provider of IT and KPO solutions. With a global headcount of 24,122 as on June 30, the company was the first to initiate a corporate recruitment drive to reach out to all eligible candidates from more than 2,800 engineering colleges. Following an online evaluation to screen the candidates, the first national level selection was conducted by the company.

Speaking about the importance of monetary compensation and benefits to retain employees in the IT sector, Save said, “Employees need to continuously enhance their skills to stay relevant, and while compensation and benefits may be an attraction, learning and development is definitely a retention tool for employees today.”

Save pointed out that as a business facilitating function, HR needs to shape its initiatives to stay relevant. “HR initiatives should focus on three key elements that collectively ensure employee engagement and business sustenance: skill enhancement, employee wellness and equal opportunity,” he said, adding that with emerging geographies for business, corporates would do well to change their “traditional pedagogical training methodologies”.

Syntel has initiated an online training programme on the web and mobile devices, to build “an anytime, anywhere learning platform for employees. An example of this is the ‘Lab on Cloud’, a hands-on session in a virtual classroom. We also use ‘bridge capsules’ to ensure that employees stay relevant with their skills and do not suffer from skill obsolescence syndrome.”

Along with its centre in Mumbai, Syntel has a 77-acre campus in Pune, and a 29-acre campus in Chennai. The company has begun constructing its third SEZ campus in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu.