The Hindu Business Line : Lateral hiring getting more complex

More layers, more flavours. Lateral hiring in the IT sector has changed from simple mandates like 2-3 years' experience in Java or .Net. Companies are now demanding specialisation in service practices.

Says Mr Madan Padaki, Director of MeritTrac Services, an assessment company that has completed over a million assessments so far, "The sector is now looking at more than just technology domain knowledge. Even for 1-2 years' experience, employers now ask for experience in retail sector, banking or engineering services," thus adding another layer of complexity to the whole recruitment process, that is wrought by such high attrition levels and no-shows.

He gives instances of companies that demand specialisations in different embedded applications.

Agrees Ms Nirupama V.G., Associate Director, TeamLease Services, "Earlier demand for such subject matter experts was only at senior levels, but now we see more of it even among the 2-4 years' experience category. In fact, companies prefer such experts so that they move into the new roles easily."

Assessment

BPOs in the country too are moving towards specialisations. In the last 6-8 months, MeritTrac has assessed candidates for equity research and financial analysis for BPOs, Mr Padaki says.

Clinical research and aeronautical engineering and maintenance are other areas where BPOs are looking for and assessing lateral hires. "Therefore it follows that we have developed tests for these skills among lateral hires,'' says Mr Padaki.

In fact, MeritTrac is also considering awarding product knowledge certifications to candidates looking for jobs in the telecom and pharma sectors, as these areas are getting more complex and specialised.

More Stories on : Human Resources | Information Technology

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
DoT extends wireless operating licence validity to 5 years

Decks cleared for Infosys' Mangalore SEZ

Lateral hiring getting more complex