To out-do most traditional bastions of corporate growth, India has to create models that create international trust. Snapdeal is on path of doing just that. Small in size but big in people, the students have to compete and put their best foot forward to get hired! With Snapdeal’s latest model, we’re hopeful that they foresee Indian talent beyond just academics.
The Indian e-commerce site has plans to have an extensive engagement programme with campuses before they go for final placements as they plan to hire more candidates next year, but is looking beyond B-school products. The company hired about 250 MBA graduates across business schools this year.
“We identify the needs of all our business units through an extensive workforce planning exercise and come up with a percentage that needs to be hired through campus to decide our overall campus hiring number. However, the focus in not on adding more colleges but hiring the right candidates and we will ensure a large campus pool to get the best talent and right candidates for the roles,” said Saurabh Nigam, VP at Snapdeal, told ET.
A good bunch of recruits is a necessity in the growth of any institution. A batch that will add up to the organizations per say. There needs to be the ex factor to make an add on where the company lacks.
The company, like any other would have, is looking at MBA qualified talent to fill non-technical positions in the fields of sales and marketing, business strategy, category management, supply chain and product management to make strategic business decisions. But beyond just the degree, the company is also looking at a talent pool with dynamic skill sets, people who are self-driven and have risk-taking abilities. “Besides, there is a sea of talent in our country and we are not restricted to just premier MBA institutes to fuel our growth as an organization,” he added.
On campus interviews, which last for not more than 30 minutes, conceal more than they reveal. In a campus placement scenario, one cannot see a student in action in the 10-15 minute interviews. Extensive engagement with campuses will help the company to get into the intricacies of the quality of education bestowed upon its yield. It’s a great way to make the right recruitment decisions.
Engineers and MBA grads in our country are judged mostly upon the institutions they come from. Snapdeal even recruits interns from organisations to review performances, on the basis of which they would decide the number of students to place from that particular campus. Taking a sample lot for testing is always a great starter option before jumping into the pool. This year it has recruited from campuses like IIM Bangalore, IIM Kozhikode, and MDI Gurgaon this year.
In India, everybody is somebody. Most Indian boards are family-controlled. Caste and religious bias too are issues. To out-do all the hindrances and recruit the best of talent from the large pool of the populous, companies do need to come up with models which would help them recruit the best value addition to them – and Snapdeal is trying to do just that!