Changes in hiring processes in companies

Here’s a true account of how HRD is now evolving as more of an EQ gauge than just a hiring wing for companies looking to hire sustainable talent.

Shikha sat perched on the edge of the comfortable couch, a bead of sweat running down her forehead. The air-conditioning in the room certainly did not help much as she was too nervous thinking about the final round of interview that she was to face in couple of moments.

After-all it’s not too often that you get a chance to face a final selection interview in a company like TCS. She was mentally preparing herself for the onslaught that she was about to face. Suddenly the door to the cabin opened & the H.R Manager entered with a big smile & a bigger folder in her hands. “Thank my stars”, Shikha thought it’s a female who would take my interview.

The interview started and the first question thrown to Shikha took her completely by surprise. Instead of the usual & dreary, “tell me about yourself”, the HR Manager asked her with a smile, “Hey, this says you’re married, how many kids do you have” ?

Ummm... none right now, Shikha answered.

“Oh, I love kids you know. It’s really a big task to take care of them & manage their daily routines, teaches you a lot about organising teams & members”, said the HR Manager.

“Anyways, what do you do in your free time, when you are not taking care of your house-hold chores”?

“Not much, I try to update myself with the latest news & happenings”, said Shikha

Oh, said the HR Manager, “that’s good, and even your Facebook & linked-in profiles clearly suggest that you are into books, Finance news-letters & websites that are related to government jobs, so obviously you would have good knowledge about the latest happenings & market trends also. This is what we are looking forward to when hiring an Executive for our U.S process & i’m sure your knowledge of these domains would help you grow in your role & mature while you work for TCS. Please remain in this room while I ask my executive to get your appointment letter.” Saying this, the HR Manager exited with a smile.

Shikha, could not help but wonder what happened in the past 15 minutes that she was in the room. It suddenly dawned on her that her profile was not limited to the C.V she had submitted to the Human Resource Department (HRD) but there were so many things on the web that told volumes about her personality, her likes, dislikes, her friend circle & most importantly her personal details, like her cell number & address which could be verified at a moment’s notice. It was now clear to her that Corporate were now increasingly relying on their Human Resources Departments to gauge a candidate’s Emotional Quotient rather than their IQ levels & at the same time do all sorts of background checks on their future employees even before they sat for their final interview.

A robust & smart thinking HR department would always do something out-of- the-box to ensure they hire the right talent for their organization & see to it that by doing so they have a pool of sustainable manpower capable of achieving the targets.