ABS ALUMNI OF THE MONTH

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    Question 1:

    To begin with, how does it feel to visit your alma mater after around a decade. Can you share some memorable experiences from your college time that shaped your personal or professional growth?

    Answer:

    ABS kind of attracted me because of the sheer diversity of its program. The kind of curriculum it offered; clubbed then with the international exposure it offered. But yes, to be honest, when it comes to specialization, I didn’t have any clarity whether to go for Finance, Marketing or HR. That clarity came with time as I continued to receive guidance from my faculty members. To my juniors, I’d like to say that at college, you are in safe hands, the outside world will not be that merciful towards you. So make maximum of the opportunities you get. This college undoubtedly has one of the best infra to offer which doesn’t include buildings only, rather the entire pool of resources, be that faculty members, quality of internships and things like that.

    Question 2:

    What does a typical day look like for Manager–Talent Acquisition? Or What are the KRAs you cater to.

    Answer:

    I’d first like to clear that HR is a huge umbrella, under which there comes a lot of different domains and talent acquisition is one among them. Therefore, talent acquisition and HR are very different. The core task of Talent acquisition is to acquire the right kind of talent while HR takes care of everything. From hiring the candidate till the time he/she leaves the organization; also framing the entire structure and policy of the organization. As a manager of talent acquisition, my job is to acquire right and culturally fit talent for the organization. Also, this also is my responsibility that I have to take care of the training and development of my team. My job is also to provide recruitment insights to my manager. We also have targets as to how many offers we can roll out in a particular period.

    Question 3:

    What are the most challenging hiring mandates you come across, and how do you overcome them?

    Answer:

    Let me tell you that if you have five day working, then you will have five different types of challenges each day. The reason being organizations look for people in whom they can find everything, which technically seems impossible. So, here the role of talent acquisition is very important because he/she has to know the market, the candidate and the requirement of an organization. In this case, budget is the biggest challenge we face because organization wants you to finalize a candidate within the budget allocated.

    Question 4:

    What role does data or analytics play today in Talent Acquisition processes at your level? And How do you stay updated with trends in recruitment, HR tech, and candidate expectations?

    Answer:

    I’d say data is the biggest tool to show your performance. And in comparison to HR, TA people have this advantage that they can easily quantify their performance. Talent acquisition is all about numbers. You may get let’s say 80-100 offers to close within a period of three months. And after the decided period you will be easily able to identify the number you were able to achieve. This is not the case with HR where it is more about qualitative work. But yes, to some extent HR also can measure the performance in numbers through the retention or attrition rate which also deals with numbers also. But yes, in case of Talent acquisition, it is pretty easy. You can also show your TAT (Turn out Time) that is within what span of time you were able to finalize a candidate. Then what is the infant attrition rate, meaning how many candidates are leaving the organization within less than three months.

    Question 5:

    What qualities or skill sets do recruiters look for when hiring young professionals or management trainees? And how can students build their personal brand to stand out to recruiters like you?

    Answer:

    I would say the first thing which gets noticed is body language. The moment you enter the room or switch on the camera in case of online interview, your body language is the first thing that gets noticed. Then comes communication and by communication I don’t mean speaking fluent English only, but speaking with confidence. Also, knowing about the role and the organization you are opting for. This is considered the biggest put off by any recruiter when a candidate is not fully aware of the job role and the organization he/she is opting for. So I’d say do your research thoroughly before going for any process.

    RAPID FIRE

    • One word that describes your college life. Fantabulous
    • Your go-to interview question for candidates. Anything not mentioned in CV.
    • One soft skill every student must build. Being presentable.
    • One thing that instantly impresses you in a candidate. Body Language
    • One thing that immediately puts you off in an interview. Negative Body Language
    • Dream company you’d love to recruit for someday. Microsoft
    • One professional habit you swear by. Keeping people updated.
    • A book, podcast, or resource you recommend for career growth. The Secret & LinkedIn