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"We made a conscious decision that we will not get influenced by the years of experience," says Piyush Mehta, chief human resource officer, Genpact.
Business process management company Genpact is taking big bets on talent by hiring graduates from top business schools off campus in key roles as part of its leadership programme.
High performers from within the company would also be chosen for senior positions as part of the same programme.
The thinking for the programme began in the fourth quarter of last year. The firm plans to hire 100 people in these roles this year, said Piyush Mehta, chief human resource officer, Genpact.
"We made a conscious decision that we will not get influenced by the years of experience.
"A fresh graduate or postgraduate can apply (to the leadership direct programme).
"We will be experience agnostic... (catering to) pre-identified high impact roles at a certain level in the top 1,000 roles within the company," said Mehta.
So far, Genpact has hired 65 of the 100 people planned for this year.
Broadly, the company has planned to take in 50 per cent internal candidates; the other half will be external.
For instance, Hailey Eichner, an external candidate from New York, is now vice-president and chief of staff to the chief executive officer of a company that employs over 90,000 people.
Similarly, Priyanka Priyadarshini, an internal candidate from Hyderabad, is going to be site leader for an operations team of 800 employees, for one of Genpact's key clients.
"The exposure has been phenomenal -- from leading conversations with senior client stakeholders, to receiving a customised learning path for innovation and one-on-one mentorship from the company's leaders," said Priyadarshini.
Many of these candidates were chosen from the top B-schools such as Cambridge and Oxford in the UK, Ivy League schools in the US and top B-schools in Spain and India.
About 10 senior Genpact executives had 'conversations' with candidates after a rigorous selection process to decide on the new hires.
The candidates went through technology-based recruitment tests, which had been gamified.
"They played a game on an app they had downloaded. This gave us some insights into the people.
"And then, there was a video interview. This gave us further insights through an artificial intelligence engine seated at the back of that interview," said Mehta.
After a conversation with the senior teams post this selection process, there is a 'yes' or 'no' decision at the end of it from the candidate and the organisation.
Would having younger and less experienced candidates affect the morale of other Genpact employees?
Mehta said "Genpact has always worked on the principle of being a meritocracy, and that's why it's very important to allow internal candidates as well to apply. So if you're good, and you are internal, you are getting the same opportunity.
"Some of the brightest and the smartest people are from inside the organisation. It's about opportunity, rather than exclusion."
The way these recruits will be evaluated is also going to be different. They will also undergo training to tutor them in leadership and other qualities required for running big teams.
*Image used for representational purposes only.
