Winning Algorithm

Online giants, now regulars at B-school campuses, are redefining the yardstick for hunting talent.

- E. Kumar Sharma

CALL THEM NEW-AGE companies with established business models or data- and technology-driven platforms that have permeated our daily life via smart phones. Either way, these online giants — the ride hailing giant Uber, the ecommerce behemoth Amazon, the fast-growing hotel aggregator Oyo Rooms or the home-grown ecommerce major Flipkart — are important recruiters on leading business school campuses. The reason: they are finding talent that they can use to put their fast growing companies on an even faster track. For instance, these online and related ventures absorbed nearly 10 per cent of the total batch at IIM Ahmedabad in the last final placements for 2018. This was up from 5- 6 per cent in the previous year.

And what they want from students is as diverse as their business models. “The importance of exposure to data science, analytical skills and problem solving are critical in a company like Uber and have become a baseline requirement for us,” says Vishpala Reddy, Regional HR Director – APAC, Uber. In keeping with this, she says, “Our selection process has kept abreast of our changing needs where aptitude tests are reflective of the skills we look for. All hiring panels on campuses comprise cross-functional leaders to stress the importance of looking beyond functional skills.”

Beyond Functional Skills

That apparently is with good reason, for she believes that the ride-hailing major “is a data-driven technology company” where people “work on cutting-edge technologies to build a service focused on products and solutions that enhance the experience of riders, drivers and courier partners.”