Outsourcing firms face competition for top talent
Shilpa Goel is going through a rite of passage. The 20-year-old engineering student at Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology is facing a barrage of recruiters from Indian outsourcing companies. Today, she has an interview with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). She is eager to please and tells the three panelists that she would move anywhere in the world - even Pakistan.But despite her nervous demean-our, Ms. Goel knows her high marks and strong English will bring offers. She and her classmates go so far as to tick off the qualities they are seeking in an employer: good job security, good working environment, good growth rate.
Cheap brain power has driven the outsourcing wave in India. But as the number of companies and the range of services grow, so too is the demand for top graduates from the best schools. More than 400,000 students graduate each year in engineering alone, although fewer than half of them are considered “employable.” An even smaller fraction are suitable for the top-tier firms. read more