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In the second edition of #WhatIndustryWants, Vikas Bhansali, Corporate Alliances and Career Development Lead at TalentSprint, had an exciting conversation with Zain Inhonvi, Product and Engineering Hiring Lead at Flipkart. Zain is an HR professional with over seven years of experience and was previously with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), handling various roles in the talent acquisition space.
The two addressed some of the intriguing questions posed by students, working professionals, and academicians on various aspects regarding hiring during the pandemic and bridging the DeepTech gap. Here are some excerpts.
What capabilities companies like Flipkart look for during interviews?
There are certain key roles that Flipkart hires on the campus, for which there are specific capabilities associated with each role. Usually there are four coveted positions pivotal to the company: a software development engineer, data scientist, associate product manager, and associate business analyst.
Specific competencies for each role.
- For a software development engineer, they look for someone who knows data structures and algorithms and is highly efficient in programming.
- Those looking for a data scientist position must be adept at AI, machine learning, and neuro-linguistic programming.
- The position of an associate business analyst could seem unconventional in an engineering atmosphere, but the reason Flipkart provides that option is for the engineering students who aim to stretch beyond the core engineering roles.
- The APM or Associate Product Manager program at Flipkart is usually reserved for those with a business degree.
The DeepTech hiring challenges of companies
The major hiring challenge is the lack of the ability of candidates to play with real data and develop algorithms to solve problems. Organizations are now trying to bridge this gap through elements such as hackathons. A positive future seems in place for the tech industry even amidst the pandemic as companies and employees have been adapting well to the remote working situation.
The importance of building relevant expertise
The companies hiring today don’t just see the degree of the candidate but also look for deep expertise that they bring in solving real-life problems. Therefore, it is crucial to build expertise to stay ahead in the game. Deep and vast research of top academic institutions and real-life industry knowledge of bluechip organizations: now that’s the right recipe for building expertise in emerging technologies. Explore the transformational high-end and deep-tech learning programs that bring you this powerful combination.
