As educational standards constantly change, is it still necessary to hire talent based solely on their educational background, or is there something else recruiters should be looking out for? Joining us today to help answer that question is the Head of all Talent Acquisition for India at Informatica, Aditya Singh. India has become a major source of talent for many companies based outside of the country, and our guest explains why India is unique in the talent that it produces. We learn about the country's current surge in technical skills development, why startups remain the focus of many Indian investors, how Informatica has increased its uptake of offshore development centers, and what the company is planning for its long-term internal skills development. Aditya then explains the importance of an individual having soft skills and keen critical thinking ability, and why recruiters need to take these skills more seriously when hiring their talent. We end with our guest giving noteworthy advice to new and mid-career TAs who are looking to grow in the industry.

Key Points From This Episode:

• A warm welcome to the Head of all Talent Acquisition for India at Informatica, Aditya Singh.
• Aditya's professional background and a breakdown of his current role.
• His educational history and a closer look at his HR coursework.
• Whether new innovations first happen in HR or TA.
• New and future TA innovations that excite Aditya the most.
• Why Informatica and other companies are betting big on India as a source of talent.
• The wave of growth in technical skills that India is currently experiencing.
• Why Indians are choosing to invest heavily in startups.
• How Aditya has witnessed Informatica's steady increase in hiring from India.
• Understanding the value of offshore development centers, and how he formed that strategy.
• Informatica's long-term internal skill development plan.
• The importance of having a strong, detailed workforce plan.
• How to work out an accurate 10-year skills development plan as technology rapidly changes.
• Why critical thinking is vital for the individual in the workforce.
• T-shaped learning and why it's a smart educational principle to adopt.
• How Aditya screens his candidates for soft skills.
• Why he believes that soft skills can be learned over a long period.
• The problems hiring managers have with choosing talent based on their soft skills.
• How our guest would go about changing the mentality of recruiters.
• His advice to new and mid-career TAs who are looking to grow in the space.

Tweetables:

"India is one of the biggest deals for Informatica and the most critical one. From a technology standpoint, we are in the right space, because a lot of the development, product development, hiring, everything happens in India." — @addypal [0:07:09]

"India is very focused on STEM sciences from an education standpoint. We've been brought up in a way of saying that 15 years of education is a must. Don't even think about dropping out. It's a mindset which we carry" — @addypal [0:08:04]

"I think we need to get away from role-based positions. The guardrails of education are slowly moving out. I think that we find the person who's able to deliver, focus on the result and what the individual brings to the table, and then the background of the individual." — @addypal [0:14:02]

"Your ability to solve complex problems [is very important], because no problem will be similar in nature. If it is similar in nature, you get automated, as simple as that." — @addypal [0:17:01]

Links Mentioned in Today's Episode:

Aditya Singh on LinkedIn

Aditya Singh on Twitter

Informatica

What are T-shaped skills?

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