Some hiring updates and what we look for in a Tekriti employee
We observe 5 days a week work schedule at Tekriti but a lot of job interviews are scheduled on the Saturdays. So, even though it’s a holiday, I end up being at work every Saturday essentially making it 6 days at office in a week. Sunday is one day where I get to spend time at home – trying to arrange the clothes that were piled on the other bed over the week, do some cooking which is mostly limited to Top Ramen / Maggi and make phone calls to friends and relatives.
There have been many many Saturdays which were disappointing because we didn’t make any hire those days. In fact – after a while, I stopped getting disappointed too because I knew that the chances of somebody getting hired (even for those who made it to the interview round after the resume screening, phone screening and test clearance) was very low. And we just declined to compromise on the quality, knowing quite well that it might mean not being able to grow (in terms of human resources) as fast as we want to.
But – this Saturday was great! I can easily say that I got to interact with one of the smartest guys who came for an interview with Tekriti. There are days when I feel the need of lowering the standard of questions that I am asking the candidates, to enable them to answer something – even though the recommended decision of ‘No Hire’ has been made based on the response so far. But then there are days when, during the interview, you are forced to think – forced to think of raising the bar higher, forced to introduce more complexity in the questions and see how does the candidate respond to that. And then feel very happy and pleased when the candidate answers those questions – and it is quite rare if you come across multiple such candidates on a particular day. This Saturday was one such day – I just enjoyed talking to a few candidates.
With the risk of sounding arrogant – I feel that most of the Indian companies need to work on their hiring practices. I have seen and heard about the hiring process of a lot of Indian companies and can confidently say that we have one of the best hiring methodologies (which is inspired a lot from Microsoft) in the industry. So, if you are really looking for a career with Tekriti, you need to be extremely clear about certain things:
- Be a problem solver: If you think that you know syntax of a particular language and are extremely conversant with the helper libraries – we appreciate that. But, if you can’t solve new problems, can’t suggest algorithms for new problems thrown at you – Tekriti is not the right place for you. We love language experts but we value problem solvers a lot more.
- Appreciate technology: It’s good to know the stuff that you are currently doing. But we lay a lot of emphasis on your excitement about the other technology, competing or non-competing. So – if you like to follow the current technology trends, do a case study on its pros and cons, be pro-active to push a technology amongst your peers where you see potential or just get excited on seeing a good use of technology in any application – I can promise you a very good time at Tekriti.
- Have high energy: Anybody working in a startup has to be full of energy. You need to constantly think about how you can make the place better. There are so many areas that you can work on and play a role in the company other than just your primary responsibilities. So, think about that and then own the implementation – you will have a great flexibility in implementing that. We all appreciate that and it’s part of the company culture.
- Be ready to learn and grow fast: We are a growing company and a lot of stress is on having people who can keep up with the pace of the growth of the company. You need to constantly take more and more responsibilities so that the load is equally shared and we can assure you that the responsibilities will also be shared in the same proportion. So, if you think that you need a lot of time playing just 1 role without accepting more responsibility – we are not the right company for you. But if you love responsibilities – there isn’t a better place for you
- Have a good attitude: We, as a company, are extremely sensitive about our company culture. We truly believe that all TeknoKrats are our greatest assets and any attempt to disrupt that culture is not appreciated. We are all a bunch of enthusiasts who love what we are doing, love working with each other, love helping each other and we want it to be that way. So, if you are interviewing with us, please leave your arrogance at home. However smart or talented you may be – we will not appreciate any attitude issues and arrogance and will not have any place for you. Be confident, be self-assured, be pleasant and be forth-coming but don’t cross the line. We want everybody in the company to enjoy their work and will not let anybody in who we think might cause any problem there.
Unless the other companies follow similar practices and stress more on the aptitude and problem solving skills rather than the details of a particular language, hiring will remain the biggest challenge for all of us – today and in future.
“”Life is such; the way you look at things..so try to hold different point of view”"
Nice to read your blog.
Keep Enriching
With Best Wishes,
Namit Kumar
Speaking of hiring practices, thought I’d share my recent experience interviewing with a company that prides itself on innovation,teamwork,meritocracy etc.
I had 3 rounds of interviews.
The first was a “technical” interview, where I was given the following information: ” As a software head of a large car manufacturer you got a good deal on GPS receivers. These are a basic model with limited interface, just a few buttons and a digital display. How will you use these?”
This was a great start to a discussion on what applications can be designed, what information can be obtained, and how that information can be used to the company’s advantage. We ended with designing an application that collects driver data on driving patterns and other such statistics.
This was meant to test lateral thinking – what can I do with the limited info I have.
The second was a general discussion on one of three topics that I could choose from. This was not a debate but I was asked to choose one side of the topic and make well thought out arguments that support my stand. The topics were wide ranging from health care issues to privacy concerns etc.
This was to test communication skills as well the ability to lead design discussions.
The last round was just a general chat while reviewing my resume and asking the usual – why do you want to move etc.
We ended with a feedback round where I was asked what I thought of the process, what I thought each round was testing and how I rated my own performance.
Each round was recorded with a voice recorder – I was told this was used in case there was a discrepancy between the opinions of the interviewers.
This was the first time I have interviewed with a company that has such an unique interview porcess.
I thought it would be great to share this with others – seems a fine example of superior hiring practices.
If i get deported next year, hope you guys can find a job for me at Tekriti!
It was good to know that you had a nice time interviewing ppl after so many dissapointing interviews and that you didnt had to compromise to the quality. Hoping that you continue getting such ppl.
Don’t eat stuff like Top Ramen or Maggi. It’s unhealthy and those companies aren’t renowned for their contribution to the local economy or environment. It’s healthier and just as easy to bake a couple of potatoes in the microwave for 2 minutes, while it’s baking chop up a tomato. Put some precrushed chilli pods and olive oil or sunflower oil on it and it’s a tasty quick meal. All local ingredients and it supports the local economy. It’s just as easy and as fast to make as the dirty noodles but about 100 times healthier.
“So, if you think that you need a lot of time playing just 1 role without accepting more responsibility – we are not the right company for you.”
Liked the way you have put this point across. I am a part of a growing company which is a startup in its own field and have seen people evading responsibilities that are not defined for them and it simply does not seem to work well at least with a startup.
Good points Ashish for hiring smart people. However, what you mentioned is a standard list found in most business books on hiring practices. (Problem solver, high energy, good attitude etc.)
Don’t get me wrong Ashish! These qualities are a must for hiring right. But you are missing the most important component that sets a growing company apart from its competitors. It is how much each employee believes in the mission statement of the company. Not only memorizing the mission statement (although that is a must) but also believing in that mission in one’s heart and soul.
This is easier said than done but one must find ways to accomplish this. An employee can have all the qualities you mentioned but if he do not connects with the mission, it will be tough for a growing company to get the best out of its talented staff. There should be something in the mission that makes an employee feels like an owner. He should be passionate enough to dream new ideas for the company in his dreams and should be ready to implement those ideas the very next day.
Thanks Jayakumar for the wonderful recipe. I didn’t know that Maggi or Top Ramen wasn’t healthy-to be frank I had thought just the reverse.
Now I understand why HR folks get paid on par with some technical staff
Regards,
NagB /at/
Startups.in
Excellent point, Jatinder! I totally agree with you here – the point needed special mention – though I thought that “High energy” and “appreciate technology” covered that point in our case to some extent.
Jayakumar – thanks for the tip. I knew that it’s unhealthy and am trying to bring in a bit discipline in my food habits. Thanks for reminding that.
Sunshine – that was a nice experience and helpful for anybody reading the comments.
Nagendra, Seema, Jatin, Namit, Siddhartha – appreciate your comments!
Most of young people appreciate technology these days. And it is also easy to trace high energy candidates in the interview. But if the candidates do not connect with your firm’s mission what’s the use of that high energy. High energy candidates will get frustrated easily if they do not connect with the mission.
I will also suggest try to pick people who can create high energy in other staff members, not just have high energy in themselves. A high energy candidate may be pissing a lot of other staff members who may not appear high energy but may be very hard working and are bread winners for your company. Be careful and Good Luck!
I am amazed by your piece of work ,u’ve added so much of a personal touch into ur wrk , like tht . it was wndrful to go thru this, em into da same field , jst did my MCA n i guess its clear for me now ..to undrstnd the needs, n wht i need to wrk out.thnx
hope u find da best for ur company coz ure putting so much into it..al da best
I have to say, that I could not agree with you in 100% regarding Some hiring updates and what we look for in a Tekriti employee, but it’s just my opinion, which could be wrong