Article: HR leaders must leverage the power of networking for senior-level hiring: NLB Services' Sachin Alug

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HR leaders must leverage the power of networking for senior-level hiring: NLB Services' Sachin Alug

‘Our team interacts with thousands of candidates every day – these rich interactions allow us to collect critical market intelligence on candidate expectations, market trends, and best practices,’ said Sachin Alug, CEO, NLB Services.
HR leaders must leverage the power of networking for senior-level hiring: NLB Services' Sachin Alug

Sachin Alug who is the CEO of NLB Services comes with over 10 years of experience in the global information technology and business process outsourcing industry, managing divisions and business units in the United States, India and Europe. His background includes IT strategic planning, business solutions, global team leadership, and lean six-sigma activities that have helped multiple organizations achieve aggressive business goals. 

In an exclusive interaction with People Matters, Sachin shares with us the story of NLB Services and how organisations can source great talent in their journey of growth and impact. Here are some excerpts

As major companies in India launch their hiring plans for the quarter, what are some of the challenges that continue to hinder talent acquisition and talent retention?

Talent acquisition, especially in the wake of the pandemic, continues to be hindered by various factors. While recruiters are coming to terms with the great resignation and coming up with means to tackle the same, we are seeing the great emergence of the gig economy. In a way, most of it boils down to offering employees reasons to stay at a job that goes beyond the simple perks of the past. Employees now look for a growth-conducive environment that is full of intellectually stimulating challenges. 

In managing their employee value propositions, organizations might take a page from the playbook of consumer goods companies. Firms must understand candidates’ expectations and craft positions accordingly, in the same manner in which consumer goods companies tailor their products to customers.  HR departments at some leading companies hold focus groups to assess job seekers’ expectations, benchmark their offerings against those of competitors, and scour social media and job-review sites such as Glassdoor to understand how they are viewed by current, past, and potential employees.

What is the story behind the creation of the NLB Services platform? What has it achieved so far and how does it aim to be of service to the talent community? 

In hindsight, the business of value creation that I imbibed during my term with GE, has played a crucial role in shaping the culture and values at NLB Services. At GE, I was a part of an environment built on the cornerstones of connecting, collaborating, and adding value to society through entrepreneurship. The same ethos runs through the DNA of NLB Services. Our vision has always been to be a strategic talent partner that brings value to the table. This is how we have grown into a strong team of 8000+ people serving 60+ customers across multiple continents.

Our team interacts with thousands of candidates every day – these rich interactions allow us to collect critical market intelligence on candidate expectations, market trends, and best practices. We collaborate with our clients to institute these learnings in the talent acquisition process, making the candidate experience better. 

In the age of digital transformation, leveraging the right HR tech solutions can reap several benefits for any business. Could you share with us some of the success stories from using NLB Services?

Technology, when used appropriately, can boost the quality and agility of the recruitment process. NLB Services uses its platform- ClearedTalent to perform agile vetting of candidates and build a pre-vetted talent community. We use ClearedTalent and social media channels to stay continuously in touch with the talent community. NLB Services also conducts activities like Hackathons and Coding Challenges to engage with talent and create a warm bench that could be leveraged on-demand.

We just conducted a Hackathon branded as “Bridge The Gap” focused on hiring women developers in partnership with one of our strategic clients. As a celebration of International Women’s Day 2022, this initiative aimed to offer a platform for women coders and developers to showcase their skills and get the right work opportunities.

HR leaders are increasingly aware that onboarding and training are a critical part of the employee hiring process. From your years of experience, what is the impact of the right onboarding experience for talent retention? 

It doesn’t take much for an employee to base their opinions about an organization immediately after joining. This is where seamless onboarding and training processes come to the rescue. The environment of openness and transparency within the organization will help new hires hop smoothly onboard. 

Once a candidate accepts the offer, it’s the organization’s job to not make them feel left out or disconnected. The tried and tested mentor and buddy programs go a long way in bringing new employees in tune with the workings of the organization. 

In the virtual and remote working environment, the entire onboarding experience becomes even more crucial. It’s easy for a new joiner to develop a feeling of isolation. Regular engagements with the leadership and HR teams can be immensely helpful for them to gain a sense of belongingness, and get excited about the journey ahead.

Executive hiring tends to be even more challenging than hiring freshers these days. What are some strategies that can help business leaders find the right people to fill their senior management roles?

HR leaders must leverage the power of networking for senior-level hiring. Hiring at this level majorly entails offering candidates a value add for their roles. At senior levels, employers must look at the value proposition they are offering to their potential hires. These roles call for strategic partnerships with the organization, rather than a list of key responsibilities. To achieve this effectively, keeping a pulse of the market is imperative for recruiters.

Finally, What is one word of caution or advice you would like to share with talented leaders when it comes to implementing their recruitment strategy?

Creating a positive candidate experience, regardless of whether the hiring goes through or not, is crucial. We at NLB Services are deeply committed to the “experience creation” process in collaboration with our clients – implementing the best practices here is key to building a company’s future brand as an employer. 

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Topics: Recruitment, Talent Acquisition, #Hiring

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