Why Do Big IT Companies Prefer Tech-Savvy Recruiters Over HR Experts?

Dear Seniors,

Kindly let me know why big IT companies look for recruiters with an IT technology background or expertise. The usual job requirements for recruiters include educational backgrounds such as graduates and postgraduates (MBA/MSW/MSc in psychology). However, during interviews, the initial questions are often related to technology. If all they need is a technology-savvy person, why do they advertise for MBAs?

First, the HR domain knowledge and understanding need to be assessed. Please comment.

Regards,
vennpuru

This shows how the HR profession evolves, while our education system has not kept up with the same.

Earlier, anybody with HR qualifications and experience could get selected in a company for the position, irrespective of their sectoral background. After industrial evolution, companies started looking for HR professionals from the same industry - like FMCG, Manufacturing, Service, etc. Then the specialization of backgrounds narrowed down to industries such as BFSI, IT, etc. Now, after the IT/ITES boom, this has further narrowed down to qualifications like Engineering, IT, etc.

All these changes aim for faster service delivery of professionals after they join the organization. This trend holds true for all professions like marketing, finance, etc.

Hope this provides some insight.

Regards,
Sathiyamoorthy Iyer

I agree with smvsiyer. The recruitment industry has changed so much in the last 2 years. The most important and notable change is the clear definition of requirements that companies are coming up with on job roles and profile descriptions. Earlier, an applications developer on .NET was required to know C# or VB.NET with 2 years of experience. Also required was exposure to Windows CE. And now, companies are clearly defining the person required. The same way, recruiters who screen out resumes are evolving to those who understand requirements and can identify people without much effort.

Hence, people specializing in identifying human resources/talent are now known by a different identifier, recruiters. They are just a bunch of HR professionals specializing in one particular activity, recruitment.

Recruiters are not identified alongside other HR professionals because their role does not involve handling internal customers, but rather selling the company and job to external prospective employees. Moreover, they do not conduct typical HR interviews but tend to perform technical assessments (or screening) to reduce time invested in the recruitment process by eliminating "junk" (as per individual company standards) and passing on only "quality" (as per individual company standards) to the technical panel.

The projection is that recruiters will further move away from HR interviews in the recruitment process by providing an initial full assessment (technical and HR) before letting a candidate enter the recruitment process.

Hence, the "HR consultant" working in staffing firms MUST understand that their activity is simply further moving them away from a generalist or specialist HR role, towards a specialized recruiter's role.

A degree in Business Administration or Social Work is to ensure that the hire knows processes and policies of talent management and labor laws. The nature of the role requires an understanding of technology. Hence the need for the qualification, and the supportive knowledge.

A degree in psychology assumes that personality profiling and assessments are effectively done by individuals with such a background (though, honestly, I would defer to such assumptions!)

That's what I have to say about it.

PL&E

I agree with the points mentioned above; it's the practical point of view.

My question is, why not consider hiring IT graduates/postgraduates for recruitment activities instead of having HR professionals review resumes. Does having HR qualifications add any value or is it primarily to adhere to standards such as ISO, CMM/PCMM, etc.?

Regards,
vennpuru

Sorry, I am on a vacation and hence could not reply earlier. Well, times are changing, and companies are looking for CS graduates these days (with a PG/PGD in HR) for recruitment positions. That's it for now.

Dear Vennpuru,

Essentially, IT companies (or for that matter, any company) look for the nearest fit who could be productive in the least possible time. Accordingly, the best fits in HR could be complementary skills in HR and the technical/architectural backbone/skills that the business thrives on. An HR professional who has worked in an IT setup with similar skills is intended to be the nearest and best fit. However, a technical person with no or inadequate HR background will not fit the bill since HR itself is recognized as a distinct function with a strong identity of its own. The best scenario is for an HR professional to acquire exposure to IT processes/skills for a first-time look-in. Since such professionals are available, organizations demand these skills/exposure.

For HR professionals as new 'industry' entrants, they need to have exposure. Non-IT HR professionals can also fit the bill, but companies insist on such exposure since they steadfastly get them in the market.

Rahul Kumar