Jaipuria Institute of Management, Lucknow had recently organized a guest session with Mr. Mayank Chandra, Managing Partner, Antal International, Lucknow for the benefit of its students. The talk revolved around “Recruitment Consultancies” and offered insight into the functioning of HR companies and professionals. Mr. Chandra brought his vast experience in the field to the table as he shed light on the important area of talent acquisition, which is of great significance to organizations today.

Antal International is a Global Executive Recruitment Organizations with more than 130 offices in over 30 countries. It is dedicated to the mission of discovering talent; a goal carried forward by its Lucknow office. Mr. Chandra cited several real life examples of talent acquisition by his company and made the session more relatable to the students. He further made his point that for today’s corporate scenario, talent acquisition has to be a mix of both; Marketing and Human Resources strategies/

According to Mr. Chandra, “World is moving from Key Result Area (KRA) based resumes to Achievement Based resumes. It has naturally brought about certain changes in the outlook for HR professionals that have to be factored in. To work in a recruitment consultancy today you need to have a specific set of skills including deep sectoral knowledge, good communication skills, high energy and risk taking abilities.” He thus laid out the roadmap for students who are interested in making a career for themselves in the world of HR.

It was a highly interactive session where Mr. Chandra was also around to answer questions from students and offer them further insight into his world. For those who wanted to know if they were cut out for the responsibilities of Human Resources, he had simple advice. “Of course, the theoretical knowledge you get in the classroom will help you to a great extent in real life situations. But you also have to focus on common sense and constant interaction with people, which can successfully help you with your career in HR,” he added.

Mr. Chandra believes that today society needs expert opinions and support in different industry sectors. He got into recruitment with the motivation of building the bridge between the industry and talent, thus doing his part for the society. He finally reflected on the corporate scenario for HR in the country today when he said, “Western Europe and USA are the most organized recruitment markets. Indian companies are going global and recruitment consultancies are playing a central role. Work hard with passion and there is no limit to things you can do.”

Student Contributor: Nikita Srivastava (PGDM , 2013-15)