Kerala IT firms revamp hiring strategies for AI era

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala IT firms are changing how they hire people as they believe conventional methods are no longer suitable for finding candidates who can thrive in today's digital era with the advent of Artificial Intelligence.

Instead of the traditional recruitment process, they are using longer tests to see if candidates can actually do the job and keep up with new technology.

This helps find people who can put their knowledge into action in today's fast-changing tech world, according to a release here on Tuesday.

Under the traditional system, candidates are selected through shortlisting based on marks in engineering, written tests, and interviews.

Launchpad Kerala 2024, a month-long talent acquisition programme organised by the Kerala Section of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and Group of Technology Companies (GTech) across the state, piloted the new hiring process, the GTech release said.

In the pilot edition, over 10,000 engineering students will undergo a series of tasks designed to test and enhance their problem-solving capabilities, technical skills and adaptability to secure jobs offered by more than 100 IT companies, including multinational firms operating in the state, it said.

The organisers exuded confidence that companies across the country would replicate this model.

A job fair will follow on May 6, 8 and 10 at IT Parks in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, and Kozhikode, respectively, under the new recruitment model.

Inaugurating the initiative, Dr Saji Gopinath, Vice Chancellor of Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation, and Technology (Digital University Kerala), and APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University, said Launchpad is a great learning experience and a new recruitment model in which graduates are being taken at an accelerated pace.

It helps youngsters get involved in problem-solving tasks, and it would be great if this model could be extended beyond IT to benefit other sectors.

"As per the pioneering model, a real-world problem-solving challenge will precede the interviews for jobs in software companies in the state," said V Sreekumar, secretary, GTech and Kerala head, Tata Elxsi.

Deepu S Nath, Convenor of GTech ATFG and MD of Faya India, said Artificial Intelligence (AI) agents like Devin and Devika and AI software engineers are redefining roles and responsibilities.

"It has led to a significant displacement of jobs, putting immense pressure on companies as they struggle to hire talent with relevant skills," he said.

Nath said it is time to prepare students to be agile learners who can easily navigate through uncertainties as conventional methods are no longer suitable for finding candidates who can thrive in today's digital era.

Rony Alex Thomas, Chair of Industry Relations, IEEE Kerala Section and Design Verification Engineer at Intel, said the new assessment approach will revolutionise the hiring practices in the IT industry by hiring candidates with perseverance and grit, offering a tangible solution to one of the most significant challenges being faced by the IT sector today.