What PwC looks for when hiring in India? HR chief says it's not just about delivering

Padmaja Alaganandan, Chief People Officer at PwC in India

PwC in India, the consulting major, is hiring aggressively as it looks to be relevant to India Inc’s growth plans.

Although it planned to hire 10,000 people over five years across priority areas, the company will now achieve this in just 3-4 years, Padmaja Alaganandan, Chief People Officer at PwC in India, told Moneycontrol.

“Our goal was to add 2,000 jobs a year. However, we will be well ahead of this number,” she said.

PwC sources talent in India from both campuses and lateral sources. But campus hiring will be five times the lateral one, it had said earlier.

On skills, Alaganandan said the talent search and development would be aligned to the firm's business strategy with a focus on Cloud, Advanced Analytics, Machine Learning and other emerging technologies. ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance) and cyber risk-related jobs would be another focus area.

“There would be a lot of work around digital transformation, which requires the whole intersection between tape technology and business solutions skills,” the HR chief said, adding, “Whether it's supply chain or finance function transformation, we would look at skills that are very much aligned to our ‘The New Equation’ strategy.”

‘The New Equation’ strategy is based on an analysis of trends and thousands of conversations with clients and stakeholders.

Cultural fit is a must

Apart from skills, PwC in India looks at whether a candidate is a ‘cultural fit'. “We are fairly collaborative and collegial and focus on a nurturing workplace, even as we live a high-performance culture,” Alaganandan said.

For campus hiring, the HR team at PwC in India would run candidates through a psychometric inventory it has co-created with a partner to look specifically at what the company wants at that time.

It mainly has 2-3 dimensions looking at how self-aware a candidate is or how well he/she can manage himself/herself or how they can manage others.

“We also look at relationships - how good are you at building relationships externally and of course, internally. Other elements of development include commercial and digital acumen, and the global and inclusive dimension that one demonstrates,” Alaganandan said, adding, “We do that for hires at all levels.”

Special probe for managers 

Though Alaganandan agreed every interviewer has their style, senior hires require some probe.

Apart from having experience at the senior level, PwC looks at what experience candidates have in building something. “We usually ask: have you built your new client accounts or have you built a new business?” she said. In a nutshell, it's not just about delivering.

Also, potential managers must have the ability to work with different backgrounds and cultures. “It's because employees have to be able to navigate ambiguity – it's never black or white. It's the ability to navigate changing scenarios and show resilience and the ability to adapt,” Alaganandan said.

PwC in India has moved to hybrid working and doesn't expect people to punch in at a certain time. As of now, the offices including the client offices have been witnessing over 50 percent physical attendance of employees.

“We've always been supportive of flexibility and work from anywhere, as long as we don't compromise on client delivery and satisfaction. It's important to empower and trust our people and allow them to structure their work in a manner that enables them,” Alaganandan said.