Hiring in smaller Indian towns

Every other article we read today- hinges on the great war for talent. Every company is trying out new recipes to attract and retain the best people it can. Two meetings I had in the recent fortnight – bring me to a question - what are the challenges for those employers in the smaller towns?

At the 2nd National Convention of ERA at Hyderabad, the theme revolved around the opportunities in the BRIC and Europe nations (you can download some of the presentations here), I had an interesting chat with a Director of a small IT firm in Vishakhapatnam, popularly known as Vizag-a sleepy town in the coastal Andhra Pradesh- in the southeastern of India!

He had a challenging mantra “ reach out to vizagites” across the world!! Vizag has been some good educational institutions – and has apparently provided more than 800 IITians in the bargain-with over 400 in the 10+yrs category- and in senior management positions worldwide. The company has been trying to reach out to them- and exploring if their services can be utilized –as prospective employees or even some entrepreneurial ventures.

Right now, I am at Goa...on the other coast of India- which is a tourist destination –and a delight from some of us wanting to get away from the maddening crowds! (One can blissfully drive amidst the scenic backdrop for an hour and get to the other end of the state! In the last three days, I am yet to find a traffic signal –not to mention a jam :-)!)

Last evening I met the MD of a Tata JV and he was lamenting about attracting the ‘ambitious kind’ of employees/workers to Goa- as most people think of it as a ‘retired people's city’! The company has embarked on a major expansion drive-and are stretching their imagination to find the best talent. I now have a carte blanche mandate.. 'get me any Goan wanting to return’ to Goa-and they would build a role around the person. Any Engineer, with a couple of decades of experience in any industry, even if he has retired elsewhere- and keen to be gainfully employed in any function –opportunities are available at all levels!!

Any takers?

I would love to hear from other experienced talent partners..on how they have tackled similar issues.

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