Domain Dons

Traditionally strong recruiters are recalibrating their talent needs and hiring parameters. Other than from B-schools, some are laterally hiring specialists as well.

- E. Kumar Sharma

THIS IS AN AGE OF specialists, impatience and one of disappearing information arbitrage. A consultant’s job is getting more complex, and more lucrative. This has a direct bearing on the kind of talent being hired. As a result, leading consultancies have expanded their catchment area for hiring to go beyond just business schools. “Clients are getting more sophisticated and want to see more expertise and implementation capabilities,” says Gautam Kumra, Senior Partner and Managing Director, McKinsey India. That’s one reason why, he says, “over the past two to three years, we have been hiring (specialists like) data scientists and data statisticians aggressively.”

When clients ask for specific advice or expertise, consultancies have to be in a position to fulfill that demand. “One of our pharma clients wanted to engage with our experts on industry trends, strategic options and what it takes to manage change. This required the best of our experts from strategy, pharma domain, and implementation capabilities,” says Kumra. There are several other such examples. For example, “an Indian IT services company expected us to bring the best domain experts from each vertical, who could then identify their pain points and solutions (how technology could address these). When we were involved in a cost-efficiency project for an automotive company, we were expected to bring in people with relevant expertise in procurement, design.”

So, how has the change in client demands translated into the way the firm hires from business schools? “About five years ago, our hiring was almost entirely from B-school campuses. Today, that is only 60-70 per cent. The rest is experienced hiring; many more specialists are hired laterally,” says Kumra.