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PROJECT REPORT ON

TO STUDY THE MANPOWER RESOURCING INDUSTRY IN

HYDERABAD AND TO IDENTIFY AND EVALUATE POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS AND COMPETITORS ACROSS THE INDUSTRY

SUBMITTED TO

Salokh Cyber Services Pvt. Ltd.

301, 3rd Floor, Amsri Shamira Building,

Old Lancer Lines, (Opposite: St. Mary’s Junior College),

Secunderabad 500025, A.P. India

&

BIRLA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY

GREATER NOIDA

BY

MADHUSMITA DAS

09DM059

2010

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CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the Project Report on

TO STUDY THE MANPOWER RESOURCING INDUSTRY IN HYDERABAD AND TO IDENTIFY AND EVALUATE POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS AND COMPETITORS ACROSS THE INDUSTRY

Is a bonafide work and it is submitted to

BIRLA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY, GREATER NOIDA

BY

MADHUSMITA DAS

09DM059

During the academic year 2009-2010

Under the guidance of

DR. A. K DEY Dr. H. CHATURVEDI

(Project Mentor) (Director BIMTECH)

BIRLA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY, GREATER NOIDA

2009-2011

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the people who had helped and guided me in this project. This project would have been very difficult to complete without their help. I would like to thank Mr. Osbon Prusty, Business Development Manager, Salokh Cyberservices, our company guide and Ms. Shebah Varghese, MD, Salokh Cyberservicers for their unwavering faith in my abilities and for providing me with the chance of working in this project. I am thankful for the effort put by them towards guiding me to the successful completion of the project. I would also like to thank Dr. A. K Dey, Professor, Birla Institute of Management Technology, amd my faculty in-charge for his constant guidance throughout the project. I am thankful for the time devoted by him towards assisting me with my efforts and providing expert insight into the details of the project. I am thankful to all the employees of Salokh Cyberservices and iOpportune for facilitating my project and making it a wonderful experience to work at Salokh. Madhusmita Das

09DM059

BIMTECH

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Outsourcing the recruitment requirements of an organization needs much speculation from the company’s side on deciding which venue to outsource. Recruitment Consultancies attempt to address this need of companies and provide them with the right resources at the right time for their requirement. Of late, contract staffing has also started to become popular amongst companies mainly due to the fact that the responsibility of these contract employees lies with the recruiting consultancies. This even falls easy on the pocket of the companies.

Salokh, in order to address these opportunities, planned to enter the recruitment sourcing industry via iOpportune, the offshoot of Salokh. In order to enter the market with a definite strategy to counter the competition existing in the market and to address the needs accordingly, the project was initiated.

The market research project aimed at understanding the market from the perspective of customers (companies) and competitors. The project was based totally on data gathered from the primary research. Hence it reveals the actual market scenario existing in the Hyderabad recruitment sourcing market.

It was found that many companies do not prefer to go for consultancies mainly due to the fact that they have had negative experience of consultancies in which the service provided was not found up to the mark. Many more details were found during the course of the study both for customers and also for competitors. Recommendations were forwarded to iOpportune on the basis of these findings.

The project would prove to be beneficial to iOpportune in terms of developing their business model and entry strategy.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………...1

2. RESEARCH DESIGN……………………………………………………………………3

3. BACKGROUND STUDY………………………………………………………………..4

4. EXPLORATORY STUDY………………………………………………………………..9

5. QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN & SAMPLE SELECTION………………………………11

6. DATA COLLECTION TECHNIQUES…………………………………………………11

7. DESCRIPTIVE STUDY: Objectives……………………………………………………12

8. FINDINGS & OBSERVATIONS: Customer Study……………………………………13

9. FINDINGS & OBSERVATIONS: Competitor Study………………………………….30

10. SERVQUAL: GAP ANALYSIS………………………………………………………..37

11. RECOMMENDATIONS………………………………………………………………...41

12. LIMITATIONS…………………………………………………………………………..48

13. APPENDIX A……………………………………………………………………………49

14. APPENDIX B……………………………………………………………………………53

15. APPENDIX C……………………………………………………………………………54

16. BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………………………….57

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ILLUSTRATIONS

List of Figures:

Fig 1: Organizational Hierarchy of iOpportune…………………………………………………..8

Fig 2: Profile Distribution for Fresh Graduates (IT)……………………………………………..13

Fig 3: Stream Divide for Fresh Graduates recruited (IT)………………………………………..14

Fig 4: Profiles in Vogue for Experienced Candidates (IT)………………………………………15

Fig 5: Major Recruitment Cycle (IT)…………………………………………………………….16

Fig 6: Recruitment Methods for fresh graduates (IT)……………………………………………17

Fig 7: Major Recruitment Methods for Experienced Candidates (IT)…………………………..18

Fig 8: Major Profiles for Fresh Graduates (Bio and Pharma)……………………………………19

Fig 9: Major Profiles for Experienced Candidates………………………………………………20

Fig 10: Major Recruitment Cycles (Bio & Pharma)……………………………………………..21

Fig 11: Recruitment Methods for Fresh Graduates (Bio & Pharma)…………………………….22

Fig 12: Recruitment Methods for Experienced Candidates (Bio & Pharma)……………………23

Fig 13: Recruitment Cycle (Other Sectors)……………………………………………………...24

Fig 14: Recruitment Methods for Fresh Graduates (Other Sectors) …………………………….25

Fig 15: Recruitment Methods for Experienced Candidates (Other Sectors) ……………………26

Fig 16: Concerns faced by companies in Recruitment…………………………………………..27

Fig 17: Other Concerns faced……………………………………………………………………28

Fig 18: Reasons for avoiding Consultancies……………………………………………………..29

Fig 19: Mapping of Competitors on Sector and Services provided……………………………..31

Fig 20: Industry focus of competition…………………………………………………………...32

Fig 21: Services Offered by Competitors………………………………………………………..33

Fig 22: Candidate Sourcing Method…………………………………………………………….34

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Fig 23: Promotional Strategies adopted by consultancies……………………………………….36

Fig 24: ServQual Model for Gap Analysis…………………………………………………….37

Fig 25: Proposed Operational Structure for iOpportune………………………………………45

List of Tables:

Table 1: Location Wise Job Index details for April, 2010……………………………………..5

Table 2: Industry Wise Job Index details for April 2010………………………………………5

Table 3: Functional Area wise increase in Job Index………………………………………….6

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INTRODUCTION

Title of the Project: To study the Manpower Resourcing Industry in Hyderabad and to identify and evaluate the potential customers and competitors across the industry.

Purpose of the study: The purpose of the study is to develop a competitive and differentiated strategy for iOpportune to embark as a Recruitment Consultancy focused towards sourcing of experienced candidates.

Scope of the study: The project had been designed on the basis of the Porter’s five forces model for competition. The part to be covered under this study was two of the five aspects of the Porter’s model: Customers and Industry Competition. For these two aspects, the scope is described as follows:

Market Study: Study the details about the market for jobs, the demand-supply equation (scenario), identify the key recruitment cycles in specific sectors, key industries hiring and key industry pain points in the recruitment cycle.

Competitor Study: Identification of the key competitors in the market and understanding their business and revenue models.

The study is to be conducted specifically for the Hyderabad market.

Based on the market and competitor study carried out, recommendations needs to be extended for formulating the business model, the revenue model and strategies for iOpportune to embark as a Recruitment Consultancy for experienced candidates.

Deliverables for the study: the deliverables which are needed to be addressed has been categorized separately for Market study and Competitor study in the following manner:

Key Deliverables: Market Study: The key deliverables for the market study includes:

• Identification of the demand-supply equation for specific sectors – IT, Bio and Pharmaceutical, Retail, Manufacturing etc.

• Define recruitment process for selected sectors. Need to include key methods and measures adopted

• Identification of key concerns faced by companies during the entire recruitment cycle or in any recruitment method

Key Deliverables: Competitor Study: The key deliverables required to be addressed as per the competitor study includes:

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• Identify key competitors

• Ranking based on parameters

o Website

o Client List

o Employee Strength

o Brand in the market

• Business Model

o Industry focus

o Services offered

o Operation methodology

o Candidate sourcing methods

o Registration with industry bodies

• Revenue Model

o Major source(s) of revenue

o Price break-up (Fee + taxes)

o Credit cycle

• Identify key customers for each competitor

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RESEARCH DESIGN

The methodology adopted for the study was a combination of primary and secondary research. The secondary research involved studying competition from online sources and literature review of any existing study.

The primary research was divided into two stages (parts): the pilot project and the main study. The pilot project was an exploratory study done amongst respondents belonging to the directed sample (competitors and customers). This study involved gathering responses from the respondents to a few unstructured questions by interview method. The objective of the pilot project was to get insight into the main factors/results for each of the deliverables which would further help to narrow down the study and streamline the entire process. The results were used to design the questionnaire which was to be used later in the main primary study.

The main primary research involved getting responses from customers (market study) and competitors (competition study) with respect to the questionnaire. This was in inline with the deliverables that was required to be met.

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BACKGROUND STUDY

Industry Overview:

The recruitment outsourcing industry in India, though more than two decades old, is still booming. Whenever an organization thinks of recruitment sourcing, there exist multiple options:

• Job-Portals

• Recruitment Consultancies/Manpower Sourcing organizations

• Newspapers

• Walk-ins

Hyderabad is one of the most lucrative of locations for job opportunities and businesses alike. It houses seven thousand odd companies, small, medium and large, and hence has immense business as well as job opportunities. This fact has been successful in attracting a number of recruitment sourcing companies, including the top ones like Ma-foi, Alps Management Consultants, Kelly Services etc. Besides, a number of small and medium companies also cater to this extremely dynamic job market, some of them being local ventures working exclusively for the Hyderabad market.

As per a survey carried out by Naukri.com on April 2010, the Job Speak Index1 for 2010 studied on April, 2010, stands at 1019, the highest ever Job Speak Index recorded so far. Since this study, conducted by Naukri.com, even includes job openings not posted on Naukri.com, it gives a holistic idea of the growth happening in the current Indian market. The location wise detail of the study indicates a 36% rise in the Job Index of Hyderabad on April 2010 compared to April 2009 and occupied the second place after Bangalore with an increase of 45%. The following table shows the city wise details of the increase in Job Index:

Source: Job Speak Index1: An Index developed by Naukri.com indicating the job scenario in the market

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CITY

PERCENT INCREASE

Pune 63%

Delhi-NCR 47%

Bangalore 45%

Mumbai 45%

Hyderabad 36%

Kolkata 27%

Source: JobSpeak April, 2010

Table 1: Location Wise Job Index details for April, 2010

The Naukri study also comes up with a industry wise job index and a functional area wise job index. The tables for both these indices are respectively illustrated as follows:

INDUSTRY PERCENT INCREASE

Insurance 82%

Banking 67%

IT-Software 48%

ITES/BPO 44%

Auto 41%

Oil & Gas 21%

Source: JobSpeak April, 2010

Table 2: Industry Wise Job Index details for April 2010

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FUNCTIONAL AREA PERCENT INCREASE

HR & Administration 84%

ITES/BPO 50%

IT-Software 48%

Project Management 47%

Marketing 35%

Accounts & Finance 18%

Source: JobSpeak April, 2010

Table 3: Functional Area wise increase in Job Index

From the data depicted above, it is evident that Hyderabad is emerging as an attractive location for new jobs. Also, as per the city wise job index, Hyderabad currently has a job index of 1015.

As per the industry wise details, the Banking sector tops the list with 82% increase in its job index. For the functional area, job index for HR & Administration tops the list with an 84% increase whereas the IT-Software sector maintained a third position with a 48% increase.

Salokh Cyber Services: Company Profile and Background

Formed in 2007, Salokh is driven by the vision of providing “a professional gateway to India” for all organizations looking into leveraging on the diversities and opportunities peculiar to the Indian market. The services provided by Salokh include outsourcing services in the field of Web Development and Search Engine Optimization, Back Office Processing for accounting and audit firms and Pre-media Services/Desk Top publishing. All these services are managed and operated out of three offices: one in the Netherlands and two in Hyderabad.

Service Lines and Markets Addressed:

The service lines of Salokh include Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) and Extended Office Business Model. It provides business solutions and services to small, medium and large companies. Till date Salokh has been successful in maintaining a track record of excellent performance in their business units.

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The KPO solutions include the already mentioned back office services for audit firms and accounting departments of large corporate houses. Salokh offers the strategic solutions required by these firms in the current dynamic market and in a cost effective manner. Salokh has partnerships with many companies: both Indian and Dutch for its services of Extended Office Business Model and DTP servies

iOpportune:

Owned and maintained by Salokh, iOpportune deals in the recruitment consulting domain. it has two main service lines: an online portal, iOpportune.com, which is used to cater to student and graduate recruitment for both India and abroad and a personalized recruitment services for experienced candidates.

The portal caters to young students and graduates with less than 2 years of work experience to

search and apply for the openings available with organizations across India and abroad.

iOpportune.com also helps students find internships in leading organizations in India and abroad.

Off late the company is focusing on providing companies in Netherlands with students from Top

Engineering schools and B-schools in India to do a 3-4 months internship in The Netherlands

and vice versa. This would help students get an international working experience during their

study.

For the personalized recruitment services, iOpportune is yet to venture out full time into the market. This is where this project would come in handy so as to give them a ground to upon further. The hierarchy of iOpportune with respect to Salokh is depicted in the following figure:

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Fig 1: Organizational Hierarchy of iOpportune

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EXPLORATORY STUDY

Before the commencement of the actual study, a pilot project was conducted. This was an exploratory study and the objective was to gain insight so as to develop a strategic framework for carrying out the main descriptive study. The pilot project was done for both customers and competitors. No structured questionnaire was adopted and data was gathered by interviewing the respondent. Questions asked were open ended so as to extract the maximum of information on which the descriptive study can be built upon. The sample size was relatively small as the responses received converged within a small number of respondents.

Pilot Project: Customers

The objective of this exploratory study was:

• To identify the major sources of recruitment for companies

• To identify the sources of concern for organizations in the recruitment cycle

Sample Size: A total of six companies were selected and interacted with. It included two large and one medium (volume and revenue) companies from the IT sector, two from the manufacturing sector and two from the Bio and Pharmaceutical sector.

Data Collection Method: Data was collected by means of interview with the respondents. A combination of personal visit and telephonic interview was carried out in order to cover all the respondent belonging to the sample.

Questionnaire: The questionnaire adopted was a brief one consisting of a few open-ended questions which catered towards understanding the deliverables and in certain cases, gathering a list of options for a deliverable. For example, in case of concern areas faced by organization in the recruitment, the open-ended question helped in shortlisting four options which can be used in the descriptive study.

Results: The study yielded the following results:

• Recruitment options available for organizations: Direct recruitment, Reference, Job-Portals, Consultancies, Walk-ins and Newspaper ads. Out of these, walk-ins and newspaper ads were the least preferred methods.

• The major concerns faced by organizations throughout the entire recruitment cycle are: Getting the right candidates, filling vacancies on time and Cost incurred.

• Reasons why organizations do not approach consultancies for recruitment purpose are: Self-sufficient in terms of recruitment, Cost, poor previous experience with consultancies etc.

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Analysis: Results obtained from this exploratory study provided a framework on which to base the descriptive study. The questionnaire to be used in the descriptive study was completely based on the results described above, obtained from the exploratory study. The questionnaire is duly attached in Appendix I.

Pilot Study: Competitors

Objective: The objective of this exploratory study was:

• To identify the main players in the recruitment sourcing market

• To identify the major business strategies

Sample: A total of four consultancies were considered in the sample for this initial pilot project. The initial plan was to include at least ten consultancies in the study. But as data gathering progressed, it became evident that the same factors were getting repeated and no additional relevant data (factor) could be identified. So, the study was stopped at four consultancies.

Data Collection Method: Data was collected by means of interview with the respondents. A combination of personal visit and telephonic interview was carried out in order to cover all the respondent belonging to the sample.

Questionnaire: The questionnaire adopted was a brief one consisting of a few open-ended questions which catered towards understanding the deliverables and in certain cases, gathering a list of options for a deliverable.

Results: The study yielded the following results:

• The major players in the market includes: Mafoi Consultancies, Nefer Consulting, Career Knight, Planmann Consulting, IPlace Services, Nestor Sourcing etc.

• These consultancies also provide services like Contract Staffing, Consulting services etc. apart from Permanent Staffing.

• The operational methodologies for the consultancies do not have much differentiation and generally follow the following sequence:

1. Get a compiled Job Description from client

2. Source candidates by various sourcing techniques (Job portals, own database, reference etc.)

3. Shortlist candidates based on criteria provided by client

4. One round of screening interview (optional)

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5. Forward profiles to client

6. Send invoice to client as and when a candidate is hired

• The industry standard for the fee charged to client was found to be: 8.33%

Analysis: Results obtained from this exploratory study provided a framework on which to base the descriptive study. The questionnaire to be used in the descriptive study was completely based on the results described above, obtained from the exploratory study. The questionnaire is duly attached in Appendix I.

QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN AND SAMPLE SIZE DETERMINATION:

Questionnaire:

Based on the findings of the exploratory study, the questionnaires are designed for both competitors and customers. The questionnaires are attached in Annexure I.

Sample Selection:

The sampling method followed is random sampling and a total of fifty companies for customer study and thirty consultancies for competitor study have been identified.

The list of companies and consultancies are detailed out in Annexure II.

DATA COLLECTION TECHNIQUE:

Interview was conducted with the respondents for data collection both by personal visit and via telephone. The interviews conducted were based on the questionnaire developed for the study.

For personal visit, at times appointment was taken previously with the concerned person via telephone calls. At other times, visit was without appointment. A total of forty-two companies were covered for the entire study of customers and twenty consultancies for industry competition.

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DESCRIPTIVE STUDY

Objective: Customer Study

The objective of the descriptive study can be summarized as follows:

• Identify the demand for fresh graduates and experienced candidates in the sectors of IT, Bio and Pharmaceutical and Manufacturing (other sectors can be included if feasible)

• Major recruitment methods adopted by organizations across the sectors

• Major concern areas faced by organization in the entire recruitment process

Objective: Competitor Study

The objective for the descriptive study to be conducted for industry competition is summarized as follows:

• Identify major competitors in the market

• Identification of Operational structure of competitors

• Major Business models in the industry

• Identification of revenue models for competitors

Analysis:

The data obtained from the primary study was first entered into Microsoft Excel Sheet on a question by question basis against each respondent. The responses were then segregated according sector wise into: IT, Bio & Pharmaceutical and Others (includes: Manufacturing, Analytics, Communication and Hardware companies).

Since the data obtained was mainly qualitative, no decision making tools or quantitative techniques were applied to analyze the data. Instead, analysis was done in the form of pie-charts, cross tabulation of multiple variables and manual observation. The analysis was carried out first two of the objectives sector wise and for the concern areas on a cumulative basis.

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FINDINGS AND OBSERVATIONS: CUSTOMER STUDY

Demand: IT Sector

The IT sector recruits both fresh graduates and experienced candidates extensively. For this sector therefore, the study was used to find out the major profiles that are in vogue for fresh graduates and experienced candidates and the stream divide for the fresh graduates.

A total of seventeen IT companies were interviewed for the study. The data obtained was analyzed in the form of pie-charts. Though no clear data was obtained for the ratio of fresh graduates to experienced candidates hired, the remaining information was pretty comprehensible.

Major Profiles for fresh Graduates:

The major profiles currently in demand in the IT sector in Hyderabad fro fresh graduates is depicted in the following pie-chart:

Fig 2: Profile Distribution for Fresh Graduates (IT)

From the graphical depiction, it is evident that for fresh graduates, the profile which is mainly given is for Testing which was responded to by 33% of the respondent. Testing was followed by profiles related to Web Designing which was mentioned by 24% of respondents. Development profiles was not a preferred option for fresh graduates. Other profiles given included Team Member, Support etc.

A single organization provides more than one profile and hence the percentages does not add up.

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Stream Divide for Fresh Graduates:

The fresh graduates recruited in the IT sector belongs to more than one stream. Options included Engineering, General Graduate (Science), Management Graduates and General Stream Post Graduates. The pie-chart depiction for the responses obtained is:

Fig 3: Stream Divide for Fresh Graduates recruited (IT)

It is therefore observed that the maximum recruitment in the IT sector in Hyderabad happens in the General Stream community but from the Science stream. Candidates with a formal background of Mathematics is preferred. Though Engineers are recruited, they do not form the majority segment. One reason for this can be because of the fact that the sample of IT companies mainly consisted of small and medium IT companies and only three major international companies. This was done in order to provide a realistic picture of the level of companies whom iOpportune can target.

Again, companies do not exclusively recruit from one single educational background but candidates belonging to different backgrounds are recruited so as to get a diversified talent base.

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Major Profiles: Experienced Candidates

For experienced candidates, the major profiles currently in demand are diversified and ranges from Managerial Roles to Technical Leads. From the responses obtained, a pie-chart detailing the major profiles is:

Fig 4: Profiles in Vogue for Experienced Candidates (IT)

For experienced candidates, the major profiles offered in the IT sector in Hyderabad currently are Leads (Technical Lead, Team Lead, Project Lead etc.) and Managerial roles (Project Manager, Practice Manager etc.). The demand for Leads is the highest at 44% of respondents admitting to recruiting for the position of various leads. Other roles/profiles in vogue for experienced candidates include: Domain Expert, Technical Consultant, Business Analysts etc.

Further, a single organization has more than one profile for recruitment of experienced candidates.

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Recruitment Methods: IT Sector

The analysis for the various recruitment methods in practiced by organizations include the key time period of recruitment and various measures adopted for recruitment of fresh graduates and experienced candidates.

Recruitment Period (Cycle):

To analyze the time/cycle when IT companies recruit, the data obtained revealed that unanimously all the organizations recruit on requirement basis. However, besides that, some organizations have their own recruitment cycles. The following pie-chart gives a proportionate idea of the percentage of companies following various recruitment cycles:

Fig 5: Major Recruitment Cycle (IT)

The exploratory study had revealed three main recruitment cycles: Quarterly, Half-Yearly and Annually. Out of this, in the Hyderabad IT sector, the dominant recruitment cycle prevalent is Annual and Quarterly recruitment. However, the maximum recruitment still occurs on requirement basis with 35% of the respondents saying that they recruit as and when requirement arises either for project or otherwise.

Also, apart from having a definite recruitment cycle, the remaining 65% of companies also unanimously responded that they recruit on requirement basis even.

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Recruitment Methods: Fresh Graduates

The major recruitment methods adopted by organizations are: Job Portals, Reference, Walk-ins, Consultancies and Newspaper ads. The data obtained from the primary study reveals certain statistic as to the percentage of IT companies in Hyderabad going for the various methods of recruitment for fresh graduates. The following pie-chart gives a percentage break-up of the companies adopting various methods:

Fig 6: Recruitment Methods for fresh graduates (IT)

It is observed that 94% of respondents prefer to recruit fresh graduates via Job-portals. However, besides portals, 71% prefer to go by reference and only 29% turn to consultancies for recruitment of fresh graduates. This gives a clear indication as to the facilitation of job-portals in recruitment measures so far as fresh graduates are concerned.

Also, availability of profiles of fresh graduates in portals is also high since the major community belongs to general stream graduates where campus placement does not happen very extensively.

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Recruitment Methods: Experienced Candidates

For experienced candidates again, the trend is a bit different. As mentioned earlier, the profiles for which experienced candidates are recruited carries a lot more responsibility and criticality. As such, their recruitment also needs to be carefully done. The following pie-chart depicts a percentage wise popularity of the methods adopted for recruiting experienced candidates:

Fig 7: Major Recruitment Methods for Experienced Candidates (IT)

The graph clearly reveals that 94% of the organizations take help of Job Portals. However, from the conversation with the industry respondents it is clear that when it comes to recruiting experienced candidates, although job-portals are used, but the most preferred method is Reference. Incidentally, 88% of respondents have also responded Reference as the favored way to recruit experienced. The percentage of companies going to consultancies for recruitment is also higher compared to the figure for fresh graduates. 47% of the respondents go to consultancies for recruitment of experienced candidates.

The reason for reference being the most favored method of recruitment is that when an employee refers a candidate, he/she is well acquainted with the culture of the organization and would definitely keep this factor in mind when referring candidates. Thus, one level of screening is automatically present and effective as well.

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Demand: Bio & Pharmaceutical Sector

The Bio and Pharma sector also recruits both fresh graduates and experienced candidates. Like the IT sector, the data obtained here is analyzed to determine the kind of profiles that are in vogue in this sector. A total of ten companies belonging to this sector was interviewed which also includes two major companies.

However, the streams from which fresh graduates are recruited could not be categorized in terms of graphs as the organizations prefer candidates belonging to the field of Pharma or Biotech.

Major Profiles: Fresh Graduates

The major profiles which are in vogue in this sector are represented in percentage form in the following pie-chart:

Fig 8: Major Profiles for Fresh Graduates (Bio and Pharma)

Thus, the study reveals that sales and Marketing is the area where a majority of profiles are present for fresh graduates in this sector. This is followed by research profile which was responded to by 25% of the respondents.

Also, companies offer more than one profile and hence the percentages do not add up.

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Major Profiles: Experienced Candidates

The profiles in demand for candidates in the experienced bracket are depicted in the form of the following pie-chart:

Fig 9: Major Profiles for Experienced Candidates

The primary study reveals that in the Bio and Pharmaceutical sector, mainly three profiles are offered currently in the Hyderabad market to experienced candidates: Research, Managerial Roles and Leads (Team Lead, Project Lead etc.). Out of these, 40% of the respondents responded to offering research profiles. Besides these three, other profiles include Technical Expert and Marketing roles.

The reason for research profiles being at the top is that, research is a very crucial field and candidates with extensive knowledge and exposure in the field is preferred. Hence, as compared to fresh graduates, experienced candidates are offered research profiles more frequently.

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Recruitment Methods: Bio and Pharmaceutical Sector

The study of the recruitment methods employed by the Bio and Pharmaceutical sector includes identifying the main recruitment cycles and then the various recruitment measures employed by the companies in recruiting fresh graduates and experienced candidates.

Recruitment Time (Cycle):

The following pie-chart identifies the percent wise distribution of the prevalent cycles of recruitment in the bio and Pharmaceutical sector:

Fig 10: Major Recruitment Cycles (Bio & Pharma)

The results of the analysis depicts that 90% of the respondents revealed that they recruit on requirement basis. Out of all the respondents, only 20% recruit quarterly and 30% recruit on an annual basis. It is to be noted that none of the organizations recruit on a half-yearly basis. This is peculiar to this particular only.

The maximum recruitment being done on requirement basis makes it a very unpredictable sector in terms of recruitment requirement. However, this can be addressed if the companies are followed on a regular basis.

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Recruitment Methods: Fresh Graduates

For recruitment of fresh graduates, the methods employed are depicted with the aid of a pie-chart in the following manner:

Fig 11: Recruitment Methods for Fresh Graduates (Bio & Pharma)

For recruiting fresh graduates, 80% of the organizations in this sector use job-portals. It still remains the favorite because there is not much specification as to the skill-set required in fresh graduates and educational qualification remains the main screening or decision making criteria. Campus is opted by 10% as a source for getting freshers. Also, reference occupies the second position in the methods employed for recruiting fresh graduates.

The organizations generally employ more than one means for recruitment. Hence though a company may have subscription to a job portal, they may still go for reference as the most preferred method for recruiting.

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Recruitment Methods: Experienced Candidates

For experienced candidates, the major methods employed are depicted percent wise in the following pie-chart:

Fig 12: Recruitment Methods for Experienced Candidates (Bio & Pharma)

The graph clearly depicts that though 80% of the respondents use portals for recruiting experienced candidates, but a huge 90% prefers to recruit via reference.

The main reason for these figures is that, as mentioned earlier, Research is the main profile offered to experienced candidates. This kind of a profile requires extensive knowledge and exposure to the field and hence portals are not always effective. In this case, reference proves to be the most effective and favored methods of recruitment.

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Demand: Other Sectors

The third category of sectors consists of companies belonging to various sectors like Manufacturing, Analytics, Communications and Hardware. A total of fifteen companies were interviewed in these sectors. Thus, a graphical analysis of the profiles for both fresh graduates and experienced candidates was not possible due to the diversity. However, the following observations were made form the responses:

• 73% of the respondents recruit fresh graduates

• All the organizations recruit experienced candidates

• Profiles vary depending on the sector of service of the company

Recruitment Methods: Other Sectors

Under this section the recruitment cycles followed by these companies are analyzed and also the methods employed to recruit both fresh graduates and experienced candidates.

Recruitment Time (Cycle):

The recruitment cycles followed by these fifteen companies are depicted in the form of pie-chart in the following manner:

Fig 13: Recruitment Cycle (Other Sectors)

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From the graph it is evident that maximum companies recruit on an annual basis. Though all the companies recruit on a requirement basis, but these trends are also helpful in knowing the prevalent recruitment cycles.

Recruitment Methods: Fresh Graduates

The following pie-chart depicts the main methods employed to recruit fresh graduates across these sectors:

Fig 14: Recruitment Methods for Fresh Graduates (Other Sectors)

An observation of the graph reveals that once again job-portals remain the most favored method for recruiting fresh graduates. Reference holds the second place with 33% of the respondents responding to having used referrals being used to recruit fresh graduates.

Since this category has a combination of more than one sector, the percentage of companies going for consultancies is also a significant one with 20% of the companies going for it. Campus recruitment also holds a significant place as a recruitment method.

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Recruitment Methods: Experienced Candidates

As observed for the other two sectors, even in this case there exists difference in the trends of recruitment of fresh graduates and experienced candidates. With the data obtained, the following pie-chart has been constructed to depict a percentage wise distribution of the recruitment methods employed to recruit experienced candidates:

Fig 15: Recruitment Methods for Experienced Candidates (Other Sectors)

The graph clearly depicts that equal number of respondents (73%) use portals and reference for recruiting experienced candidates. However, the interaction with the respondents revealed that referral is still the preferred method for getting experienced professionals on board. Portals are effective only to get hold of a good data base of professionals having the required skill-set. But when it comes to recruiting, referrals are the most preferred method.

Also, a large number (33%) opt for consultancies for recruiting experienced candidates.

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Concerns faced during recruitment:

Unlike the Demand equation and Recruitment Methods, the concerns faced by organizations during the course of recruitment, was not analyzed sector wise. Instead, the data obtained was used to do a cumulative analysis for all the companies which were a part of the sample. This was done due to the fact that manual observation revealed that the concerns faced were similar across all the companies’ irrespective of sectors. No sector specific concern was found.

The exploratory study revealed that the major concerns faced by organizations in recruitment were: Getting the right candidate, filling vacancies on time and cost. Based on the questions drawn from these results, the analyses of the concerns faced are summarized below.

Major Concerns faced:

The major concerns facing the companies when it comes to recruitment are described on the basis of a pie-chart as follows:

Fig 16: Concerns faced by companies in Recruitment

Getting candidate is a challenge faced by the majority (45%) of the companies. This is applicable to companies belonging to any sector. This is followed by the concern for filling vacancies on time. An attempt to bridge this gap has given rise to the increased preference for candidates to be hired by referrals.

Besides, the case of a candidate not showing up to join is faced by around 17% of the companies. In order to get rid of this challenge, companies are seen to move towards outsourcing the recruitment process so as to reduce the burden on self.

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Other Concern faced:

Based on the data collected from the respondents, there were other concerns that companies faced with regards to recruitment methods. For example, even though companies used portals or consultancies to meet their hiring requirement, they admitted to facing issues with these avenues as well.

An analysis of the responses reveals the following graphical representation of concerns faced by companies with regards to recruitment avenues:

Fig 17: Other Concerns faced

Out of the total of forty-two companies, 12% of them admitted to facing challenges with using portals as a means of recruitment. Data redundancy and relevance are the two main issues mentioned by majority of the respondents with using job-portals.

Also, 17% of the total companies admitted facing problems with employing consultancies as a means of recruitment. Unanimously, the concern highlighted by the respondents was that consultancies do not carry out proper screening of candidates and send across irrelevant profiles which do not match the JD provided. This in turn, increases work for the companies as well as results in monetary losses.

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Reasons for avoiding Consultancies:

Out of the total sample of forty-two companies, twenty companies (around 50%) do not opt for consultancy as a means for recruitment. An attempt to unveil the reason for this avoidance gives the following results:

Fig 18: Reasons for avoiding Consultancies

Majority of the respondents (70%) mentioned that the reason they do not go for consultancies is that they have not felt the requirement to opt for consultancies. They are pretty much self-sufficient with the measures they employ currently.

Cost was another factor which emerged as a reason for avoiding consultancies. Small and medium companies do not have such an extensive requirement that they need to pay consultancies for whatever meager requirement they have and they prefer to complete the procedure themselves.

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FINDINGS AND OBSERVATIONS: COMPETITOR STUDY

Competitors: Ranking based on parameters

The study reveals that the Hyderabad recruitment sourcing market is a still a very lucrative one and a large number of small, medium and large consultancies dominate the market. The list of key competitors is attached in Annexure II.

The competitors were evaluated on various parameters like their industry focus, team size, favored clientele, variety of service provided and fee charged. Out of this, the two related factors of “Industry focus” and “Variety of services provided” are tabulated against each other and a map is drawn. Rectangular figures are used to depict the organizations (consultancies) and the size of the rectangular shape is directly proportional to the team size maintained by the consultancy.

The map is depicted in the following figure:

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The rectangular shapes are in direct proportion of the team size maintained by the consultancy. The numbers “1” and “0” has been used to denote a consultancy being sector specific and not sector specific respectively. The number of services offered by the consultancies has been denoted by 1, 2 and 3 in the Y-axis.

Eline Search

IPlace Services

Options Executive

Kelly Services

Optimus HR

Alchemist HR

Starpowerz Horizon Reach

Crux

Growell HRD

ABC Consultant

Impetus

Archer Visions

Excellence HR

Ace Consultant

Career Knight

HR Axis

Nefer Consulting

Indwell

Mehr

“0”: Not Sector Specific “1”: Sector Specific

1

2

3

Fig 19: Mapping of Competitors on Sector and Services provided

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From the figure it is evident that most of the consultancies are not into any sector specific recruitment and provide more than one service and very few consultancies are into totally sector specific recruitment.

Competition: Industry Focus

In order to determine the industry focus of the consultancies, competitors were questioned as to whether they cater to any specific industry or not. The following pie-chart depicts the responses gathered from the competitors on a percentage basis:

Fig 20: Industry focus of competition

It has been observed that 80% of the competitors do not focus on any particular industry segment for business. Only 20% is industry specific.

Amongst the industry focus, the majority of consultancies cater mainly to the IT sector. This is because it is one of the most dynamic sectors and Hyderabad houses more than a few hundreds of IT companies.

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Competition: Service Details

The exploratory study had helped identify a range of services offered by consultancies, namely: Permanent Staffing, Temp Staffing (Contract Staffing), Post Recruitment Services etc. Based on the questions formulated, the services offered by the various competitors are depicted by the following pie-chart:

Fig 21: Services Offered by Competitors

From the graph, it is evident that apart from Permanent Staffing, the service offered by majority of the competitors is Contract Staffing with 65% of the respondents mentioning it. Immediately following Contract Staffing is Post Recruitment Services which includes services like background check, training etc. Other services which found mention include Executive Search and Consulting Services.

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Competition: Candidate Sourcing

This category of information is a part of the Operation Model of competitors. It includes the various avenues wherefrom competitors sources profiles for their clients. The major sources which came to the fore includes: Job Portals, own database and reference (networking). It thus talks about the various head hunting techniques being currently followed by the competition.

Based on the data obtained, the following pie-chart is constructed to show the percentage of consultancies using these various head hunting techniques:

Fig 22: Candidate Sourcing Method

90% of consultancies use portals for sourcing candidates for client requirements. Apart from it, 65% of consultancies maintain their own database. Unanimously, all consultancies maintain that networking is one of the most effective means to get the right candidate.

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Competition: Execution of Sales

The actual operation and execution of sales follows a particular sequence. Executives maintain constant networking with all the contacts they have. Clients are contacted and deals made based on the goodwill that they create. Since the responses were totally qualitative, the findings mentioned in this section is totally based on manual observation. It can be summarized in the following manner:

• On a specific requirement (more than two vacancies), teams work in a maximum of two executives in a team

• Executives work totally on target basis. The targets are given in terms of candidates to be placed or vacancies to be filled. These targets are in turn linked to revenue generated.

• For established organizations, targets are usually fixed at five candidates/vacancies per month (lined to revenue)

• For small and medium level consultancies, the targets are fixed at three candidates/vacancies per month (linked to revenue)

• The average team size (overall) is nine and includes the managerial team as well

Competition: Revenue Model

The revenue model followed in the industry does not have much differentiation. It can be summarized in the following manner:

• Consultancies charge only the companies for whom they source candidates

• Candidates are not charged

• Payment is made as a percentage of CTC

• The industry standard for consultancy fee is 8.33% of the CTC given to the candidate. But consultancies do not usually follow the standard and a lot depends on the veracity and the extent to which the client can be convinced to.

• Payment is made to the consultancy only when the candidate is hired by the client

• The consultancy sends across an invoice to the client as soon as a candidate is hired

• Payment is received within a maximum of two months in the form of a cheque

• From general observation, the following data have been gathered in terms of the fees paid to the consultancies:

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o For junior level candidate: 8% to 12%

o For middle level candidate: up to 18%

o For high level (executive) candidate: up to 25%

Competition: Promotional Strategies

The exploratory study revealed a few methods adopted for promotion by consultancies which include: Emails, Promotion via Website, Newspaper ads etc. Further study revealed the following statistics:

Fig 23: Promotional Strategies adopted by consultancies

The most preferred means of promotional method adopted by majority of the consultancies is emails. Consultancies promote by sending emails to prospective candidates and also to small and medium sized companies.

Another important factor to be noted is that 15% of the consultancies do not adopt any specific or definite promotional measures.

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SERVQUAL: GAP ANALYSIS

Based on the study of competitors, an analysis has been carried out to understand the gaps existing in the industry, on the framework of the Servqual model for services. The Servqual model is pictorially depicted in the following figure for reference purposes:

Fig 24: ServQual Model for Gap Analysis

PROVIDER

CUSTOMER

Gap 1

Past Experience with Consultancies

Expected Service

Perceived Service

Service Delivery: Resources provided

to client

Translation of JD Perception to

profile specification

Employee perception of Client

required JD

Word of Mouth Recruitment Needs

Management perception of client

requirement (JD)

External Communication to

companies

Gap 2

Gap 3

Gap 6

Gap 5

Gap 7

Gap 4

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The model describes seven gaps (as depicted in the above figure) that may arise in any service at any point of time. Understanding and bridging these gaps would ensure a better service being provided to customers. With respect to recruitment consultancies (currently in the market), these gaps are described one by one:

Gap 1: Customer’s expectations versus Management Perception

This gap exists between the expectation that a customer has from a service and what the management perceives this expectation as. If the customer’s expectation is perceived wrongly by the management, there would arise a gap in the service provided as well.

In the recruitment sourcing industry, this gap does exist in that companies (being the customers), expects consultancies to come up with an exact match (candidate) for the Job Description (JD) that they provide. But consultancies at times fail to come up with an accurate match mainly due to failure to understand the JD correctly or due lack of knowledge about the Client organization.

For a good service to be provided, this gap should be done away with. Certain measures have been recommended in the “Product” head of the recommendations section which would help iOpportune to eliminate this gap.

Gap 2: Management perceptions versus Service Specifications

This gap arises due to a number of reasons viz., inadequate commitment to service quality, lack of service standardization, inadequate goal commitment etc. This gap describes the difference between the perceptions that the management has of the service and the specifications provided about the service. It mainly relates to the internal operational methods of an organization.

While detailed data could not be gathered as many consultancies are not ready to reveal their operational methods, but it has been found that established organizations have definite processes and standards in place to see to the smooth delivery of service. However, in case of iOpportune as an organization, there is a huge threat of this gap occurring as there is no service specifications in place.

Proper documentation of the kind of service to be delivered is to be created and maintained. There should be a definite allocation of responsibilities and processes. Recommendations encompassing these and more have been further forwarded in the “Product” and “Process” section.

Gap 3: Service Specifications versus Service Delivery

This gap mainly comes to focus due to inadequate match between service specifications and the competency and skill set of employees delivering it. Poor person-job fit, technology-job fit are some reasons for this gap.

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Being a part of the intricate operational techniques of an organization, detailed data though could not be gathered, but interaction with industry people reveals that every attempt is made to eliminate this gap from each level of an organization (consultancies, in this case).

In case of iOpportune, once a definite service design is in place, the right people can be placed at the right position and it could be seen to that this gap is eliminated. Recommendations pertaining to the elimination of this gap are extended under the “People” head of the “Recommendations” section.

Gap 4: Service Quality versus External Communication

This gap is a result of inadequate communication and the propensity to over promise.

With respect to the recruitment sourcing industry, this gap has been seen to exist in that while approaching clients, consultancies tend to make promises to provide impeccable service and later on during the actual delivery of service, these standards are not met. Thus companies admit to having issues with consultancies’ service.

iOpportune should take all possible measures to see that this gap does not arise while providing the requisite service to clients. Recommendations to this effect clubbed under the “process” head of the “Recommendations” section.

Gap 5: Customer Expectations versus Customer Perceptions

This gap arises because of the fact that customers, before buying a service, tend to do some background study on it. This thus influences his judgments and perceptions to a great extent.

The study reveals that consultancies take utmost care to spread out positive word so as to influence customer perception correctly. Constant networking is maintained with all candidates (past and present) and all business acquaintances made. Industry veterans live by only one line: Networking is the key.

This gap being totally customer centric, not much can be done for its elimination. However, iOpportune can take up the correct measures of promotion and awareness so as to strike the right chords. Recommendations to this effect are described under “Promotion” head.

Gap 6: Discrepancy between Customers and employee perceptions

This gap arises due to the difference in understanding of the customer’s understanding by front-line employees.

The industry is very particular about the kind of executives who deal with clients. Excellent communication skill is very essential for understanding customer’s requirement to a detailed extent.

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Recruiting the right people to do the right part of a job is to be done by iOpportune to eliminate this threat. Recommendations clubbed under the “People” head.

Gap 7: Discrepancy between Employee perceptions and Management perceptions

This gap is a result of difference in understanding of the customer’s expectations by the management and by the employees (people actually delivering the service).

The study reveals that every client is handled by a single person who deals with the client end to end. Any queries or issues are handled entirely by this person.

While embarking on its new venture, iOpportune should maintain a single point of communication for a client. More than two people interacting with the client would make things more complicated. An operational structure has been recommended for iOpportune so as to avoid this kind of discrepancies.

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RECOMMENDATIONS

The recommendation for the business model for iOpportune is drawn in terms of the marketing mix for this service, the 7 Ps i.e., Product, Price, Place, Promotion, People, Process and Physical Evidence. Describing the elements of this mix one by one as, the recommendations unfolds as follows:

Product:

There is not much scope for differentiating in terms of the product as the service offered is a straight forward one: recruitment sourcing for clients. But as observed in the findings, most organizations who have worked with consultancies at some point or the other, mention to have faced issues with the kind of service provided in that consultancies do not screen candidates properly. In order to make a mark amongst the client community, iOpportune would have to eliminate this source of complain from its services. The following recommendations are extended in light of the findings of the study:

Understand Client Organization: In order to provide a client with the right kind of candidate, it is crucial to understand the client organization at the initial point itself. For any new client, before gathering the exact recruitment requirement, it is very important to know and understand about the client organization, its culture, attitude etc. To achieve this, it is recommended that more than one sitting is organized with the client to discuss out all avenues and aspects.

Multistage Profile Verification: Once a requirement is received from the client, the profiles to be sent should be verified at multiple stages, preferably at least two stages. The first stage can be basic screening of resumes based on the requirements provided by the client. The next stage would be a personal interview to screen on the basic attitude and aptitude of the candidate.

Process Streamlining: For impeccable service to client, the organization itself needs to be able to meet certain operational standards. It is highly recommended that the process followed by iOpportune be streamlined. For example, a proper Service Blueprint should be in place so as to clearly define which functionality is to be performed by which designation and there exists no discrepancy whenever client needs to contact iOpportune or vice-versa.

Constant Networking: Interaction with many industry veterans during the course of the primary study has revealed that networking holds the key to success in this industry. Executives should be in touch with every contact that they make during the course of their operating tenure. A placed candidate may refer another eligible candidate who might be a fit for a position that a client is looking for.

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Walk-ins for clients: Can hold Walk-ins for clients. This would save clients time and also effort as iOpportune would be responsible for the entire process. Provision can be made to hold these under supervision of the client HR representative

Resume Services: Currently, as a part of “value added services”, iOpportune can provide resume services to candidates. Most candidates who come in for interview, who are fresh out of college, have little knowledge about the prevailing industry standards. Helping them out would give iOpportune a field to build awareness amongst the student community as well.

Other Services: Though not immediately, but over time, iOpportune can venture into certain post-recruitment services like: Reference Check, Training (Soft Skills) etc. The study has revealed that not many consultancies adopt these as their services, hence there is a lot of scope if tapped in the right manner.

Price (Revenue Model):

Based on the study conducted, the revenue model recommended is summarized as follows:

• Source of revenue: Companies (clients). Candidates need not be charged.

• Industry standard: 8.33% of CTC to be paid to candidate. But this is not strictly followed by consultancies. Rather, a lot depends on the contract signed between the client and the consultancy. Hence, this ought to be kept note of while developing the pricing.

• Recommended rate for junior level employee: preferably within 10%

• Recommended rate for mid-level employee: preferably within 15%

• Recommended rate for high-level (executive) employee: preferably within 18%

• No other charges need to be levied

• Credit period: To be maintained within two months with the maximum period offered being two months.

Place:

The services are to be provided within the geographic location of Hyderabad. Study reveals that companies are not comfortable with out station consultancies taking care of their recruitment requirements. Hence, it would be preferable to keep the services restricted to clients and candidates located physically within Hyderabad.

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Promotion:

The results of the study reveal that the most extensively used by consultancies is emails, followed by website promotion. The following promotional measures are recommended to iOpportune for its promotion:

• Emails: To be sent to students/prospective candidates and also to small and medium companies

• Website: The visibility of the website needs to be increased and the site needs to be updated on a regular basis so as to maintain currency and relevance.

• Social Networking Sites: Facebook, LinkedIN, Twitter etc. are very powerful medium to get hold of prospective candidates. The popularity of these sites, if used in a positive manner, can be a very strong promotional media.

• Presentations in Colleges: Lack of awareness in the student community is also a drawback which needs to be done away with. Periodic presentations in colleges would help iOpportune gain visibility amongst the student community and can be a good source for building the database.

• Networking: Word of Mouth, by far, is the most effective medium for promotion. Constant networking would help achieve a positive word of mouth.

People:

While the right people can make a service, the wrong ones can even break one. Hence it is very crucial to adopt careful means when it comes to choosing the right people to work for.

The following recommendations are extended so for the “people” part of the business model to be worked on:

• The industry average team size is nine. Hence, iOpportune ought to maintain a team size of not more than 5.

• Skillset preferred: Excellent communications and negotiation skills

• Qualification: Any general graduate with the required skillset

• At least one HR professional (with at most two years of experience) to be included in the team. This would render a better orientation to the workings of the team.

• Executives work on target basis

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Process:

A proper streamlining of processes renders smooth functioning of an organization. A process is outlined for iOpportune to consider operating upon:

• Get requirement from client

• Get/Prepare Job Description (JD)

• Verify JD from client

• Initiate profile shortlisting

• Screening Stage 1: Screen profiles based on basic qualification

• Screening Stage 2: Personal Interview. Screening done on the basis of communication/attitude/aptitude or any other criteria mentioned by client

• Draw list of candidates passing through both stages

• Forward profiles to client

• Follow up with both candidate and client

Physical Evidence:

In this particular service, the physical evidences that can be a mark for the service offered are:

• Logo

• Emails

• Website

• Brochures

• Letter Heads

• Premises

• Resume Format

Out of all the elements listed under Physical Evidence, the resume format is used by only 40% of the consultancies interviewed. This, if adopted, can also be a differentiating factor.

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Apart from the marketing mix of the seven P’s, some other recommendations were extended which can be of immense use to iOpportune. These are described as follows:

Operational Structure:

The operational structure of the team was designed keeping in mind the industry operational strategies. The pictorial depiction of the proposed team structure is given as follows:

MD, SALOKH

MANAGER

TEAM LEAD

EXECUTIVE EXECUTIVE EXECUTIVE

Fig 25: Proposed Operational Structure for iOpportune

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

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• The team of executives work directly under a team lead and report to him/her

• The team lead is directly under the manager responsible for iOpportune

• The manager finally reports to MD, Salokh

• Maintain single point of contact with customers. either iOpportune manager or the team lead to be responsible for it

• Define responsibilities for each specifically

Candidate Sourcing:

Apart from the currently employed method of sourcing candidates from job-portals, certain pother measures also needs to be adopted.

• Constant networking: Candidates already placed would be able to refer their acquaintances for certain posts

• Create own database: Need to try and get candidate details from any kind of means possible. Paying Guests, friends etc. This would eventually give rise to a huge database if maintained.

• Two per one: This concept works in the following manner: whenever a candidate comes to the iOpportune office for interview, get the details of the candidate in a feedback form and also ask for two references of friends/acquaintance of the candidate. This chain link can generate a very effective database

• Telephone Directories: Certain telephone directories provide phone numbers along with designation of the concerned person. Such data can also be searched.

Other Recommendations:

Based on the study, certain other aspects are recommended for iOpportune to look into. They are outlined as follows:

• The first and foremost activity required to be carried out is benchmarking. iOpportune currently do not have any benchmarking provisions against any organization. Once it is done, the service specifications and standards would also improve.

• Conduct a financial metrics analysis for recruitment expenditure within iOpportune. This would give an idea of the per head expenditure on executives with respect to the revenue generated.

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• Generate a Vision and Mission for the organization. Though sounds trivial, a directed Vision and Mission is extremely helpful in giving the organization a direction to move forward. Employees to be requested for their inputs in the vision and mission. This would even work towards motivation of the employees.

• Quality of service is another important aspect which needs looking into. Maintain certain quality standards and if possible, try for some initial organizational quality certifications. This measure, apart from improving the quality of service deliver, would also help in building goodwill in the industry.

• While posting requirement (own website or otherwise), provide a brief detail of the JD. This would help candidates evaluate the requirement and redundant resources can be eliminated.

• Evaluate softwares currently used in the recruitment sourcing industry. For example, the software “LeadResearcher” has certain tools for resume finding. Such technological adaptations would certainly provide a competitive edge.

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LIMITATIONS

Being an extensive market research study, it had certain limitations which could not be overcome. These limitations are outlined as follows:

• The main limitation faced was that respondents (companies and consultancies) were not ready to share details about operational strategies or revenue. Hence the sample had to be changed during the course of the study itself

• The time period of two months was not adequate enough to cover the market extensively. The entire proposed sample of fifty for customers (companies) could not be covered and only forty-two were taken. Even for competitors, instead of the proposed 30, only 23 could be talked to.

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APPENDIX A

QUESTIONNAIRE USED FOR COMPETITORS:

Basic Information: 1. Name of the company: 2. Website: 3. Email: 4. Address: 5. Phone: 6. Contact person: QUESTIONS: Organization (Operation): 1. Organization structure 2. Size of the team 3. How does the team work? OR How is the team allocated? (eg: a team may be allotted to each client, or there may be a team for 2-3 clients at one go etc.) Service Details: 4. Which phase of the recruitment cycle do you provide your services in? a) Pre-recruitment b) recruitment c) Post-recruitment 5. What are the services that you provide? (Please give an outline of the process that you follow) a) Permanent staffing b) Temp-staffing c) Contract staffing d) Others 6. Please give an outline of the process that you follow for recruitment services. 7. Do you provide customized services or is it standardized? (extent of customization) Sourcing: 1. Where do your source your resources from? (Job portal etc.) 2. Do you undertake any reference base? 3. If job portal, how much does it cost you? Sector: 4. Are you into specific sector recruitment? a) YES b) NO 5. Which sector do you cater to? a) IT b) BPO c) Manufacturing d) Pharma e) Biotech f) Retail g) Others (please specify)

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Client Details: 6. Can you name a few clients? 7. How do you approach your clients? (do you approach them or do they register with you) 8. How involved is the client with the entire operation? Pricing: 9. What is the Pricing policy that you follow? (standard or varies according to clients) 10. How do you charge your clients? 11. How do you get your payment? 12. When do you get the payments? 13. What are the taxes charged (applicable)? Miscellaneous: 14. Are you the most preferred vendor for any of the customers? 15. Do you have any registration with any association or confederation? Promotion: 16. Which promotional means do you use? a) Emails b) Newspaper Ads c) Website d) Networking sites e) Others

QUESTIONNAIRE USED FOR CUSTOMERS:

Basic Information: 1. Name of the company: 2. Website: 3. Email: 4. Address: 5. Phone: 6. Contact person: Questions: 1. What is the recruitment procedure that you follow? 2. What are the profiles that you hire most for? 3. What is the frequency of hiring? a) Quarterly b) Every 6 months c) Annually d) Others (Please Specify) 4. Who is the decision maker in case of recruitment?

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a) HR Head b) Department Head c) Others (please specify) 5. How many people do you have in the recruitment team? 6. Do you hire fresh graduates? a) YES b) NO If yes, go to Q. NO: 7, else, go to Q.NO: 14 Freshers: 7. What are the profiles that you hire fresh graduates for? 8. Which qualification of fresh graduates do you hire? a) Engineers b) Management graduates c) General graduates (Science/Arts/Commerce/BBA/BCA) d) General Stream Post Graduates (M.A/M.Sc/MCA) 9. Where do you source fresh graduates from? a) Campus b) Portals c) Newspaper Ads d) Walk-ins e) Others (please specify) 10. If campus, which category of colleges? a) Top b) Middle Level c) Small Colleges d) Others 11. If portal, which portal do you use? a) Naukri b) Monster c) Times Job d) Others (please specify) 12. If portal, what is the fee that you pay? 13. If Walk-ins, how do you invite applications? a) Ads in portal b) Ads in Newspaper/Magazine c) Declaration in Company Website d) Others Experienced: 14. What are the profiles for which you recruit experienced people? 15. What is the general qualification of experienced people that you hire? a) Engineers b) MBA c) General Stream Graduate d) General Stream Post Graduate 16. Where do you source your candidates from? a) Portal b) Reference c) Newspaper Ads d) Company Website (invite application) e) Others

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17. If portal, which portal do you use? b) Naukri b) Monster c) Times Job d) Others (please specify) 18. If portal, what is the fee that you pay? Consultancies: 19. Do you work with consultancies for recruitment (outsourcing)? a) YES b) NO If YES, go to Q. NO: 20, else, go to Q. NO: 25 20. How many consultancies do you work with? a) 1 b) 2 c) 3 d) 4 e) Others (please specify) 21. Can you mention the consultancy/consultancies that you work with? 22. How do you pay the consultancies? a) Fixed registration fee b) Payment on hiring a candidate c) combination of (a) & (b) d) Others (please specify) 23. If payment made on hiring a candidate, how is it paid? a) Percentage of CTC b) Fixed amount c) Others (please specify) 24. If percentage basis, what percentage is paid to consultancies? a) Fixed percentage (please specify) b) Depends on CTC c) Depends on position hired for 25. Why do you not go for consultancies? a) Cost b) Maintenance c) Privacy issue d) Company policy d) Others (please specify) Concern Areas: 26. What are the concerns that you face during the entire process of recruitment? a) Mapping Candidates to job b) Getting the right candidate c) Cost d) Others (please specify) 27. How do you counter the concerns?

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APPENDIX B

LIST OF MAIN COMPETITORS

1. Mafoi Consultancy

2. Alp Management Consultancy

3. Planmann Consulting

4. Nefer Consulting Services

5. Career Knight

6. Nestor Sourcing

7. ABC Consultants

8. IPlace Services

9. HR Axis

10. Team Lease

11. Kelly Services

12. Alchemist HR

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APPENDIX C

SAMPLE LIST: COMPETITORS

SL NO COMPANY

1 Kelly Services

2 Optimus Hr

3 Starpowerz

4 Horizon Reach

5 Crux Management Consultants

6 Growell Hrd Services

7 Abc Consultants

8 Alchemist Hr

9 Hr Axis India

10 Iplace Services

11 Ace Consultants

12 Impetus Consultancy

13 Options Executive Search

14 Archervisions Hr And Info

15 Excellence Hr Consultancy

16 Career Knight

17 Nefer Consulting Services

18 Indwell Consultancy Services

19 Eline Search

20 Mehr Placements

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SAMPLE LIST: CUSTOMERS

1 Bijtek Solutions India

2 Allsoft Technologies

3 Analog Devices (I0 Pvt Ltd

4 Accel Icm Systems

5 Shanta Sriram Infotech

6 Softalia Pvt Ltd

7 Celestial Tech

8 Poojitha Electronics

9 Patni Computers

10 Planet Soft

11 Integrated Instruments And Systems

12 Elansoft Infotech

13 Softpal Technologies

14 Suryajyoti Infotech

15 Kedia Technologies Ltd

16 Keesha Indormation Solutions Pvt Ltd

(Recruitment Very Less)

17 Magnaquest Technologies Pvt Ltd

18 Anemone Pharaceuticals

19 Ortin Labs

20 Pegasus Farmaco Pvt Ltd

21 Maithiri Laboratories

22 Kaveri Seeds

23 Vignesh Life Sciences Pvt Ltd

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24 Beulah Biotech

25 Crp Group

26 Indigene Pharmaceuticals

27 Vins Bioproducts Ltd

28 Nuevora

29 Hathway Cables

30 Bsi Group

31 Beam Cable Systems

32 Takesolutions

33 Dbs Communications

34 M & W Zander

35 Canon Only For Hyd Requirement

36 Elecon Engineering

37 Quad Electronics

39 Hindware

40 Rockwool

41 Finolex For Pipe And Fittings Dept (Hyd)

Recruitmenty Mainly Happens In Marketing Depts

42 Century Ply

43 Unique Inflatables

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Malhotra, N.K & Dash, S.2009. Marketing Research: An Applied Orientation (5th Ed.)

2. Kotler, P & Keller, K.L. 2009. Marketing Management: A South Asian perspective (13th

Ed.)

3. Zeithaml, V. A. & Gremler, D.D 2009. Services Marketing: Integrating Customer

Focus Across The Firm (4th Ed.)