IT companies delay onboarding, leaving candidates in the lurch

Hundreds of fresh graduates from engineering colleges have been impacted by the delay in onboarding by IT companies, leaving them in the lurch, in a market where jobs are not in abundance, as per a report by TOI.

Data also shows that hiring in the Indian IT sector slowed down by 18% in October on an annual basis. With the IT sector showing a decline, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune showed a decline in hiring activity, according to the Naukri JobSpeak index.

Sravya O from Warangal got an offer from a number of multinational IT companies but decided to choose the one that offered her Rs 6.5 lakh per annum, almost double the other offers. It has been six months, but the IT firm has not onboarded her. Now, as she awaits her joining date, Sravya is thinking of other options.


“I have the results of the TCS National Qualifier Test (NQT). I scored well there, so based on that I can apply elsewhere, but since I have lost six months already, I think it would be wise to either take up anything now irrespective of the package, or study further. I am preparing for GRE. People have started asking me why I am still unemployed,” TOI reported Sravya as saying.

The NQT conducted by TCS allows candidates to not only apply for roles at TCS, but also other companies like Tata Elxsi, Mphasis, and Persistent.

Many candidates are now thinking of a Plan B so that they do not lose time.

Hiring across other sectors is also seeing a slowdown, data shows. India saw a 6 per cent drop in hiring activity (year-on-year) in October, amid changing patterns in the start-up ecosystem, funding winter and fears of an upcoming recession, according to Monster Employment Index. The ongoing global economic contraction has trickled down to India with recruiters adopting a cautious approach to hiring.

The report shows that industries such as BPO/ITES and Media and Entertainment continued to demonstrate a declining hiring trend from the year-ago level.

Candidates should take up any offer instead of waiting for one company to onboard them, said Aditya Mishra, CEO of CIEL HR Services. Mishra also advises such candidates to upskill themselves while waiting, because that will help them look for opportunities. “IT graduates should also consider internships so that they get some practical exposure that they can show in their CV later,” he added.

Top IT companies have so far said categorically that all offer letters will be honoured. But most have also said they are being cautious as they expect a slowdown, TOI said.

(With agency inputs)