Campus Recruiters play a very important role in MBA students’ careers. They are the ones who decide which candidates can make it into their company, essentially launching the selected candidate’s careers. We at InsideIIM want to recognize some of the top Campus Recruiters who have been doing some exceptional work in giving great launchpads to the careers of MBA students. With this in mind, we are excited to feature Ms. Sonal Singh on our platform.
Ms. Sonal Singh is the Talent Sourcing Specialist at Deutsche Bank. She is an HR graduate of Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, and has completed her B.Tech from NIT Kurukshetra. She has over 9 years of work experience, having worked with the likes of GSK and Tata Group before taking on her role with Deutsche Bank. We got the opportunity to speak with her regarding her experience of recruiting students, and how she views the future of Campus Recruitment in the country.
Excerpts from the interview:
Q. How has being a campus recruiter enhanced your skills and experience?
I have thoroughly enjoyed being a campus recruiter because this role grooms you in a multi-faceted manner. It enhances the ability to interact with senior stakeholders across functions, to provide inputs in strategizing, evolving and enhancing the campus proposition.
On the other hand, it develops my ability to still be in touch with what is happening in the campus space especially with Gen Z, who constantly keep you on your toes and demand a very different communication style. Essentially, you develop an ability to interact with multiple stakeholders spread across both ends of the pyramid in an organization hierarchy, which is extremely unique to this role.
Q. Tell us an innovation you have introduced in the campus recruitment space that you are very proud of.
We keep in touch with incoming hires via our award-winning Graduate mobile app – where news, announcements, our social media posts as well as senior management videos, leadership interviews and early training modules are delivered. Not only does this increase our engagement with the graduates in a way they are used to and expect in today’s world, but it also allows them to network among themselves prior to joining the organization. This is one of the most unique propositions that we use for our incoming graduates.
Q. What do you look for in a student when you hire from campus?
The ability to adapt to change is one of the most critical aspects that we seek in candidates. In this fast-changing world, every aspect of our work life is undergoing a change. The advent of new technologies is occurring at an unprecedented rate, the job profiles are evolving, and we are constantly restructuring functions to build in greater efficiencies. All of these factors necessitate that we hire someone who is adaptable to the fast pace of change. With the rapid developments in technology, the definition of ‘Knowledge and Skills’ required in the job itself is constantly evolving.
Q. What is your favourite question to ask a candidate during an interview?
I ask candidates about the most negative feedback that they have ever received about themselves and how they acted on it. This gives me insights into various aspects of a candidate's behavioural profile, how much the candidate is ready to divulge on their area of improvement, whether they are able to take feedback constructively, and if the feedback was really uncalled for, were they able to stand up against it. It really provides me with answers that test the strength of their character. Since we are hiring leaders of tomorrow, these aspects are extremely crucial to gauge.
Q. Tell us a memorable/funny/inspiring anecdote from your campus recruiting experience.
One of the most inspiring incidents was while we interviewed a lady candidate from an engineering institute. She came from a very humble background and had a slight accent while speaking, which made her doubt her chances of selection. Apparently, other employers had rejected her stating communication skills as a reason. When I interviewed her, I was floored with her to-do spirit, willingness to learn and how she defeated all odds to pursue her studies. She faced resistance from relatives on pursuing technical studies, but her single mother was working very hard to ensure that she is able to provide for her technical courses. When we huddled for the debriefing session post the interviews, I realized every single panelist who had interviewed her was absolutely highly impressed by her and ranked her as their first choice. To date, I consider this as my most enthralling yet humbling interviews of all time.
Q. Who makes an ideal campus recruiter?
An ideal recruiter is someone who has the ability to don multiple hats. Someone who is well aware of industry practices and incorporates them wherever relevant, has the ability to collaborate with business leaders but also has the ability to challenge them if required, has the gravitas to represent the organization at campus forums while having the ability to strike simple conversations with the graduates and win their confidence.
Q. What do you see as some of the emerging trends in the campus recruiting space?
Technology has been the most definitive factor in redefining the way in which organizations recruit. Use of social media channels and a keen focus on assessing behaviours and values was the key priority till now. The new trends show a move towards recruitments based on profile and skill suitability, rather than qualification alone. Organizations have already started building alternate channels of graduate recruitment, and are opening up to larger pools of candidates across geographies by throwing challenges like hackathons, case study competitions and the likes. The function itself is evolving confidently to reduce the dependency on campus hiring which makes the current style of recruiting redundant by developing an alternate pipeline.