Talent Acquisition Policy

1. Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to establish a clear, fair, and standardized approach to talent acquisition across the organization.

It ensures that hiring practices are:

  • Aligned with business strategy: Recruitment directly supports workforce planning, approved headcount, and organizational growth.
  • Efficient & structured: Provides defined processes, timelines, and responsibilities for each hiring stage.
  • Candidate-centric: Delivers a positive and transparent experience for all applicants, regardless of outcome.
  • Inclusive & unbiased: Eliminates discrimination and promotes diversity, equity, and equal opportunity.
  • Compliant: Meets all legal, regulatory, and internal policy requirements.

Outcome: With this policy, the organization builds a consistent employer brand, attracts top talent, and strengthens retention by ensuring the right people are hired the right way.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all recruitment and hiring activities conducted by the organization, across geographies and employment categories.

2.1 Audience Coverage

  • Internal Stakeholders: HR, Hiring Managers, Department Heads, Interview Panel Members, Finance.
  • External Stakeholders: Recruitment agencies, campus partners, job boards, and candidates.

2.2 Employment Categories Covered

  • Full-time employees (permanent staff).
  • Part-time employees.
  • Contractual or fixed-term hires.
  • Interns, trainees, and apprentices.
  • Freelancers or consultants (when engaged through HR approval).

2.3 Recruitment Channels Covered

  1. Digital Job Portals & Professional Networks
    • LinkedIn (primary for tech + leadership roles)
    • Naukri, Indeed, Glassdoor, AmbitionBox
    • GitHub Jobs, Stack Overflow (developer hiring)
    • AngelList / Wellfound (for startup-focused roles)
  2. Employee Referral Program
    • Internal structured program with a defined referral bonus.
  3. Recruitment Agencies / Talent Partners
    • Specialist IT recruitment firms for niche skills.
    • RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing) partners were approved.
  4. Campus & University Hiring
    • Tier-1 and Tier-2 engineering colleges for freshers’ intake.
    • Specialized institutes (design schools, data science programs).
  5. Direct & Community Sourcing
    • Developer communities (GitHub, Kaggle, Dribbble, Behance).
    • Tech forums (Reddit r/ITCareerQuestions, Discord dev groups).
    • Hackathons and coding contests.
  6. Internal Job Posting (IJP)
    • Existing employees can apply for open roles across teams/projects.

2.4 Geographic Coverage

  • Applies to all locations and remote roles where the company hires.
  • Local labor laws and compliance frameworks will override, where applicable.

Outcome: Defines where, for whom, and through what channels this policy applies, ensuring no ambiguity in coverage.

Section 3: Policy Statements

The following rules govern all hiring and recruitment activities. These are mandatory and apply across departments, levels, and geographies.

3.1 Alignment with Workforce Plan

  • All hiring must be based on the approved Headcount Plan Sheet (Stage 1).
  • Ad-hoc hiring is not permitted unless explicitly approved by CHRO + CEO.

3.2 Ownership & Accountability

  • HR Department: Owns the end-to-end hiring process, from sourcing to onboarding.
  • Hiring Manager: Defines role requirements, evaluates technical fit, and provides timely feedback.
  • Department Head: Validates role necessity and approves JD before posting.
  • Finance: Confirms budgetary alignment.

3.3 Recruitment Timelines

  • Standard SLA for open positions:
    • Role definition + JD finalization: 5 working days.
    • Sourcing + screening shortlist: 10–15 working days.
    • Interview completion: within 20 working days of sourcing.
    • Offer release: within 5 working days of final approval.
  • Any delay must be escalated to the HR Head and Department Head.

3.4 Candidate Experience Standards

  • All candidates must receive:
    • Acknowledgment of application within 4 days.
    • Timely interview scheduling with clear instructions.
    • Feedback/closure communication within 12 working days of the last interview.
  • No candidate should be left “ghosted” at any stage.

3.5 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI)

  • All job postings must use inclusive language.
  • Shortlists must include diverse candidates (gender, background, region) wherever possible.
  • Interview panels should be mixed (not all-male or all-senior).

3.6 Recruitment Channels Usage

  • Only approved channels (Section 2.3) may be used for official hiring.
  • Employees may share official job posts but cannot create independent recruitment ads.
  • Agencies must be empaneled through HR; no manager may directly engage them.

3.7 Confidentiality & Compliance

  • Candidate data must be stored in the ATS/HRIS only.
  • No resumes may be stored on personal devices or shared via unapproved platforms (WhatsApp, Gmail, etc.).
  • All hiring must comply with local labor laws and the Data Privacy Policy.

3.8 Offer Management

  • All offers must follow the approved salary bands (Stage 1: Compensation & Benefits Policy).
  • Out-of-band offers require written justification and CHRO + CEO approval.
  • Verbal offers are not binding until HR issues an official letter.

4. Roles & Responsibilities

This section defines the accountability matrix for all stakeholders involved in recruitment. It ensures no overlap, confusion, or delays in the hiring process.

4.1 Human Resources (HR Team)

  • Owns the end-to-end recruitment lifecycle (sourcing → onboarding).
  • Drafts, standardizes, and publishes Job Descriptions (JDs).
  • Manages sourcing channels, ATS, and recruitment agencies.
  • Ensures candidate experience standards are met at every stage.
  • Conducts initial screening (fitment, eligibility, salary expectations).
  • Issues official offer letters and onboarding communications.
  • Tracks and reports recruitment metrics (TAT, cost-per-hire, source effectiveness).

4.2 Hiring Manager

  • Defines role requirements and skill expectations clearly.
  • Reviews and approves JD content before posting.
  • Participates in candidate screening and technical evaluations.
  • Provides structured feedback within agreed timelines.
  • Collaborates with HR for final selection.
  • Supports new hire integration into the team post-joining.

4.3 Department Head

  • Validates the need for the role as per the workforce plan.
  • Approves JD and recruitment strategy (channels, seniority level, interview panel).
  • Intervenes in case of hiring delays or disputes.
  • Signs off on final candidate recommendations for critical roles.

4.4 Finance Department

  • Validates that the role fits within the approved headcount & compensation budget.
  • Approves agency fee structures and recruitment costs.
  • Ensures offers are within salary bands and comply with financial policy.

4.5 Leadership (CHRO, CEO, Executive Team)

  • Approves annual hiring strategy and headcount plan.
  • Signs off on exceptions (out-of-band offers, critical ad-hoc hires).
  • Provides visibility of hiring trends to the Board/Investors if needed.
  • Champions’ employer branding and talent strategy.

5. Process Workflow

This section defines the step-by-step recruitment cycle to be followed for every approved role.
The workflow ensures consistency, fairness, and efficiency in hiring across all departments.

5.1 Requisition & Approval

  • Hiring Manager raises a Hiring Requisition based on the approved Headcount Plan Sheet (Stage 1).
  • Department Head validates business need.
  • HR ensures requisition aligns with budget & salary bands (validated by Finance).
  • Final sign-off: CHRO (or CEO for exceptions).

5.2 Job Description (JD) Creation

  • HR drafts JD using the standard Job Description Template (Stage 3) to maintain consistency in structure, EVP alignment, and tone of voice.
  • Hiring Manager validates technical/functional accuracy.
  • Department Head approves final version.
  • JD is posted on approved recruitment channels.

5.3 Sourcing & Outreach

  • HR activates sourcing through:
    • Job portals (LinkedIn).
    • Employee Referral Program.
    • Campus/University partnerships.
    • Recruitment agencies (where approved).
    • Direct sourcing from tech/design communities.
  • HR maintains a candidate pipeline tracker in the ATS.

5.4 Screening & Shortlisting

  • HR conducts initial screening for eligibility, salary expectations, and notice period.
  • Hiring Manager reviews shortlisted candidates for skill fit and functional relevance.
  • Only qualified candidates are progressed to interviews.

5.5 Interview Process

  • Panel Setup: HR finalizes interview panel in consultation with Department Head.
  • Stages:
    1. Technical/Functional Round(s).
    2. Managerial/Behavioral Round.
    3. HR/Values Fit Round.
  • Feedback must be submitted in the Interview Evaluation Form within 24 hours.
  • HR consolidates all feedback → Department Head reviews → final decision recorded.

5.6 Offer Management

  • HR prepares a compensation proposal within the approved salary band (as per Compensation & Benefits Policy).
  • Finance validates cost impact.
  • CHRO/CEO approves out-of-band offers.
  • HR issues official offer letter (verbal commitments are not binding until a written offer is released).

5.7 Pre-Onboarding & Joining

  • HR shares welcome mail, joining checklist, and FAQ with the candidate.
  • Background verification initiated.
  • Hiring Manager assigns onboarding buddy + role handover plan.
  • Candidate joins → HR ensures structured Day-1 onboarding.

5.8 Post-Hire Review

  • HR tracks probationary performance and cultural integration.
  • Hiring Manager provides structured feedback to HR.
  • If attrition/mismatch occurs within probation, HR conducts root-cause analysis and reports findings to CHRO.

6. Reporting & Metrics

To ensure the recruitment process remains efficient, fair, and continuously improving, HR will track and report on key metrics. These metrics help measure the effectiveness of talent acquisition and provide data for decision-making.

6.1 Efficiency Metrics

  • Time-to-Fill (TTF): Average number of days taken to close a role (from requisition approval to offer acceptance).
  • Time-to-Hire (TTH): Average number of days from candidate application to acceptance of offer.
  • Interview-to-Offer Ratio: Number of interviews conducted vs. offers rolled out.

6.2 Quality Metrics

  • Quality of Hire: New hire performance rating after probation (based on manager feedback).
  • Early Attrition Rate: Percentage of new hires leaving within the first 6 months.
  • Interview Feedback Quality: Timeliness and completeness of evaluation forms submitted by panelists.

6.3 Cost Metrics

  • Cost-per-Hire (CPH): Total recruitment spend ÷ number of hires (includes agency fees, job portal costs, referral bonuses).
  • Channel Effectiveness: % hires from each source (LinkedIn, referrals, campus, agency, etc.) vs. cost of that channel.
  • Budget Utilization: Actual recruitment spend vs. approved budget.

6.4 Candidate Experience Metrics

  • Candidate NPS (Net Promoter Score): Post-interview survey to assess candidate experience (irrespective of offer outcome).
  • Drop-off Rate: % of candidates who withdraw during the process (tracked by stage).
  • Communication SLA Compliance: % of candidates who received timely updates as per policy (acknowledgment, scheduling, closure mail).

6.5 Reporting Cadence

  • Weekly Dashboards (HR): Live updates on open vs. closed roles, pipeline health.
  • Monthly Report (HRBP + CHRO): Hiring activity summary, cost analysis, candidate feedback highlights.
  • Quarterly Leadership Review: Deep dive into hiring trends, DEI balance, early attrition analysis, and channel effectiveness.

7. Compliance & Governance

This section ensures that all talent acquisition activities are conducted in line with legal, ethical, and organizational standards, protecting both the organization and candidates.

7.1 Equal Opportunity & Non-Discrimination

  • All hiring decisions will be made based on merit, skills, and alignment with role requirements.
  • Discrimination based on gender, age, caste, religion, race, marital status, sexual orientation, or disability is strictly prohibited.
  • JDs and recruitment communication must use inclusive language.

7.2 Data Privacy & Confidentiality

  • All candidate information will be stored in the ATS/HRIS with access limited to authorized HR staff.
  • Resumes, interview notes, and evaluations must not be stored on personal devices or shared via unapproved channels.
  • Candidate data will be retained only for the duration necessary (as per Data Privacy Policy) and then securely disposed of.

7.3 Interview & Selection Ethics

  • Interviewers must follow structured evaluation criteria — no personal or biased questions allowed.
  • Feedback must be professional, role-related, and recorded in official forms.
  • Any conflict of interest (e.g., interviewing a relative or close acquaintance) must be disclosed in advance.

7.4 Vendor & Agency Governance

  • Only empaneled recruitment agencies may be used.
  • Agency contracts must define fee structure, replacement guarantees, and compliance obligations.
  • Direct engagement by Hiring Managers with unapproved vendors is not permitted.

7.5 Audit & Compliance Monitoring

  • HR will conduct quarterly audits of recruitment practices (e.g., TAT, SLA compliance, DEI ratios).
  • Findings will be reported to CHRO, and corrective actions will be tracked.
  • Annual compliance review will validate adherence to:
    • Local labor laws.
    • Data protection regulations.
    • Internal policies (Compensation, EVP, Employer Branding, etc.).

Section 8: Review & Updates

This section defines how the Talent Acquisition Policy will be maintained, reviewed, and updated to remain relevant to business needs and compliance requirements.

8.1 Review Cycle

  • Annual Review:
    • The policy will be reviewed after every two quarters by the HR Leadership Team in consultation with Finance and Department Heads.
    • Adjustments will be made to reflect changes in business priorities, workforce plans, and market benchmarks.
  • Quarterly Monitoring:
    • HR will track implementation and compliance metrics (time-to-fill, DEI ratios, candidate NPS).
    • Any gaps will be addressed through process corrections without waiting for the annual review.

8.2 Update Triggers

This policy may be updated outside the review cycle if:

  • There are changes in labor laws or regulatory requirements.
  • The organization adopts new hiring technologies or processes (e.g., ATS upgrades, AI-based screening tools).
  • Significant shifts occur in talent market conditions (e.g., salary inflation, skill shortages).
  • Feedback from audits, employees, or candidates reveals process gaps.

8.3 Approval Authority

  • Updates to the policy require approval from:
    • CHRO → Custodian and policy owner.
    • CEO/Executive Leadership → For major strategic or financial impacts.
  • Minor procedural updates (e.g., adding a new sourcing channel) can be approved by the HR Head with CHRO notification.

8.4 Communication of Updates

  • All policy updates will be communicated to:
    • HR Teams & Recruiters → through training or internal memos.
    • Managers/Interviewers → via briefing sessions or written guidelines.
    • Employees → when changes affect referral programs or internal job postings.