Overview
India's tech hiring market is active and competitive. Application volumes are high, the share of truly relevant profiles is often modest, and long notice periods (commonly 60–90 days in IT) put a premium on speed and orchestration.
Below we break down what's happening, how internal teams filter thousands of résumés, which tools are standard in India, the key legal requirements, and step-by-step plays you can deploy today.
Market Snapshot
📈 Hiring demand is recovering
After a slower 2024, AI/ML, data, platform engineering and modern full‑stack roles are seeing steady activity.
📊 Application volume is elevated
Due to frictionless applies and résumé generators, teams report large funnels with uneven quality.
⚡ Immediacy matters
Long notice periods drive offer drop‑offs and counteroffers—so prioritising soon‑available talent is decisive.
Relevance & Ratios
Ratios vary by stack, seniority, location, and employer brand. For widely posted mid‑senior roles in Tier‑1 cities, it's common to see hundreds of applications with fewer than 10–25% passing initial relevance filters. Niche roles or strong brands fare better—but everyone benefits from skills‑first screening and structured filters.
How Internal Teams Filter Large Funnels
Gate on must‑have questions (skills, location, CTC band, experience band).
Use Boolean strings and board relevance sorts on Naukri/foundit/LinkedIn.
Shift senior/niche roles to Instahyre, Cutshort, or direct sourcing to reduce noise.
Skills/keyword filters tied to a maintained taxonomy.
De‑duplication & spam checks to catch JD‑copy CVs and AI‑inflation.
Relevance + recency sorting to contact the most promising, fastest‑moving candidates first.
Short technical screens (20–30 mins) via HackerRank, HackerEarth, or Mettl.
Use structured take‑homes sparingly for senior roles.
Promote passers directly to interview to reduce load.
Capture notice duration, last working day (LWD), buyout flexibility and counteroffer risk at application.
Maintain a shortlist view of candidates who can join in ≤30 days.
Compress interviews (2–3 high‑signal sessions) and move quickly.
Tools Stack You'll Meet in India
Compliance & Law (PlainEnglish)
India's privacy law governs personal data of candidates. Build clear consent into forms, honor access/correction/erasure, and audit vendors for compliance. Keep data secure and retained only as long as needed.
Four Labour Codes (wages, social security, industrial relations, safety) moving toward phased implementation.
POSH Act (anti‑harassment), Transgender Persons Act, RPwD Act (disability), Maternity Benefit Act.
Ensure inclusive postings and safe interviewing processes.
Execution Plays That Work
Make must‑have questions mandatory on boards.
Use saved Boolean strings and skills taxonomies.
Add a 20–30 min coding screen; promote passers.
Capture notice, LWD, buyout options up‑front.
Prioritise candidates who can join in ≤30 days.
Compress interviews and set tight SLAs.
Use skills‑based JDs and outcomes.
Track channel‑level quality metrics & joining ratio.
Standardise interviewer rubrics.
For UK‑Based Teams Hiring in India
Post on Indian boards and enable parsing tuned for Indian CV formats.
Add "On notice?" and LWD fields; sort by soon‑available candidates.
Be explicit on location (remote/hybrid/on‑site), shift overlap with UK time, and compensation in INR.
Use joining bonuses or buyouts where policy allows to pull forward LWD.
Quick Glossary
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