TCS jumps the gun in campus hiring

IT bellwether Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has started hiring from campuses in Tamil Nadu ignoring a Nasscom guideline that campus recruitment in engineering colleges across the country should commence only from September.

TCS has issued offer letters at three campuses in Tamil Nadu, offering a package of Rs 3.30 lakh per annum to the selected candidates. “Yes, we have started hiring. This is the usual timeline followed by the company,” said a spokesperson for TCS.

Irked, a few HR managers of IT firms said this move could spoil the entire recruitment process this placement season. Some of the leading IT companies have already lodged a complaint with Nasscom.

“Cases have come to our notice. One or two did indicate that campus hiring has started. We have issued an advisory to all companies,” Nasscom President, Mr R Chandrasekar, told The Hindu .

In 2013, the Nasscom said hiring should be done during the seventh semester, which is September. The practice is also beneficial for the industry as it allows companies to make offers closer to the date of joining based on a better assessment of client demand and business needs. Just a few days back, Nasscom sent a letter to all the IT companies reiterating the deadline.

“Companies have said they would abide by the guideline and hiring would commence as per the norm,” Mr Chandrasekar said.

Placement officers in a few top engineering colleges here said that hiring commenced only on September 1 in the last two years. Even IT firms echoed the view.

The top engineering colleges in Tamil Nadu has been a major recruiting hub for the IT firms like Infosys, TCS, Wipro, Cognizant, HCL and many others. According to estimates, about 50 per cent of the HR required for the IT and ITES industry was being sourced from the State. Nasdaq-listed Cognizant said that it would comply with the Nasscom guideline this year as well.

Cognizant spokesperson said, “We believe that the practice is in the best interest of students as it allows them to focus on their studies and additional preparation time for their academic requirements, raising their overall performance benchmark and industry-readiness.”

Nasscom has suggested hiring should be done during seventh semester