IT cos give new recruits English, etiquette lessons

Urban-bred, English-speaking tech talent is limited. So, vast numbers of those joining the IT workforce now are from tier II and III towns, and though they are technically good, many of them lack knowledge of English, and they lack what's called soft skills—etiquette , proper conduct in different settings.

For an international business like IT, this is a huge challenge, and it is placing new requirements on their training infrastructure. If the employability was about 60% among urban applicants, it is a mere 10% among those who come from smaller towns around the country.

"These candidates have good academic records and possess sound technical knowledge. But they are lost in transition. They try to translate their vernacular thoughts into English. As a result, the entire meaning gets distorted," says Nirupama V G, MD, AdAstra, a hiring and training firm.

Geetha Kannan, an independent HR practitioner, says when she joined Infosys in 1990 most of her colleagues were from the IITs. "Today, the industry is rapidly expanding its employment base, and we have no option but to look at the available talent pool, where employability is the biggest issue," she says.

The inability to express in English shows up sometimes as an attitude problem. For instance, when a candidate was asked to speak about himself, he said, "All there in my CV, please read it."

A senior job seeker who was asked what was his salary expectation was had this to say, "You say you give job, then I say compensation."
Even if they are cleared by hiring firms, they are rejected at the final interview at the employer end. Companies see clarity in communication as being critical at the workplace for individuals and teams to function seamlessly.

Sangeeta Lala, co-founder of manpower firm TeamLease Services, says, "Candidates may be academically and technically sound, but certain level of aptitude, articulation and attitude is required to bring out their functional skills to the fore. Many candidates look great on paper, and that's it."

To deal with the issue, external hirers have stepped up or freshly set up communication training activities. IT companies too have increased the time spent on training on soft skills and communication from 10% to 30%. The scenario has also spawned an ancillary industry for employment-training.

Says Romi Malhotra, CEO, Linkage India, a leadership development firm, "In the US, children need to speak and make presentations right from Class 3. But an Indian student's English speaking ability is tested only if s/he is doing a PhD. Our culture is about being silent, about listening. No one is allowed to challenge the status quo. Tolerance is a virtue. All these controls are taught at a tender age and children's speaking ability gets choked."