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|In: LinkedIn|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network on the internet, unveiled the 2018 Top Companies list for India. The annual ranking highlights the 25 companies in the country that are most sought-after by professionals, based on proprietary LinkedIn data and billions of actions by more than 546+ million professionals on LinkedIn.

Homegrown tech and mobile internet companies Directi, Flipkart and One97 Communications Limited steal the top three spots on this year’s list, followed by Amazon in the #4 position that held the #2 spot for two consecutive years. Ola has dropped 11 spots from #5 in 2017 to #16 this year, and McKinsey & Company has made a significant jump from #24 to #6. This year, more than 50% of the companies are new entrants to the list including Directi [#1], Anheuser-Busch InBev [#5], EY [#9] and Daimler AG [#11] that have given stiff competition to the usual top runners, Adobe [#12], Reliance Industries [#24], and Ola [#16].

Adith Charlie, India Editor, LinkedIn said

The Top Companies list highlights the companies where professionals in India want to work now, from home grown companies to global giants. Studying the job interest rates, engagement with the company pages on the platform as well as retention rates, we found several common threads that make these companies the most preferred among Indian professionals. Data shows us that an opportunity to work at solving big problems, rewriting the rules of one’s industry or simply putting a big name on one’s resume could be powerful motivators. This year the India list diversified from tech and internet companies to new entrants from industries such as Automotive, Oil & Gas, and Consumer Goods. Similar to last year we continue to see a trend of homegrown companies taking the top spots on the list.

As competition for job-seekers intensifies, the 2018 Top Companies have actively deployed employee-first strategies such as flexible hours, a good parental leave policy, and time-off to do more than work to attract and retain good talent. Some of the emerging themes this year are:

Unconventional hiring methods – The top companies in India are looking beyond the grades and college rankings to recruit new talent. Directi [#1] cherry-picks talent using unconventional techniques such as case studies, tasks like app development and solving the Rubik’s cube. At Alphabet [#7], if you were to land an interview, expect questions such as, ‘Estimate the number of tennis balls that can fit into a plane’, and ‘Which do you think has more advertising potential in Boston — a flower shop or funeral home‘, DBS Bank [#15] hired around 150 techies last year through hackathons alone.

Flexibility first – With job seekers increasingly demanding a work-life balance, these top companies have chalked out flexible parental leave policies and programs for planned time-off to recuperate or even pick up a new hobby. Amazon [#4] has a Ramp Back program that offers new parents eight weeks of flexibility and partial work hours, so they can acclimatize to their new schedules. At McKinsey & Company [#6], under ‘Take Time’, employees can take five to 10 extra weeks off to pursue their passion – get a pilot’s licence, write a book – or attend to family matters. At Daimler AG, they say, ‘We want that the job is flexible enough to accommodate your other needs. Not the other way around.’

Wellness at work – Wellness and fitness facilities continue to be the top draw for employees while choosing a company to work for. Alphabet [#7] is known for its gourmet meals, fitness facilities, and on-site childcare services, whereas Ola has on offer multiple clubs for activities ranging from music to sports — where employees can mingle with other teams.

Democratising power – From office interiors to policy creation, top companies are ensuring its employees have a say in how things are done. For instance, PwC‘s NextGen Sounding Board comprises 200 millennial employees who participate in policy creation for the company. All new and revised people policies are first taken to this group. OYO crowd sources ideas for designing its five-floor office from employees. So whether it’s pictures of Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk adorning the walls or London-style telephone booths, employees at OYO have a say in how they want their surroundings.

Learn to lead: The top companies have made in talent growth and development an in-house responsibility. EY [#9] last year rolled out a program called EY Badges that allows employees to earn digital certificates for skills like artificial intelligence, data science and data visualization. Nurturing employees to become future leaders, GE [#17] runs eight different leadership programs; and MakeMyTrip [#18] offers a bevy of free courses for its employees, ranging from customized behavioural programmes to study tours to Europe and Southeast Asia.

Here are the 2018 Top 10 Companies for India:

  1. Directi
  2. Flipkart
  3. One 97 Communications [Paytm]
  4. Amazon
  5. Anheuser-Busch InBev
  6. McKinsey & Company
  7. Alphabet [Google]
  8. KPMG India
  9. EY
  10. OYO

The full list of 2018 Top 25 Companies for India can be found here. Join the conversation on LinkedIn using the hashtag #LinkedInTopCompanies.

LinkedIn Top Companies List Methodology

The Top Companies list is the only ranking of its kind to be based entirely on the actions of users. We analyze billions of data points generated by LinkedIn’s 546+ million members around the world to come up with a blended score used to rank the winners in each geography.

How the list was assembled: The methodology is designed to measure interest in a company’s jobs and people, as well as a company’s ability to retain its employees. Some of the metrics include:

  • Job demand – At what rate are people viewing and applying to job postings, including paid listings, unpaid ones and those linked from other sites? All job views and applications are normalized for the total number of job postings.
  • Engagement with the company – How many professionals are viewing a company’s career page? How many new followers has the company attracted?
  • Interest in its employees – How many non-employees are viewing and asking to connect with a company’s employees?
  • Retention – Are employees sticking around for at least a year?

|In: LinkedIn|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

One of the biggest pain points for recruiters and candidates is locking down on a time suitable to both for an interview. Scheduling a time to setup an initial interview is often burdensome, time-consuming and can lead to candidates dropping off from the hiring process due to the back and forth.

To ease the hiring process and avoid fallout’s, LinkedIn launched ‘LinkedIn Scheduler‘, a tool that automates initial interview scheduling for recruiters and candidates, directly via InMail. It helps candidates and recruiters save time spent on scheduling a meeting and helps recruiters focus their energies on hiring strategically and on-boarding the best candidate.

LinkedIn Recruiter

Using this feature, candidates or recruiters can reach each other via InMail to see one’s calendar availability and reserve an interview time that works best for both. It also gives candidates the liberty to feed in their contact information to accelerate this process.

Here’s how it works

  • First, recruiters are prompted to sync their calendar [Office 365 or Google Calendar] with LinkedIn.
  • Then, using a new InMail message, recruiters can easily send a scheduling link directly to the candidate of interest.
  • The link shares a real-time view of the recruiter’s calendar availability with candidates who can then choose what time works best for them, add their phone number and confirm the meeting.
  • Advance settings allow recruiters to manage preferences such as time zones, availability, length of meetings and same-day meetings.
  • Candidates can easily and automatically reschedule meetings with the recruiter through the confirmation link.

You can check out the global blog here, and read more about this product feature here

|In: LinkedIn|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network, surveyed nearly 9,000 recruiters, hiring managers from 39 countries and interviewed industry experts to analyse the state of hiring across the world. Four hot trends stand out – Diversity, New Interviewing Tools, Data, and Artificial Intelligence as the top ideas that will change how talent is hired in 2018.

The Global Recruiting Trends 2018 report offers detailed insights on how these trends will impact recruiters and organisations, as well as how they will create a shift in the recruitment process across industries. These hiring trends showcase how new ideas are putting an end to the transactional and tedious nature of recruitment, and are instead focusing on using strategic methods with a human touch to find high-potential talent.

Irfan Abdulla, Director of Talent and Learning Solutions, LinkedIn India & South Asia, said

Workplaces are evolving faster than ever before, and we are seeing an emergence of new jobs and skill sets in India. Therefore, the Indian recruiter too will undergo a transformation and use new tools to assess high-potential talent. Diversity will be key in how people hire this year, and a strong assessment of soft skills such as leadership and communication, along with digital skills will be imperative. To arrive at the right choice, companies in India are now using data, analytics and insights to make better decisions.

Here is a rundown of the 4 key global recruiting trends that will shape the future of talent acquisition and how companies will hire talent in the years to come:

Diversity: The new global mindset and the hot source of corporate growth

  • 81% of talent acquisition leaders and hiring managers in India say that diversity will be the top trend affecting how they hire, which is much higher than the global average of 78%
  • Companies are prioritizing diversity for a plethora of reasons, with growing evidence that diversity along with inclusion and belonging, enhances productivity, promotes innovation and a higher engagement
  • 78% of companies prioritize diversity to improve company culture; 62% do so to boost financial performance; and 49% to better represent customers
  • Gender [71%], Race [49%], and Age [48%] are the red-hot topics where companies are focusing their diversity efforts
  • Companies are focusing on all three – diversity, inclusion, and belonging, and looking ahead we will see more companies disentangling the concepts and measuring belonging

New Interviewing Models: Reinventing the interview with a blend of traditional with smart models

  • Higher than the global average of 56%, 61% of Indian respondents say that interviewing innovations are extremely important to the future of hiring
  • According to the survey, companies continue to believe in the popularity and effectiveness of traditional interview techniques with giving maximum emphasis to structured interviews [88%] and behavioral interviews [89%]
  • Talent leaders find interviewer bias [42%] and limited ability to assess soft skills [63%] and weaknesses [57%] as the most prevalent shortcomings of traditional interviews
  • To overcome this, hiring managers are increasingly looking at smarter interview models and 5 techniques have come on the scene to improve the old model: Soft skills assessments [59%], job auditions [54%], meeting in casual settings [53%], virtual reality assessments [28%] and video interviews [18%] are considered the most useful interview innovations
  • Online soft skills assessments measure traits like teamwork and curiosity and give a more holistic picture of candidates earlier in the process. In job auditions, companies pay candidates to do real work so that they can observe skills in action. Casual interviews typically take place over a meal and can offer a unique look into candidate character. With Virtual Reality [VR], companies immerse candidates in simulated 3-D environments to test their skills in a standardized way. Video interviews can be recorded or live and help by tapping a broader talent pool in far less time.

Data: The new corporate superpower

  • Mexico [61%], Brazil [59%], India [56%] and China [56%] are the 4 countries with the highest number of respondents who believe that using data is the top trend affecting how they hire; The global average is 50%.
  • The survey shows that 64% of the talent acquisition professionals use data now, and 79% are even more likely to use it in the next two years.
  • 69% of talent professionals believe using data can elevate their careers.
  •  Currently, the 5 most common uses of data in talent acquisition are to increase retention [56%], evaluate skills gap [50%], build better offers [50%], understand candidate wants [46%], and do workforce planning [41%]. For example, If you’re trying to grasp why employees are leaving, you might look to employee surveys, 360-degree reviews, compensation history, and promotion history to start triangulating an answer.
  • The two greatest barriers to using data include poor data quality [42%] and figuring out where to find the data [20%].

Artificial Intelligence [AI]: The secret workhorse

  • [76%] of respondents said that AI’s impact on recruiting will be significant and will help them work faster by automating administrative tasks, and smarter by generating insights they wouldn’t think of alone
  • Areas where AI will impact recruiting the most include, sourcing candidates [58%], screening candidates [56%] and nurturing candidates [55%].
  • 67% of respondents said that AI helps save time and 43% believe that it removes human bias
  • AI is the future, but so is human touch. Moreover, research shows that AI is least likely to replace top 5 skills that require personal and emotional engagement like building relationships with candidates, seeing candidate’s potential beyond credentials, judging culture add or culture fit, gauging candidate interpersonal skills, and convincing candidates to accept offers. AI doesn’t replace you; it empowers you.

Survey Methodology

LinkedIn surveyed 8,815 talent acquisition professionals and hiring managers.

  • Talent acquisition professionals work in a corporate HR department and must have some responsibility for the hiring process.
  • Hiring managers must have some authority over hiring decisions for their team.

|In: Android|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network with more than 42 million members in India have announced the launch of the LinkedIn Lite Android app, a faster and lighter version of its flagship app. With mobile fast becoming the first screen in India, the Lite app offers a seamless and intuitive experience of LinkedIn to users on Android’s operating system, that accounts for 97% of India’s smartphone market [Source].

Developed by LinkedIn’s R&D team in Bengaluru, LinkedIn Lite app is first being rolled out to members in India. The Lite app was inspired by the success of the lightweight mobile website, which was launched in September 2016. LinkedIn plans to roll out the mobile web version and the Android app in over 60+ countries shortly.


To help overcome the challenges of unpredictable internet connectivity, LinkedIn designed Lite to make the platform more easily accessible to the growing population of mobile internet users. Built to run smoothly and offer faster access even on lower end smartphones, the app loads extremely fast – in under five seconds, even on 2G network. The app size is only 1MB and reduces data usage by 80 percent. It also offers all key features like news feed, jobs, profile, network, messaging, notifications, and search.

Commenting on the launch, Akshay Kothari, LinkedIn’s Country Manager for India said

Besides providing a fast, data-light solution for professionals in slow network areas, we hope the LinkedIn Lite app will democratize access to economic opportunity. Regardless of their device or location, we hope to level the playing field for all LinkedIn members so they can get closer to their dream jobs, grow their networks and become more successful.

The LinkedIn Lite app is available on Play Store for all Android users in India.

|In: LinkedIn|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

LinkedIn has announced the 2017 list of Top Companies in India. Formerly titled Top Attractors 2016, the annual ranking spotlights India’s most sought-after employers. The list is fueled by exclusive LinkedIn data, including job seeker reach, engagement and retention, paired with an editorial lens that examines the billions of actions by LinkedIn’s 500+ million members.

Image Source – LinkedIn

The top two spots in the list continue to be held by Flipkart and Amazon respectively, for the second year in a row. The list of 25 Top Companies in India also saw over 30% of new entrants, namely One97 Communications [#4], Tech Mahindra [#14], Swiggy [#15], IDFC Bank [#17], Vodafone [#20], Grofers [#22], McKinsey & Company [#24] and Oracle [#25]. Among the companies making upward movements are Ola from last year’s #10 to #5, OYO Rooms from #16 to #9, Reliance Industries from #23 to #10, and Cisco from #24 to #16.

While every company on the India list fosters a unique culture and robust business model, it revealed a few standout insights:

Industry Disruptors Gain Preference – Professionals are attracted to companies that disrupt the status quo and lead by example. Case in point, Ola at #5 has revolutionized the urban mobility by creating an ingenious business model with services like Ola Play, Fleet, Shuttle etc.

Similarly, OYO Rooms ranked at #9, has transformed the hospitality industry to become a budget traveler’s first choice. Internet companies that have proved their mettle as disruptors in their space also made it to the list. These include some of the biggest homegrown names in their respective categories such as MakeMyTrip [#23] and Swiggy [15].

Inclination Towards Homegrown Companies – Offering new possibilities and opportunities for talent within the country, homegrown companies are increasingly being considered by job seekers. From leading tech multinationals to startups, 13 homegrown companies found place in the list including HCL Technologies [#6], and Wipro [#18].

The list also saw six startups [including two unicorns] making it to the top 25, including Flipkart [#1], One97 Communications [#4], OYO Rooms [#9] and Grofers [#22] among others.

Irfan Abdulla, Director Talent Solutions & Learning Solutions, LinkedIn India said

India Inc is thriving, backed by an increasing business friendly sentiment and a positive economic trajectory. Understanding the pulse of a younger employee base, enterprises in India are working to build an ethos that drives performance and also delivers a rich workplace experience. We analysed India’s most attractive employers to understand how their culture and growth opportunities appeal to Indian professionals and interestingly, home grown companies are leading the list.

The complete list of the Top Companies is below

Many of the companies have one thing in common, they reward their employees well. From unique welcome traditions to offering sabbaticals for tenured employees and well-being programs, companies offer perks in order to retain employees. Some of the interesting things that companies are giving their employees include:

  • Flipkart – On their first day, employees are picked up by chauffeur-driven cars and sent on a treasure hunt to familiarize themselves with the office. Employees with over two years at Flipkart can take a career break to pursue higher studies, spend time with family or attend to medical emergencies.
  • Amazon – Amazon offers ‘leave share’ as part of their parental leave policy, allowing employees to gift six weeks of paid leave to a spouse or partner who isn’t eligible for parental leave at their employer.
  • Adobe – The company has initiated many programs that emphasize its commitment to employee health. From a doctor on campus to providing free consultations to employees and their families, the company believes keeping its people healthy is the key to building a strong company culture.

Irfan Abdulla, Director Talent Solutions & Learning Solutions, LinkedIn India added

All top companies in India have a strong talent brand, powered by culture and purpose. While these factors are the main drivers in attracting talent, the key to retaining employees is to create an environment where employees can grow by working on meaningful projects and contributing to the organization’s success.

Some companies that demonstrate this vision include

  • KPMG India – KPMG India employees get the opportunity to tackle some of the biggest issues facing Indian businesses and governments today, like redefining urban growth in Maharashtra or helping guide the future of renewable energy
  • HCL Technologies – Promoting the concept of ‘Ideapreneurship’, HCL Technologies has created an atmosphere where employees are taking the lead in finding solutions and ideas and then driving them to fruition

LinkedIn Top Companies List Methodology

The Top Companies list is a part of the LinkedIn List franchise, which celebrates companies and individuals making an impact in the professional world, and it spotlights the companies that attract and retain top talent globally. The list is fueled by a combination of exclusive LinkedIn data including reach, engagement, job interest, retention and an editorial lens. It’s based on the actions of job seekers and professionals with editorial oversight, highlighting the companies most sought-after today.

|In: Business|Last Updated: | 2 Comments
The question which was posted on LinkedIn about Twitter – Success story through Twitter has received excellent response from guys from different geographical locations.

A gist of some interesting answers below –

Story – 1
Just to share an experience on Customer Service and Listening. I have been on twitter for 6-8 months now, I just shouted out about @cleartrip not giving out any offers on twitter. cleartrip listened to my shout out and rolled out the offer in twitter. Now that’s definitely gotta make a customer feel good.
Twitter is more about engaging with your customers, to know what they want and more importantly act on it.
Then there are companies in the b2b business finding leads through twitter. So its happening, but companies are more or less just absorbing the stuff which can be done on twitter.
–Rahul Nambiar,Interactive Solutions Architect

Story – 2
Kogi bbq, a korean taco truck in Los Angeles has attributed much of its rapid and recent growth to twitter. http://twitter.com/kogibbq as has Coffee Groundz, a cafe in Houston http://twitter.com/CoffeeGroundz.
–Gary Sanchez, Consumer Marketing Leader

You can check the remaining answers/contribute your success story here

|In: Business|Last Updated: | 4 Comments
It has been almost a month since my last article & once again busy schedule has distanced me away from my blog sad Few weeks back, there was an article on this blog about Twitter and since, than I have been much more active on it

Well, we all know about Twitter & it’s usefulness for business. However, there has not been [at least I have not read about it] similar news like this one where startup/company has generated sales through Twitter.Below is the question that I have posted on LinkedIn and to answer it, you can leave a comment below or head-on directly to LinkedIn

There would be many more startups/companies [apart from Dell, Sun etc.] generating SALES through Twitter

Twitter, a company that is making news without making any revenue is familiar to all of us. Though, most of us on Twitter use it for personal use; I would like to know about the following:

1. Is your company/startup using Twitter ?
2. If the answer to (1) is yes, how have you used the medium e.g in generating sales, getting feedback ?
3. Is there any success story [apart from Dell making $1 Million in sales through Twitter] where a startup/company has been able to generate sales through Twitter.

PS – I posted this question after I could not gather much information from leading blogs/ websites/newspapers.