Panel Discussion Wrap-up: Future Hiring Practices - Emerging Trends in Hiring

Prof. Sai: Great! What do you feel about the gig economy in the context of Product and Data Science roles? Do you actually see gig workers in the Product and Data science domains?

Ramprasad: It depends a lot on the role for which you’re hiring. For some roles, you expect the person to be fully in the zone and focus on what you’re building. However, there can be some roles in which you can afford to hire gig workers. For example, if I need an opinion on my user experience, I can hire a specialist and get his opinion. Again, it’s going to be very contextual. 

Prof. Sai: There’s this new term floating around- AI Product Management. While it may sound heavy-loaded,  is this because products themselves are collecting a huge amount of data? Or how do you see this new area of product management ?

Akhil: Yes, this is a new area of Product Management and is all set to take precedence in the near future. When we hire candidates, we look if the candidate has had a steep learning curve apart from academics and experience of course. We take a look at the problems the person has solved in earlier companies and then take a call.

Prof. Sai: What are the best practices a mid-level professional should follow to shift from one industry to the other? For example, an individual wants to move from BFSI to E-Commerce. What’s the best possible way for a seamless shift?

Venkataraman: That’s an interesting example. The individual needs to have a good grasp of the techno-functional expertise to make that shift. It takes some time to adapt to the dynamics of the new industry but the transition is bound to happen sooner than later.