CxO of the Week: Ravish Agarwal, Co-founder and CEO, Able Jobs

Training and Placement Cell is an important part of any educational institute. But today, most of the work is done manually. Thus, India is in a dire need of HR tech that can make the placement process easy and effective for the training and placement department as well as the students. Able Jobs, training and placements app for entry-level roles in sales and support, help students from non-technical degrees for jobs in sales and support roles. “We charge students for training and companies for hiring,” states Ravish Agarwal, Co-founder and CEO, Able Jobs.

The need for HR Tech is rising. Plus, with tech taking the forefront during the pandemic, the disruption is undeniable. Further, organizations, including academic institutions, have turned to technology for further efficiency and productivity gains. Thus, the HR Tech industry will experience continuing growth and evolution in 2021. HR tech Able Jobs promises a world of opportunities for freshers going into sales and support roles. Read Ravish Agarwal, Co-founder and CEO, Able Jobs talk about the marketplace and the company.

What are the gaps between the temp and perm staff skills today?

Temp jobs require fewer skills compared to permanent staff. In temp jobs, companies look for skills and eligibility criteria for the job. For a sales role, this would mean effective communication, effective pitching and listening skills. However, for the perm staff, companies like to see learning ability, stakeholder management, teamwork, articulation and presentation and other softer aspects like ambitions of the person, and fitment in the culture.

Isn't automation going to drive the industry now that companies are decreasing staff? Where does training bring companies in that case?

Yes, automation is driving the industry and that's why it is more important to train than ever. Over the next 2 decades, jobs will change faster than ever, and for good. Automation will help us eliminate rudimentary tasks which people anyway don't enjoy doing. This will create an array of new roles. These, in turn, will require more specialization and only training will help people specialize in those roles. For example, Chatbot will replace the first interaction that a customer support executive does, Yet, to manage the escalations, organisations will need trained individuals.

How has the pandemic amplified the need for upskilling freshers? Why now?

Pandemic has resulted in a lot of job losses across the sectors. With a limited number of jobs for the population, people are trying to put their best foot forward resulting in an increased need for upskilling. People are also trying to switch into roles like sales because the demand for such types of roles is more than any other roles like support; since these roles generally contribute to the top line of the companies.

Work-from-home jobs have also increased drastically resulting in a larger pool of jobs for the Tier-II and III jobseekers. These people do not have the skills and professional style required to work for an MNC. Hence, it has also led to an increased need for upskilling.

Is this trend limited to sales and support roles?

The trend is highlighted particularly in sales and support roles but not limited to it. It is because of the nature of the jobs that they have been remote for the first time, at this scale. Most of these jobs are otherwise limited to the MNC offices in Tier-1 cities. Companies have increased their work from hiring capacities and set up infrastructure that supports remote training of people. Meanwhile, some companies have converted some of the jobs to permanent work from home.

Tell us about Able Jobs.

Our pedagogy and training methodology - fast-paced learning in a short span, focus on the core skills and knowledge and most importantly, a real-life simulation training. That is, we train for skills that they will use and apply not only in their interview but also in their jobs. Our app helps learners practice their presentation skills and gain confidence for the job.

We have also developed AI-based tools that help us understand the current skills of the candidates including language and communication, with just one min recording. It further provides personalized feedback to tens of thousands of students in seconds and recommends jobs that may best suit them.

Startups like Paytm, Sharechat, Bigbasket, WhiteHat Jr hire from our trained pool. Currently, we are helping job seekers with sales and support roles, but in future, we are looking to expand our course portfolio. We plan to launch new courses in the field of operation, human resources, recruitment.