CXO of the week: S Pasupathi, Chief Operating Officer, HirePro

HirePro is the preeminent technology platform for enterprise recruitment in India, since 2004. HirePro is the preferred destination for businesses globally to manage diverse phases of the recruitment supply chain. The platform is enabled by AI and assisted by experts who help companies source, screen, assess, interview, select, and onboard the best talent.

S Pasupathi, Chief Operating Officer, Hirepro, With over two decades of experience in the recruitment industry, Pasupathi's expertise lies in recruitment consulting, recruitment setup and implementation, change management, compliance, automation, and metrics and training. A true visionary, he is driven by process and discipline. He is all for the transformation of talent acquisition supply chain management into a mature science. He is credited with creating a strong edge for the service platform in the market. Prior to Careernet/HirePro, Pasupathi worked with SAP Labs India for seven years. He holds an Integrated M.Sc. in Mathematics and a degree in Computer Applications from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi.

How did your HirePro journey begin?

HirePro embarked on a mission to build college hiring solutions in 2004. College hiring was a new phenomenon, and organisations needed support in formulating their campus hiring strategy, assessments, and logistical support to put it into action. Because of the nature of the business, there was a strong emphasis on innovation and automation, which aided HirePro in developing solutions focused on assessment, and workflows for high-volume recruiting, proctoring, and onboarding. Given its strong domain expertise, HirePro could weave all of this together to create the first comprehensive solution for campus hiring and high-volume hiring. I began my career in SAP Labs and joined HirePro in 2006, and have been a part of the company's growth journey ever since.

Do you think AI can replace HRs? How accurate can they be?

AI will aid recruitment teams to make decisions, but it will not make them. Because AI is programmed by humans, it does not consider all potential scenarios and corner cases as part of the process. For example, AI-based resume processing will work very well if the job descriptions and resumes are standardised. Similarly, AI-based proctoring flags suspicious behavior and fraudulent activities but do not confirm it.

Why do you think AI is influencing the recruitment sector and is HirePro making any difference in the market?

The Indian recruitment landscape is characterised by huge volumes, process complexity, diversity of job families, skewed selection and joining ratios, and resumes that do not accurately reflect candidates' true potential. This puts a lot of strain on the talent acquisition teams. As a result, it is a sector ripe for automation. AI assists them in making better decisions, accelerating processes, increasing scalability, and reducing costs.

At a time when hiring volumes are skyrocketing, HirePro delivered 2 million assessments and video interviews in a quarter and caught 90,000 fraudulent cases.  The platform scaled up and delivered 75,000 assessments and video interviews in a single day, all of which were 100% proctored. The HirePro platform has successfully passed the security examinations of global giants, including banking enterprises. HirePro assisted its clients in automating their campus recruiting workflows, delivering them savings on cost, time, and quality of hires.

Describe for me your business framework and any new strategies in the market?

 HirePro provides the right mix of product, automation, consulting, and services to help clients in managing their recruiting outcomes. We're the only organisation that understands the intricacies and challenges of the Indian recruitment industry. India is a market that requires more than just a platform; it demands optional support. For example, with assessments, it's not only about having a platform to conduct them on; it's also about having customised content for assessments that match employers’ specific needs. Similarly, when it comes to college hiring, it's not only about the assessment platform; it's also about end-to-end operational and service support.

Our strategy is to equip customers with comprehensive solutions and all the tools they need to ensure a frictionless recruiting process. HirePro has built-in AI capabilities to help businesses recruit, screen, assess, interview, and onboard the best talent in the market.

Did the current pandemic situation affect your work? If yes, how did you tackle the challenges?

Before the pandemic, organisations were not focused on the adoption of automation. They relied on standard tools like spreadsheets. The transition to remote work and record-breaking hiring volumes generated the specialised need for assessment, proctoring, and remote campus recruitment. Our engineering team rose to the occasion and enhanced our virtual hiring solutions, which included assessment workflows, video interview platforms, and proctoring. We were able to deliver comprehensive solutions to clients.

What benefits is HirePro offering to the industry?

HirePro’s mission is to eliminate friction in the recruitment process through automation and enriched human connections. HirePro aims to enhance the standard of service and recruitment as a whole by offering products and services for in-person as well as remote recruiting.

Having experienced the evolution of the industry firsthand, HirePro has empowered enterprises to adapt to dynamic changes in the industry. For example, a firm that used HirePro's proctoring software to remotely interview 100,000 candidates per year achieved a $50 million return on investment by enabling large-scale operations. Furthermore, by utilising HirePro's recruiting platform, businesses can broaden their geographical reach and remove hiring prejudice in order to enhance diversity.

As a COO, how would you describe your workplace?

HirePro's solution offering is one-of-a-kind for Indian customers. Customizable automation solutions, recruitment consulting, and operational support are all part of the package. As a result, the organization has built a team of engineers who are focused on innovation, as well as a consulting and operations team that is focused on customers. The customer benefits from the deep domain expertise by receiving a highly customised solution for their needs. Some of the highlights for both our clients and potential job seekers are the great work environment, high-velocity growth, and value creation that has helped us produce seasoned and tenured experts.

Tell us if any three books or movies inspire you?

"Execution- The Discipline of Getting Things Done" and "Good to Great" were two books that helped me transition from the software to the recruiting industry. I enjoy lighthearted movies in general and have a lot of favorites in that genre.