From the Firehose
The curious case of India’s tech talent
Did you know there exists a global study where five of the top ten spots are filled by India? You heard that right! A 2014 LinkedIn study tracked the movement of tech talent across the globe and found that Bangalore grows tech talent faster than other city in the world. Thanks to a burgeoning base of startups, Bangalore has stepped out of the shadow of its widely-used “Silicon Valley of India” sobriquet and leapfrogged the US as a beehive of tech talent. Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Gurgaon followed the leader closely on the list. Though it is hardly a surprise to anybody anymore, these findings re-affirm that India is home to the biggest pool of technology talent.
Have we thrown in the towel too early?
Here’s our take – There’s enough of tech talent to go around, and excellent ones at that. So, it may be premature to write this quest off as a wild goose chase. It is true that great developers with superior skill sets and a great cultural fit to the organization are rare to come by. Having said that, we must not be hasty to think of them as unicorns. Perhaps we need to redefine “tech talent” altogether.
During my time at HackerEarth, I have come to believe that if you expect to harvest the best tech talent and retain them, you will have to veer off the beaten path.
1. Look in uncanny places
2. Fix the gender gap
3. Find the sweet spot
Women-only hackathons to tackle the gender gap
March 8 is International Women’s Day (IWD), which is just around the corner. On this day, the United Nations wants the world to specially celebrate women’s trials and successes. In keeping with the spirit of International Women’s Day, companies such as HackerEarth are organizing events to recognize budding women geniuses in the world of technology.
