TCS Targets Top Talent with New ‘Prime’ Hiring Tier Offering Up to Rs 11 Lakh
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In a bid to attract top-tier graduates, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), India’s leading IT services provider, has unveiled a new hiring category named “Prime.” This initiative aims to secure exceptional talent from the fresh graduate pool through enhanced compensation packages ranging from Rs 9 lakh to Rs 11 lakh annually.
Girish Nandimath, TCS’s global head of talent acquisition, explained in a recent video interview that the Prime category is designed to lock in high-caliber candidates by offering competitive salaries. “With Prime, TCS is committed to attracting the best talent. This move ensures that top candidates are more likely to accept our offers rather than exploring other opportunities,” Nandimath said.
He highlighted the challenges of campus recruitment, particularly with so-called “dream” offers, where students might decline offers later if they find other opportunities. The Prime category is intended to address this issue by strengthening the commitment of high-potential recruits.
This strategy comes as TCS faces a rapidly evolving IT landscape, with a growing need for expertise in cutting-edge technologies such as AI, Generative AI, and machine learning. Nandimath emphasized that the company’s various business units, including product and research sectors, require skilled individuals proficient in these areas.
TCS’s move follows a similar strategy from 2019-20, when the company introduced the Ninja and Digital categories with compensation packages of Rs 3.6 lakh and Rs 7 lakh, respectively. “Our goal was to access the best talent and recognize students with superior capabilities,” Nandimath noted. Previously, the Prime category was informally used, but it is now formally extended to several top-tier institutes.
Janardhan Santhanam, TCS’s vice-president and chief learning officer, mentioned that the Prime tier is now expanded across all business units, unlike before when it was limited to research and innovation segments. With a workforce of 606,998 as of June 30, 2024, TCS did not disclose specific figures for hires under each category, but Digital hires have grown from less than 10% to a more significant portion of total recruitment.
For the fiscal year 2024-25, TCS plans to recruit 40,000 fresh graduates. Nandimath added that recruits under the Digital and Prime categories generally require less training and are more productive, enhancing their readiness for billable work.
Santhanam also reassured that starting in the Ninja category does not limit career advancement. “We believe in the potential of every candidate and regularly assess Ninja recruits for possible transitions to higher categories,” he said.
