Responses from Ms. Meenakshi Jaryal, Vice President Talent Acquisition, Core Integra

1. Can you tell our readers about your background and what led you down this path?

I bring over 20 years of experience in the HR industry, with a core expertise in Talent Acquisition. My professional journey began at Bharti Tele Tech, followed by significant roles at Mphasis and Dell. These roles have positioned me to work on end-to-end recruitment and lead big teams. After a successful corporate career, I embarked on an entrepreneurial journey, running a staffing company for more than 7 years. This venture enriched my understanding of the industry from a business owner’s perspective. Currently, I am heading the TA vertical for CI. I came into this industry with a great interest in human capital management—driven by a passion for closing the gap between organizational needs and the availability of talent.

2. How do you see technology playing a role in the future of HR?

Technology is simply redesigning HR to be much more efficient and data-driven. At Core Integra, we engage AI that comes with reconfiguring recruitment in the automation of résumé screening, predictive analysis, and chatbots. Industry reports are increasingly focusing on the significant growth of HR techs, such as blockchain for credential verification and chatbots for enhancing engagement with potential candidates. In a few years, AI will automate recruitment processes, data analytics will be used to support strategic decisions, and employees’ experiences will become personalized. The emergence of new advanced tools will facilitate the control of work performed in remote and hybrid forms, whereas robotic process automation will undertake regular duties.

3. What has been the most significant professional challenge you faced and how did you solve it?

One of the biggest challenges was during the COVID-19 pandemic when I had to transition the whole hiring process to fully digital hiring. It required a quick turnaround for re-engineering our processes and making them befit for the new virtual environment. This was solved by implementing advanced digital tools, providing comprehensive training for our team, and maintaining clear, confident communication with our clients. We were looking at trying to prove our capabilities using fast TAT and successful virtual hires. While maintaining ambitious service standards, instilling confidence in our ability to remain effective during this new digital age will ensure a smooth transition and excellent client satisfaction. Some of the elements that made this transformation succeed were persistence and a focus on change management.

4. Can you expand on some of the strategic drivers behind Core Integra’s growth into the emerging talent acquisition sector and on which markets you are focused?

Core Integra’s entry into the talent acquisition vertical has been on account of the growing demand for niche recruitment services. Our already-proven capabilities in regulatory compliance and a foray into Talent Acquisition would provide complete solutions within the domain of HR Services. The focus area is going to be verticals like new growth technologies, finance, e-commerce, and healthcare—these are really growing in the domestic and international markets. We intend to be an organization’s partner of choice in best-in-class talent. Deep industry insights and technological capabilities will help.

5. How is Core Integra’s talent acquisition arm leveraging technology to streamline recruitment processes and enhance candidate experiences?

We adopt an integrated technology approach comprising AI-based candidate sourcing, automated interview scheduling, and analytics to ensure that candidates are accurately mapped against job requirements. In the process, these technologies help to make our operations not only more effective but also to offer a more interactive and tailored experience to the candidates, resulting in greater satisfaction and retention. We keep on exploring and putting mechanisms in place that can act on the feedback from both a client and candidate perspective that helps create more value for our customers.

6. What are the most in-demand skills from your clients under Core Integra’s talent acquisition arm?

Currently, some of the most sought-after expert skills from our clients include digital transformation, cybersecurity, data analytics, robotics process automation, AI, and machine learning. Soft skills, including adaptability, problem-solving, and leadership, are as important for organizations operating in the complexity of the modern business world.

7. What advice would you give to young professionals looking to build a successful career in today’s dynamic job market?

My advice to young professionals is to embrace continuous learning and stay adaptable to change. The job market is getting very dynamic with very emerging technologies and methodologies. Diversified skill sets, both technical and soft skills, will put one ahead in a competitive advantage that they could use to edge out others. Networking and reaching out for mentorship can also open several other opportunities and insights toward one’s goals.