In conversation with the HR Team at Techlogix

Despite being relatively young, Pakistan’s IT industry is thriving right now. Our export sector is booming and as a result the number for IT exports in the country has gone up significantly. From a mere $20 million exports in 2000, Pakistan’s IT industry has now crossed the $2 billion mark with an annual growth rate of up to 40%. Furthermore, Pakistani students are interested in Tech & IT careers now more than ever with a figure from P@SHA stating that about 20,000 IT graduates enter the job market every year. However, the job hunting process is very daunting. As a fresh graduate you may not always land your dream job. But what can make this entire process easier is if your apply smartly. If you are completely aware of what and how a particular company hires graduates, you have a better chance at getting an offer letter at your dream company.

Techlogix is one of the leading IT Services, Consulting, and Business Solutions company in Pakistan. Founded in 1996 by two MIT graduates, Salman Akhter and Kewan Qadeer Khawaja, Techlogix now has over 300 employees in all their offices including Dubai, Boston, Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad. Techlogix provides their significant clientele with technical services in the areas of Application Integration, Business Process Management, Software Product Engineering, and Analytics. They also implement a wide range of industry-standard application packages and provide business services to clients in the Finance, Telecom, and Government sectors.

The organization is actively involved in providing their massive client-base with the best possible services. In order to get the job done they hire top-notch talent from some of Pakistan’s leading universities. Every year Pakistani graduates vie for a position at the company. We at TechJuice recently sat down and talked with Rehan Tariq and Ayla Amir, HR Manager and HR team member at Techlogix respectively, to learn first-hand what Techlogix’s hiring process is like internally, what they look for in the perfect candidate, and what sets Techlogix apart from other companies.

An Overview of the Techlogix Recruitment process

Before the hiring process begins, the company internally identifies the need for people with a particular skill set. After that job descriptions are formed and the openings are shared on newspapers, social media, and other relevant platforms.

When hiring fresh graduates in particular, Techlogix conducts recruitment drives at universities where the initial technical tests are taken. After the screening, shortlisted candidates are then called for the technical interview. Candidates who pass this phase then qualify for the final interview which is conducted by one of the CEOs of the company. People who clear the final interview are then made an offer and the company proceeds to close their recruitment process.

The Ideal Candidate

We keep an eye out for a qualification from a reputed university, achievements, and a good GPA, all of which are strong indicators of an ideal candidate for Techlogix

While screening candidates all resumes are closely analyzed. Rehan tells us that while going through the resumes they keep an eye out for a qualification from a reputed university, achievements, and a good GPA – all of which are strong indicators of an ideal candidate for Techlogix. The HR team also focuses on the nature of the final year project of the candidate because this serves as a measure of their abilities. Furthermore, relevant internship or work experience, personal interest and extra-curricular activities are also taken into consideration. Finally, after going through rounds of screening, technical tests and interviews, the candidate’s interview with the CEO is Techlogix’s way of judging whether the candidate is technically sound and whether he/she will be able to fit into the company’s work culture.

Mistakes to avoid while applying at Techlogix

When we raised the question that what Techlogix considers as a red light during the recruitment process, Rehan and Ayla both were very vocal about what mistakes candidates should avoid. Before applying for a position, the applicant should properly go through the job description to see whether they have the required skill set or not and only apply for jobs they fit the criteria for. Furthermore, a cover letter should be a must even if it isn’t explicitly asked for. Via a cover letter, you should introduce yourself, your skill set, and what makes you a suitable candidate for the job. One the other hand, the resume should clearly outline your achievements over the years, personal and academic information. It is advisable to not go in unnecessary details in the resume so that the recruiter can pick all the required information in just one glance. And finally before applying, make sure that you have closely read your cover letter and resume for any grammatical errors or mistakes because they are a clear indicator of a non-serious candidate.

How many people actually get hired?

For every 78 candidates that apply only 1 get hired.

Since Techlogix hires only the best possible candidates, their recruitment process is very competitive and as a result the conversion rate at Techlogix is very low. For every 78 candidates that apply only 1 get hired. In 2016, Techlogix received an overwhelming amount of 9,500 applications. From these 1,176 were called for the technical interview and only 224 candidates were called for the final interview. At the end of the recruitment process 165 people were sent job offers and 122 people were finally hired. This year Techlogix has hired around 100 fresh graduates for their offices in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad.

The Techlogix Work Culture

Techlogix currently has a female to male ratio of 30:70.

While talking to us Rehan says that Techlogix is like one big family. A friendly culture exists across all departments and the company strongly promotes an open-doors policy via which employees can easily voice all their concerns to the upper management. Employees are liable to be available for 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week. However, this may increase depending on the type of project an employee is working on. However, the company takes great care in keeping check that a work day must not exceed 9.5 hours. For all their hardwork, the company also provides their employees with launches, annual dinners, and trips to northern areas where they can bring along their family members.

Techlogix currently has a female to male ratio of 30:70 in their employees, however, gender equality is something they strongly stress on. There is no gender discrimination in terms of hiring or salary. Interestingly, they have multiple women working as managers and directors in the company who set a great example for younger girls in the company. Furthermore, for females Techlogix offers a conveyance facility along with a separate common room at their offices.

Opportunities for Career Growth

Techlogix, not only provides their employees with constant support and guidance throughout their professional careers but also respects the interests of their employees. The diversity of the work they do has formed a workforce which includes techies willing to jump into new technologies, they also have people with deep functional knowledge in specific industries, and then they have people who work in both technical and functional roles.

When new hires are taken on board they go through a company orientation where they are given a walkthrough of the company policies and procedures. During the course of their career at Techlogix, employees are given internal and external trainings at the Techlogix Knowledge Center of Excellence. Monitored employees are also given the opportunity for international travel for training sessions. Furthermore, they also have training material available on a shared location which can be accessed by any interested employee. They also sponsor Oracle and Microsoft certifications for their employees while also offering the ‘V-Factor Programme for Personal & Professional Victory’ via which employees can learn valuable soft skills.

In Pakistan there doesn’t appear to be a lack of resources. Universities churn our graduates year after year but the need of the hour is to guide these people and create a direct linkage between the academia and the industry so that young graduates are able to contribute to Pakistan’s economy by working to the best of their potential.

This interview with Techlogix was conducted by Kanza Rasheed.

A unique series to identify what technology organizations look for in a candidate? Why there is a misalignment of expectations and how can we bridge the gap between academia and industry.