India's top talent competing with the rest of the world Will Japan be able to overturn its reputation of ``disappointing to come here'': Asahi Shimbun GLOBE+

■Students scheduled for interviewsBe ahead of the West

IIT's method of recruiting students is very different from Japan. From December 1st every year, companies can go to universities for job interviews, but the university's employment department decides when companies can interview. The earliest interview schedule is assigned to the most famous companies in Europe and the United States, which have a lot of hiring records in the past, offer high salaries, and are popular with students. Such companies scramble to attract the best students in the most demanding IIT.

At IIT Delhi, in December last year, more than 300 companies participated in recruitment activities, including online, even during the corona crisis. Microsoft, Intel, and Goldman Sachs were among the companies that hired most of the students on December 1, the first day of interviews, according to the university's announcement. It is said that more than 60% of the places of employment are in technical occupations such as IT.

IIT Hyderabad, located in central and southern India, is a relatively new IIT campus that opened in 2008 with the cooperation of the Japanese government in facility construction and personnel exchanges. Since 2018, the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and other organizations have held a joint information session called "JAPAN DAY" here to expand employment at Japanese companies. 200 students participated in 2018, 230 students in 2019, and about 440 students participated online in 2020. The number of students is increasing year by year, and the interest of students in Japan is steadily increasing. On the corporate side, a record 20 companies participated, ranging from large companies such as Fujitsu and Denso to venture companies.

Even so, Yukino Taki (29) of the JETRO Startup Support Division, who was stationed at the local office and was involved in briefings, said, In 2010, there were companies that recruited again and were hired. It would be extremely difficult for a Japanese company, which is not well known, to compete with Western companies through this scheme."

There are 23 IITs in various parts of India, and Japanese companies such as NEC, Sony, and Mercari have been successful in recruiting. On the other hand, the current situation is that there are high hurdles for IIT human resources to work in Japanese companies, not only in terms of job type and treatment, but also whether they can communicate in English without difficulty in daily life.

Under such circumstances, JETRO and others put together a "two-year plan" last year. Rather than focusing solely on recruiting 4th year students at Hyderabad, we will focus on recruiting interns from the 3rd year onwards, and strengthen the dissemination of information on Japanese companies from an early stage. In addition to increasing name recognition, we aim to hire excellent students through internships. It's steady, but it's also an important opportunity to prevent mismatches. There are concerns about the impact of the corona crisis, but what will be the outcome? Attention will be focused on student trends in December this year, the second year of the plan.

■IIT human resources: Employers are also questioned

After graduating from IIT Delhi, he was in charge of technical planning and new business development at Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Nagaokakyo City, Kyoto Prefecture). Karun Malhotra (60), who runs a business that supports the expansion of Japanese companies into India, has many connections in the political and business circles of Japan and India. He also participates in "JAPAN DAY" at IIT Hyderabad, and is often consulted by IIT students and Indians working in Japan.

"In India, home appliances such as Sony and Panasonic are familiar, and many Indian students have a vaguely positive image of 'Japanese people are diligent and good at making things.' Japan is clean and safe. However, the reality is that many people are disappointed when they actually start working in Japan.” What does that mean?

Here's the problem Malhotra points out. New employees in Japan are first required to do the work given, and are trained side by side. It is difficult to make a big difference in salary, and promotion is slow. If you get special treatment, you'll be stared at by your colleagues.

"For example, an excellent person who graduated from the University of Tokyo is Japanese and can endure (the customs of Japanese companies), but why do Indians have to endure?" They end up wanting to change jobs or go to Europe and the United States where English is spoken.”

Japanese companies tend to value organizations more than individuals and teamwork more than grand play. The biggest problem is that evaluations and feedback on the work of employees are often ambiguous.

"Indians also come to Japan expecting good work, and want to contribute their abilities and ideas to society. If you don't challenge them more and more, they will get bored.In short, even if you hire IIT students, there are companies that can't use them.In order to overcome such a gap, it is important to change the old common sense of Japanese companies. I think it will be a big challenge.”

Maruhotra himself has worked for Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. for about 30 years. “In India, it is normal to change jobs three times. Looking back, he recalls that it was important for him to work while always thinking about this, and that he was blessed with a boss who accepted his request to be transferred to the United States and other places.

Nowadays, India is producing many talented people who are active in global companies. However, Malhotra proudly says, "Indians have been active for a long time." “The days when only white people occupy executive positions have come to an end as large companies in Europe and the United States begin to question diversity. I think it just broke through the glass ceiling and made it stand out."

Karun Malhotra Graduated from Indian Institute of Technology (Delhi) in 1982. He came to Japan in 1984 after completing a master's degree at McGill University in Canada. Joined Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. in 1990 and worked as a general manager of technology planning and new business development. In 2017, he established Pogli Co., Ltd. to support Japanese companies entering India.