Introduction
NASSCOM published a report stating that the Indian tech industry hired 3,80,000 freshers in 2022. It has pushed the share of GenZ in most companies to 18%-20%. The same year also witnessed the Great Resignation Trend, where 80% of tech employees were looking for a job change.
At a time when opportunities abound for freshers and software developers of varying experience levels, despite being in a smaller city, Kovai.co has the distinction of retaining many freshers for longer than the industry standard of 1-2 years.
About 50% of our tech interns from 2020 are still with us in 2023
Three months after covid-19 pandemic began, we recruited 20 young engineering graduates from top colleges in the district, like Bannari Amman Institute of Technology, Sri Eshwar Engineering College, and Sri Ramakrishna Engineering College, as interns into Kovai.co. Calling them “Tech Warriors 2020,” they received intense training in using software like .Net, Angler, and C-Sharp. About 50% of them have continued to stay with Kovai.co close to three years since then.
Many freshers recruited in 2020 witnessed the great demand for talent among SaaS companies worldwide, the Great Resignation Trend, and the recent trend of layoffs. However, the freshers we recruited have continued to stick with us.
What makes freshers stick with Kovai.co long-term:
Opportunities for Learning
A tech warrior from 2020, Rajagurunathan Manikandan, says for him “it’s all about learning.” “In the last two years, excluding the time we were interning, I have managed to work on three different products—BizTalk360, Atomic Scope, and Serverless360 – in the company. And they were all challenging tasks, including building on a feature, a configuration, and now an integration,” says Manikandan. “This shows how much the company trusts you, and it is stimulating working on such challenges,” he adds.
Empathetic Leadership
Sandhiya Sivakumar, another batchmate from Tech Warriors 2020 who works in the BizTalk360 team, echoes Rajagurunathan’s statement. “When I joined Kovai.co, I was ridden with self-doubt. But when I was assigned challenging tasks and found myself completing them within the deadline, I suddenly started seeing myself in a new light,” she says. “I realized my potential in Kovai.co. I find my managers extremely empathetic & helpful when I have faced obstacles, flexible with deadlines in certain circumstances. I often wonder if I will find such empathy and flexibility in another company,”.
Importance given to their ideas and suggestions.
The company’s work culture of allowing youngsters to voice their thoughts and suggestions to people as high up as the leadership has also contributed to our retention rates. “We can voice our ideas to any manager or senior, and it is taken seriously. We can even see it being implemented in the product and its impact,” says another fresher recruited in 2020, Subiksha Gopal. “People here are also super friendly making Kovai.co feel like a second home for me,” she adds.
Rajagurunathan admits that with a burst of new product companies in Coimbatore, opportunities for trained software developers are aplenty. “Most freshers and Gen Z only look at broadening their knowledge until we hit 30, it is only after that do we start focussing on monetary aspects. When we are lucky to get both, there is no reason for us to look outside,” he adds.
How does Kovai.co create opportunities and a positive environment for freshers?
Arunkumar Kumaresan, Head of Operations, says every organization recruits fresh graduates because of the enthusiasm, fresh ideas, and excitement they bring to the table. “But what sets us apart is our policy of giving them extremely competitive tasks, the latest cutting-edge technology to work on, and training, which boosts their self-esteem. We don’t give them any basic tasks because they are inexperienced,” he says. “We also only recruit reasonably experienced people willing to work with freshers creating a positive environment. Competitive compensation and benefits tailormade for every individual is offered, making Kovai.co one of the best places to start their careers,”.
Speaking on the importance of retaining freshers in product companies, Arunkumar says it is not easy to replace people with “relevant knowledge”. “We may find replacements with relevant skills like a specific technology stack, but they will lack relevant knowledge like a product’s earlier versions, configurations, customizations done for older customers etc. A fresher, grown into experienced support staff, sales staff, or developer will be able to provide a much better customer experience or support,” he says.
Conclusion
Besides the tech warriors’ batch, Kovai.co has had freshers staying for more than five years across verticals, including marketing, sales, customer support, and human resources. “The opportunity to learn new things and the massive scope of our products and the business is so exciting that there seems to be no reason for us to look outside,” says Surya Venkatasubramanian, Senior Product Marketer.
