HR Functions and Tech Hiring Overview | Generated by AI
Great question. “HR” is a big umbrella. Recruiting is just one part of it, and how hard it is to hire (say 22 full‑stack engineers in a year) depends a lot on the market, seniority, tech stack, salary, and employer brand.
1) What HR actually does
- Talent acquisition (TA): recruiting, sourcing, interviewing, offers, employer branding
- HR business partners (HRBP): advise managers on org design, performance, headcount plans
- Compensation & benefits: pay bands, bonus/RSU design, market surveys
- Learning & development: training, leadership programs
- Employee relations & compliance: policies, disputes, labor law
- Operations: onboarding, HRIS/ATS systems, payroll, reporting
2) How tech recruiting works (typical flow)
- Intakes: recruiter + hiring manager define the role, skills, budget, timeline, interview loop
- Sourcing: inbound job ads, referrals, LinkedIn/GitHub, campuses, agencies/RPO; in China often Boss直聘, 拉勾, 51job, 猎聘, Maimai; in India Naukri, LinkedIn; in US LinkedIn, Indeed, Hired
- Screening: resume screen, recruiter phone screen, coding/tech screen, onsite loop
- Offer/close: comp negotiation, start date, background checks, notice period handling
- Onboarding: paperwork, IT access, orientation
Key metrics recruiters live by
- Time‑to‑fill (days from opening to accepted offer)
- Quality of hire (probation pass, performance at 6–12 months)
- Offer acceptance rate
- Candidate experience scores
- Diversity goals (in some regions)
- Recruiter productivity (hires per recruiter per year)
3) Is “20 engineers per year” hard? It can be moderate to hard, depending on context:
- Reasonable benchmark: A corporate recruiter focused on experienced software roles often lands 15–30 hires per year. If all 22 are mid–senior full‑stack engineers in a competitive market with average pay and a thorough process, that’s a solid year.
- Much easier if: strong brand, competitive pay, broad tech stack, fast interviews, junior/campus mix, large referral culture.
- Much harder if: niche stacks, senior/principal levels, tight budgets, slow process, relocation/visa needs, or weak brand.
Pipeline math (rough example)
- Goal: 22 accepted offers
- If offer acceptance is 60%, you need ~33 offers
- If 25% of final interviewees get offers, you need ~130 final interviews
- If 50% pass the technical screen to reach final, you need ~260 screens
- If 25% of sourced leads take a screen, you need ~1,000 targeted outreaches (plus inbound and referrals) Actual ratios vary by market and role seniority.
4) Regional differences (high level)
Guangzhou/China (incl. firms like Chinasoft)
- Supply: Large engineer pool, especially junior–mid. Post‑2023 market softness means more applicants, but top seniors and certain stacks still scarce.
- Demand: Mix of product companies (Tencent, Huawei, ByteDance, etc.) and service/outsourcing vendors. Product leaders can out‑compete on brand/comp/learning.
- Hiring channels: Boss直聘, 拉勾, 51job, 猎聘, Maimai, WeChat groups, referrals, campus drives.
- Process: Often faster cycles, coding tests common. Notice periods typically 30 days. Mandarin requirement; some roles need English for global clients.
- Difficulty: Filling 22 mid‑level full‑stack roles in Guangzhou for a services vendor is doable but competitive against top product firms; closing senior talent can be tough without premium comp or compelling projects.
Silicon Valley/US
- Supply: Many engineers but intense competition for top talent; strong remote options widened the market but also competition.
- Demand: Product companies, well‑funded startups, big tech; high bar on system design, product sense, and impact.
- Comp: Highest globally (base + equity + bonus). Candidates often hold multiple offers.
- Process: Structured loops, take‑homes or live coding, emphasis on culture add. Immigration (H‑1B/green card) can slow hiring.
- Difficulty: Hiring 22 experienced full‑stack engineers in a year at average comp is challenging; brand, equity, and speed matter a lot.
India (incl. Infosys and other IT services)
- Supply: Very large pool; massive campus intake for juniors; strong competition for experienced product engineers.
- Demand: Services vendors hire in volume, often train freshers; product firms compete hard for top seniors.
- Channels: Naukri, LinkedIn, campus drives, referrals, hackathons.
- Process: Aptitude + coding tests common; notice periods often 60–90 days; buyout negotiations frequent.
- Difficulty: 22 hires is easy for campus/junior volume, harder for experienced full‑stack with modern stacks and product orientation.
Other global notes
- Europe: Strong talent, stricter labor laws and GDPR; longer processes; notice periods 1–3 months; comp lower than SV; remote hiring rising.
- SEA: Growing hubs (Singapore, Bangalore collaboration, Jakarta, Ho Chi Minh). Visa/regulatory considerations.
- LATAM/Eastern Europe: Popular for remote‑first teams (time zone, cost), competition increasing.
5) Why recruiting can be hard even with a “big talent pool”
- Matching problem: Many applicants ≠ many qualified matches for your exact stack, seniority, domain, and language needs.
- Compensation limits: Services firms may cap pay below product leaders.
- Employer brand: Candidates prefer companies with interesting products, strong engineering culture, and growth paths.
- Process speed: Slow feedback or too many rounds kills close rates.
- Offer competition: Multiple offers and counter‑offers; in India and US especially.
- Attrition and notice periods: Start dates slip; backfills add to workload.
6) Infosys/Chinasoft specifics
- Often a mix of campus hires and lateral hires for client projects; sometimes “bench” model and internal training.
- For “full‑stack” roles, breadth is valued; depth in client‑specific stacks may be required.
- Selling points: Stable pipeline of work, training, brand name; trade‑offs: lower comp vs top product firms, less ownership on greenfield products.
7) Current trends (2024–2025)
- US: Still competitive for senior/product engineers; slightly slower than 2021 boom; equity matters.
- China: More candidates available overall; senior/principal and AI/infra remain competitive; some geo-specific caution on foreign clients.
- India: Strong demand; hybrid/remote normalized; buyouts and counter‑offers common.
- Global: AI skills in high demand; coding assessments more prevalent; referrals remain highest‑conversion channel.
If you tell me:
- location(s)
- seniority mix
- tech stack
- salary bands
- timeline I can sketch a customized hiring plan and pipeline math for “20 engineers in a year,” plus which channels to prioritize in Guangzhou vs Silicon Valley (or elsewhere).