Wipro head reveals qualities he looks for in a candidate before hiring

By Sneha SahaDuring a recently held Nasscom Technology & Leadership Forum 2023, Wipro chairman revealed what he looks for in a candidate at the time of hiring. And no, it is not the person’s resume or work experience. Surprised, right?

When asked what he looks for in a candidate before hiring, Wipro chairman Rishad Premji said that he looks for people who can challenge his ideas. This he said in a conversation with Business Today at the Forum.

Premji highlighted that his formula for hiring candidates had changed after speaking to a board member. Previously, he used to hire candidates who he could connect with or who had some sort of shared commonality. “I was telling a board member that whenever I hire a candidate, I try to look for a commonality, something familiar if I can bond with this person post-work over a drink,” he said during the Forum. Premji added that his idea for hiring candidates has changed now, after speaking to one of the board members.

The Wipro chairman said after hearing how he hires candidates, the board member outright said that he was doing wrong. “He said I should instead be looking for a candidate that can challenge my ideas, bring in new perspectives and that’s how we have made Wipro diverse now,” Premji explained.

The Wipro head also believes that work from home in 2020 worked well because employees had some kind of bond built already. He believes that interpersonal relationships at the workplace are important, which is why he recently asked employees to work from office. In the same Forum, Premji said that he is against work from home culture and employees should work from office and build relations with colleagues. “No matter how advanced tech gets, it will never be able to help and build the relationships that can be built in person,” Premji said.

During the summit, the Wipro chairman also said that hybrid and work from home culture have “spoilt” the industry. “I’m a big believer we should be coming back in some shape and form and connecting because there is an intimacy to it that is irreplaceable with technology,” Premji said. He also explained the difference between having a friend and having a friend on social media, and said that by working from home employees would not be making the right kind of work connections.

To recollect, Wipro ended work from home policy in October last year and asked employees to work from office at least 3 days a week. “Starting October 10, Wipro’s offices in India will be open Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. We will not be open on Wednesdays,” Wipro noted in an email sent to employees back then.