Shailja Dutt, Founder and Managing Director, Stellar Search & Selection Pvt. Ltd.

India Infoline / 00:00 , Mar 12, 2007

Founded in 1998, Stellar has achieved a growing reputation for success in difficult or sensitive searches. Over the last two years the company has conducted over 500 searches across diverse industries, areas of functional expertise and of course geographical locations. The company identifies potential candidates, approaches them directly, and interviews them, aligning the opportunity with each candidate?s need. The candidates who best fit the profile and would be interested in a possible career move are then presented to the companies.
Shailja Dutt, Founder and Managing Director of Stellar Search & Selection, started Stellar 7 years ago with 2 people. It now employs more than 25 and has a turnover of over Rs50mn. Shailja started her career with Amrop, India?s first International Search agency. The opportunity with Amrop gave her immense insights into international practices, trends and happenings in the search business globally. She launched Stellar Search and Selection, a boutique search firm offering comprehensive customized solutions, from New Delhi in 1998. Shailja graduated in Economics from prestigious Lady Shriram College, Delhi University and then acquired an MBA in Finance from International Management Institute Delhi.
Replying to Anil Mascarenhas of India Infoline, Shailja Dutt says the employers have to work very hard to woo "competent talent" and work even harder to retain them.
What shift have you been seeing in the recruitment and placement industry as far as jobs are concerned?
There is a distinct shift towards the market favoring the job seekers. The employers have to work very hard to woo "competent talent" and work even harder to retain them. There are several corporate opportunities as well as many avenues opening up for entrepreneurship in this fast paced, growing and robust economy.
What are some of the main priorities when people look at changing jobs? To what extent do the search firms influence people to shift positions?
Search firms play a crucial role in influencing career moves. In fact, the entire foundation of this industry is based on enticing those who are happy in their current jobs and not seeking change to look at possible new opportunities. The reasons for change are many?better growth opportunities, better compensation and better work life balance would rate as the top three.
What are some of the distinct differences in the approach of search firms when it comes to senior management?
At Stellar, we believe that though we represent our client, we have an equal responsibility towards our candidates whose lives and careers would be influenced by a possible job change. We imbibe our core values of integrity, discretion, flexibility and empathy in every engagement that we undertake.
Give us an idea of how many successful searches you have conducted. What is the geographical spread of your services?
In the last 8+years we have conducted over 1000 searches across a wide spectrum of industry. We, work extensively across Asia with clients in India, Singapore, China, Hong King and Middle East. However, our candidates for each mandate are sourced globally.
What is your revenue model? What other additional charges are there in this business? Who bears the cost?
We are a retained search firm. The clients pay us a percentage of the total cost to company of the candidate placed. Over and above this they bear all expenses related to telecommunication and travel.
Shortage of talent is a challenge. How are you handling this issue?
The challenges we face in Stellar are different at different stages in an engagement but the one which plagues the entire industry today is the shortage of employable talent in the country. The job-seekers are in a very demanding position. Lot of them pursue several opportunities at the same time and sometimes do not join after accepting offers, which results in a loss of face both a the clients? end as well as ours. We have been very proactively dealing with this situation by sourcing global talent for our clients for the last 2 years or more.
Name some of your clients? What is the revenue contribution from your top 5 clients?
We work across a diverse spectrum of industries and functions spanning retail, healthcare, auto and auto ancillary, light engineering, agri and agri commodity etc. Our revenue from our top clients would be in excess of Rs10mn per client.
Give us an idea of your financials? In the coming years what is your turnover likely to be?
We are looking at a turnover of 3mn USD in the coming financial year
Your search process usually throws up candidates who are happy where they are and not actively looking for a change. Are search firms solving the problem or causing more attrition?
Search firms assist clients in identifying and recruiting talent. They are not the cause of attrition. Attrition is driven by the demand for people across various levels in different industries, which in turn is a result of a growing economy.
Tell us more about managing clients and candidate relationships. What does this involve?
Managing our external and internal relationships is an ongoing process and not a activity that one devotes time to specifically?.Managing relationships well requires great listening skills, a fair degree of empathy, immense discretion and of course excellent "people orientation".
What are the skill sets needed in a search firm? What gives you an edge over the others?
Stellar?s young and dynamic team coupled with very well defined processes sets us apart from the other search firms. The skills that we look for, in our people, include excellence in academics as well as extra curricular activities, ability to learn quickly and adapt to a situation easily, excellent communication skills, both written and oral, great presentation skills especially of self, an ability to forge and maintain long term relationships, ability to think on your feet, etc.
Any new areas you plan to diversify into? What synergies do you see here?
We are focusing on building strategic alliances with several other consulting firms across a wider spectrum of industry like power and healthcare services. We are also planning to set up a separate research organization based out of our Kolkata office. This organization will service our own research needs and also collect company specific/industry specific information for our clients. It will also conduct HR audits on a regular basis.
What kind of help do you provide to outstation candidates in terms of logistics etc? Who bears the cost for these activities?
We provide all assistance in terms of travel, stay, communication, meetings coordination, etc. The client bears the costs for all these activities.
Which are the verticals you specialize in? What is your manpower strength? How is the recruitment process for your own firm different from what you do for your clients?
Stellar is a 30 people strong organization looking to add another 20 people to our fold this year. We specialize in top-management/senior management hiring across all functions. The industries we cater to extensively include retail, healthcare, engineering, auto, auto ancillary and consumer durables.
The recruitment process for Stellar is almost similar to what we do for our clients except that the number of interviews done here are much more. Extensive peer and subordinate interaction is encouraged before a person joins Team Stellar.
What trends are you seeing in ex-patriate appointments? Is there a growing demand?
There is a growing trend in expatriate appointments. This is especially true in the sectors like Biotechnology, Hotels, retail where the talent is limited in the country and the crunch is felt much more.