Most overseas companies don’t plan to build a big team in India. They start with one or two engineers, see that it works, and then want a proper team. That’s when the questions begin. Who will employ these people? How do we hire quickly? Who will lead them?
If you are a CXO or a business head thinking about hiring in India for foreign companies, this blog will help you with the first steps. The first hundred days usually decide how the next two years go, so it is worth getting them right.
Why companies choose India
Talent is the main reason. India has a large pool of engineers, SAP and Salesforce consultants, data people and testers, and many of them have worked on global projects. Cost matters too, but companies that only look at cost are usually disappointed. The ones that do well treat India as a place to build a real team that owns real work. They give the team a clear goal, a say in decisions and a path to grow, and they see the difference in how long people stay.
Pick how you want to employ your team
There are three common ways to do it.
- Third-party payroll. A local partner employs the people on paper, and you direct their work. This is the quickest way to start and works well when you are still testing India.
- Your own company in India. You get full control, your own brand on the offer letter and a long-term base. It takes more time and effort to set up.
- A bit of both. Start with a partner, then move the team to your own company later. Many companies do this because hiring can begin right away.
A simple thumb rule: if you are hiring a small team to test the waters, start with a partner. If India is going to be a long-term centre for you, plan your own company and treat the partner phase as a bridge.
Hire the person who will lead
The most common mistake is hiring five engineers and no one to lead them. A team in India reporting to a manager who is asleep for half their working day doesn’t work for long.
One senior engineer or team lead who owns delivery locally makes a big difference. They review the work, unblock the team, interview the later hires and act as the single point of contact for your head office. This first hire also sets the bar for everyone who follows.
If a full-time leader is not possible yet, give an experienced senior engineer ownership of a module for now. Many companies also work with contract staffing companies in India to bring in people for a fixed period while the permanent team is being built.
Choose the right city
Delhi NCR, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune and Chennai are the usual choices, and each has its own strengths. Bengaluru and Hyderabad have a deep pool of product and cloud engineers. Pune is strong in enterprise software and SAP. Delhi NCR, which includes Noida and Gurugram, has a wide mix of IT services, consulting and finance talent.
Don’t pick a city only because other companies are there. A popular city also means more competition for the same people. Look at where your kind of talent already lives, and how easy it is to attract them to your office or to a hybrid setup.
Plan your first ten hires
A workable order for a technology team looks like this.
First, the delivery or engineering lead. Second, two or three senior engineers in your core stack, who can work without much supervision. Third, QA, so quality is built in from the start. Fourth, DevOps or platform support, if you run your own infrastructure. Mid-level and junior engineers come after that, once there are seniors to guide them.
HR and admin support become necessary as the team grows. Finance is usually handled by a local provider in the early stage.
Make the offer work in the Indian market
Experienced candidates in India often have long notice periods, and many get counter-offers from their current company. Plan for both instead of reacting later.
Keep the gap between the final interview and the offer short. Be clear about the role, the reporting line and the growth path, because people joining an overseas company want to know where they fit. Stay in touch during the notice period instead of going quiet until the joining date.
Be ready on day one. Laptop, access and an introduction to the head office team should all be in place. A few hours of overlap every day, when both teams are online, avoids most early problems.
Working across time zones
India works well for overlap with Europe and the Middle East, and is workable for the UK. With the United States the overlap is shorter, so it needs planning. Teams that manage this well agree on a fixed overlap window, keep written handovers and share updates in documents instead of meetings.
It also helps to give the India team complete modules instead of small, separate tasks. Ownership keeps people engaged and reduces the need for real-time communication.
Where a local partner helps
Most overseas companies don’t need a big advisory engagement. They need someone who can find the right people and manage payroll while the team grows.
As a GCC hiring partner in India, Bhavishyam Consulting helps overseas companies with permanent recruitment, contract staffing and third-party payroll. We also support you as you move towards your own company. We work from Noida and hire across Delhi NCR and other cities in India. Whether you need one senior hire or a full team, we start by understanding your plan and then share only the profiles that fit it.
Planning an India team or a delivery centre? Share your hiring plan and timelines with us, and we will set out the options.