A post-recession scenario will see a shift in hiringpatterns, with companies focussing on ensuring quality rather than quantity inrecruitment and a pronounced thrust on the all-round ability of those recruitedto deliver.

"As the global economyrecovers, we are going to see companies getting smarter aboutrecruitment", according to Sheeroy, CEO, Professional Aptitude Council(PAC), a leading global network of pre-qualified knowledge workers, who areranked and differentiated by globally standardised exams.

"We are going to see a big difference in quality and marked changes inrecruitment policies of companies", he told PTI. There is going to be amassive demand for outsourcing and companies would not just leverage the costarbitage, but also look at the quality arbitage, he noted.

The earlier focus on hiring'larger numbers' would shift to quality, said Sheeroy.

Once above-average quality recruits were acceptable, but now the focus would beto ensure 'high quality' hires. The immense pressure to ensure 'more joins'would give way to 'best quality joins'. Focus on technology skills as a hiringcriteria would give way to all-round ability to deliver, he said.

Sheeroy opined that though the economy moves in a cyclic manner with ups anddowns, each downturn teaches lessons, determining a new pattern. These lessonswould lead to optimising staff potential and hiring, according to the bestavailable skill sets. In the post-recession period, HR managers would have tore-look at the hiring process and ensure that their hiring patterns are basedon scientific principles.

"There is going to be a takeoff, an embrace of science into the HR process", he said, adding that thefuture lies in using global standards for recruitment. "Companies willleverage the best talent" available in the global workforce.

For seeing the trend in pattern, PAC has come out with scientific tools to helpemployers hire people with skill sets that are 'best available' geographically.

The PAC test measures candidates over various parameters and compares skillsets with those worldwide. This helps a recruiter understand the kind of skillssets available in a country and compare it to those available elsewhere in theglobe and then plan recruitment, given the multi-geographic locations andservices.