Five Skills

Cyprian D'Souza Chief People Officer at Kanbay, and Managing Director of Kanbay (India)

We look for the following skills at the time of recruitment:

Lifetime learning: Like most organisations, Kanbay too needs candidates who have good technical knowledge, skills and communication ability. While we need this in our candidates, we spend our time looking for life-time learners, not just the best and the brightest. We believe lifetime learners demonstrate the kind of behaviour we need in our organisation.

Openness and flexibility: We look for openness and flexibility. Openness to attain new knowledge, concepts, skills, technologies and applications. Openness to new ideas and perspectives. Social scientists say that in the IT industry, one-third of the useful knowledge becomes obsolete every year. There is a lot to learn and unlearn. Software professionals also work on diverse projects for a variety of customers. Working in different teams in different geographies and dealing with different cultures, languages and time zones is normal. It’s a very dynamic environment.

Partnering mindsets: In the IT industry, exceptional teams make a difference, while heroes have a limited sphere of influence. We look for individuals with partnering mindsets. Successful teams are made up of individuals who collaborate, respect others’ views and work on common goals.

Energy and passion: We are a community with an entrepreneurial spirit, so we look for associates with energy and passion. Passionate people transmit enthusiasm. Given the abundant freedom and responsibility in Kanbay, those with a sense of accountability, as well as a positive outlook and drive, achieve greater success.

Cultural alignment and attunement: In addition to the skills match, from the above list one can see that we place a greater emphasis on attitude or the candidate’s operating paradigm. Cultural alignment and attunement are paramount. A lifetime learner can acquire the necessary knowledge and learn new skills any time.

To sum up, we recruit for a career in the organisation, not just for a job.