The world of talent acquisition is currently undergoing a radical overhaul. Amidst aggressive hiring targets and constant disruption of new technology, recruiters are fighting to define their craft in a landscape driven by speed and algorithms. To understand this change, we sat down with Kalyan Vadrevu, Senior Director of Talent Acquisition at EPAM Systems India Pvt. Ltd. (EPAM). As a veteran who has witnessed the journey from landline-based sourcing to AI-powered screening, Kalyan provides an essential perspective on how to balance the demands of modern business with the irreplaceable art of human connection. The core challenge today, he explains, is not just finding talent but mastering the complexity that begins once the best CVs have already been served up by a machine.
Kalyan, thank you for joining us. We want to centre our conversation around recruiters’ reality, strategies, and the sourcing struggle. To start, what does it truly mean to be a recruiter today, especially with the silent shifts shaping the craft in 2025?
Recruitment as a function is undergoing a significant transformation right now. Over the last 8 to 12 months, AI has emerged and is driving a significant shift toward algorithmic decision-making. This is happening alongside decentralised recruiting, where many recruiters are now hiring from home.
This has created numerous efficiencies. For example, we can skim through thousands of CVs in no time, which used to take a long time, especially in India. The transactional part of recruiting is reducing. The crux of the role is shifting to how effective or efficient you are as a recruiter after the tool has delivered the best-fit CVs.
This shift brings us to a challenge many face: feeling caught between targets and this rapid transformation. If you could give a single message or insight to these recruiters, what would it be?
Recruiters’ lives are always based on targets because the demand-supply gap in talent exists forever. The core question is, how do you marry these targets with the ever-changing landscape?.
The smart recruiters will quickly evolve. When new tools arrive, you have to build your work around those tools and quickly adapt. Targets won’t disappear; the important thing is how you navigate this new environment while still achieving them. Targets and transformation will go hand-in-hand.
Let’s focus on EPAM. You mention a consistent search for great talent, inheriting a culture of ‘hiring the best talent’ from the parent company. What defines the “best talent” for EPAM?
At EPAM, we see ourselves as a home for the modern engineer: a place where strong fundamentals meet the future of technology. Our focus has always been on nurturing good engineers: individuals grounded in computer science principles, equipped with a solid math background, and fluent in the core technologies that shape the digital world, from operating systems to databases.
We believe that true engineering excellence begins with strong basics. When a programmer deeply understands data structures, algorithms, databases, and design patterns, transitioning them into the world of AI programming becomes seamless. The foundation is already there; what follows is transformation. At EPAM, that transformation is enabled through structured learning and incubation labs—environments designed to help engineers build on their fundamentals and master emerging technologies with confidence and speed.
Regarding sourcing the ‘best talent,’ particularly for niche and emerging tech roles, what sourcing strategies are working for EPAM in India?
We look at sourcing in two large pieces: Inbound Sourcing and Outbound Sourcing.
Inbound Sourcing is where we post jobs on various platforms and candidates apply. Here, technology helps immensely, screening and shortlisting CVs from a ‘big bucket’—it’s almost like searching a needle in a haystack.
Outbound Sourcing is where we actively search the market, headhunt candidates, and pursue them. This is where the age-old recruiting skill comes in, requiring skills of persuasion, storytelling, and convincing the candidate why they should apply.
Currently, we are equally divided, with 50% of our profiles coming from inbound and 50% from outbound. Additionally, for niche and non-commoditized skills we are very active on social media groups ike GitHub and Stack Overflow, where our recruiters contribute articles and entice tech folks to apply.
With all this data-driven, platform-driven hiring, what part of the recruiter’s craft is slowly disappearing, and what do we risk losing?
What we are witnessing is an erosion in what we call intuitive pattern recognition. That’s the art of talking to a candidate, reading between the lines, and developing that gut feel as a recruiter.
The risk is losing that intuitive grasp of the unwritten rules and cultural nuances. This skill is going away because the rush has been to simply ‘get the talent.’ Ultimately, the system can only take you so far; the final decision is made by a human being and requires human judgement.
We also risk losing good candidates because we, in India, are still learning the art of making good resumes. The art of determining a good CV from an incomplete one by looking at ten different things—from core technology to project work to learning new skills is a crucial, yet undervalued, human skill.
Let’s move to the premium talent market. In an era of bite-sized content, how challenging is it for an organisation to attract, engage, and retain passive, premium talent?
With more Global Capability Centres (GCCs) coming to India, the brand image has been normalised. Candidates are asking a very relevant question: ‘What is in it for me, finally, from a career standpoint?’ If you offer the same work, it won’t entice them.
To address this, we run a Candidate Engagement Program. Almost every weekend, we meet candidates, often with the entire India leadership.
We address two key questions:
- What do you get if you join us?
- How relevant will your skills be five years down the line?.
For niche outliers, you need a compelling story to sell. You need to prove you are actively developing and going to use their skill, ensuring job satisfaction and a win-win solution. This requires an effort from the entire company—recruitment, hiring managers, and the team to put the Employee Value Proposition across.
Looking ahead, what does a recruiter’s reality look like two or three years from now, especially for those hiring premium talent? What are the top three non-negotiables?
The recruiter’s future will centre on three key areas:
Continuous Self-Transformation: Recruiters must keep a very close watch on the market and what’s happening outside. Technologies are changing fast, and skills could get outdated if AI truly evolves. They must personally upgrade themselves.
Marrying Art and Rigor: They must effectively embrace and use new AI tools. The big ask is marrying the rigor of modern assessment methods with the art of human-connect recruiting. Use AI as an efficient tool to enhance productivity, but the core job of making the final decision will remain.
Mastering the Value Proposition: Candidates will always ask why they should join. Recruiters must have the Employee Value Proposition (EVP) “like the back of their hand” and be able to present it effectively.
Kalyan concluded that while the anxiety around AI’s role in the function is understandable, it must be embraced. He stressed that what can be automated will be, but the core focus must shift to how effectively recruiters use the tools to enhance their personal productivity. He emphasised that the meaningful human touchpoint should always remain. Transparency with candidates, informing them they are being interviewed by a tool, for example, is essential. Ultimately, Kalyan believes that the core job of a recruiter—making the final decision, presenting the choice to management, and maintaining that vital human relationship—will always be the key, ensuring the recruiter remains the best point of contact for a person even after they join the company. The future of premium hiring is not about replacing the recruiter but equipping them with better tools to master the complexities of human judgement and connection.
Kalyan Vadrevu is a seasoned TA leader with 25+ years of HR experience in hi-tech, IT services, and financial corporations. He is renowned for establishing GCCs from scratch at firms like UBS and Wells Fargo and elevating talent strategies at companies including Franklin Templeton and IBM. He currently serves as the Senior Director and Head of Talent Acquisition at EPAM Systems and leads a 100-member team.
