Premium talent rarely moves for titles alone — they seek culture, growth, and purpose. Nida Khanam, HR Head for Socomec’s Greater India region, has spent two decades shaping HR strategies across industries and geographies. She focuses on engaging top talent through authentic experiences, leadership development, and meaningful career pathways. At Socomec, her approach blends global opportunities with local relevance, ensuring employees feel challenged, connected, and empowered to make an impact at the intersection of power, digitalisation, and innovation.
Premium candidates are rarely active jobseekers. What strategies do you use to engage and build relationships with high-potential leaders before a vacancy even arises?
Without a clear strategy, you are essentially throwing darts in the dark, and hiring becomes a game of chance. With skills shortages across industries and competition for quality professionals, this approach is simply unsustainable. A planned approach is required to find, attract, and hire the right people for your organisation. It is a deliberate and structured process designed to build a high-performing team.
There is a significant difference between reactive hiring and strategic talent acquisition. Understanding this distinction can help improve recruitment outcomes. Finding passive candidates is not always straightforward; it requires a different approach to the broader and more conventional hiring process.
Below are key strategies for turning passive candidates into active ones:
Build and Leverage a Strong Employee & Employer Brand
An employee value proposition and a strong employer brand are among the most powerful tools when engaging passive candidates. People who are not actively looking for a job will still take note of a company’s reputation, culture, and values. To attract passive jobseekers, ensure your brand is visible and showcases what makes your organisation unique.
Utilise Personalised Outreach
When approaching passive candidates, it is crucial to go beyond the standard template message. Personalisation is key. Review their experience, skills, and professional achievements, and reference these in your outreach. Tailoring your message demonstrates that you have taken the time to understand their background and explains why they are an ideal fit for your role.
Highlight Long-Term Career Benefits
When engaging passive jobseekers, focus on long-term career growth rather than short-term gains.
Encourage Relationships Over Time
Passive jobseekers may not be ready to make a move immediately. Building relationships with them over time can be far more effective than pushing for an immediate commitment. Regular, thoughtful engagement, whether through emails, LinkedIn connections, or inviting them to company events, can help keep your organisation front of mind.
Offer Flexible Opportunities
Another effective way to convert passive candidates into active jobseekers is by offering flexibility. Whether through remote working options, hybrid roles, or flexible hours, these perks appeal to many experienced professionals who value work-life balance.
Use Networking and Encourage Employee Referrals
Referrals are an excellent way to connect with passive candidates. Employees often know talented professionals in their networks who are not actively seeking new roles but may be open to the right opportunity. Encouraging your team to share job openings within their professional circles can lead to high-quality leads.
Provide Value Before Offering a Role
One of the most effective ways to engage passive jobseekers is by offering value before presenting a specific job offer.
Leverage Online Platforms and Social Media
In a recent survey by Gallup, 50% of employees who had been recently recruited said they had been contacted by prospective employers through online professional networks such as LinkedIn. This shows how important leveraging professional and social media platforms can be in sourcing potential employees.
Have a Detailed and Clear Job Description
Job descriptions are often the first impression candidates have of your organisation and the specific role. When written well and optimised with relevant keywords, they not only attract the right candidates but also boost visibility on job boards and search engines.
Socomec’s solutions power data centres, healthcare, and infrastructure — industries where reliability literally saves lives. Do you find that premium candidates are motivated by this sense of impact, and how do you embed it into your talent pitch?
Socomec’s solutions power data centres, hospitals, and infrastructure — sectors where reliability is not just important, it is lifesaving. I believe that power is life-critical. In environments such as ICUs, server farms, and transport networks, an uninterrupted energy supply can mean the difference between safety and catastrophe. This sense of purpose resonates deeply with premium candidates who seek meaningful work. In our talent pitch, I emphasise the real-world impact our teams create every day. Whether it is keeping a hospital running during a power outage or ensuring uptime for critical data infrastructure, our work keeps businesses operational and societies resilient. This clarity of mission is a powerful motivator for top-tier candidates.
Excellence in Demanding Environments
For me, excellence is achieved by delivering high-quality, trusted products that are engineered for the most demanding conditions. This commitment to reliability gives candidates the confidence that they are working with technology that genuinely makes a difference, not just in theory, but in practice.
Tangible Proof of Impact
To illustrate the scale of our impact, Socomec has supplied 50 GW of PV disconnect switches in India, protecting nearly 55% of the nation’s installed solar capacity. This is a powerful example of how our solutions safeguard clean energy infrastructure across the country. Candidates are inspired by this kind of tangible proof of purpose.
Brand Value That Attracts Leaders
Socomec’s strong brand reputation in the market is a magnet for premium talent. Our name is synonymous with reliability, precision, and excellence. High-potential professionals want to be part of an organisation that stands for quality and trust. We make sure they see how their personal brand will grow alongside ours.
Purpose Beyond Profit: Sustainability Commitment
Equally important is our commitment to sustainability. Candidates today want to contribute to a future that is not only reliable but also responsible. Our EcoVadis Platinum rating has placed us in the top 1% globally, underlining our dedication to ethical, environmental, and social performance. This gives our work a purpose beyond profit and appeals to professionals who want to make a meaningful contribution.
You oversee diverse markets across Greater India, from India to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal. How do cultural nuances shape the hiring of premium talent in these regions, and what unique blind spots have you observed in the emerging markets of our neighbouring nations that organisations in India often overlook?
At Socomec, diversity and inclusion are a fundamental part of our DNA. We go beyond conventional categories such as gender to embrace a broader spectrum of perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds. This inclusive mindset enables us to thrive across varied markets.
Sensitivity to Cultural and Emotional Nuances
Hiring premium talent across Greater India, spanning India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal, requires more than cultural awareness. It demands emotional and social sensitivity. Each market has its own language, communication style, and professional etiquette. Even within India, regional differences in behaviour, language, and even food habits shape how candidates engage with employers. Recognising and respecting these nuances is essential to building trust with top-tier professionals.
Emerging Markets
While I would not call them blind spots, I have observed that organisations in India often underestimate the depth of local dynamics in neighbouring countries. For example, leadership expectations in Sri Lanka may be more consensus-driven, while in Bangladesh, relationship-building often precedes formal negotiations. These subtleties influence how premium talent perceives an employer’s authenticity and alignment with local values.
Core Values as a Recruitment Compass
Our recruitment and talent management practices are anchored in three core values:
- Openness, which embraces a culture of inclusivity and dialogue
- Responsibility, which ensures accountability in behaviour and decision-making
- Commitment, which drives inclusion across all levels and functions
These values guide how we engage with candidates and build long-term relationships.
Cross-Cultural Collaboration
Our teams span nationalities, languages, and age groups — across technical, non-technical, sales, and leadership functions. Cross-cultural collaboration is not a challenge; it is our daily reality. We ensure that while our values remain consistent, our approach adapts to each market’s unique cultural fabric. This balance allows premium talent to feel both anchored and empowered.
Localised Strategy for Regional Expansion
This approach has been instrumental in our expansion into Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. By tailoring our hiring practices to local dynamics, we have strengthened our regional footprint and built deeper connections with high-potential talent. It is not just about entering a market; it is about earning trust and creating space for talent to flourish.
As digitalisation and AI enter the power sector, the industry is no longer old-school engineering. How do you reshape perceptions so premium talent recognises Socomec as a place of cutting-edge innovation, not just traditional infrastructure?
We continuously invest in our internal systems and resources to empower our teams. Through upskilling programmes focused on AI and digital tools, our employees are equipped to succeed in a fast-changing environment. We also deploy advanced digital productivity platforms to help our teams work smarter and more efficiently.
Innovation in Action: Delphys XL UPS
A prime example of our innovation is the Delphys XL UPS, engineered in India, which achieves an impressive ~99.1% efficiency in Smart Conversion Mode. This breakthrough earned Socomec the Frost & Sullivan Global Customer Value Leadership Award, reinforcing our position as a leader in cutting-edge power solutions.
Empowering Tech-Savvy Teams
We prepare our employees to engage confidently with today’s digitally aware customers. Our teams benefit from Co-pilot modules and regular training, and our communications are Co-pilot-enabled, ensuring a seamless and modern experience.
Attracting Premium Talent
This forward-thinking approach not only enhances our competitiveness but also positions Socomec as an employer of choice for top-tier talent. We offer a unique opportunity to build a career at the intersection of power, digitalisation, and innovation.
Ink Dive: When Engineers Outgrow Engineering: Keeping Innovators Engaged and Growing
Many organisations brand themselves broadly, but premium hires want evidence of a strong leadership culture and clear growth pathways. How is HR showcasing Socomec’s leadership culture in ways that resonate with senior candidates?
At Socomec, we understand that senior candidates seek more than just a recognisable brand. They look for evidence of a strong leadership culture and clear career growth pathways. Our approach goes beyond traditional training programmes; we believe in cultivating leaders who act as brand ambassadors of change and development.
Socomec’s leadership culture is a rich amalgamation of global diversity and local relevance. As a global leader, we ensure that our leadership programmes are not simply delivered but co-created and evolved based on feedback and real experiences from our people, particularly across APAC and local markets.
We actively invest in structured leadership development programmes aimed at nurturing talent from within. These initiatives are designed to build strong, adaptable leaders who can thrive across functions and geographies.
Internal mobility is a cornerstone of our talent strategy. We encourage employees to explore cross-functional and cross-regional roles, helping them build diverse experiences and long-term careers. Our average tenure of over 10 years reflects the strength of our culture and the multigenerational, multicultural workforce that comes together as ONE SOCOMEC.
Globally, Socomec invests 8% of its turnover into R&D, creating opportunities for employees to lead high-impact, innovative projects. This commitment to innovation allows our leaders to remain at the forefront of the industry and contribute meaningfully to our transformation.
We enable a culture of open communication and transparency, which builds trust and genuine engagement around all leadership initiatives. This approach ensures our leadership values are reflected in our daily actions, not just stated as intentions. At Socomec, leadership is part of our DNA. Our consistent focus on development, innovation, and inclusion makes us a compelling choice for premium talent seeking to grow at the intersection of power, digitalisation, and leadership excellence.
When premium hires join a specialised sector like Socomec’s, they may feel their career pathways are narrower than in mainstream industries. How do you craft development journeys that retain top talent while showcasing global mobility?
As the Head of Human Resources, I understand that premium hires entering Socomec may initially feel that their career pathways are more limited compared to mainstream industries. We actively address this concern by ensuring that top talent receives high visibility and recognition from day one, reinforcing the strategic importance of their role.
At Socomec, we design customised learning paths for each employee. These journeys combine local responsibilities with global initiatives, allowing individuals to build deep expertise while gaining international exposure. For example, talent from Greater India has successfully contributed to cross-country projects, demonstrating the strong mobility and visibility available to high-potential employees.
We invest significantly in leadership and development interventions that support continuous learning and career advancement. These programmes are designed to help employees evolve into future leaders, with a focus on real-world impact, strategic thinking, and global readiness.
Socomec prioritises internal talent mobility. We encourage employees to explore new roles across functions and geographies, enabling them to expand their capabilities and build long-term careers. Our preference for promoting from within, rather than relying solely on external hiring, reflects our commitment to nurturing and retaining top talent.
Our regular development programmes bring together top talent from across regions, fostering collaboration, knowledge exchange, and cross-cultural understanding. These interactions strengthen our global network and encourage career mobility and leadership readiness.
With a strong focus on global mobility, personalised growth, and internal promotion, Socomec offers premium hires a compelling career journey. We ensure that every employee feels empowered to grow, lead, and make a meaningful impact not only within their market but across the global organisation.
From your coaching lens, premium candidates often ask, “What will this role give me emotionally, beyond money and title?” How can HR leaders decode and address this emotional ROI without overpromising?
At Socomec, we understand that people join organisations for roles and careers, but they stay for the experience, connection, and purpose they find within.
We nurture a culture rooted in openness, responsibility, and commitment that are actively demonstrated in our everyday actions and decisions. Our work environment is designed to be supportive and inclusive, where employees feel heard, valued, and safe to express themselves.
Our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a key part of our emotional support system. It offers resources for mental and emotional well-being, not just for employees, but for their families as well. This reflects our belief in caring for the whole person, not just the professional. We actively listen to our employees through structured feedback mechanisms, including New Hire, Stay, Onboarding, Exit, and Alumni surveys. These insights help us shape our culture and ensure that our people feel connected and empowered throughout their journey.
Socomec is consistently rated as one of the Top Employers globally, and we are continuously evolving to be a Great Place to Work. This recognition is built on the real experiences and voices of our employees, not just branding.
Our Employee Value Proposition (EVP) is grounded in success stories of hiring, retaining, developing, and engaging talent. We do not overpromise; we deliver through authentic experiences, transparent communication, and a culture that values growth and emotional connection.
Nida Khanam is the HR Head for Socomec’s Greater India region, covering India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Maldives, Bhutan, and Nepal. With nearly two decades of experience across automotive, manufacturing, and technology sectors, she has led HR transformation, organisational development, and change management initiatives. Before joining Socomec, she served as Chief People Officer at Omega Seiki Mobility and held leadership roles at GROHE, Lixil Water Technology, and Rockwell Automation. At Socomec, she oversees HR functions across commercial and plant operations, with a strong focus on talent development, employee engagement, and organisational effectiveness. A certified coach (ICF-ACC) and IIM Calcutta alumna, she has earned multiple accolades for her contributions to the HR field.
