India’s Global Capability Centres (GCCs) have undergone a significant transformation over the last decade — from transactional support hubs to strategic centers driving innovation, global product development, and digital transformation. As this evolution continues, the demand for talent has increased and changed in character. One question keeps surfacing: Are GCCs leaning more towards fresh graduates or experienced professionals to fuel their next growth phase?
In today’s context, experienced professionals are driving the momentum — and it’s not hard to see why.
Experience as the cornerstone of GCC strategy
As GCCs take on more complex, business-critical roles — spanning AI, enterprise architecture, cybersecurity, and platform modernization — the appetite for experienced talent has grown. Most centers are no longer looking to execute; they are expected to build, own, and scale.
This calls for professionals who can navigate global delivery models, understand the business context, and influence decision-making — attributes that fresh graduates typically take years to develop.
As a result, the hiring pattern has shifted. Across sectors, we see a consistent trend: leadership roles, mid-to-senior functional expertise, and domain-specific charters are increasingly going to professionals with 5 to 15 years of experience. The “India as a second HQ” mindset has only strengthened this preference.
Where freshers still make sense
That said, freshers continue to be a vital part of the equation — just with a sharper lens. Many GCCs are investing in structured fresher programs, from train-and-deploy models to campus-linked curriculum design, ensuring that entry-level talent is more aligned with business needs.
The days of hiring in bulk and figuring things out later are fading. Instead, the focus has shifted to readiness. Companies are more deliberate about where and how freshers are deployed — usually in high-scale, lower-risk roles like QA, support engineering, or data ops, with a strong internal training pipeline backing them.
Cost is also a factor. In an economic environment that demands both innovation and efficiency, a balanced talent pyramid — with experienced professionals at the top and freshers fuelling volume at the base — is still a viable model. However, it only works when onboarding and retention strategies are robust.
Sector-specific hiring behaviors
Hiring strategies aren’t uniform across industries. In highly regulated sectors like BFSI and healthcare, there’s a strong preference for experienced talent with relevant domain exposure. For these GCCs, the cost of getting it wrong is high — and the learning curve is steep.
Tech-native GCCs, on the other hand, tend to be more experimental. They’re open to building future pipelines by hiring freshers — particularly for roles that can scale quickly or be automated over time. But even there, the roles with absolute ownership and accountability are still being filled by experienced professionals.
In newer GCC sectors like pharma and life sciences R&D, the emphasis is clearly on prior experience, especially with the rise of digital clinical trials and regulatory informatics — areas where deep expertise is non-negotiable.
The skill gap is still real. Despite India producing over 1.5 million engineering graduates each year, only a small fraction are truly job-ready. This gap—in both technical and soft skills—continues to challenge GCCs. Most freshers need significant investment before they can start contributing meaningfully.
On the flip side, experienced professionals are now more open to GCCs than ever before. With better compensation, sharper roles, and increased global visibility, today’s GCCs are seen as aspirational — not just stable.
This has expanded the available talent pool. Candidates who once favored start-ups or product companies are now actively considering GCC roles, particularly those offering ownership, culture, and long-term vision.
So, who’s really winning?
If we look at hiring velocity, strategic value, and business impact — experienced professionals are clearly leading the race right now. They’re the ones helping GCCs scale faster and deliver more, especially in a post-pandemic world where digital acceleration is the default.
But this isn’t a zero-sum game. Freshers are not out of the picture — they’re just being onboarded more deliberately. And rightly so. The future demands both speed and scalability. GCCs that can blend experienced leadership with fresh energy — and do it without diluting quality — will have a clear edge.
In short, the current phase of GCC hiring is experience-led — but not experience-only. Companies that balance both ends of the spectrum, build internal capability, and align hiring with business objectives will be best positioned to lead India’s next GCC wave.
The author is CEO & Founder, Reed & Willow
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of www.economictimes.com)
In today’s context, experienced professionals are driving the momentum — and it’s not hard to see why.
Experience as the cornerstone of GCC strategy
As GCCs take on more complex, business-critical roles — spanning AI, enterprise architecture, cybersecurity, and platform modernization — the appetite for experienced talent has grown. Most centers are no longer looking to execute; they are expected to build, own, and scale.
This calls for professionals who can navigate global delivery models, understand the business context, and influence decision-making — attributes that fresh graduates typically take years to develop.
As a result, the hiring pattern has shifted. Across sectors, we see a consistent trend: leadership roles, mid-to-senior functional expertise, and domain-specific charters are increasingly going to professionals with 5 to 15 years of experience. The “India as a second HQ” mindset has only strengthened this preference.
Where freshers still make sense
That said, freshers continue to be a vital part of the equation — just with a sharper lens. Many GCCs are investing in structured fresher programs, from train-and-deploy models to campus-linked curriculum design, ensuring that entry-level talent is more aligned with business needs.
The days of hiring in bulk and figuring things out later are fading. Instead, the focus has shifted to readiness. Companies are more deliberate about where and how freshers are deployed — usually in high-scale, lower-risk roles like QA, support engineering, or data ops, with a strong internal training pipeline backing them.
Cost is also a factor. In an economic environment that demands both innovation and efficiency, a balanced talent pyramid — with experienced professionals at the top and freshers fuelling volume at the base — is still a viable model. However, it only works when onboarding and retention strategies are robust.
Sector-specific hiring behaviors
Hiring strategies aren’t uniform across industries. In highly regulated sectors like BFSI and healthcare, there’s a strong preference for experienced talent with relevant domain exposure. For these GCCs, the cost of getting it wrong is high — and the learning curve is steep.
Tech-native GCCs, on the other hand, tend to be more experimental. They’re open to building future pipelines by hiring freshers — particularly for roles that can scale quickly or be automated over time. But even there, the roles with absolute ownership and accountability are still being filled by experienced professionals.
In newer GCC sectors like pharma and life sciences R&D, the emphasis is clearly on prior experience, especially with the rise of digital clinical trials and regulatory informatics — areas where deep expertise is non-negotiable.
The skill gap is still real. Despite India producing over 1.5 million engineering graduates each year, only a small fraction are truly job-ready. This gap—in both technical and soft skills—continues to challenge GCCs. Most freshers need significant investment before they can start contributing meaningfully.
On the flip side, experienced professionals are now more open to GCCs than ever before. With better compensation, sharper roles, and increased global visibility, today’s GCCs are seen as aspirational — not just stable.
This has expanded the available talent pool. Candidates who once favored start-ups or product companies are now actively considering GCC roles, particularly those offering ownership, culture, and long-term vision.
So, who’s really winning?
If we look at hiring velocity, strategic value, and business impact — experienced professionals are clearly leading the race right now. They’re the ones helping GCCs scale faster and deliver more, especially in a post-pandemic world where digital acceleration is the default.
But this isn’t a zero-sum game. Freshers are not out of the picture — they’re just being onboarded more deliberately. And rightly so. The future demands both speed and scalability. GCCs that can blend experienced leadership with fresh energy — and do it without diluting quality — will have a clear edge.
In short, the current phase of GCC hiring is experience-led — but not experience-only. Companies that balance both ends of the spectrum, build internal capability, and align hiring with business objectives will be best positioned to lead India’s next GCC wave.
The author is CEO & Founder, Reed & Willow
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of www.economictimes.com)
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