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- Start every search in your own database, then job boards and referrals.
- Ask about notice period, buyout, expected CTC and offers in hand on the first call, not after the final round.
- Test the stack before the panel, so engineers only interview people who can do the work.
- Most IT offers in India are lost during the notice period, so keep in touch until day one.
A hiring manager asks for a backend developer with Java and Kafka, two to four years, who can join within a month. The job goes live, two hundred CVs arrive, half of them mention Java once in a project from 2019, and the three strongest candidates are on a 90 day notice. That gap between the brief and the inbox is what IT recruitment is about.
What is IT recruitment?
IT recruitment covers hiring for technology roles, done either by an in house talent team or by an IT staffing firm hiring for clients. Roles can be permanent or contract. In contract IT staffing, firms often run a bench sales desk too, which markets consultants between projects; see what a bench sales recruiter does. For how IT staffing firms work as a business, see IT staffing: how it works.
Demand has picked up but it is uneven. Naukri JobSpeak reported that IT sector hiring rose 6% year on year in February 2026, with AI and ML hiring within IT up 40% and roles paying over 20 LPA up 19%, while hiring below that band stayed flat (outside research, based on Naukri job postings).
The IT recruitment process, step by step
- Intake with the hiring manager. Agree the must have stack, the nice to haves, the budget band, the notice period you can live with and who sits on the panel.
- Source, starting with what you have. Search your own database and past applicants first, then job boards such as Naukri and LinkedIn, referrals and developer communities.
- Screen the basics on the first call. Notice period, last working day, buyout, current and expected CTC, offers in hand, location and hybrid preference.
- Test the skills. A short coding test, SQL task or design question, matched to the role and level.
- Run the technical panels. Book only candidates who passed, and give the panel a short scorecard.
- Offer, then expect a counter offer. Talk through it before it happens, and agree a joining date.
- Stay in touch through the notice period. Check in at resignation, at the relieving date and the week before joining, and keep a backup warm.
What to check for common IT roles
| Role | What to test | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Backend developer | A coding task in the main language, an API or database question | Keyword CVs that list a framework used once |
| Frontend developer | A small UI task, state handling, performance basics | Portfolios built from tutorials |
| Data engineer | SQL, a pipeline design question, handling late or duplicate data | Analysts applying for engineering roles |
| DevOps engineer | A CI/CD scenario and an incident question | Tool lists without production experience |
| QA engineer | Test cases for a real feature, an automation sample | Manual only profiles for automation roles |
| Engineering manager | Delivery and people scenarios | Strong individual contributors with no team experience |
For ready to use questions by role, see our technical interview questions bank.
Why IT hiring stalls in India
- Notice periods. One to three months is common, which leaves plenty of time for a counter offer.
- Multiple offers. Good candidates interview at several companies at once.
- Slow panels. Engineers are busy, so interview slots slip by days.
- Keyword screening. Matching on words instead of evidence fills panels with people who can’t do the work.
- Late salary talks. Finding out the expected CTC after three rounds wastes everyone’s time.
Hire developers who can join
Your database first, notice period and CTC checked on WhatsApp or an AI call, and the stack tested before your panel.
When this process needs changing
This process suits roles you hire repeatedly. Senior architects, leadership and rare skills need more personal outreach and a different conversation about the role, and a coding test can put strong senior people off. For campus hiring, swap the notice period checks for joining date and offer letter timing.
How to measure IT recruitment
| Metric | How to calculate it |
|---|---|
| Time to shortlist | Days from the role opening to the first shortlist sent to the hiring manager |
| Interview to offer ratio | Offers divided by technical interviews held |
| Offer acceptance rate | Offers accepted divided by offers made |
| Offer to joining ratio | Joined divided by offers accepted |
| Panel hours per hire | Total interview hours spent by engineers, divided by hires |
| 90 day retention | Still employed at day 90, divided by joined |
Hirin.ai searches your own database first, screens every applicant for notice period and expected CTC on WhatsApp or an AI call, tests the stack with coding tests that include hidden test cases, SQL and short design questions, and books your panel only with people who passed. AI video rounds carry integrity flags that a person on your team reviews. For where AI helps most, see how to fix tech hiring bottlenecks with AI.
If you are choosing a tool, see our comparison of AI recruitment software for IT hiring.
Most IT recruiters in India also search Naukri's database. Our Naukri Resdex guide shows how to make each CV view count.
Frequently asked questions
What is IT recruitment?
What is the IT recruitment process?
How do you reduce offer dropouts in IT hiring?
What is the difference between IT recruitment and IT staffing?
Should you use coding tests for every IT role?
How we researched this
The process reflects how Hirin.ai customers hire for IT roles and standard practice for technical hiring in India. Market figures are outside research and are described as published. Product details describe Hirin.ai’s IT recruitment features as published on hirin.ai.
- Naukri JobSpeak, February 2026, IT Hiring Shows Meaningful Recovery and AI Momentum Continues.
Vikas Agarwal
Vikas Agarwal is the founder of Hirin.ai, an AI recruitment platform that screens, interviews and shortlists candidates for Indian hiring teams and staffing agencies. He has spent years building digital products and now works on the hiring problems recruiters raise every day. He writes about AI in recruitment, staffing and the future of work.