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Hiring plan for an IT services firm in India

You run the case. Read the prompt, answer questions from the notes below, and share data only when the candidate asks for it or gets stuck. Score at the end.

Case timer

00:00

Target length:

1. Read the prompt aloud

Read it slowly, then pause. Let the candidate ask questions before they structure.

A fictional IT services firm in Bengaluru has 10,000 staff and has won contracts that need 11,000 by the end of the year. Attrition is 15 percent a year. Each recruiter fills 8 roles a month. Filling a role takes about 45 days, new hires often serve a 60 day notice period at their old employer, and they then need 30 days of training before they can work on a client project (illustrative numbers). How many people must it hire, how many recruiters does it need, and how early must hiring start?

2. Answers to clarifying questions

This case has no scripted clarifying answers. Answer from the prompt, and say "assume what you think is reasonable" if the prompt does not cover it.

3. A model structure

Compare the candidate's structure with this one. A different split can be just as good if it is clean and fits the problem.

Hires = growth + leavers; recruiters = hires / capacity; start = lead time before the need
- Growth in headcount
- Key: Leavers: average headcount x attrition
- Recruiter capacity per year
- Lead time: time to fill + notice + training

4. The working, step by step

Each step shows how a strong candidate works it out. Share a new fact from it only when the candidate asks or is stuck, and let them do the math: the result in the dark box is what they should reach.

Step 1: Growth
What a strong candidate does: 11,000 minus 10,000.
Growth in headcount: 11,000 - 10,000 = 1,000
Step 2: Leavers
What a strong candidate does: Average headcount over the year is about 10,500; 15 percent of that leave.
Leavers in the year: (10,000 + 11,000) ÷ 2 × 0.15 = 1,575
Step 3: Total hires
What a strong candidate does: Growth plus replacement of leavers.
Hires needed in the year: 1,000 + 1,575 = 2,575
Step 4: Recruiters
What a strong candidate does: Each recruiter fills 8 a month, so 96 a year. 2,575 divided by 96 is about 26.8, so 27 recruiters.
Recruiters needed (before rounding up): 2,575 ÷ (8 × 12) = 26.82
Step 5: Lead time
What a strong candidate does: Days from opening a role to a productive person.
Lead time (days): 45 + 60 + 30 = 135
Step 6: Cost of attrition
What a strong candidate does: If each leaver costs about INR 3 lakh to replace (recruiting, training and lost output), what does cutting attrition from 15 to 12 percent save?
Yearly saving (INR crore): 10,500 × (0.15 - 0.12) × 300,000 ÷ 10,000,000 = 9.45

The recommendation to listen for

At the end, say: "The CEO walks in. What is your recommendation?"

The firm must hire about 2,575 people, not 1,000: replacing leavers is the larger part of the plan. That needs about 27 recruiters, and because a hire takes about 135 days (four and a half months) to become productive, roles for projects starting in month 6 must open in month 1. Cutting attrition from 15 to 12 percent would save about INR 9.45 crore a year and remove 315 hires from the plan, so retention deserves as much attention as recruiting.

Risks a strong answer names: Attrition is often higher in the first year of employment, so a fast-growing firm may lose more than 15 percent; Some roles take far longer to fill, such as senior specialists.

Next steps: Split the plan by skill and seniority; Check attrition by team to find where people leave most.

Score the candidate

Score each criterion from 1 to 5. A 2 or a 4 sits between the descriptions.

This case has no exhibit. Score Exhibit reading on how the candidate used the data you gave them: did they pick out the number that matters and say what it means?

Structuring

1: No clear structure, or a memorized framework that does not fit the problem.
3: A sensible structure, but with some overlap, a gap, or no clear priority.
5: A structure built for this problem, with no overlap and no gaps, a stated hypothesis, and a clear first step.

Math

1: Frequent errors, no units, or needed heavy help to finish.
3: Right answers but slow or messy working, or one error caught late.
5: Accurate and clearly narrated, with units, a sense check, and what the number means.

Exhibit reading

1: Read the chart aloud without finding the number that matters.
3: Found the key number but gave only part of the so-what.
5: Pulled the right number quickly and said what it means for the case.

Synthesis

1: Summarized what was done, with no clear answer.
3: Gave an answer, but with weak reasons or no next step.
5: Answer first, then two or three reasons with numbers, the main risk, and next steps.

Communication

1: Hard to follow: long silences, no signposting.
3: Clear most of the time, with some rambling.
5: Calm and concise, signposted each step, and checked in with the interviewer.

Total

0 out of 25

Score all five criteria to see the band and the feedback template.