Roopesh Panchasra: In-House Executive Search Done Right!

In this episode, Marcus interviews Roopesh Panchasra, Global Head of Executive Recruiting and Employer Branding, Vice President at SAP. 

Roopesh details how he and his team approach the multi-faceted challenge of finding great talent at SAP, from designing better candidate experience to building out a high-tech talent intelligence operation. He also examines the key differences between in-house and agency recruiting. 

COVID’s Effects

With the events of early March and global lockdowns, Roopesh and his team had to remain agile and creative to continue their consistent operation. Nobody was laid off in RP's division. This agility and creativity led Roopesh to reevaluate his assumptions on the ideal assessment of candidates, learning that video can be relied upon. 

What you’ll learn in this episode

[01:27] What kind of problems Roopesh and his executive search team are grappling with[06:21] How the team at SAP adapted to the coronavirus crisis, and the shift to digital-only communication[08:45] Having to rely on video interviews to make a proper assessment of candidates[11:14] The silver linings and positive discoveries Roopesh has found in light of the coronavirus[12:57] How candidate experience is improving, and changing to focus on proper fit rather than creature comforts[15:15] How SAP and Roopesh’s team are able to give candidates responses within 48 hours[17:03] The way SAP approaches building their employer brand to attract top candidates[23:11] What SAP does, and how Roopesh is able to make it attractive to candidates[31:53] Building out a talent intelligence team that contextualizes talent to SAP[37:04] The tools and tricks the talent branding team at SAP uses to find and attract top talent[39:29] Creating branding events in an increasingly digital environment[42:12] The big distinctions between in-house and agency talent operations[51:02] Using AI and ATS systems to find candidates that might otherwise have been over looked.

A self-confessed Talent Trailblazer with experience of successfully leading multinational Talent Acquisition teams for nearly 20 years, Roopesh Panchasra is currently the Global Head of Executive Recruiting & Employer Branding, Vice President at SAP where he’s been for ab out 5 years and previously directed TA teams at Workday, Expedia and VMware.