Q How and from where do you recruit trainees? Do you hire diploma engineers as well as management trainees? Do you visit college campuses for recruitment?

Our corporate human resources (HR) team recruits fresh graduates and diploma engineers from campuses. Based on the need, a few civil engineers are earmarked for our realty division.

Q What’s your policy on mid-career recruitment? Do you advertise in papers or take the help of consultants? Do you have referral schemes?

Our preferred route is through consultants. However, we also have an informal referral scheme and executives who perform well are encouraged to refer suitable candidates.

Q Where are your employees likely to be posted? Do you transfer them from one Group Company to another? Where are your offices located?

Employees are posted at any of our sites or the head office, which is in Calcutta. There are different work sites which are either under the different group companies or joint venture companies. We transfer employees from one site to another but they are treated as though they are deputed by the parent company. Currently, we are working on sites located at Joka, Barrackpore, Asansol and Colombo.

Q What are the terms of employment? What’s your retirement age? Do you have a contractual system?

Employees are appointed on probation for six months (one year in case of fresh recruits), thereafter they are confirmed subject to satisfactory performance. The retirement age is 58. We offer contractual employment only for junior positions that are site specific.

Q What are the jobs on offer at the moment in your company?

Currently, we do not have any vacancy in the realty division.

Q Do you think India’s real estate and construction sector needs more qualified professionals?

I agree that the real estate sector needs more professionally qualified persons. Large corporates such as Paharpur, who have diversified into real estate from their established business in engineering and infrastructure, are surely better poised in this regard as they already have professionals to look after finance, tax, human resources, infrastructure and other functional areas in the real estate business.