Where did you grow up? - Chandigarh
What is your most favorite childhood memory? - Staying at my family's house in Simla, Himachal Pradesh
What is your morning routine like? - Vipin wakes up at 4 am, goes for a jog, after which he doe Yoga and meditation. He then goes to his office on cycle.
Ronaldo or Messi? - Ronaldo
Dogs or cats? - Dogs, absolutely.
Your Hero! - Radhanath Swami, Founder of Radha.com
Your favorite book? - Bhagwad Geeta
Your favorite movie? - Saving Private Ryan
Vipin’s reputation precedes him. Vipin has been iMocha’s client since a few years now.
My colleagues always spoke highly of him.
While doing the research, I came across his initiative - Amooksha (Link: http://aamoksha.com/ )
It sounded really interesting.
I was excited for this interview. I really was.
My first question was, “How do you introduce yourself in a party?”
His response was, “I am a corporate monk.”
And there was a brief silence.
I mean, it’s not everyday that you come across someone who calls himself a corporate Monk. And then of course, I had to ask him to elaborate.
“Some monks love spending time in the Himalayas.'' he said. “But what about the goodness that is needed in the corporates? Calmness is not needed in the Himalayas. It’s already calm there. We need it in the corporates.”
In the first minute itself, I was exposed to his spiritual side. I have conducted a few interviews, but never an interview like this. He had my attention. My interest was piqued.
But I resisted the temptation of jumping into the spiritual side of things and started with the basics.
“What role do you play with VT netzwelt?”, I asked.
Vipin looks heads the entire Human Capital Management at VT netzwelt. This includes Talent Acquisition and Talent Management.
“The conventional hiring process keeps on going for months and months and months. There is a set status quo - That the notice period is x months, and then the offer letter needs to be sent in x weeks, and so on. We do not believe in this kind of a recruitment process.”
“We believe in Ninja recruitment.”
For the next few minutes, Vipin explained me the concept in detail. I sat there, curious and to be honest a little mesmerized.
“The Ninja recruiter is not a recruiter driven by status quo. His mindset is totally different. He doesn’t believe in any kind of obstacles.”
The Ninja recruiter is very sharp, physically fit… because mental fitness is hugely dependent on the physical fitness.
The Ninja recruiter operates on a different mental level. He has tremendous clarity about his job and the project that needs to be done. He deploys acceptance to the situation.
“So we get the work done and then we rest.”, said Vipin.
He then added with a mischievous smile, “In fact, we encourage recruiters to get the work done as quickly as possible and then just relax.”
The Ninja recruiter has excellent network - both offline and online channels. He understands the JD really well. The Hiring Manager really respects the Ninja recruiter.
The Ninja recruiter knew that instead of reaching out to 20,000 candidates in the market, he should reach out to only 10 or 20 or 30 candidates where there is a strong chance of success. This is the focus that the Ninja recruiters possess.
“Don’t give garbage to the Hiring Managers. Never ever.” said Vipin.
The Ninja recruiter is very mindful of the quality of the shortlisted candidates. He shows tremendous empathy towards the Hiring Manager’s situation. He knows the kind of stress he is under. This is how he earns respect from the Hiring Manager.
“Firstly, you have to transition from a Monkey to Monk.”, said Vipin.
And then we laughed.
Vipin’s argument is that change always begins from within.
Once the mind is calm and composed, the recruiter starts getting clarity about his goals and the organizational goals. Once the mind and body are balanced, discipline is cultivated. Once discipline is cultivated, the results start coming your way.
Through Amooksha, Vipin regularly conducts workshops which help recruiters become Ninja recruiters.
Although I was intrigued, I was skeptical about the acceptance that this thinking would get in corporates.
“So when I conduct Amoksha workshops for the CEOs, the first thing that they say is that they don’t want to be spiritual.”, said Vipin. “I then tell them that spirituality is not about going to the Himalayas. In fact, spirituality is the first step to get success in this material life.”
In a world where a large of the HR fraternity thinks that they are usually subdued and controlled by other stakeholders in the organization, people like Vipin are definitely making a difference.
He is leading the HRs to a better future.
