Infosys Offers Rs 700 Per Interview To Staff In First Ever Cash Reward Hiring Drive

In a pioneering step to sharpen its recruitment strategy and reward internal contributions, Infosys, India’s second-largest IT services company, has rolled out a cash incentive scheme for employees who help conduct lateral hiring interviews. Staff will now receive Rs 700 per interview, a move that could reshape participation in the hiring process across India's tech landscape.

The initiative, applicable retrospectively from 1 January 2025, is Infosys’s first-ever monetary reward programme tied to interview participation. The scheme targets technical roles, including project managers, track leads, and architects in job levels JL5 and JL6, who are typically tasked with vetting candidates for lateral positions.

With the IT industry moving away from campus hiring amid global demand slowdowns, companies are focusing on lateral recruitment — hiring experienced professionals with niche skills in areas like Python, Java, DevOps, and AI/ML. Infosys’s internal interviewers, often conducting 2-3 rounds before HR finalisation, play a pivotal role in assessing technical fit.

“This move is to motivate managers and mid-level leaders to engage more actively in the hiring process and tap into quality external talent,” a staff member told The Economic Times.

The reward scheme works on a point system, where 700 points translate to Rs 700 per valid interview. The payout is limited to India-based hiring and excludes:

Cancelled interviews or no-shows are ineligible for reward claims.

The Indian IT services industry, worth $280 billion, is grappling with a shortage of skilled professionals, especially in artificial intelligence and digital transformation roles. Simultaneously, many firms — including Infosys — are managing subdued earnings due to global trade tensions and weakening demand in key export markets.

Employees across the sector have also expressed discontent over reduced bonus payouts and modest salary hikes. At Infosys, FY24 salary increases were in the range of 5-8 per cent, while performance bonuses for the March quarter were trimmed to 50-70 per cent for most.

“Earlier, we only received compensatory leave for conducting weekend interviews. There was no cash reward,” one Infosys employee said. “This is a good step towards recognising our effort.”

With Infosys often conducting weekend hiring marathons, interviewers may assess 10-15 candidates a day. This could mean an earning potential of Rs 7,000–Rs 10,000 per day, especially for staff involved in bulk tech recruitment drives.

The idea is to incentivise skilled interviewers to contribute consistently, ensuring Infosys secures the right talent swiftly without relying solely on external agencies.

While Infosys is the first among Tier-1 Indian IT giants to formalise such a reward policy, similar practices exist across tech firms. Companies like Honeywell, Accenture, and Sonata Software already offer monetary or non-monetary benefits for employees who assist in talent acquisition — recognising the critical role of internal evaluators in maintaining hiring quality.

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