Notice periods when hiring engineers in India
Employers outside India are often surprised that the engineer they chose cannot start for one, two or three months. That is the notice period in their current employment contract, and it shapes every hiring plan for employed engineers in India. This guide explains how it works, what can shorten it, and how to plan around it. It describes common practice, not law, and is not legal advice.
The short answer
- Notice periods for salaried engineers in India are set by their employment contract, and 30, 60 and 90 days are all common. Larger IT services companies often use the longer end.
- Ask about the notice period in the first conversation, not after the offer.
- Early release is at the current employer's discretion. A buyout, where the notice is settled by paying salary in lieu, is sometimes allowed and sometimes not.
- Plan the start date from the notice period, and stay in touch through it: a long notice period is when counter-offers and competing offers arrive.
- If the work cannot wait, an engineer who is free now, on contract, can cover the gap.
How a notice period works
When a salaried employee in India resigns, their contract usually requires them to keep working for a set number of days before their last working day. During that time they hand over their work. At the end they normally receive a relieving letter, which many employers in India ask for before or soon after a new hire joins, as proof that the person left their previous job properly.
The length is whatever the contract and the company's policy say. Within one company it can differ by level, and it can be longer during probation or for senior staff. Because it is contractual, the candidate is the only reliable source for their own notice period, so ask them, and ask whether it is the full period or what remains of it if they have already resigned.
What can shorten it
- Early release. The current employer agrees to let the person go before the notice period ends, often once handover is done. It cannot be promised in advance.
- Buyout. Some contracts let the employee, or the new employer on their behalf, pay salary for the unserved days instead of working them. Some companies do not allow it at all. If you offer to cover a buyout, put the amount and the condition in the offer letter.
- Leave against notice. Some employers let unused leave count towards the notice period. Whether they do is their policy, not the candidate's choice.
- Already serving. A candidate who resigned before interviewing with you may be weeks from their last day. Ask for the date.
Planning the hire around it
Work backwards from the date the work has to start. If the role needs someone in six weeks and most of the strongest candidates have a 90-day notice period, either the start date moves or the pool narrows to people who can join sooner, and you should decide which you prefer before interviews begin rather than after an offer.
Write the decision into the requirement. "Start within 30 days" filters candidates differently from "start by March, notice periods up to 90 days are fine", and a supplier will put forward different people for each.
Keeping the candidate through the notice period
The weeks between acceptance and joining are when a candidate is most likely to change their mind. Their current employer may make a counter-offer once they resign, and other companies they interviewed with may still make offers. A candidate who accepts and later does not join is common enough in Indian tech hiring to have its own name: an offer dropout.
What helps is ordinary, not clever: a clear offer letter and start date, a call from the future manager, access to whatever onboarding can happen before day one, and a check-in every week or two. If a candidate goes quiet, ask directly whether something has changed; it is better to know in week three than on the joining date.
When a contract engineer helps
Engineers supplied on contract are often free to start sooner, because they are between assignments or already work for the supplier. That makes a contract useful in two situations: covering urgent work while a permanent hire serves notice, and contract-to-hire, where someone available now starts on contract and converts later if both sides want it.
It is not a way around notice periods. An engineer still employed somewhere else has the same notice period whether you hire them on contract or permanently, so ask the supplier for the earliest real start date of each profile, not just its availability status.
Frequently asked questions
What is a typical notice period for a software engineer in India?
It is set by each employment contract. 30, 60 and 90 days are all common, and larger IT services companies often use the longer end. Ask each candidate for theirs, and whether they have already resigned.
Can a new employer pay a candidate's notice period buyout?
Sometimes. It depends on whether the current employer allows a buyout at all. If you agree to cover it, put the amount and the conditions in the offer letter.
What is a relieving letter?
A letter from the previous employer confirming that the person has left and completed their exit. Many employers in India ask new hires for it, which is one reason candidates prefer to serve their notice rather than leave without it.
Does HookStep shorten notice periods?
No. A notice period is between the candidate and their current employer. Candidates who apply through HookStep can state their notice period, and the employer sees it with the application. For urgent work we can put forward engineers who are free to start on contract.
Related
Hiring now? Tell us about the role, read how it works, or see the FAQ.