Kotak Securities is one of India's leading stock broking firms, offering trading and investment services across equities, derivatives, and mutual funds. Part of the Kotak Mahindra Group, the company serves millions of investors through its digital-first trading platform, Kotak Neo.
Kotak Securities Raises the Bar on Tech Hiring with Equip
Head-Office
Mumbai, Maharashtra
team-size
1001-5000 employees
founded
1994
Industry
Capital Markets
About Kotak Securities
As a Senior Developer at Kotak Securities, I was responsible for shortlisting candidates, and my primary requirement was simple: can they solve medium-level coding problems without AI assistance? Before discovering Equip, I spent countless hours interviewing candidates who weren't technically qualified, which was frustrating and inefficient. Equip has transformed our hiring process. I now share custom test links with candidates, and the platform provides detailed test scores along with a reliable trust score that helps me quickly filter out unsuitable applicants. The time savings have been significant, and the quality of candidates reaching the interview stage has improved dramatically.
Amogh U
Senior Manager, Kotak Securities
Roles hired for via Equip
Senior Java Developer, Senior Data Scientist, Senior AI Developer
Skills assessed for
Java, Spring Boot, Data Structures and Algorithms, SQL, Machine Learning, Data Science
Category
Tech Hiring
Problem: No Way to Verify Coding Skills Before the Interview
Kotak Securities needed developers who could solve medium-level coding problems independently, without AI assistance. But without a screening step, the team had no way to filter for technical competence upfront.
The burden fell on senior developers. Instead of focusing on architecture, code reviews, or mentoring, they were pulled into interview after interview, only to discover within minutes that the candidate couldn't write working code. Resumes looked promising, but there was no reliable signal for actual programming ability.
The process was slow, frustrating, and unsustainable. Every unqualified interview meant wasted hours, delayed projects, and a growing backlog of roles to fill. The team needed a way to screen for real coding skills before anyone reached the interview stage, and to ensure candidates weren't relying on AI tools to clear the bar.
The Solution: Test First, Interview Later
Kotak Securities flipped the process. Instead of discovering skill gaps during interviews, they moved technical evaluation to the very first step.
Using Equip, the team created custom coding assessments for each role, testing candidates on Java, Spring Boot, Data Structures and Algorithms, SQL, Machine Learning, and Data Science. Every submission came with a detailed performance breakdown and a trust score that flagged suspicious behavior, including potential AI assistance. For the first time, the team had a reliable, objective signal for technical ability before anyone got on a call.
As hiring matures, they plan to add Equip's Resume Screening to the workflow. Now, only relevant applicants receive test links, and only proven performers reach the interview stage.
The result: senior developers stopped being gatekeepers and went back to building. Interviews became conversations about fit and potential, not basic screening. And the backlog of unfilled roles started to shrink.
Favourite Equip Features
- Coding Challenges: The team creates role-specific coding assessments and shares a single link with candidates. They have the flexibility to use Equip's large Question Bank or create their own questions. Candidates take the test on their own time, and results flow back automatically with detailed performance breakdowns.
- AI Proctoring: This was the differentiator. Every candidate submission includes a trust score that flags potential red flags, including AI-assisted answers. In an era where ChatGPT can solve most coding problems, this gave the team confidence that high scorers actually knew their stuff.
- Transparent, Pay-Per-Use Pricing: No annual contracts or bloated seat licenses. Kotak Securities pays for what they use, making it easy to scale hiring up or down without locking in budget. See how pricing works
Why Equip
Kotak Securities didn't need a bloated platform with features they'd never use. They needed something that worked out of the box, gave them confidence in the results, and didn't break the budget.
Equip checked all three boxes. For a team that values speed, accuracy, and efficiency, Equip fit naturally into how they already wanted to hire.
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