In India, most internal communication openings are known either through networks or via consultants. Internal communication professionals are a rare breed in this part of the world.
Apart from large, established multi-nationals, the concept of engaging with internal communication professionals is still quite unfamiliar. The JD ( job descriptions) shared by consultants generally include the entire gamut of responsibilities but fail to acknowledge the specialist role of internal communicators. The internal communicator is also asked to take on the ‘additional’ responsibility of PR and event management among others!
I often highlight this point to my students at St. Josephs School of Business Adminstration ( www.sjcba.ac.in) emphasising the need to be known for a certain skill-set or domain knowledge. It is important to get a fair understanding of the other functions but we end up remembering one or at best two aspects of a person’s capabilities. Be it in copywriting or say leadership skills.
It is also the responsibility of consultants to understand the job requirements before contacting a communication professional. Unfortunately, it is not the practice currently. Recruiters are in a hurry to fill the openings.
If I was to select an individual, I would probably provide a case study and understand how the individual uses his or her faculties to implement an internal communications strategy and solution rather than rely on the years of experience. That should be the first level of screening.
 The next stage is to understand the cutural fit between the organization’s core values and how the candidate maps to it. Tough ask but not immpossible. Is the candidate approachable? Can the person be flexible to assignments? How innovative is the candidate?
 Finally, it boils down to the level of commitment which the candidate can showcase.
What an exciting time to be in India … and a challenging time too. Absolutely agree with your comment about building capability. Keep the faith!