Arul Dev's consultancy chooses depth over noise

Time of India

24-07-2025

In a time when most companies chase visibility, Chennai-based People First took the quieter route and, oddly enough, ended up making the kind of impact loud campaigns often promise but rarely deliver.
Started nearly three decades ago, the consultancy doesn't scream for attention. It doesn't flood LinkedIn with jargon or lean on name-dropping. What it does, instead, is work quietly, mindfully, and with surprising honesty.
You won't find a case study carousel on their homepage. But look deeper, and you'll find something else: conversations that have changed how companies hire, how leaders lead, and how culture gets shaped behind the scenes.
For them, hiring has never been about ticking boxes. It's been about sensing presence. One founder even described the experience of working with them as 'therapy for the role itself.' A senior HR leader from a Fortune 500 firm once said, 'They don't sell people. They help you see your culture clearly and choose wisely from there.'
That kind of clarity doesn't come from processing documents. It comes from sitting across the table, asking questions that usually go unasked, and listening to more than just answers.
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In their 30th year, People First quietly launched two experiments not to go viral, but to go inward.
The first was an invitation-only experience called 'Hiring with Depth.' No forms, no banners, just a soft message to a few handpicked organisations: 'Let's talk about how you're choosing people. And whether that lens is serving your culture.'
What followed weren't sessions. They were mirrors.
Some leaders walked away with more clarity in 30 minutes than in six months of hiring sprints.
Their second experiment was even bolder: a no-contract, no-fee pilot hire. Just a single placement to show what alignment can really feel like—not as a pitch, but as a gesture. The result? The hires stayed. The clients came back. And the message travelled, quietly, from one thoughtful leader to another.
When asked what he believes in hiring, founder Arul Dev didn't offer a business line. He said something softer and truer:
'Hiring, at its deepest, is not just about people.
It's about presence. It's about whether the role, the person, and the organisation are ready to meet each other in truth.'
That idea of meeting in truth is what makes the consultancy what it is.
Not a vendor. Not a recruiter. But a thought partner. A mirror.
People First may never flood job boards or chase the spotlight.
But if you're a founder, a leader, or even an HR head who's tired of surface-level fixes and wants to build something that truly lasts—don't look for just a hiring partner.
Look for a mirror. A guide. A voice that doesn't echo yours, but questions it—softly, wisely.
In my experience, People First is all that and more.
They just don't say it out loud.
Which is exactly why I thought someone should.