Anuj Pal Kapoor is a Placement Chair and Assistant Professor of the School of Management and Entrepreneurship (SME). He did MBA from Symbiosis International University; Bremen University of Applied Sciences (Germany) and B.E in Electronics and Communications from the Institute of Technology & Management, Gurgaon. He has completed his PhD from the Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), University of Delhi. His research interests are in consumer psychology in web-based platforms, collaborative consumption, and digital transformation.

Prior to joining the PhD program, he has worked in the industry for six years across marketing, innovation and consulting domains. He was responsible for setting up the innovations function at HDFC Life based out of Mumbai and spearheaded the analytics function at Michael Page India, Gurgaon. During his Ph.D., he developed a framework for strategic partnership between banks and e-commerce players, based on the digital consumption patterns of consumers across India. Prof. Kapoor has a Certificate in Innovation Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is also a recipient of the ICSSR Doctoral Fellowship and UNESCO Fellow (Paris) Award.

SME, IIT Jodhpur

What are your roles and responsibilities in SME?

“Nurturing relations with Industry”

My role as Chair – Corporate Relations and Campus Placements have three broad areas. First, build, nurture and maintain relationship with individuals and organizations. Second, on-board organizations for summer internship, final placements and live/research projects. Third, capability building of students along with my faculty colleagues. 

How do you train students for better career opportunities?

“Focus on self-improvement”

At SME we focus on self- improvement of every individual, especially students. The industry aligned curriculum help the students to develop specific domain skills, which are quintessential for a management graduate. In addition, soft skills such as communication, team work, critical thinking are imparted to students through team and live projects and mentor-mentee sessions. Furthermore, academic curriculum is updated at regular intervals, based on the recent trends in the market and feedback from industry practitioners. Furthermore, we ensure to have regular industry interaction(s) with industry Practitioner across levels and industries, who provide an on-field assessment of job market.

What is the average placement rate at SME?

The current batch (2020) will be the first batch graduating in 2022. As far as, their summer internship is considered, it was 100% last year. The average compensation as on Dec 2021 is close to INR 15 Lacs. The figures are indicative of the total number of students placed so far. 

Check School of Management and Entrepreneurship (SME), IIT Jodhpur Courses & Fees

What strategy do you follow to help students with the placements?

“Our two step process for effective engagement”

Preparing for placements is not a short-term affair. It is about handholding and guiding the students throughout their two-year duration. Each student is assigned a faculty mentor, who mentor and guide students throughout the two years. In addition, we follow a two-step process prior to the placement season. Firstly, our in-house faculty member(s) help students to prepare in terms of mock interviews, soft skills, CV assessment, specific tech skills and group discussion(s). Secondly, there are numerous industry interaction series planned throughout the two years, where individuals from the corporate(s) share their life experiences and corporate careers, which provides a perspective to students about “what to expect post MBA”. In addition, this year we are on-boarding industry mentors across organizations and functions, who will assess and coach the students, for interviews and their corporate journeys. 

How do you help your students attain the required skills?

“Industry aligned curriculum”

The course curriculum at SME is designed in such a fashion that it resonates with the industries expectations and is aligned accordingly. In addition, we are in constant lookout for Skills/technologies/tools etc. which are in demand and ensure to integrate them as part of our teaching pedagogy. We also ensure to take regular feedback on few of the courses from the industry experts, in order to bring more rigor in the delivery. 

How does SME differ in providing training and placement to students?

“Academic-Industry centered placement ecosystem”

The training and placement program at SME is well curated with the help of the industry professionals and faculty members. The faculty member(s) have prior experience in the industry, especially recruitment consulting which in turn helps students to make them industry-ready. Most of the industry professionals, who mentor students are well versed with hiring across domain and skills. 

How do you strategize the placement process for students?

“To develop campus grids for our recruiters in SME”

There is a dedicated team consisting of me, a Sr. Manager and Senior as well as Junior Placement team. We develop campus grids for our campus recruiters and our strategy is based on the campus grid itself. The placement activity is carried out round the year based on market research, hiring pattern, role shifts and industry demand.

What are your insights on international placements from the Institute?

“Six international offers available this year at IITJ”

We got a new role in international placements. There are six international offers this year offered at IIT J. It aids in the progress of campus.

How do you coordinate with different companies for the recruitment process?

“Campus grid for recruiting partners”

As stated above, we have a set process of coordinating with companies based on the campus grid. The companies are clustered as per domains and mapped to individual placement team members. The end-to-end recruitment for campus partners is taken care by specific students, starting from on-boarding till closure. 

Click School of Management and Entrepreneurship (SME), IIT Jodhpur Placements

Any advice do you give to the students?

“Identify your strengths and make them even stronger”

The game is not of selection or rejection but about the right fitment, until and unless it is a very specialized role. Getting a job is not about any specific skills however more of a cultural fitment and attitude of the student. Every individual is good at something and designs their trajectory over their lifetime. Be thorough with your CV since it is the only interface between you and the company. Identify your strengths and make them even stronger. Focus on the basics and details, be confident, always have a smiling face and most importantly, just BE YOU !!