Dr. Dheeraj Hebri has been working as the Training and Placement Officer at Srinivas Institute of Technology - Valachil, Mangalore, Karnataka since 2019. As part of his education, he has done BCA in 2010 from Shree Bharati College, MCA in 2013 from Srinivas Institute of Technology, PhD in Computer Science in 2021 from VTU followed by MBA in Human Resources and Information Technology from Sri Satya Sai University of Technology & Medical Sciences in 2022. He has more than 6 months of work experience in the industrial world, where he worked as Trainee Software Engineer with Tech Mahindra, and after this he joined Srinivas Institute of Technology as an Assistant Professor in August 2013.

Apart from this, he is serving as a JCI India member, and throughout his career of 10+ years, he has cleared 12 JCI International training like MLID, CAPP, SpeechCraft and hence is also a designated JCI International trainer. He is a serving Lion Club Member, Club Secretary and Editor of digital magazine E-Mangala of Lions District 317D & serving as DC for online reporting. Dr. Dheeraj has also participated in numerous workshops, seminars and conferences and presented some cool research papers in each. Additionally, his research papers have been published in various reputed national and international journals. He has some cool globally recognised certifications on his name including Alteryx Foundation Micro-Credentials, Academic Process Mining Fundamentals, Execution Management Consulting Program, both from Celonis followed by AWS Academy Cloud Foundation.

Srinivas Institute of Technology (SIT)

What are the key factors that keep you connected with the education sector?

As a placement officer, I have had the privilege of working closely with students, faculty, and employers in the education sector. And the very first factor behind my so long association with the dynamic world of academics is the satisfaction, happiness and incredible feeling of fulfillment I receive after helping students navigate their career paths and witnessing their growth. Apart from this, the education sector is constantly evolving, and this keeps me engaged, passionate and excited to work here. 

Being the Placement Officer, how do you strategize the key programs for the marketing and administration of SIT?

For the purpose of effectively strategizing the key programs for the administration of our institution and enhancing our reach to our potential students, we make best use of digital marketing tools and technologies to understand our target audience. After that we develop a very strong brand image and strengthen our ties from time to time with our industry partners through events and activities. We also enhance our career services in regular collaboration with corporate experts, because it's a well known fact that education quality and placement statistics of an institution speaks about it more than anything.

What makes your college unique and different from others?

Our parent group has around 16 colleges in the Mangalore coastal region, and out of these only SIT offers a Global Certification program for all students irrespective of the department they are part of. Other than this, we have a dedicated Training and Placement Department, which works dedicatedly in regularly inviting eminent employers on campus to recruit students for various job profiles. And all our efforts are aimed at acquiring the best possible employability and entrepreneurship skills for our students.

Therefore, various Training Programs are organized by us on a regular basis in collaboration with both Industry experts as well as Professionals, to equip our young minds with the necessary soft skills, group discussion skills, personality development skills, written/aptitude test skills and also educate them about powerful interview techniques. Hence I would say, the education quality we offer and the way we prepare students for jobs makes us different from others.

Check Srinivas Institute of Technology Faculty

What are some plans that you are currently designing for SIT's international affairs and students?

We have signed many MOUs with foreign Universities and Institutions, and few are in line for sponsoring higher education of students in international colleges. Apart from this, at present, we are designing international exchange programs, regularly conducting cultural exchange events, languages and cross-cultural training and also offering internships and amazing job opportunities to our students. And our robust and diverse Alumni network helps us a lot in achieving all this. Last but not the least, international research collaborations are being given the priority and scholarships and financial aid are available for academically bright and unprivileged students.

How does your institution help students for placement and networking opportunities?

Our Training and Placement Cell regularly guide and help students in forming good professional relationships and network with corporate experts and also encourage them to make best use of platforms like LinkedIn. In addition to this, we motivate them to take part in conferences, hackathons, and technical fests on a regular basis.

What advice would you give to those students who want to improve their resume and cover letter to increase chances of getting hired? 

It's already known to all that for increasing the chances of getting hired at a reputed company, improving a resume and cover letter is very crucial. Hence, I would advise all the ambitious students out there to follow some tips and tricks to make their resume more effective and eye-catching.

First and foremost, keep it relevant in accordance with the job you are applying for, use professional format and keywords while highlighting your achievement and impact, showcase relevant skills and include experiences if any. Apart from this, conduct a thorough research about the company and follow the instructions thoroughly.

How can one improve their interview skills and what qualities do employers look for in students nowadays?

I would advise my dear students to regularly attend mock interviews before sitting for the actual one, because this is a very helpful tip to boost your confidence and focus on weaker areas. And in today's time, employers of technical companies look for strong subject basics whereas marketing and sales roles only look for communication and commitment towards the roles offered.