Dipanti Das, our Master of Business Administration (Majoring in Human Resources Management) alumna, shares how the skills she had learnt in JCU has helped her in her career as a Senior Recruitment Leader.

Our JCU Alumna, Ms Dipanti Das

Can you tell us more about your current role and what made you decide to take on this role?

I am working as a Senior Recruitment Leader for Asia Pacific region for a French MNC: VISEO APAC. We are a digital solutions provider for various industries. I am in charge of the recruitment of solutions expertise for all the offices in Asia Pacific.

After graduating in Master of Business Administration, majoring in Human Resources Management, I wanted to render my career in the HR Domain. I went through different roles till I found my current one. This role was not only the next step in my career, but it was a great opportunity for me to make a difference and grow holistically!

If you could highlight one memorable experience in your working experience so far, what would that be?

Over the years, there have been so many that it is difficult to point out at one particular one. In HR we liaise with people everyday, with different emotions, personality, character and so on. So every day is a new experience and we have memorable ones every day. My each and every hire, every promotion, my amazing colleagues who are now friends, going through thousands of resumes every month and finding that one resume which cracks you up… so every moment is precious and part of the remarkable journey I go through.

But if I could take out my professional life and put in another aspect, I would say my first invite to be the guest lecturer in Professor Caroline’s class in JCU in 2019 was the most memorable and honourable experience. To go back to your own  University and offer your insight on the topic which you once studied in the same University, that is an experience no one can compete with!

What are some of the lessons learned or challenges faced at your current role?

The biggest lesson I learnt is no two people are the same! They are all different and everyone is challenging. Being an introvert myself and being a recruiter is like Yin-Yang, but every person I have interacted with made me learn a lot more of the mysterious ways we think and work.

How do you feel studying at the Singapore campus of James Cook University has helped you to face the challenges in your current employment? What do you miss the most about your time at JCU?

While in JCU, I remember our professors always made it compulsory for us to work in multi-national groups for the project. It was inconvenient at the beginning but gradually we got it. One thing I learnt from it and something which I value the most is that: working with other cultures. JCU gave me the platform to understand that different cultures act, think, perceive, see and react to things and situations differently. That doesn’t mean you are wrong or they are wrong, but that means we can open up and embrace the differences to make the best out of it. And it opens up your thinking in so many different ways and levels that all you do is grow as a person. This is something which I do, face and work with every day in both my professional and personal life. JCU taught me that.

I miss JCU in so many ways: the classes, the student life (we didn’t have clubs and events at that time, but we made the best out of it), and the PROJECTS – who can forget those….. What can I say- I was a NERD!!!

What would be your advice for current students?

I would advise (as I always say in all the guest lectures I have given in Professor Caroline’s class) that JCU gives you the platform to be more than what you are, from not only coursework but also as a person. Get out of your shells, get out of your own country/national groups and embrace and be a part of the diversity which JCU offers. You will need it when you step out in the real world and no one can prep you more for that than JCU.

So what's next step for you?

Next step, let’s see what unfolds in the future! (2020 has taught me not to plan too much!!!)

Lastly, JCU's strategic intent is ‘Creating a brighter future for life in the tropics world-wide through graduates and discoveries that make a difference’. How do you think you have made (or are making) a difference?

Personally, I am a great believer in the conservation of the wild and nature, and JCU Singapore and Australia are both major contributors towards it. The differences the graduates are making worldwide in the conservation of them is immense. I just hope that more graduates are passionate about it like JCU is!!! I would encourage that all graduates should be a part of this collective intent in their own ways, whether you are an Environmental Science graduate or a business.