'Academic achievement no guarantee of a job'

'Academic achievement no guarantee of a job'

More than 18,000 job seekers showed up for the recent two-day
Career and Recruitment Exhibition, hoping to secure one of 2,500
positions being offered by some 40 companies. The massive turnout
was an indication of the depth of the unemployment problem here.
The Jakarta Post spoke to several people about how they were able
to find jobs.

Hepi, 24, is an employee at a private bank on Jl. Jend.
Sudirman, South Jakarta. She lives in Menteng, Central Jakarta,
with her brother:

I feel that looking for a job is difficult. I applied for
several positions with different companies and I had to wait a
long time before I had the chance to take an entrance test.

Finding a job, in my opinion, is a matter of luck. Many smart
people fail the psych tests. Even if they pass all of the steps
of the interview process, it depends greatly on the subjective
assessment of the interviewers.

I usually quit the process because of a deadlock on the matter
of remuneration.

Academic achievement is no guarantee of getting a job. That
only matters for meeting administrative requirements.

To tell you the truth, I want to quit my job because I don't
get paid enough.

I want to move to a state-owned enterprise or bank because I
want career promotion and a pension. Those things are far more
reliable at state companies compared to private companies.

On the other hand, I was sad to see how many job seekers went
to the recent Career and Recruitment Exhibition.

In fact, the number of unemployed people is far bigger than
the number of available vacancies.

Cahyo, 32, is a marketing manager at a private company in
South Jakarta. He lives in Pamulang, Tangerang, with his wife and
daughter:

I have been working in marketing for almost 12 years and I
plan to move to another job this month. This will be the sixth
time I have changed jobs because I was being underpaid.

I think the most effective way to find a job is through
collusion and nepotism. That's the way to get the best jobs.

The Career and Recruitment Exhibition was just a way to make
money. There was little chance of finding a job for all those
thousands of job seekers.

I have never applied for a vacancy advertised in a newspaper.

Yeah, collusion is the best way. There's nothing wrong with
it. Usually the higher or most important positions are designed
in such a way that only certain recognized people can fill them.

The most important thing is a work ethic and personal
commitment to perform your job well.

Arsi, 33, is a marketing employee at an auto company in
Bekasi. He lives in Bekasi with some friends:

It's always hard to look for a job. Usually I send out about
10 application letters, hoping that one of the letter will get a
response.

But lots of times I never get called to come in for an
interview.

So far I have moved three times since my first job. The usual
reason I quit is because I'm not making as much as I think I
should.

It's not a matter of job description because everywhere the
jobs are similar.

I always face problems when I have to deal with educational
background. Unfortunately, I only have a high school diploma.

I don't think employers should discriminate against job
seekers just because of their educational background.

Just because a candidate has a diploma is no guarantee they
will be able to do the job.

The most important thing is a person's skill, regardless of
whether or not they have a degree. It depends on personal
capability to adapt to the demands of the job.

-- Leo Wahyudi S.