Gen Z is the largest demographic group in Indonesia – and also one of the most misunderstood.
Born between 1997 and 2012 they are digital natives and are extremely talented in some areas, but also lack many of the skills that employers need. At 27.94 per cent of Indonesia’s population, integrating these young people into the workforce is vital for the country’s future success.
According to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, there are five characteristics of Gen Z that set them apart from their predecessors.
The first is having a global mindset – social media makes it easier to connect with people around the world and exchange information and opinions.
Related to this is the second point: open mindedness. Exposure to people from around the world means they are more likely to accept that different people have different opinions.
Third, they are tech savvy. They are the first generation to grow up with social media and using technology is generally second nature to them.
The flip side of this brings us onto our fourth characteristic – they have enjoyed fewer physical interactions than previous generations since much of their communication takes place online, so they can sometimes need help learning interpersonal skills.
Their open mindedness can sometimes pose a challenge, which is the fifth and final characteristic. When challenges arise and the pressure is on, Gen Z can sometimes find it hard to define exactly who they are and what they stand for.
All this presents some clear opportunities for knowledge transfer from older generations to help Gen Z – and the country – thrive.
Challenges Gen Z Face
According to the report ‘Gen Z in Transition: Between the Two Worlds’, presented at Kuliah-Kerja Fest!, a webinar organised by Tanoto Foundation and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, there are clear challenges faced by Gen Z.
Even among graduates with backgrounds in economics, engineering, and IT, there is a lack of knowledge and practical skills in automation, data processing, and numerical analysis to handle actual business challenges in the industrial sector.
The use of artificial intelligence and big data in the technology, finance, and manufacturing sectors in Indonesia still trails behind other developing countries. Understanding data-driven decision making is key, but somewhat lacking among Gen Z students.
According to a 2016 World Bank report, Indonesia has been experiencing a shortage of 9 million semi-skilled and skilled workers for 15 years. To make up for the shortage, Indonesia has to produce approximately 600,000 digital talents every year.
If the Indonesian Gen Z cannot fill the position, these jobs will be given to skilled foreign labour. This is also reflected in research by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, which show that 85% of job requirements involve digital skills.
The private sector can play a role in eliminating the skill gap too by providing training and policies that support personal and career development.
Employers can also encourage Gen Z to voice their ideas and opinions. This helps build communication skills and can also have a positive impact on the business as it can provide a new perspective.
Preparing Gen Z for the workplace requires collaboration among the private sector, government, and academics. It can start with discussion forums, career development centres, and career guidance such as internships and research.
Jadi TELADAN is a casual talk show that discusses various topics about Indonesia’s future leaders. The program is hosted by Tanoto Foundation, an independent family philanthropy organisation founded by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto in 1981.
With limited work experience, it can be tough for fresh graduates to land that all-important first job.
So in the third episode of Jadi TELADAN, we invited Agustina Samara, known as Tina, the Chief People Officer of DANA Indonesia, and Dhita Eka Priyanti, Talent Acquisition Manager of RGE, to discuss how fresh graduates can impress potential employers and find the job that’s right for them.
This episode covers:
a. Must-have skills for fresh graduates b. The importance of grades and internships c. Getting ready for a job interview d. How to handle culture shock
So, what do you need to prepare? Check out the list below.
1. Preparing soft skills
Besides good grades, Tina and Dhita both agree that soft skills, such as communication, critical thinking and resilience, are important to get a job opportunity and survive in the workplace.
Tina and Dhita said that the work environment required professionalism and was different from campus life.
“In real life, we are not only talking about textbooks, but how we are dealing with people in any situation,” said Tina.
Moreover, every professional also needs to be able to share their opinions and convey ideas. “You need to be proactive in the workplace, if you don’t understand [a task or information] you can ask your friends,” she added.
2. Time management
Unlike in university, where class and exam schedules are arranged for you, the work environment requires employees to manage their own time. Hence, it is very important to be able to divide time wisely, when to do assignments and when to have meetings, so every task can be completed on time.
3. Preparing for an interview
When you have honed all the soft skills, it’s time to prepare for an interview, an important phase that will influence your future.
“While [attending an] interview, first of all you need to master [what you have written] on your CV,” said Dhita.
“Be careful, don’t oversell or undersell yourself, “she added.
Meanwhile, Tina reminded fresh graduates to stay polite and respectful while attending an interview.
“Casual talk is fine, but you need to follow the norms,” she continued.
With regard to sensitive topics, such as expected salary or position, Tina said that job seekers could share their expectations to interviewers, but that good communication skills are key. Express your expectations clearly and politely so that it leads to a positive discussion.
For more tips on becoming a young professional, head over to Jadi Teladan Episode 3 video through this link.
Hi, T-Friends, back with me again, Robinson Sinurat in Jadi Teladan programm.
Our topic for today is Being a Qualified Professional.
As usual, we are still following the health protocol by maintaining a safe distance.
Or physical distancing.
T-Friends, many of you are about to be graduated soon.
What are the things that we need to prepare?
Today, we have two special guests. The first one is Agustina Samara that we casually call Tina.
Tina is currently working in DANA as Chief People Officer.
Welcome, Tina, at the Tanoto Foundation Center.
Hi, Obin, so glad to meet you here.
Hallo. Our second guest is Dhita Eka.
Dhita is currently working at RGE as Talent Acquisition Manager.
Welcome in the Tanoto Foundation Center.
Thank you, Obin.
Hi, T-Friends!
T-Friends, one more step has been done, as you are going to graduate college.
So, what is the next step?
Job hunting, of course!
So, we are going to ask to Tina.
In your opinion, Tina, what are the things that T-Friends should prepare before graduating college?
It is so interesting for me to share it here with T-Friends.
What you need to prepare is their skill set to work.
It is not about your degree or your major as the background.
But, your readiness to work based on the mindset.
Because, in real life, we are not only speaking about the textbook that we’ve learned, but also about how well you are dealing with people, how you are dealing with all the situations.
To help you to have prepared mentality.
Right.
Because, in college, there are examinations, the time-plan is set.
Meanwhile, at work, you must have your own time-management.
Next is to be proactive. Approach your colleagues when you have no clues.
I see. Tina, you mentioned about skills.
In your opinion, what are the skills that the millennials should have?
For our friends who are going to graduate soon.
Yes. Academically, you can have high scores. But, how…
How you communicate your ideas, how you communicate your performance,
That will be utterly important.
In an interview, we are not only speaking about your performance during the interview. But, in that circumstance we can also see that
The high number of GPA, when not combined with the ability to articulating your ideas at work, it will be difficult for you.
We cannot read people’s mind.
So, communication skills needed here.
The second one is about the mental capacity to be able to deal with people.
So, the empathy and conflict-management skill are also needed.
I suggest for T-Friends who are about to graduate soon,
find an internship.
Or keep trying to build more relations.
Keep experimenting.
So, it is not only about the theory but how to really implement it. Right, Tina?
Yes, right.
Joining organizations or webinars.
So, you will have more social interactions.
So, you can develop your communication skills as long as you are dealing with people.
Especially, to compete in the start-up world which is quite happening recently in Indonesia. Right, Tina?
Correct.
Okay.
But the culture in start-up is fast-moving.
Today you have on job, the next day two more are coming.
So…
You should be flexible, right?
Yes, what I want to say is that the third thing that will be necessary is multi-skilling.
It cannot be only…
Only one skill, right?
Yes, can’t rely on only one skill.
For Mba Dhita, based on your experience, how is the competition to get the job today?
The competition is quite intense.
Because there are so many people who need jobs nowadays, but for us the recruiter in talent acquisition, we also find it hard to get the right candidates.
It is quite funny, the more applicants, the more it is confusing for us.
So, we choose the ones who can survive in our culture. And then we will look at their experiences, whether they are suitable for the job or not.
Even after a strict selection process, there is no guarantee that they can survive to…
To last till the end?
It’s not about surviving till the end,
what I mean is we want people who are seeking for a career building process in our company.
We don’t want to have people who just learn to be a professional with us in a short-term
And then resign?
Resign in a year. It is such a waste for us.
Dig into the thing about millennial that Dhita just mentioned. Working for a year and then resign, is it that common?
It is really happening, right?
So, millennials tend to resign after working for 6, 12 months.
What is your opinion about it, Tina?
What is the cause?
Yes. Continuing what Dhita said.
I can’t generalize that all millennials are job-hoppers.
But I can see why after 6 or 12 months they change jobs. It is because this generation know what they want.
They have high IQs and are quick learners.
And with the help from Google, they can learn things quickly.
So, within 6 months they can gain enough knowledges about their jobs.
But what they forget is that after 6 or 12 months when they said
‘I already know so many things already, can you promote me
can you move me to the other functions?’
What I want to suggest regarding this matter is that
Yes, you get the knowledge, but it doesn’t mean that you’re already an expert.
An expert, right.
This is what we tend to forget. Know something doesn’t mean that we have the expertise in it.
It takes time to be an expert.
Time and process.
And that is what they forget as they always want instant results.
Not getting a promotion after 6 months, they will move to another company.
When in fact, they have not comprehended the tasks yet.
What about RGE, Dhita.
What kind of candidates are needed there currently?
Since RGE is in the resource-based industry,
with all the groups run their business based on natural resources,
basically, we need people with the basic knowledges about plantation.
The graduates of the majors of agriculture, forestry. And that is the challenge for us.
And people who are resilient.
Just like what Tina said. When new employees said ‘I already know a lot about this job, I want to move to other department’
Maybe the next step for them is to build the expertise first.
Because even though you know the important things about your job, there is no guarantee that you can survive in other departments. You can Google things, but the skills such as adaptation and leadership need time to be built.
What about DANA? What kind of skill set needed to work there?
I will share three things about that.
3Cs to remember.
The most important skill is critical thinking.
Why critical thinking?
Just like what Dhita mentioned, we need people with resilience.
And have expertise.
Because when we know things only on the surface.
How do we know that we can be critical to see everything to the root cause?
So, critical thinking is needed. The next is complex problem solving.
Why complex? We are currently in the VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity) era.
With the multi-skilling, whenever we face a problem, we can see things from different perspectives. Not only one aspect.
To be able to have that quality, we should face a problem first.
So that we have the sensing, that solving a problem is not merely like counting one and one is two.
The formula is not one and one is two, it can be one and one and three minus…
Many other numbers, with different results.
The next in the 3Cs is creativity. Because when you know ‘I’m ready in this thing’ you can’t instantly say that you’re smart.
In 5 months, things can change.
So, we must be creative, and keep learning on this matter.
Don’t be an arrogant person, T-Friends.
Right. From your experience, are high GPA and internship required?
In DANA, we have a minimum requirement for GPA, between 3.2 and 3.5 is the lowest range that we can consider.
Other than the GPA, I also look at their communication and complex problem-solving skills.
Usually, fresh graduates are making excuse ‘I’ve never worked before, how can I have the critical thinking skill?’
As for me, during an interview, I also ask about what organizations that they joined in universities.
Because based on my research, 80% of the students
who actively engage in OSIS, NGO, or other organizations, they tend to have high resilience, communication skills, and complex problem-solving ability.
I have another thing to say to T-Friends.
Today, we are so engaged with mobile phones, social medias, games.
Which makes us to be in silo.
Of course, we have friends in social media, but the communication is virtual.
Meanwhile, for the communication skill, as we are social creatures, face-to-face interaction is needed.
Face-to-face in person, yes.
Or for our empathy. It should be built through friendship in real life.
GPA is one of the criteria during the selection process. Because, when someone graduated with good GPA, that is the proof of good time management to finish study on time with good result.
Okay, good time-management.
But it shouldn’t be 3.95, though…
Besides, we also look at their organizational experiences, just like what you said.
It’s not like they should acquire the experience of joining some competitions abroad, not that much.
Just have as much organizational experience as possible in university. Because working life will be harder.
At work, we will get penalty when we’re not performing well.
Please share to T-Friends, what they need to prepare for an interview?
In an interview, first, comprehend what you wrote in your CV, so it will not confuse you.
So, you’re being asked about it, you can answer it. And only write what you have really done.
So, you can explain it well.
And be careful, not to under-selling or over-selling.
Like selling medicines.
Yes, talking so much without being able to answer a single question.
From you, Tina. As our friends will have to create their own CVs, do you think good CV is enough?
Right. Even as simple as creating CV, not everyone knows the tricks.
To make a decent one, right?
How you can sell yourself in an elegant way.
Even, sometimes, they got it wrong when they write their experiences.
They should have written the most recent experiences, down to the older ones.
Do not do it vice versa. It will take too long to read that. We are too busy with bunch of interview schedules.
So, the rule of the CV is, the most recent experience goes first.
But it’s not only about that. You also need to include your achievement.
Many are lacking of proper writing skill, so they can’t sell themselves.
Some people say interview is about luck, not really.
How can you write an interesting CV so it won’t be rejected upfront, that’s what we say in HR.
It means, when you can’t write your CV properly, you cannot sell yourself.
Out the window, in a second, right?
Yes. But, when we read carefully, turns out..
Qualified?
The contents of the CV is good. But, that’s how we do it.
When you create a CV, write down your achievements.
What about interview, Tina?
Be yourself, do not be over-selling. Manners and politeness matter.
Casual talk is okay. But, do not step over the line.
Keep the respect, right?
Yes, I agree, thank you! Ensure to have full respect toward each other.
There are some values that will be seen, one of them is the value of respect.
During the interview, talk nicely.
You can deal with expected salary if you want to mention that one.
Because some people are so direct regarding the salary, ‘I don’t want to do the interview if the salary is below a certain number’.
Fine. But, when you talk about salary, when you talk about the position that you want, good communication skill required.
Tina, do you think our freshly graduated fellows will feel a culture shock at work? What are your tips for T-Friends?
Yes, culture shock will most definitely happen. To help with that, we at DANA prepare an orientation program.
But, T-Friends, you all have to be able to adapt.
Because, for fresh-grad or an employee moving to other organization, there will be culture shock.
The culture shock can be fine-tuned when we are not easily offended.
The kids today are easily offended.
Yes. I’d say, you can tackle it with 4 Quotient. It’s not enough with IQ and what we know as EQ, emotional quotient.
I add two more, adaptability quotient, so we can adapt more easily
Adaptation process can be supported when you have the people skill, to deal with different kinds of people so you know different approaches for them.
Adaptability is important. Even when you move to different unit with different leadership, you will need to adapt.
The other one is CQ, culture quotient. We you don’t have sensing ability, you will be so stiff and in the end you feel the stress.
Oh, right.
When you’re stressed, it will decrease the productivity. Because..
It’s hard to focus on work, right?
Right. When someone is stressed and cannot balance the IQ and EQ, that will be dangerous.
T-Friends, there are so much that we’ve discussed, about the skills that you need to apply for a job.
So, T-Friends, I hope our discussion can be useful and you can implement the values.
Thanks to Tina for your time, your knowledge is excellent, and to Dhita as well.
You’re welcome.
Thanks. And, T-Friends. See you in the next Jadi Teladan! Bye!
Written by Arini Dina Yasmin, Tanoto Scholar from Brawijaya University
We are a team of eight students of Brawijaya University, three of whom are Tanoto Scholars: Adam Syarif Hidayatullah, Ismelia Novitasari, and myself, Arini Dina Yasmin, developing an educational stunting prevention smartphone app called SMAOTHER (Smart Mother).
The idea to create SMAOTHER came from Tanoto Foundation, an independent family philanthropy organisation founded by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto in 1981. While participating in Tanoto Foundation training activities, we listened to presentations about their various programs to improve human capital development in Indonesia.
One of Tanoto Foundation’s areas of focus is contributing to the prevention of stunting in Indonesia. We looked more deeply into stunting, and it turns out the problem is very serious and complex in Indonesia. The stunting figure is still quite high in the country – around 27.7 per cent – according to the 2019 survey data from the Ministry of Health.
This inspired us to make an app to educate people on stunting prevention. We wanted to get involved and do something to help improve the quality of human resources in Indonesia.
We began the process of creating the app in March 2019. It took about two months of hard work to complete it. Each team member had a role in developing the app – data collection, content creation, or the technical process of making the app itself.
We often had to work late during that time. We even worked until dawn in the days nearing the deadline. Since starting the project, we were determined to spend time on it with the notion that we were going to create something that would be beneficial to the nation. As young people, we feel the need to be involved and offer solutions to existing issues. We can’t just stand idly by.
Our SMAOTHER application has several features. First, it contains educational information about stunting. It also contains news and tips on maternal and child health. The app features information about pregnancy and fetal development according to age, which users can use to compare with their own pregnancies.
SMAOTHER also allows users who have children below five years old to input their biodata (including the child’s age and weight) which will be sent directly to their nearest Posyandu (Child Health Centre) so that the centre can monitor the child’s health.
We are proud because our efforts have been recognised at several regional forums. In June 2019, our team won the gold medal in the education application category at the 2019 Young Inventors Exhibition (WYIE) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 2019 WYIE was attended by participants from 11 countries, including Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Qatar, Australia and China.
Right now, we are planning to further develop SMAOTHER by releasing it to the public. We hope this small step can help the government in preventing stunting in Indonesia.
