Job seekers, particularly fresh-graduate, often complain about the difficulty of finding employment opportunities due to limited employment opportunities that are open. On the other hand, company actually complained about the difficulty of getting applicants with adequate quality. This fact shows the imbalance between job seekers and recruiters which is not only about quantity, but also quality.
Companies typically expect a pretty mature candidates in job readiness, so that companies do not need to spend the time and cost for the employee to be ‘ready to go’. When employees are ready, they can allocate more funding to educate new employees to have vision, attitude and work ethics that are aligned with the vision, mission, and values of the company. Therefore, a bachelor’s degree and a high GPA do not guarantee a person to easily get a job if these are not accompanied by a character that suits the company’s needs.
This background was the base of a seminar titled Building Careers With Character by the Alumni of Faculty of Psychology, University of Gadjah Mada (KAPSIGAMA), in cooperation with Pelindo I, II, and III, Saturday (2/4) at the Auditorium of Faculty of Psychology. The activities were attended by 250 students. The seminar is held to develop the quality of students to prepare themselves for the real work in the world of work.
The synergy between educational institutions and practitioners is a strategy to create high quality graduates who are ready to work. Insight and knowledge about the real world of work for the candidates will assist them in determining the learning strategies and prepare their career path since they are still in the educational institutions.
“Our human resources are good enough. The young generation today is already high achievers, but many are then unable to compete in the world of work,” said Chievy Adi K., S.Psi., M.Sc, General Manager of IPC PT Pelindo II Banten, which became one of the speakers in the seminar.
He regretted that a number of young people have no clear vision about the future and lack of spirit to fight. In fact, spirit is the one which can encourage a person to continue to grow. He also stressed the important role of the youth to not only strive for themselves, but also to contribute to the society. One form is by opening up employment opportunities for others, and not just rely on the employment opportunities that are available today. “The aim of our work is also supposed to do something for the nation,” he added.