#RealJob: Talent Acquisition, The Starting Point of Business Growth
What is Talent Acquisition? Isn’t it the same with recruitment? Many people have this question, especially since the term Talent Acquisition was only popular several years ago. Even though the terms are often used interchangeably, at Mekari we believe that Talent Acquisition is a more strategic function. According to Ricky Surya Putra, our Head of Talent Acquisition at Mekari, talent acquisition is the forefront of our company’s growth.
Talent Acquisition is the starting point of Mekari’s growth
According to Ricky, being a Talent Acquisition Professional plays an important role to ensure a company can acquire the best manpower out there to develop its business. “Revenue streams and business growth of a company depends on the people as its main driver. The business will thrive more when the company can fulfill the headcounts effectively. This is the responsibility of a Talent Acquisition Professional where we have to be creative and effective in acquiring the most-fit individuals to work in our company,” Ricky said.
As a Head of Talent Acquisition, it is Ricky’s job to make sure each member of the Talent Acquisition team can fulfill their duties and responsibilities to acquire manpower for each department. Ricky also said that there are tasks he deems to be important to do when leading his team: creating a pleasant work environment and encouraging the team to always be ambitious.
Ricky explained, “It is important for me to ensure each member of the team working in a happy and pleasant environment. I always build a good relationship with my team and work together to create a pleasant atmosphere. Not only that, I always encourage them to be ambitious in doing their duties. Because in Mekari, if they ask you to give them 100, you must give them 1000 instead.”
“Why Mekari? Because Mekari is a great place to grow and its culture of appreciation is the best”
Ricky is one of the few people that had been with Mekari since it was first established. When he joined Sleekr (now one of Mekari’s business units), he was the 44th employee to work there. Prior to working in Mekari, he started his career in an FMCG company after he graduated from university. He didn’t know much about startups before, but when one of his friends offered him to join Sleekr, he decided it was time to move on to the next adventure. “Thankfully, working in a startup company suits my personality. I think that an ambitious individual who wants to have fast career progression will belong to a startup,” Ricky said.
When asked why he chose Mekari, Ricky answered: “The culture of appreciation in Mekari is the best and not many startups have it. Here, as long as we can prove our potentials and achievements, the leaders will always appreciate our hard work.”
Ricky also added that Mekari is a great place to grow. Working here keeps him challenged to always develop himself and improve his skills to keep up with business growth. For Ricky, it is important to upskill and reskill while working in a startup because constant changes keep happening in startups and they will impact many areas. “If we don’t adapt to changes and adjust our capabilities to what the company needs, it will be difficult to stay working in startups. I personally think it’s a good thing since it motivates me to keep learning and growing to be a better person,” Ricky said.
Ricky’s next mission in Mekari
Mekari has been growing rapidly to be a better business solution not only in Indonesia but hopefully expanding to the international market as well. Aligned with that goal, Ricky said, “I’m learning to contribute better to prepare for Mekari’s international expansion. My next plan is to help operating international business growth and to acquire international talents to join Mekari.”
Aside from that, Ricky also has a personal mission. “I want to contribute more to the community as well by transferring my knowledge and experience from working in Mekari,” Ricky said.
