From Studying in London to Interning in Tokopedia
Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try — my journey begins as a Corporate Communications Intern.
When you’re a student, you wish that this time of your life would last forever, but somewhere in between you just want to be done studying and make something out of yourself. But once you start working, you realize that it isn’t as easy.
I was born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia. I studied in an International School here and then went to London for University. University abroad was exciting, I got to meet new people around the world and this broadened my horizon. I even did a part-time job whilst studying as a Sales Advisor. London is a very multicultural place — you meet all kinds of people from all over the world.
Getting a call back from Tokopedia
Coming back to Jakarta and finding for a job wasn’t easy. Everyday was just about making new applications, cover letters, and going through a series of companies via job websites. But one day, there was an opening from Tokopedia. I did research on the company and it wasn’t long after that I decided to apply. Their goodwill, the workplace and the industry that had the opening were factors on why I decided to apply.
Days went by and with no reply, I thought that my chance of getting in Tokopedia was less. And that actually changed. I got a reply to come for an interview and that was one of the happiest day of my life. After all the interview process, I decided to take up the Internship offer.
I got introduced to the Corporate Communications Team. This team consists of: Content, Media Intelligence, Community and Public Relation departments. I was allocated to the Content Team, and taught to do Media Monitoring for the Media Intelligence department. I learnt how to do article writing, analyzed competitors in the market, translating documents from Indonesian to English, brainstorm ideas for content writing and many more day-to-day work.
It was already 2 months in Tokopedia, and it dawned to me that my daily routine has completely changed. I am very used to life abroad and doing student things and suddenly now, I am back home and working.
My return to Jakarta
Coming back from abroad and settling back into a lifestyle that I am not used to since recent years was not easy. The person who left for London and who just came back from London is just not the same anymore. Returning home is an even tougher adjustment than going abroad.
I went through culture shock. Coming home was just amazing at the beginning — meeting friends, doing job applications, and relaxing. As time went by and I started working, I started getting frustrated for small things. No self-checkouts in stores, limited vegetarian food at my workplace, getting common colds due to the air quality, and most of all the language. I got so used to talking in English that sometimes I was struggling talking in Bahasa Indonesia.
The best part about the student life is not to be tied down by rules. Want to go on a road trip tomorrow? Go. But in the working life, this won’t work. Everything needs proper planning and your life just gets to a routine- Wake up, work, sleep. I realize now that this is how life is. Before I’d think where to travel, what new foods to try, but again- I was being financed by my parents. Now I’m always thinking forward. What can I do to improve myself, what changes I should do and always with a attitude that I should be able to earn on my own.
What I learned
During university you have peers of similar interests still socializing while having a heavy schedule and familiar with faces. However, at work, you meet people with different backgrounds and age groups and you just take time to adjust to your new social environment. In Tokopedia, I met so many people that fits in this category. And again here- it broadened my horizon.
I explored writing articles in different genres. I did a fashion article where the writing style is fun and chilled, a Father’s Day Article which was emotional and sentimental and an Anti-Corruption article that was political, so I had to ensure that it’s subtle- nothing that would give negative criticism.
Writing articles for Tokopedia’s medium made me realize that a blog makes a big difference on a company’s website. It has given me a whole new outlook on blogs. There were times where I’d get nervous on the result of my work and so I ended up taking more time finishing a task. But again, I am learning everyday and I realized that time management is so important.
More than the work experience, I gained a lot in Personal Development. From marking calendars of people, emailing Nakama for interviews, my style of communication with people, gaining knowledge from professionals and on work ethic. I’ve learnt to adapt to the working environment; every contribution actually makes a difference.
Working at a place like Tokopedia is full of positive vibes. The people are very friendly and approachable. I got help whenever I needed and got information as to what is the company upto- Internally and Externally. My position was sure as an Intern but I was treated like full-time. I can say that working in Tokopedia means that there’s no ‘I’ but a ‘We’.
