APU INA STORIES: CAREER AFTER APU
Writer: Gabriella Risti Ayu | Illustrator: Ariyani Nuraini | Editor: Athaya Thahirah Hardono | Photographer: Andrew Ariel Darwin
Meet Samuel Ray, a 2008 APM graduate, who is now working as a Professional Human Resources Development in one of the most well-known e-commerce in Indonesia as well as a Content Creator that mainly focuses on Youtube and Instagram. In this article, we will briefly see a glimpse of Samuel Ray’s Journey after graduating from APU.
To start with, could you please tell us a little bit about yourself?
Hello everyone! I am Samuel Ray who graduated a long time ago from APU in 2008. I started working in private companies since 2011 and was focusing on the financial services industry such as banking, insurances and fintech. Now I am currently working as HRD in an e-commerce company in Indonesia.
After graduating from APU, was going into Human Resources your initial career plan?
It kind of was. But I was not completely sure what Human Resources actually do. However, one of the main reasons I became interested in Human Resources was influenced by the intensive teaching volunteer activities that I did during my time in APU. I was a member of Hoshizora Foundation and Edunet in which they both organize exchange events to several High Schools around Beppu and Oita. Also, I was once a teaching volunteer for Kumon English Immersion Day held in APU in which elementary students coming from different prefectures in Japan spend their day to live out their daily life using English. Since then, my interests in teaching and developing people’s potential thrived. I saw it fascinating when a person’s potential grows and develops. So yes I must say that Human Resources was the first thing that came to my mind when we were talking about my initial career plan.
Any experiences or decisions that have significantly impacted your career as an HR?
In the second year of my career, I was faced by a quarter life crisis. I saw many of my friends who work in Japan seemed to have a way better life. While there I was, still getting on and off from the Metromini and the thoughts of getting a much better job kept circling my mind. Long story short, I was offered a better opportunity in a Headhunter company. I must say that I learned a totally different view of the recruitment industry. We all know that being a HRD in a certain company means that we recruit people for our own company so the pace of recruiting is not as intense as those Headhunters. A Headhunter recruits people for other companies and needs to meet a certain target from their recruitment.
From that, it changes my perspective that HR’s job is not only about training and recruiting people. But if we take the perspectives from the consultant sector of HR, we will see a much broader scope such how intense I worked to reach and recruit people, not to mention the numerous rejection I was getting from contacting the people I needed to recruit. Though, it was still a great experience to build a wide connection.
Could you share any of your new valuable lessons or knowledge that you have just found out for being an HR?
Being an HR, you will face thousands of people seeking for a job, especially the fresh graduates. There are those who have excellence privileges and those who have not. As someone whose job is not only about recruiting but also focusing mainly on personal or group development, I want to help balance out that level in terms of people’s ability when they undergo job application. Starting 3 years ago, I started to share my thoughts about career from an HR perspective through Instagram. Never thought that the contents would blow up and hook people’s interest.
Talking about helping people through contents, aside from being a Professional HR, you are also known as a Content Creator. Are there any roots of problems that you are trying to solve by educating people through the contents you offer?
The initial value that I offer through my content was to help the fresh graduates or anyone who is applying for jobs. For example, how to build a strong CV, how to present yourself well in an interview and mostly about the technical issues. I also released a book called “Probation” aimed at those who are currently searching for a job. But life does not end until you get your job and I realized the content needs to expand. So now I also offer more diversified contents such as financial management, relationship talks with my wife, how to live frugally and basically all about adulting life. Thus, the target now is to be the one-stop shop for those who are transitioning to be an adult ranging from 21 to 27 years old.
You mentioned about Frugal living and it is something you emphasized a lot through your content. What is it exactly?
Me and my wife had totally different ways of financial management. She is more financially frugal than I am. However, over the years, I found a lifestyle movement called Financial Independent Retirement Early (FIRE). A concept that made me realize that what my wife has done is not an obstacle to enjoying life, but rather a way to enjoy our life much sooner. Logically if we don't save our paycheck, we are forced to run on a wheel throughout our productive life.
However, it turns out that there is another way of life that we can implement, which is to work hard, set aside a large percentage of our income, live a frugal life, achieve an early retirement and live up to your dreams early. Frugal life has a goal to achieve where we will have enough money to generate a passive income. One of the well-known public figure who implemented frugal living is Mr. Money Mustache who has retired at the age of 30. So yes, everyone can live the frugal life concept as long as there is good intention and well-managed budgeting within yourself. It is a concept that I hold until now.
Lastly, do you have any message for all of your Juniors in our APU INA community?
For all of my Juniors in APU, the knowledge and experiences you gain in APU will open so many opportunities, one of them is to work in the HR industry. I'm not a psychology student but I can prove myself against the stereotype by working as a Professional HR. So for those who want to enter the HR industry in Indonesia, it is very interesting, localized and has a broad ecosystem where you can emerge yourself in. Also, for those who are interested in developing and teaching people, the HR industry is very broad. Whether you want to work with other people first or immediately want to build a training company, the opportunities are wide open to you.
Indeed, the world of HR is not only about recruiting people. Making intensive training, skill development, linking the employees with the company’s management processes, and many more duties they need to fulfill. We also have taken a look on the consultant side of the HR industry from Samuel’s career and it is a very broad industry for you to explore. Seeking for more HR’s perspectives? Check out Samuel Ray’s Instagram @srl789 and his youtube channel “Samuel & Claudya”.