Get Hired: How to kickstart your professional career (Australia-Indonesia perspective)
Written by Jason Valusaga

Over the weekend, AIYA Queensland hosted its very first virtual Malam Karier and NgabuburitRamadhan. The event aimed to inspire young Australians and Indonesians exploring employment opportunities in both countries by providing insight into the life of an expat – What are some of the challenges? How does volunteer work give me competitive edge? What are some examples of resilience, especially during COVID-19? To answer these burning questions, we were joined by two highly regarded AIYA figures, Owen James (Director of Operations, AIYA National) and Sheila Hie (Founder and former President, AIYA Queensland). Both speakers shared their overseas study experiences and spoke about how volunteer and internship activities strengthened their competitiveness in the overseas job market. The event was hosted by AIYA Queensland committee member and 2020 New Colombo Plan Scholar (Indonesia), Katharina Gutjahr-Holland who led the discussion to cover areas form overseas study and volunteer work through to resilience building and lessons learned during the COVID-19 crisis.

“My volunteer experience has strengthened my resilience and preparedness for the unexpected.”

– Sheila Hie

We joined by AIYA members and friends from across Australia and Indonesia. Thank you all for supporting this event! We look forward to seeing you at the next AIYA Queensland event.

“Volunteering in an organisation like AIYA teaches you certain skills about the portfolio you’re in and If you can prove you can run an organisation well when people are not getting paid, then you can definitely run an organisation when people are getting paid.”

– Owen James