It’s been two hours since I’ve been staring at the computer screen. My right hand barely stops moving the mouse—clicking on the features of the design tool to create a Curriculum Vitae—and begins to feel sore. However, I felt happy when I saw that the CV sections had been filled one by one with my personal data and internship experience.

I’ve been working on my CV for the last few days. I did this after receiving a suggestion that the contents of a CV should always be adjusted to the position we want to apply for. Since I'm looking to apply for a Graphic Designer position, I'm revising the CV I already have.

It’s almost finished, I thought with a short sigh. There is one more part that has not been filled, which is certification. Suddenly my cell phone rang. A chat notification appears. A message from Ariani, my former college friend.

“Din, will you be joining us the day after tomorrow?”

I typed a reply to a message from Ariani.

“I’m not su..” My fingers stopped. I deleted the message, then I typed a new message.

“Sorry, I can't come, Ar.”

I hit the send button right away. It's not that I'm arrogant or too busy for that, I'm just not ready to meet friends when I haven't gotten a job, even after six months of graduation. Come on, Dinda, instead of ending up insecure, it's better to continue your CV, I thought. I gazed back the computer screen. However, a split second later, I froze.

The part that has not been filled in is certification. While I have never received any training or certification in the field of graphic design. Yeah, you don't have to be certified to get a job. However, in the field of graphic design, certification seems to be an effective support. Meanwhile, there must be many other candidates who have taken a graphic design course or a boot camp.

With a head full of thoughts, I decided to take a break. I went to bed,  threw my body, and closed my eyes. Before long, I fell asleep.
 

Begin Using JAKI to Find a Job

“You  don't want to attend the wedding with me?”

I was eating ice cream in front of the TV when my mother walked by in her wedding gown. I shook my head.

“Why?”

"Too lazy to be asked when I’ll be getting a job," I replied.

Being asked so for once or twice is okay. But if it happens every time you meet your acquaintances or your parents’, you’ll feel tired. Meanwhile, I have tried my best to apply for work. During the six months of searching for vacancies, I applied for maybe five hundred or so jobs.

I kept scooping the ice cream. But it stopped when I heard my mother ask, “Have you tried checking for vacancies at JAKI? Tita, Mrs. Diani’s daughter, got a job from there.”

JAKI. I know the JAKI app. Back when the Covid-19 pandemic was still raging, my family registered for vaccinations through JAKI. But, after that, I no longer use the application. At the time, I did not find a reason to use it. 

Explore JAKI Features for Job Seekers

I grabbed my cell phone quickly. Faintly I heard my mother's voice saying goodbye from the front door. Maybe she was a little annoyed because I did not answer her question earlier. When I opened the JAKI application, I was greeted with a white and blue homepage.

The app didn’t look like this the last time, it's better, I muttered.

I scrolled the homepage to the bottom. JAKI had been different since the last time I saw it. Then, my eyes caught the JAKI homepage which displays five user personas, which are students, office workers, job seekers, entrepreneurs, and household managers.

Looking at the writings of office workers, I immediately clicked on them. I was directed to a list of recommendations for JAKI features for job seekers. While studying it, I was amazed and at the same time regretted why I didn't know earlier that JAKI had a feature for job seekers. On the job seeker's persona page, you can see the features of Free Wifi, Careers in Jakarta, and a shortcut to the Pre-Employment Training Program website. I explore those features one by one.

The Free Wifi feature took me to a map of Jakarta which contains information on the location of free Wifi points throughout DKI Jakarta. I saw the average location point is in a public space. I couldn’t use it because I'm at home, but I could use this Wi-Fi when I want to apply for a job whenever I'm in a public space in Jakarta.

I switched to the Careers in Jakarta feature. This feature brought me to the JakNaker site. This is the first time I've heard of the JakNaker program. The JakNaker (Jakarta Labor) is a career portal owned by the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government that provides information on job vacancies, internship vacancies, TopKarir Clinic, interest and aptitude tests, TopEdu, entrepreneurship, articles, scholarships, a Vocational School Corner. Of the many services provided by JakNaker through JAKI, my eyes are on the job vacancies service. I can't wait to apply for the available vacancies, perhaps many have never been listed on other portals. Besides that, I also want to try TopEdu's services, which are online, offline, and webinar skills training. How happy I was, when my eyes caught the graphic design vocational job skills training, as I was looking for.

I left the Careers in Jakarta feature for a moment and returned to the main page of the Job Seeker persona in JAKI. The last feature offered is the Pre-Employment Training Program site shortcut or prakerja.go.id. The site also offers various trainings which I can try out later. After done exploring the job seekers' personas at JAKI, I explored other features at JAKI. From my search results, it turns out that the Career feature in Jakarta that I will use later can also be accessed through the Career and Business service category.

JAKI Opens the Door to A Dream Job

Two months later…

I glanced at the checklist in my notebook. Almost all the companies I've applied to over the last eight months have confirmed whether or not I've made it to the next round. The remaining four companies have yet to confirm.

Suddenly my cell phone rang. An e-mail notification appears.

Dear Dinda Lestari,

Congratulations! We are pleased to notify you that as a result of your job application as a Graphic Designer, you have been accepted in our office.

My eyes had only read the first sentence, but I was already screaming with joy. Finally, after eight months, I got a job. After I read it through and replied to the e-mail, I immediately contacted my parents to deliver this happy news. They responded well and were happy for me.

I Got My Dream Job Because of JAKI

When I think about it again, one of the reasons I could get this job was because of JAKI. I applied to a company that accepted me through the app. Even when registering, I included the certification I got from the training provided by JakNaker and the prakerja.go.id through JAKI. Not only that, but I also used JakNaker's services to consult regarding difficulties in getting a job and taking an interest in talent tests. As a result, within two months, I became more confident. I was already equipped with the skill set and certifications I needed to apply for a job as a graphic designer, even being accepted at the company I wanted.

JAKI opened my door to seize job opportunities. However, it was persistence and determination that allowed me to get my dream job. Many people are in the same position as I was. With perseverance, I'm sure job seekers in Jakarta who are currently struggling can find their dream jobs. To make job seeking more optimal, various services for job seekers can be accessed through the JAKI application. With all of its innovation, especially the persona of job seekers, JAKI will make it easier for people to get their dream jobs.

Also Read:  

• A Day with JAKI: As an Office Worker 
• My Journey on Becoming an Entrepreneur With JAKI