In difficult times, having someone who cares makes all the difference – as Jeffrey Haribowo found out when his role was affected in a mass layoff. Once Jeffrey announced on LinkedIn that he was “open to work”, Albertus Pratama, Senior Consultant at Robert Walters Indonesia, quickly called to check in on him.
Albertus and Jeffrey first met a year prior to that point. Having just started at his previous company, Jeffrey initially had some reservations about meeting a recruiter, but felt reassured after Albertus explained that he just wanted to get to know him. Since then, the two stayed loosely in touch. Albertus did not put forth any opportunities – up until Jeffrey’s moment of necessity.
The pressure on Jeffrey was immense. “I’d just moved to a new place; I still needed to pay my bills,” he recalls. The economy was also badly affected because of the ongoing pandemic, making for a tough job market. Advising him to hang on, Albertus sprang into action.
After a false start with a role that stalled when the company froze the hiring process, Albertus presented a Corporate Affairs Director position with a multinational manufacturer of confectionery. The company sought a candidate based in Jakarta that was comfortable with a hybrid work model, and who was up for some travel to Makassar as required. It was exactly what Jeffrey was looking for. Excited, he moved forward to the interview stage.
This was where Albertus’s speed, strong network and attention to detail shone. Several recruiters engaged Jeffrey during his job hunt; one of them also put forth the same role that Albertus had flagged. But, Jeffrey reveals, by the time they reached out, he had already made it to the second interview.
Furthermore, the level of service was impressive. “Albert briefed me before and after every interview, asking for my thoughts and distilling the feedback he’d gotten from the hiring managers."
I’ve encountered many recruiters across my career, but my experience with Albert was unique.
With Albertus’s support, Jeffrey won the job and was delighted to find that it was even better than he imagined, like how much the company encourages employees to prioritise their families. This family-first culture is very much valued as Jeffrey recently welcomed a newborn baby to his home.
Albertus and Jeffrey are now friends, and they still catch up regularly. “Relationships take time, and Albert is willing to invest time to dig deep and truly understand his clients and candidates. To me, he’s a rare breed of recruiter who is passionate about matching people to their dream jobs. Robert Walters makes me feel like professionals like me aren’t just treated as commodities – we’re seen as people first.”
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