Profesi Yang Sedang Naik Daun Saat ini

Kalau ada pertanyaan, bidang pekerjaan apa yang paling diminati atau sedang tren saat ini, jawabannya bisa jadi adalah media. Perkembangan teknologi yang demikian pesat membuat arus informasi semakin tidak terbendung untuk segera sampai pada publik. Media yang didapuk sebagai fasilitator dalam pemenuhan kebutuhan ini pun secara otomatis saling berlomba-lomba memberikan servis yang terbaik guna membuktikan diri sebagai yang tercepat, terdepan, dan terpercaya.

Ambisi ini tentu saja membutuhkan kerja keras dari para awak media yang memang selalu berada pada garda terdepan dalam penyampaian informasi kepada masyarakat. Untuk mengemban tugas berat ini diperlukan orang-orang yang berkualitas, mental dan fisik baja, kreatif, dan memiliki motivasi tinggi; karakter-karakter yang seringkali ditemui dalam diri para fresh graduates. Oleh karena itu, media apapun (cetak, elektronik, online) sekarang ini lebih mengutamakan untuk merekrut para lulusan baru. Hal ini merupakan salah satu alasan mengapa bidang ini semakin populer dikalangan angkatan muda yang memang suka tantangan.

Bukti bahwa profesi pekerja media menjadi favorit dapat terlihat saat perhelatan JobsDB.com Career Expo 2009 yang diadakan tanggal 16-18 Oktober 2009 yang lalu di Balai Kartini Jakarta. Di stand perusahaan media, mulai dari stasiun tv, radio, hingga grup koran dan majalah selalu dipenuhi oleh jobseekers yang antri untuk melamar beberapa posisi yang tersedia seperti reporter, presenter, announcer, TV journalist, penulis, dan lain sebagainya.

General Manager PT. Jobs DB Indonesia, Chandra Ming, mengakui bahwa minat masyarakat untuk berkarir di perusahaan media terkait dengan citra perusahaan yang menawarkan kebanggaan, prestise dan peluang untuk mendapatkan penghasilan yang tinggi. Apalagi jika perusahaan media yang diminati sedang berkibar popularitasnya atau terdepan di segmentasi pasarnya, seperti yang terjadi di stand milik dua stasiun tv nasional, TransTV dan MetroTV. Dengan menyediakan test camera langsung, keduanya diserbu oleh job seekers yang mengincar posisi pembaca berita atau reporter.

Namun, pekerja media bukanlah jenis profesi yang hanya menuntut semangat jiwa muda dan penampilan fisik yang menarik semata. Sebab, dunia media yang sesungguhnya dimulai dari lapangan, tempat segala macam informasi didapatkan untuk kemudian diproses menjadi sebuah materi berita atau tayangan yang bernilai dan berguna bagi masyarakat, bukan serta merta terlaksana di dalam studio dingin ber-AC seraya berpakaian rapi dan berpenampilan rupawan serta siap berhadapan dengan kamera.

Berikut ini adalah beberapa posisi di bidang media yang semakin diminati oleh para jobseekers di Indonesia.

Jurnalis/reporter/pewarta. Kalau dulu profesi ini sangat spesifik dan kurang digemari, sekarang justru sebaliknya. Banyak anak muda yang beramai-ramai menjadi reporter, baik untuk media cetak, elektronik maupun online. Segampang itukah menjadi reporter? Menurut buku Menggebrak Dunia Wartawan karya Kurniawan Junaedhie (1993), sedikitnya ada 6 (enam) syarat untuk menjadi wartawan, diantaranya:

1. tidak gagap teknologi,

2. memiliki rasa ingin tahu yang tinggi dan punya nyali,

3. menguasai bahasa (terutama kemampuan menulis yang baik),

4. tahu etika dan sopan santun (memahami kode etik jurnalistik),

5. disiplin terhadap waktu deadline,

6. dan berwawasan luas.

7. Bertanggung jawab terhadap isi berita yang dibuatnya juga termasuk syarat penting.

Diantara syarat-syarat yang disebutkan diatas, tidak ada keharusan memiliki latar belakang pendidikan jurnalistik, yang berarti profesi ini terbuka untuk semua disiplin ilmu. Sementara itu kemampuan menulis bisa didapatkan dengan berbagai cara seperti mengikuti berbagai pelatihan menulis atau writing course ditambah dengan keuletan untuk terus berlatih. Berkembangnya blog atau halaman pribadi yang memungkinkan penggunanya menulis apapun yang diinginkan mulai dari sekedar curahan hati, cerpen, berita, review sampai artikel juga jadi media berlatih dan unjuk kebolehan menulis. Kemajuan teknologi benar-benar telah mempermudah dan memperluas kesempatan untuk menjadi wartawan.

Presenter/Master of Ceremony (MC). Berbeda dengan reporter yang bekerja di belakang layar dan harus melalui 3 tahapan (wawancara, transkrip, dan menulis berita), pekerjaan presenter dianggap lebih praktis. Dengan mengandalkan kepercayaan diri yang tinggi, kemampuan komunikasi yang baik, serta spontanitas, seorang presenter siap memandu sebuah acara, baik itu berita, olahraga, talkshow, realityshow, kuis, dan lain-lain. Penghasilan yang didapat pun terbilang lumayan besar, untuk satu kali event, seorang presenter mampu mengantongi jutaan rupiah, sementara dalam sehari ia bisa tampil 2-3 kali. Itupun belum termasuk 'bonus' menjadi terkenal atau minimal diingat oleh audience. Oleh karena itu, orang-orang yang memang hobi cuap-cuap dan berhadapan dengan orang banyak akan mendapati pekerjaan ini sangat menyenangkan dan pastinya menguntungkan.Diantara syarat-syarat yang disebutkan diatas, tidak ada keharusan memiliki latar belakang pendidikan jurnalistik, yang berarti profesi ini terbuka untuk semua disiplin ilmu. Sementara itu kemampuan menulis bisa didapatkan dengan berbagai cara seperti mengikuti berbagai pelatihan menulis atau writing course ditambah dengan keuletan untuk terus berlatih. Berkembangnya blog atau halaman pribadi yang memungkinkan penggunanya menulis apapun yang diinginkan mulai dari sekedar curahan hati, cerpen, berita, review sampai artikel juga jadi media berlatih dan unjuk kebolehan menulis. Kemajuan teknologi benar-benar telah mempermudah dan memperluas kesempatan untuk menjadi wartawan.

Photographer. Sekali lagi teknologi telah membuktikan pengaruhnya terhadap pilihan karir seseorang. Kamera, sebagai modal utama photographer semakin beragam dan canggih featurenya, belum lagi dengan keberadaan perangkat lunak yang bisa mengedit hasil foto sehingga menjadi lebih indah dan artistik. Perlengkapan penunjang sudah ada, tinggal meningkatkan skill melalui kelas fotografi untuk mempelajari teknik dan komposisi dan berlatih memotret sesering mungkin, jadilah seorang fotographer amatir. Kalaupun tidak bekerja untuk suatu perusahaan, fotographer bisa jadi freelancer yang menangani project dari klien yang berbeda-beda selain mungkin juga membuka usaha jasa wedding photo atau sejenisnya.

careers, Jobs Indonesia, Indonesia Vacancy

 

Become a Chef - Learn How To Cook at Home

If you want to become a Chef and start a rewarding career in the culinary arts then the most important thing you can do for yourself is to start cooking. Don't wait until you land your first job before you start cooking. Of course, getting a job is an important factor in the development of any Chef, but you really need to start developing your skills if you want to make it in this industry.

Learning to cook at home means actual cooking and not making mac and cheese or throwing frozen pizza in the oven. You really need to get your hands dirty and start cooking things from scratch.

LEARN HOW TO SHOP

If you have the luxury of a local farmers market near you then make certain you go there regularly and check out the produce. Many times they will offer more variety than a supermarket. Not only that, but most of the produce offered at local farmers markets are grown on site, which means they are fresh, which is not always the case at a supermarket. When you visit your local market on a regular basis you will begin to learn more about the food and what's in season. While you visit the market be sure to get friendly with the owner and workers there. Ask questions and let them know more about you and your desire to learn to cook and become a Chef. More often then not, they will be happy to talk to you about the produce and other products they sell.

Next, visit your local butcher. These guys really know their meats. It is more personal than a supermarket and they are usually very happy to talk to their customers and share tips like what the best cuts of meat are, how to season and cook them, etc.

Visit your local fishmonger as well. These guys really know their fish. Do the same as you did at the butcher shop and ask questions, get friendly. They should also be very happy to share their knowledge with you.

YOUR EQUIPMENT

If you are going to learn how to cook at home, you are going to need the right cooking equipment. Now don't be mislead into believing that you need the top of the line everything and every gadget under the sun, in order to be a Chef. This is simply not the case, but you still need to invest some money into buying equipment.

For your cookware, get yourself a basic set including a fry pan, a sauce pan, a saute pan and a stock pot. You may also want something for grilling. A cast iron grill works quite nicely. The next thing you will want is a good set of knives. I wouldn't go cheap in this department. Knives are a Chef's best friend, so invest in a good set. If you buy a cheap set of knives, they will go dull very quickly and a dull knife can be dangerous. Two good brands of knives to look into are Cutco and J.A. Henckels. To be honest, I have not tried any other brands because I never had the need to. My J.A. Henckel knives are wonderful. I have had the same set for over 5 years now and they still perform wonderfully.

There are other things you will need like a colander for straining, a grater of some sort for cheese and zesting of fruits and tools for stirring, mixing and serving. There will certainly be other items you will need along the way. You will learn more about your cooking equipment and needs the more you spend time in the kitchen.

EXPERIMENT

Are you a picky eater? Not into certain types of foods? Are there certain foods that make you squeamish, that you would never consider putting in your mouth? Well if this is you then you will need to develop different taste buds if you want to be a successful Chef. Here in America, there are items that most Americans would rarely, if ever, consider ordering at a restaurant. Items like heart, kidneys, tongue and tripe to name a few. In other countries, these items are quite popular. So in order to understand how to cook with these items, you have to be willing to at least try them.

LEARNING RESOURCES

There are a ton of learning resources available to today's Chef. Everything from books to videos are within everyone's reach. Start out with a few good books on French Cuisine. French Cuisine is a good place to start because of its influence on other cuisines. Do not simply skim through these books until you find a recipe that interests you. You should read these books from start to finish, including the introduction, appendix and glossary. These parts of cook books, normally ignored by many home cooks, contain gems of information like tips and techniques, history and more. Once you have gone through French Cuisine, then move onto another popular cuisine like Italian. Try out as many different recipes as you can. This will give you a well rounded and rewarding learning experience.

COOK FOR FAMILY & FRIENDS

Once you have been cooking for a while, you will eventually want to cook for people right? It can get kind of lonely eating by yourself. Besides, cooking for friends and family is great practice and an excellent way to get feedback. Here is what you do. Find a few of your friends or family and let them know you would like to have a dinner party (try to scrounge up 10 bucks a head to help pay for the ingredients). Tell them it is your first time cooking for a group of people and that you would like their honest feedback.

Come up with your own menu of dishes that you would like to prepare, just like a restaurant. Start with an appetizer, a main course and dessert and then print it out for your guests. Don't go too crazy with the menu items, remember you are a beginner. Find one or two people to assist you with taking orders and helping out in the kitchen. Try to make this as close as possible to a real restaurant environment.

When your guests arrive and you take their orders, give yourself a time limit. Try to get the appetizers out within 20 minutes, then the dinner and desserts out in a timely manner. This kind of cooking under pressure with time limits, is exactly what you will experience in a real restaurant kitchen. When everything is over, make sure you sit with your guests and get their HONEST opinion on everything. You need to know what you did wrong and what you did right. Then work out any mistakes you may have made and try it again in a month or two.

By Ralph Serpe

careers, Jobs Indonesia, Indonesia Vacancy

 

 

Office Manager Salary

The position of an office manager is one of the most important positions in a company, considering the number of responsibilities he handles. So, companies have to be extra careful while recruiting an office manager and the preference is always given tho the most qualified, experienced and talented of all the candidates who apply for this job. The office manager salary all over the globe will continue to grow due to the demand for these management professionals. However, before we discuss about how much officer managers earn, let us first know more about the office manager job description in the next session.

Office Manager Job Description

Maintaining official record on a daily basis is one of the most important office manager responsibilities. The office managers make use of latest software to maintain details related to the expenses of the company. He ensures that all departments of the organization such as sales, marketing accounts are working efficiently. In case of any problems, he instructs concerned people and also gives suggestions to overcome the problems. Office managers have to shoulder the vital responsibility of taking care of office property, equipment and machinery. In case the office manger fails in this regard, then it can lead to a lot of financial loss to the firm. Office managers also play an important role in the process of recruiting new employees in the company. Office manager duties also involve training the new employees to increase their productivity at work. He also sets rules and guidelines for all workers to ensure that there is discipline and decorum in the office. Office operations manager duties and responsibilities are very important for the financial stability of the organization he works for.

Office managers frequently attend meetings with the board of directors and senior management of the company. They report all the activities which are going on in the office and suggest what changes should be made in the policies for better results. By making use of the accounting software, they do the accounting work in many organizations. The next paragraph has details about office manager salary.

Office Manager Salary Details

The salary ranges for jobs of an office manager largely depends on the educational qualifications, number of years of experience, location of job, type of employer and general skills. In order to become an office manager and earn well, you need to have a graduate degree in management, finance, marketing or sales. A post graduate degree with other certifications can prove to be useful to grab the best career opportunities in the job market. Good communication skills, interpersonal skills, confidence, ability to take calculated risks, decision making abilities, team building skills are other essential qualities for a successful office manager and these factors influence the salaries of these professionals to a great extent. The salaries for office managers working in large multi-national organization is quite high as compared to those working for smaller firms. The salaries for those working in big cities such as New York are much higher than those working in smaller cities. The median salary for office managers in the United States of America is around USD 70,000 per year. However, the average salary for these professionals works out to around USD 44,000 per year. At the time of joining, an office manager with not much experience can get around USD 30,000 to USD 35,000 per year. Office managers who have seven to ten years of experience can command a salary over USD 55,000 per year.

This was all about office manager salary, educational requirements and job description. Career prospects for office managers are brilliant with plenty of advancement opportunities. So, try your best to become an office manager by working hard in your high school and college. All the best!

By Charlie S

careers, Jobs Indonesia, Indonesia Vacancy