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Take it or leave it: Fresh grads navigate the unknown world of work and salaries
The question of the “proper” salary for fresh graduates arose recently after a fresh graduate complained in an Instagram post about the Rp 8 million salary offer from a company they had applied to.
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Two prospective job seekers see job openings during the job fair at the Mega Career Expo in Balai Kartini, Jakarta, in this file photo dated Aug. 23, 2013. (JP/Nurhayati)
F
or many Indonesians, talking about salary in public is like talking about sex: It is taboo. People keep it a secret. They blush and avoid the conversation whenever it comes up.
This lack of information often leaves fresh graduates in the dark. Most of them are clueless about the benefits and salaries they will earn in their first job. They also do not know how to transit into the world of employment.
For university students, such as Rian Antony, 21, fresh graduates have to expand their experience, show their good work and, later, a good salary will follow.
“For me, Rp 4 million (US$281.27) is already very adequate for a fresh graduate. […] In comparison, I have a fresh graduate friend from a law faculty who is paid Rp 2 million per month. My friend who works as a nonpermanent teacher earns Rp 700,000 to Rp 1.4 million a month. […] So for me, Rp 4 million is enough for a fresh graduate to live a healthy life,” Rian said on Thursday.
He said that although he would try to negotiate with the company in the interview to get a better salary, he would not ask for more than what he deserved.
The question of the “proper” salary for fresh graduates arose recently after a fresh graduate complained in an Instagram post about the Rp 8 million salary offer from a company they had applied to.
In the post, the fresh graduate argued that studying at one of the top universities in the country entitled them to earn more than Rp 8 million a month, which they expressed by writing: “Hellooo, even though I’m a fresh graduate I’m a University of Indonesia graduate, sir!”
